Abram

The term that is transliterated as “Abram” in English is translated in American Sign Language with the sign signifying sojourning with a staff, clearly differentiating it from Abraham. (Source: Ruth Anna Spooner, Ron Lawer)


“Abram” in American Sign Language, source: Deaf Harbor

Similarly, in Vietnamese (Hanoi) Sign Language it is translated with a sign that demonstrates that he has to wander from his home. (Source: The Vietnamese Sign Language translation team, VSLBT)


“Abram” in Vietnamese Sign Language, source: SooSL

Seer also Abraham.

complete verse (Genesis 15:13)

Following are a number of back-translations as well as a sample translation for translators of Genesis 15:13:

  • Kankanaey: “Then after-that God said to him, ‘Your (sing.) descendants will most certainly (prophetic formula) be-strangers in the country of different people so-that they will-be-enslaved to them and will-be-hardshipped until four hundred years go (by).” (Source: Kankanaey Back Translation)
  • Newari: “And the LORD said to Abram — ‘Understand this — your descendants will have to live in a land as outsiders, and will have to live there 400 years being oppressed as male and female slaves.” (Source: Newari Back Translation)
  • Hiligaynon: “Then the LORD said to him, ‘Surely [intensifier] that your (sing.) descendants will-become strangers in another nation. They will-become slaves there and mistreated for [lit. inside of] 400 years.” (Source: Hiligaynon Back Translation)
  • English: “Then God said to Abram, ‘I want you to know that your descendants will become foreigners living in a land that does not belong to them. They will become slaves of the owners of that land. The owners of the land will mistreat them for 400 years.” (Source: Translation for Translators)

Honorary "are" construct denoting God (“say”)

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Like a number of other East Asian languages, Japanese uses a complex system of honorifics, i.e. a system where a number of different levels of politeness are expressed in language via words, word forms or grammatical constructs. These can range from addressing someone or referring to someone with contempt (very informal) to expressing the highest level of reference (as used in addressing or referring to God) or any number of levels in-between.

One way Japanese shows different degree of politeness is through the usage of an honorific construction where the morpheme are (され) is affixed on the verb as shown here in the widely-used Japanese Shinkaiyaku (新改訳) Bible of 2017. This is particularly done with verbs that have God as the agent to show a deep sense of reverence. Here, iw-are-ru (言われる) or “say” is used.

(Source: S. E. Doi, see also S. E. Doi in Journal of Translation, 18/2022, p. 37ff. )

Translation commentary on Genesis 15:13

The LORD’s next speech, which Abram hears in his dream or trance, is a series of prophecies or statements about future events. Then the LORD said to Abram introduces his speech. Some translators may wish to make clear that Abram is dreaming, by saying, for example, “Then the LORD spoke to Abram in a dream and said….”

Know of a surety renders Hebrew that is formed by doubling the verb Know; this offers the troubled Abram assurance. The expression is better rendered by New English Bible and New Revised Standard Version “Know this for certain,” in which the word “this” points ahead to what the LORD is about to tell Abram. We may also say, for example, “You must understand what I will tell you,” “Listen carefully to what I tell you.” Good News Translation weakens the opening of the speech by omitting this expression.

Your descendants will be sojourners is literally “Your seed will be an alien.” An alien is a person living as a foreigner in a country to which he does not belong and where he does not have rights as a native citizen. In many English-speaking countries “alien” is also the official technical term for such a person, and there are similar technical terms in other major languages. Here Good News Translation says “will be strangers in a foreign land,” which may suggest that they will be a long way from their own land; in many areas, however, a person may live only a few kilometers from home and be considered an alien, foreigner, or stranger. In such cases it is best to say, for example, “Your descendants will live in a country where they do not belong,” or “… will live in other peoples’ country,” or “… will live in a foreign country where people will say ‘You do not belong here.’ ”

Will be slaves there: for discussion of slaves see 9.25

They will be oppressed: the verb rendered oppressed means to mistreat, punish, or as Good News Translation says, “treat cruelly.” Revised Standard Version translates the verb as a passive construction. However, the Hebrew is active with an impersonal plural subject, “they will oppress them”; and a number of languages will be able to use a similar construction. Other translators wishing to keep the active voice may say “the people of that land will treat them badly….” Egypt is not named in this context. In some languages expressions of mistreating people are stated figuratively; for example, “they will keep their feet on their necks” or “they will tie their hands and feet.”

For four hundred years probably is a round number representing the four hundred and thirty years of Exo 12.40. Translators may wish to use footnote references to the Hebrew bondage in Egypt, such as Exo 1.1-14; Acts 7.6.

Quoted with permission from Reyburn, William D. and Fry, Euan McG. A Handbook on Genesis. (UBS Helps for Translators). New York: UBS, 1997. For this and other handbooks for translators see here .