Sarai / Sarah

The Hebrew and Greek that is transliterated as “Sarai” and “Sarah” in English is translated in Spanish Sign Language with the sign depicting coins on a headband, referring to women from the Middle East and North Africa who wear a headband decorated with small coins. (Source: Steve Parkhurst)


“Sarai” and “Sarah” in Spanish Sign Language, source: Sociedad Bíblica de España

Learn more on Bible Odyssey: Sarah .

Abraham

The name that is transliterated as “Abraham” in English is translated in the vast majority of sign languages, including American Sign Language with the sign signifying “hold back arm” (referring to Genesis 22:12).


“Abraham” in American Sign Language (source )

In Vietnamese (Hanoi) Sign Language it is translated with a sign for that demonstrates his new destiny. Previously, he had been called to wander from his home, and the name “Abram” reflected this movement (see here). The new sign name is in one location and stays there, showing Abraham will be given a land to call his own. At this time, Abraham was in the southern part of Canaan, which is shown on the base arm by the location near the elbow. (Source: The Vietnamese Sign Language translation team, VSLBT)


“Abraham” in Vietnamese Sign Language, source: SooSL

In Tira it is transliterated as Abaram. The choice of this, rather than the widely-known “Ibrahim,” as used in the Tira translation of the Qu’ran, was to offset it against the Muslim transliteration which originates from Arabic. (Source: J.A. Naudé, C.L. Miller Naudé, J.O. Obono in Acta Theologica 43/2, 2023, p. 129ff. )

Click or tap here to see two short video clips about Abraham (source: Bible Lands 2012)

See also our ancestor Abraham and Abram.

Learn more on Bible Odyssey: Abraham .

complete verse (Genesis 20:2)

Following are a number of back-translations as well as a sample translation for translators of Genesis 20:2:

  • Newari: “There he told everyone that his wife Sarah [was] his younger sister. So Abimelech King of Gerar took Sarah along to his place.” (Source: Newari Back Translation)
  • Hiligaynon: “While they were there, Abraham introduced Sara to the people as his sibling. Therefore King Abimelec of Gerar caused-to-take/get Sara.” (Source: Hiligaynon Back Translation)
  • English: “While he was there, he told people that Sarah was his sister, not his wife. Then King Abimelech of Gerar sent some of his men to Sarah, and they brought her to him to be his wife.” (Source: Translation for Translators)

king

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Some languages do not have a concept of kingship and therefore no immediate equivalent for the Greek, Hebrew, Aramaic, and Latin that is translated as “king” in English. Here are some (back-) translations:

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  • Piro: “a great one”
  • Highland Totonac: “the big boss”
  • Huichol: “the one who commanded” (source for this and above: Bratcher / Nida)
  • Ekari: “the one who holds the country” (source: Reiling / Swellengrebel)
  • Una: weik sienyi: “big headman” (source: Kroneman 2004, p. 407)
  • Pass Valley Yali: “Big Man” (source: Daud Soesilo)
  • Ninia Yali: “big brother with the uplifted name” (source: Daud Soesilio in Noss 2007, p. 175)
  • Nyamwezi: mutemi: generic word for ruler, by specifying the city or nation it becomes clear what kind of ruler (source: Pioneer Bible Translators, project-specific translation notes in Paratext)
  • Ghomála’: Fo (“The word Fo refers to the paramount ruler in the kingdoms of West Cameroon. He holds administrative, political, and religious power over his own people, who are divided into two categories: princes (descendants of royalty) and servants (everyone else).” (Source: Michel Kenmogne in Theologizing in Context: An Example from the Study of a Ghomala’ Christian Hymn))

Faye Edgerton retells how the term in Navajo was determined:

“[This term was] easily expressed in the language of Biblical culture, which had kings and noblemen with their brilliant trappings and their position of honor and praise. But leadership among the Navajos is not accompanied by any such titles or distinctions of dress. Those most respected, especially in earlier days, were their headmen, who were the leaders in raids, and the shaman, who was able to serve the people by appealing for them to the gods, or by exorcising evil spirits. Neither of these made any outward show. Neither held his position by political intrigue or heredity. If the headman failed consistently in raids, he was superceded by a better warrior. If the shaman failed many times in his healing ceremonies, it was considered that he was making mistakes in the chants, or had lost favor with the gods, and another was sought. The term Navajos use for headman is derived from a verb meaning ‘to move the head from side to side as in making an oration.’ The headman must be a good orator, able to move the people to go to war, or to follow him in any important decision. This word is naat’áanii which now means ‘one who rules or bosses.’ It is employed now for a foreman or boss of any kind of labor, as well as for the chairman of the tribal council. So in order to show that the king is not just a common boss but the highest ruler, the word ‘aláahgo, which expresses the superlative degree, was put before naat’áanii, and so ‘aláahgo naat’áanii ‘anyone-more-than-being around-he-moves-his-head-the-one-who’ means ‘the highest ruler.’ Naat’áanii was used for governor as the context usually shows that the person was a ruler of a country or associated with kings.”

(Source: Faye Edgerton in The Bible Translator 1962, p. 25ff. )

See also king (Japanese honorifics).

Translation commentary on Genesis 20:2

And Abraham said of Sarah his wife: who Abraham said this to is not stated in the text. In 12.13 Abraham instructs Sarah to say that she is his sister. In languages in which it must be made clear who Abraham tells that Sarah is his sister, it may be necessary to say, for example, “Abraham told the people that his wife Sarah was his sister.” It is probably not necessary to be more exact than this.

She is my sister: the text does not use quote marks, but the construction shows this to be a direct quotation. If an indirect quotation is required, we may say “Abraham said that his wife Sarah was his sister.” Abraham’s intention is clearly to protect his life, as seen in verse 11. Accordingly he wishes to give the impression that she is not his wife, and of course this will mean that she is available for marriage.

Many languages must distinguish between older and younger sister, and younger sister will probably be more appropriate. In some languages it may be necessary to say “We are brother and sister.” For further discussion see 12.13.

And Abimelech king of Gerar sent and took Sarah: by comparing the account in 12.10-20 with the present one, translators will notice how our present story is shorter in some details. There the Egyptians saw Sarah, the princes of Pharaoh (the king) saw her, and they praised her beauty to the king. By contrast, in this chapter there is no report of people seeing Sarah’s beauty, and without anyone reporting to Abimelech, he takes her.

Revised Standard Version renders the Hebrew connective as And, but the context calls for a connector that shows consequence or result; for example, “So,” “As a result,” “Therefore,” “Because Abraham said this.”

The name Abimelech means “Melech is [my] father” or “the king is my father.” Driver says that Phoenician proper nouns show that there was an old Canaanite god called milk, meaning “king,” and this name is the equivalent of Hebrew melech or molech. For the treatment of names in Genesis, see “Translating Genesis,” page 8.

Sent and took Sarah: sent and took may be viewed as a single event. “He sent for her” or “he took her.” It may also be regarded as two events: “he sent people to bring her to him,” which is a fuller form of Good News Translation‘s passive rendering, “he had Sarah brought to him.” We may also say, for example, “So Abimelech king of Gerar sent for Sarah.” Took Sarah means that he took her as one of his wives or took her into his harem.

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 .