comforted

The Hebrew that is translated in English as “comforted” is translated in Newari as “grief was lost.” (Source: Newari Back Translation)

Isaac

The name that is transliterated as “Isaac” in English is signed in Spanish Sign Language and French Sign Language with a sign that is linked to his mother’s laughter when she hears that she will be pregnant with him (referring to Genesis 18:12 – 18:15) and also is the meaning of the Hebrew “Isaac” (Yitschaq — “he laughs”):


“Isaac” in French Sign Language (source: La Bible en langue des signes française )

Learn more on Bible Odyssey: Isaac .

For more information on translations of proper names with sign language see Sign Language Bible Translations Have Something to Say to Hearing Christians .

Rebekah

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)


“Rebekah” in Spanish Sign Language, source: Sociedad Bíblica de España

For more information on translations of proper names with sign language see Sign Language Bible Translations Have Something to Say to Hearing Christians .

More information on Rebecca .

complete verse (Genesis 24:67)

Following are a number of back-translations as well as a sample translation for translators of Genesis 24:67:

  • Kankanaey: “And Isaac took- Rebeka -into-his-home (as wife) in the tent where- his mother -had-lived previously. Large also was his love for her. That being so, his thoughts were comforted, because he had been sad (lit. his thoughts had been-painful) (empathy particle) starting-from the death of his mother.” (Source: Kankanaey Back Translation)
  • Newari: “Isaac brought Rebekah into the tent his mother [had] stayed [in]. And she became Isaac’s wife. He loved Rebekah very much. In this way the grief of not having his mother was lost.” (Source: Newari Back Translation)
  • Hiligaynon: “Then Isaac brought Rebeka there to the tent where his mother Sarah had-lived before. Rebeka became his wife and he loved her very-(much). Therefore Isaac recovered from his sadness because of the death of his mother.” (Source: Hiligaynon Back Translation)
  • English: “Then Isaac took Rebekah into the tent that belonged to his mother, Sarah, and she became his wife. And he loved her. So Isaac was comforted about his mother’s death.” (Source: Translation for Translators)

Translation commentary on Genesis 24:67

Then Isaac brought her into the tent: to this statement in the Hebrew text are added the words “Sarah his mother.” See Revised Standard Version footnote. Revised Standard Version and others assume “Sarah his mother” is misplaced and may have originally belonged at the end of the verse. Good News Translation and others retain “Sarah his mother” and relate these words to tent as “the tent that his mother Sarah had lived in.” Hebrew Old Testament Text Project takes the same position as Good News Translation and gives the Hebrew text an {A} rating. That Sarah would have had a special tent of her own is suggested by the case of Leah and Rachel in 31.33.

In some cultures there is a strong taboo against living in a dwelling in which a person has recently died, particularly if that person was a close relative. That may be a serious problem for translation of this passage; however, since there is some doubt about the text here, it may be best for translators who face the problem to follow Revised Standard Version and some other versions, and say just “the tent” or “his tent.” One translation, for example, says simply “After that Isaac brought Rebekah to his tent, and they-two were married….”

And took Rebekah, and she became his wife: took Rebekah means he married her. The form of the Hebrew statement is a repetition of the same information but using different words, and in many languages it is sufficient to say “Isaac married Rebekah” or “Isaac made Rebekah his wife.”

And he loved her may be interpreted as a separate statement, but more likely it functions as the reason for his being comforted after his mother’s death. We may translate, for example, “Isaac loved Rebekah, and so he was comforted after his mother’s death” or “Because Isaac loved Rebekah he was consoled for the death of his mother.” In languages in which the passive cannot be used, we may say “Isaac loved … and so the death of his mother pained him less.”

Comforted after his mother’s death may be difficult to translate literally, because it describes a change in feelings from being sad to being happy again. An example of a translation that expresses all the elements more fully is “Before, when his mother died, Isaac felt sad all the time. But now he had a good feeling again.”

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 .