complete verse (Genesis 18:29)

Following are a number of back-translations as well as a sample translation for translators of Genesis 18:29:

  • Kankanaey: “Abraham spoke again and he said, ‘If for-example there are forty only?’ ‘All-right then,’ God said, ‘if there are forty, I will not then destroy their town.'” (Source: Kankanaey Back Translation)
  • Newari: “‘Then if there are only forty good people?'” (Source: Newari Back Translation)
  • Hiligaynon: “Abraham again said, ‘So/How-about, if only 40 righteous-(ones)?’ The Lord answered, ‘I will- not -destroy the city for the sake of 40 rigtheous-(ones).'” (Source: Hiligaynon Back Translation)
  • English: “Abraham continued to speak to him like this, saying, ‘What will you do if you find that there are only 40 righteous people there?’ Yahweh replied, ‘I will not destroy them all, for the sake of the 40.'” (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 18:29

Again he spoke to him: he refers to Abraham and him to the LORD. Throughout this dialogue a literal translation of the pronouns may make it very difficult to identify the speakers, so most translations substitute the names as required in their languages. Abraham does not repeat his humble introduction after verse 27.

Suppose forty are found there: again Abraham lowers the total by five. Are found translates the passive form of “find” and may also be rendered as an active “Perhaps you will find only forty” or “What if you find only forty?” In many languages it is not necessary or natural to repeat the verb found in each of Abraham’s speeches from here on. Good News Translation says “Perhaps there will be only forty.” Others say, for example, “How about if there are only forty?”

He answered means “The LORD answered Abraham.”

For the sake of forty I will not do it: For the sake of means “because they are there” or “in order to save them” (compare “for their sake,” verse 26). Do it substitutes for “destroy Sodom.”

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 .