9so that he may give me the cave of Machpelah, which he owns; it is at the end of his field. For the full price let him give it to me in your presence as a possession for a burying place.”
Following are a number of back-translations as well as a sample translation for translators of Genesis 23:9:
Newari: “to sell me the cave called Machpelah, along with his field. I will pay the money that it costs and you will all witness it.'” (Source: Newari Back Translation)
Hiligaynon: “that he will-sell to me his cave which is beside his farm at Macpela. [You (pl.)] tell him that I will-pay him the right price right here in-front-of you (pl.) so-that that cave will- now -be-mine for-the-sake-of making a burial-place.'” (Source: Hiligaynon Back Translation)
English: “to sell to me the cave in the Machpelah area, which is at the end of his field. Ask him to sell it to me for the full price he wants, so that I can have a burial ground among you.'” (Source: Translation for Translators)
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 show different degree of politeness is through the choice of a benefactive construction as shown here in the widely-used Japanese Shinkaiyaku (新改訳) Bible of 2017.
Here, yō ni shite (ようにして) or “do so (so that) / make it like” is used in combination with kudasaru (くださる), a respectful form of the benefactive kureru (くれる). A benefactive reflects the good will of the giver or the gratitude of a recipient of the favor. To convey this connotation, English translation needs to employ a phrase such as “for me (my sake)” or “for you (your sake).” (Source: S. E. Doi, see also S. E. Doi in Journal of Translation, 18/2022, p. 37ff. )
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 show different degree of politeness is through the choice of a benefactive construction as shown here in the widely-used Japanese Shinkaiyaku (新改訳) Bible of 2017.
Here, yuzutte (譲って) or “cede” is used in combination with itadaku (いただく), a humble form of the benefactive morau (もらう). A benefactive reflects the good will of the giver or the gratitude of a recipient of the favor. To convey this connotation, English translation needs to employ a phrase such as “for me (my sake)” or “for you (your sake).” (Source: S. E. Doi, see also S. E. Doi in Journal of Translation, 18/2022, p. 37ff. )
That he may give me the cave of Mach-pelah: give is “sell” as in Gen 23.4. Mach-pelah is the name of the area or district in which the cave is located. In verses 17 and 19 Mach-pelah is defined as the area to the east of Mamre, or Hebron. The way cave of Mach-pelah is translated will depend upon the way a small place within a larger area is referred to; that is, “the cave located in the area called Machpelah.” In this stage of the negotiations, Abraham asks to buy the cave only.
Which he owns: that is, the cave that Ephron owns, or “the cave on Ephron’s land.” It may be more natural to indicate ownership here as “his cave in Machpelah that is at the end of his field” or “… at the edge of his land.”
For the full price refers to the current value. Abraham is not negotiating for the price but for the cave, and will pay the price it is worth as land values were known to these men. We may translate, for example, “Let him sell it to me for its true price,” “… for whatever it is worth.” A translation that separates this expression to the end of the verse as a separate sentence says “Tell him I will give him the right price for that land.”
In your presence means that the Hittites will be witnesses to the sale, and therefore it will be legal. This may be translated “here in front of you [plural],” “here where you [plural] are witnesses,” “with you [plural] as witness to the sale.”
As a possession for a burying place: this may need to be restructured to say, for example, “so that it will be my burial place,” “and I will own it as a grave,” “and that grave will become my property,” or “so that I can have my own graveyard.”
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 .
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 show different degree of politeness is through the choice of an imperative construction as shown here in the widely-used Japanese Shinkaiyaku (新改訳) Bible of 2017.
In these verses, the honorific form kudasai (ください) reflects that the action is called for as a favor for the sake of the beneficiary. This polite kudasai imperative form is often translated as “please” in English. While English employs pure imperatives in most imperative constructions (“Do this!”), Japanese chooses the polite kudasai (“Do this, please.”). (Source: S. E. Doi, see also S. E. Doi in Journal of Translation, 18/2022, p. 37ff. )
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 show different degree of politeness is through the choice of a formal plural suffix to the second person pronoun (“you” and its various forms) as shown here in the widely-used Japanese Shinkaiyaku (新改訳) Bible of 2017.
In these verses, anata-gata (あなたがた) is used, combining the second person pronoun anata and the plural suffix -gata to create a formal plural pronoun (“you” [plural] in English). (Source: S. E. Doi, see also S. E. Doi in Journal of Translation, 18/2022, p. 37ff. )
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