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”):
Many languages distinguish between inclusive and exclusive first-person plural pronouns (“we”). (Click or tap here to see more details)
The inclusive “we” specifically includes the addressee (“you and I and possibly others”), while the exclusive “we” specifically excludes the addressee (“he/she/they and I, but not you”). This grammatical distinction is called “clusivity.” While Semitic languages such as Hebrew or most Indo-European languages such as Greek or English do not make that distinction, translators of languages with that distinction have to make a choice every time they encounter “we” or a form thereof (in English: “we,” “our,” or “us”).
For this verse, the Jarai and the Adamawa Fulfulde translation both use the exclusive pronoun, excluding Isaac.
Following are a number of back-translations as well as a sample translation for translators of Genesis 26:16:
Kankanaey: “Then Abimelek said to Isaac, ‘It-is-necessary that you (sing.) leave this country/town of ours (excl.) because here-now you (sing.) are already stronger than we (excl.).'” (Source: Kankanaey Back Translation)
Newari: “Abimelech also said to Isaac — ‘You go, leaving our land, for you have become stronger than we are.'” (Source: Newari Back Translation)
Hiligaynon: “Now, Abimelec said to Isaac, ‘[You (sing.)] leave here now, for you (pl.) are now very many for us (incl.).'” (Source: Hiligaynon Back Translation)
English: “Then Abimelech said to Isaac, ‘You people have become more numerous than we are, so I want you to get out of our area.'” (Source: Translation for Translators)
Isaac’s power and wealth had become a threat to the security of Abimelech. This verse may need to be introduced with a term equivalent to “So,” “Therefore.”
Go away from us: that is, “Leave us,” “Depart from here,” “Get out of our country.”
For you are much mightier than we: this clause is the reason why Isaac should leave Gerar, and in some languages it will need to be expressed at the beginning of the sentence; for example, “You have become much stronger than we are, so now leave our country.”
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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