6But to the sons of his concubines Abraham gave gifts, while he was still living, and he sent them away from his son Isaac, eastward to the east country.
The Hebrew and Greek that is translated as “concubine” in English is translated in Kutu as “slave made to be his woman” or “female slave he married” and similarly in Makonde, “a slave who is/was a wife.”
In Kwere it is translated as “small wife.” This is the term for subsequent wives when polygamy is practiced among the Kwere. While they enjoy most of the same rights and privileges as the first wife, their status is not necessarily the same. In Kalanga it is likewise translated with balongwana or “small wife.” (Source for all: project-specific notes in Paratext)
In Newari it is translated as “illegitimate wife” (source: Newari Back Translation).
In Libras (Brazilian Sign Language) it is translated with a sign that shows a couple, in a legitimate union between a man and a woman with the left hand. The right hand refers to another woman, who is subordinate to the lawful wife; therefore, the X shape symbolizes “submission and obedience.” (Source: Missão Kophós )
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”):
According to Anne Garber Kompaoré (in Le Sycomore 3/2009, p. 34ff. ), there are 4 ways to identify cardinal directions:
1. celestial bodies, especially the sun and certain stars
2. geographical landmarks, for example a mountain, sea, or river (depending on its position or the direction in which the water flows) etc.
3. climatic phenomena, such as the wind and the direction from which rain comes
4. bodily reference points, especially front, back, left, and right, in relation to celestial bodies or geographical landmarks
Following are examples of how these are practically implemented by various languages: (click or tap here to see the rest of this insight)
Celestial Bodies
East and west are often translated by the rising and the setting of the sun (note that the origin of English and other Indo-European languages is “dawn” for “east” and “evening” [i.e. sun-down] for “west”):
Maan: “where the sun comes up” and “where the sun goes down” (source: Don Slager)
Kankanaey: “from the coming-out of the sun “and “going-away of the sun” (source: Kankanaey back-translation)
Northern Emberá: “from where the sun comes up” and “from where the sun falls” (source: Charles Mortensen)
Ejamat “the side where the sun comes from” and “the side where it sets” (source: David Frank in this blog post )
Tzeltal: “where the sun pours-out” (west) (source: Reiling / Swellengrebel)
Northern Ngbandi: “the sun behind the chief’s house” (east — the chief lives traditionally at the eastern side of the village, therefore he does not get the sunlight into his eyes) and “under the sun” (west)
Northwestern Dinka: “earth behind” (east — the place behind the earth, i.e. the area where the sun rises)
Jula: “salt village” (north — because salt comes from the north, from the Sahara Desert) and “kola village” (south — since kola comes from the coastal region to the south) (source: Garber Kompaoré)
Matumbi: “toward the beach” (East) (the coast is in the eastern direction in Matumbi-speaking areas), “north” and “south” can be defined as above or below another place (Source: Pioneer Bible Translators, project-specific notes in Paratext)
Acoli: “right” (of the local White Nile) (north) and “left” (of the White Nile) (south)
Zande: “interior (dry) land” (east); “place-inside-country” (north / south) — Zande, like a number of other languages, including Matengo and Hehe, traditionally only has three cardinal directions.
Belanda Bor: “lower place” (north) and “higher place” (south)
Turkana: “(up)stream” (north) and (down)stream (south)
Mono (DRC): “water place” (south) (source for this and five above: Mietzner / Pasch)
Climatic Phenomena
Shilluk: “opening westwind” (north) and “opening eastwind” (south)
Swahili used to have six directions. In reducing them to four, kusini and kaskazini which used to refer to south-west and north east respectively (the directions from where the two monsoons blow) have become the terms for “south” and north.” (source for this and one above: Mietzner / Pasch)
Bodily Reference Points
Nuer / Burun: “face” and “sun face” respectively (both: east)
Kalenjin: “eye sun” (east) (this and the one above indicate that the sun is “facing” the spectator from its position in the east:
Shilluk: doesn’t use a fixed position of the speaker, instead it has “eye sun morning” for east and “eye sun evening” for west
Mono (DRC): “foot-sun” (east — the start of the sun’s journey)
Burun: “sun leg” (west — the end of the sun’s journey)
Bari: “back” (north — when people are facing south, north is at their back) (source for this and above: Mietzner / Pasch)
Northern Emberá “the looking [left] hand” (north) and “the real [right] hand” (south) (source: Charles Mortensen)
Morelos Nahuatl: “from above” (north) and “from below” (south) (source: Viola Waterhouse in Notes on Translation August 1966, p. 86ff.)
When all four directions are mentioned, translators tend to avoid listing the four, sometimes verbose terms, and chose solutions like “all directions” (such as in Maan or Manya (source: Don Slager). Yakan has “from the four corners of the earth” (source: Yakan back-translation) and Western Bukidnon Manobo “from the four directions here on the earth” (source: Western Bukidnon Manobo back-translation).
The Hebrew text that gives instructions where to place items in the tabernacle with the help of cardinal directions (north and south) had to be approached in the Bambam translation specific to spacial concepts of that culture. Phil Campbell explains: “There are no words in Bambam for north and south. In Exodus 26:35, God instructs that the table is to be placed on the north side and the lamp on the south side inside the tabernacle. The team wants to use right and left to tell where the lamp and table are located. In many languages we would say that the table is on the right and the lampstand is on the left based on the view of someone entering the tabernacle. However, that is not how Bambam people view it. They view the placement of things and rooms in a building according to the orientation of someone standing inside the building facing the front of the building. So that means the table is on the left side and the lampstand is on the right side.”
The name that is transliterated as “Abraham” in English means “father of a multitude,” “father of mercy,” “father of many nations.” (Source: Cornwall / Smith 1997 )
In the vast majority of sign languages, including American Sign Language it is translated 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 25:6:
Newari: “Before he died, Abraham gave gifts to the sons that he had from other wives. Separating [them] from the household of Isaac, he sent them towards the east.” (Source: Newari Back Translation)
Hiligaynon: “Before Abraham died, he left all of his possessions to Isaac. But he gave gifts to his other children from his other wives, and he had- them -live in the land(s) in the east, far from his child Isaac.” (Source: Hiligaynon Back Translation)
English: “But while Abraham was still living, he gave gifts to the sons of his concubines/slaves that he had taken to be his secondary wives, and then he sent them away to live in a land to the east, to keep them far from his son Isaac.” (Source: Translation for Translators)
Verse 5 shows that Abraham’s line continues only through Isaac, and therefore Isaac is Abraham’s only heir. Verse 6 contrasts what Abraham did for Isaac with what he did for his other sons.
Abraham gave all he had to Isaac: the wording of this verse expresses the same thought the servant conveyed in 24.36. Gave is used here in the special sense of a person passing on his property at death to an heir. In English this thought is expressed by such verbs as “bequeath,” “will,” “give as inheritance,” “leave.” Good News Translation says “left everything he owned.” In other languages it may be necessary to follow the customs that apply for inheritance; in one situation, for example, the translation says “Then Abraham called all his people together and told them that when he died everything of his would belong to his son Isaac.” For a discussion of “heir” see 15.2. In languages in which it is more natural to speak of inheriting, Biblia Dios Habla Hoy provides a model: “Isaac inherited everything that Abraham had.”
It is reasonable to assume that Abraham is still alive in verse 5 when he arranged for Isaac to inherit his property. To assume he is dead in verse 5 may conflict with the statement that he gave gifts to his sons while he was still living in Gen 25.6. However, we may also translate these two closely related verses so that their time in relation to Abraham’s death is made clear; for example, “When Abraham died he left all his property to Isaac. However, while he was still alive he gave gifts to … and sent them away….”
Another possible adjustment is to change the order of verses 5 and 6. In this case we may translate “While Abraham was still living he gave gifts to … and sent them away… Later, when Abraham died, he left all his property to Isaac.”
But to the sons of his concubines: concubines (see discussion of this term in 22.24) appears strange if the reference is to Keturah, who is not referred to as concubine in Gen 25.1. The plural form of this word may refer to Keturah and Hagar, or to these two and still others not mentioned elsewhere. In languages that distinguish between the main wife and secondary wives, it is advisable to use something equivalent to secondary wives here.
Abraham gave gifts: gifts translates a general word for presents. These may have been in the form of jewels, precious metals, animals, slaves, or combinations of these. In any event they would be movable gifts that could be taken to another area. The gifts are probably given as a legal settlement that will enable these sons to begin life on their own. It is unlikely that money as it is used in the modern world would have been a part of these gifts, but quantities of precious metals served the same purpose; therefore it is legitimate to include money along with other items in translation, if a descriptive expression is required.
He sent them away from his son Isaac: the purpose of sending these sons away is to remove them from Isaac so that they will not be a threat to Isaac’s wealth and security. In translation it may be necessary to make clear that Abraham is separating these other sons from Isaac. We may translate, for example, “He sent them far away to keep them separated from Isaac.” Another example from some translations is “He sent them away to countries in the east, because he didn’t want them to stay there with his son Isaac.”
Eastward to the east country: some take this repeated use of east to refer to a land in the east called “East.” A similar expression is found in 29.1. Moffatt translates “eastward to the land of Kedem.” (The Hebrew word for “east” is qedem.) According to Driver the expression is a general designation of the land that lay to the east, northeast, or southeast of Canaan. For some languages Good News Translation will be a suitable model, but for others it will be necessary to use local conditions to designate east; for example, “to a land where the sun rises,” “to a land beyond the big mountains.”
Verse 6 completes the genealogy and the separation of Isaac’s future line from that of his half-brothers. The next subdivision will end with God blessing Isaac after Abraham’s death and burial.
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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