The Hebrew and Greek that is transliterated as “Rebekah” or “Rebecca” in English is translated in Spanish Sign Language with a sign that signifies “bracelet,” referring to the gift that she receives in Genesis 24:22. (Source: Steve Parkhurst)
Following are a number of back-translations as well as a sample translation for translators of Genesis 22:23:
Newari: “This Bethuel was the father of Rebekah. These were the eight sons that Abraham’s younger brother Nahor had from Milcah.” (Source: Newari Back Translation)
Hiligaynon: “Eight of them (were) the children of Nahor with Milca. Betuel was the father of Rebekah.” (Source: Hiligaynon Back Translation)
English: “who was the father of Rebekah, who later became Isaac’s wife. Those were the eight sons of Milcah, wife of Abraham’s brother, Nahor.” (Source: Translation for Translators)
Bethuel is named again in 24.15, 24, 47 as Rebekah’s father.
In some languages there is a problem in saying that a woman gave birth to a child who was “the father of….” In such languages the intermediate steps, that is, growing from baby to father, must not be omitted. If this is the case in your language, it may be necessary to say that the person “grew up and got married, and then became the father of….” One translation, for example, lists the names of the eight sons in verses 21-22 and then continues in a new sentence, “Kemuel later got married and had a son named Aram; and Bethuel got married too and had a daughter named Rebekah.”
These eight …: see suggestion above for introducing the eight in verse 20.
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 .
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