10Now Ephron was sitting among the Hittites, and Ephron the Hittite answered Abraham in the hearing of the Hittites, of all who went in at the gate of his city,
The Hebrew that is typically translated as “all who went in at the gate of his city” in English was translated in Bari as “all who gather together at the gate of his city” because “if we had translated this literally we should have conveyed the opposite meaning, i.e. that it was the country people coming in to market from outside that was intended, instead of the people of the place. So we have used a word meaning ‘to gather together’ in place of ‘went in’, ‘those who gather together’ by implication being the inhabitants of the city.”
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).
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)
Following are a number of back-translations as well as a sample translation for translators of Genesis 23:10:
Newari: “Ephron was sitting in the city gate together with the Hittites who were there. He said, with everyone sitting there hearing –” (Source: Newari Back Translation)
Hiligaynon: “Efron was as-a-matter-of-fact sitting there with his fellow Hithanon. Therefore he answered Abraham in-the-hearing of all the Hithanon who had-gathered there at the gate of the city.” (Source: Hiligaynon Back Translation)
English: “Ephron was sitting among the people near the city gate where many descendants of Heth had gathered. He heard what Abraham said to them.” (Source: Translation for Translators)
Some adjustments may be required in the clause order of this verse so that the information at the end of the verse does not overload the verse in an awkward manner. Notice how Good News Translation has moved forward “all who went in at the gate of the city” to relate to the Hittites.
Now Ephron was sitting among the Hittites: Now translates the Hebrew connective waw as a transitional word. We may also say, for example, “While Abraham was speaking, Ephron was sitting….” A translation that follows the Good News Translation model and restructures sitting among … is “They were all sitting at the gate of the town … to talk about this business, and Ephron too was there with them.” In another translation this is shortened to “Ephron was there at that meeting.”
And Ephron the Hittite answered Abraham: this clause may be more logically understood as a consequence of Ephron’s presence, since he has heard the discussions. Accordingly we may translate “So Ephron spoke up,” “Therefore Ephron replied to Abraham.” In many languages it will not be necessary to repeat the name of Ephron, but simply to say “… so he replied to Abraham.”
In the hearing of the Hittites is literally “in the ears of the Hittites.” We may also say, for example, “with the other Hittites listening,” “where the other Hittites were,” or “in the presence of the rest of the Hittites.”
Of all who went in at the gate of his city: the possessive pronoun his used with city in this context seems to emphasize that Ephron belonged to that place and was responsible to the people there. For discussion of gate of his city, see 19.1. Translators may find it clearer to shift this information forward, as in Good News Translation, and to place in the hearing of the Hittites at the end of the sentence. Therefore we may translate, for example, “All this time Ephron was sitting with the other Hittites. So he spoke up before all those who met at the city gate. While they listened he replied to Abraham.”
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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