caressing, fondling

The Hebrew that is translated as “fondling” or “caressing” or similar in English is translated in Makonde as “embracing” and in Elhomwe as “embracing in love” to avoid connotations of sexual intercourse. (Source for both: project-specific translation notes in Paratext)

Note that in Hebrew this word is a pun on the name of Isaac.

Philistines

The term that is transliterated as “Philistines” in English is translated in American Sign Language with a sign that signifies the helmet the Philistine warriors wore was decorated with feather-like objects. (Source: Ruth Anna Spooner, Ron Lawer)


“Philistines” in American Sign Language, source: Deaf Harbor

Click or tap here to see a short video clip about Philistines (source: Bible Lands 2012)

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 .

making implicit plural form explicit (Genesis 26:8)

In many, if not most of the languages in the Philippines, proper nouns, such as personal names, are tagged with a marker that signals their grammatical role within a sentence. For Tagalog and the Visayan languages , this typically includes si to mark the proper noun as the actor or subject (nominative case), ni to mark the proper noun as an owner (genitive case), and kay to mark the proper noun as as an indirect object, i.e. the one to or toward whom an action is directed (dative case). All of these also have plural forms — sina, nina and kina respectively — and unlike in the biblical languages or in English, the plural form has to be used when only a single proper name is mentioned but implicitly that proper name includes more than just one.

In this verse, where English translates “Isaac (had been there),” the Tagalog translation translates “nina Isaac” because the context of the text makes clear that Isaac was with Rebekah. (Source: Kermit Titrud and Steve Quakenbush)

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 26:8)

Following are a number of back-translations as well as a sample translation for translators of Genesis 26:8:

  • Kankanaey: “Isaac stayed there a-long-time. There was one day when Abimelek looked-down from the window, he saw (immediacy particle) Isaac and Rebeka sleeping-together.” (Source: Kankanaey Back Translation)
  • Newari: “One day many days later when King Abimelech looked out the window he saw Isaac loving his wife.” (Source: Newari Back Translation)
  • Hiligaynon: “A long time now was the staying of Isaac and company there in Gerar. And one day, it happened that Abimelec king of the Filistinhon looked-out-thru-the-window and he saw that Isaac and Rebeka were-fondling-each-other.” (Source: Hiligaynon Back Translation)
  • English: “When Isaac had been there a long time, one day Abimelech, the king of the Philistine people-group, looked down from a window in his palace and was surprised to see Isaac caressing his wife Rebekah.” (Source: Translation for Translators)

king

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Some languages do not have a concept of kingship and therefore no immediate equivalent for the Greek, Hebrew, Aramaic, and Latin that is translated as “king” in English. Here are some (back-) translations:

(Click or tap here to see details)

  • Piro: “a great one”
  • Highland Totonac: “the big boss”
  • Huichol: “the one who commanded” (source for this and above: Bratcher / Nida)
  • Ekari: “the one who holds the country” (source: Reiling / Swellengrebel)
  • Una: weik sienyi: “big headman” (source: Kroneman 2004, p. 407)
  • Pass Valley Yali: “Big Man” (source: Daud Soesilo)
  • Ninia Yali: “big brother with the uplifted name” (source: Daud Soesilio in Noss 2007, p. 175)
  • Nyamwezi: mutemi: generic word for ruler, by specifying the city or nation it becomes clear what kind of ruler (source: Pioneer Bible Translators, project-specific translation notes in Paratext)
  • Ghomála’: Fo (“The word Fo refers to the paramount ruler in the kingdoms of West Cameroon. He holds administrative, political, and religious power over his own people, who are divided into two categories: princes (descendants of royalty) and servants (everyone else).” (Source: Michel Kenmogne in Theologizing in Context: An Example from the Study of a Ghomala’ Christian Hymn))

Faye Edgerton retells how the term in Navajo was determined:

“[This term was] easily expressed in the language of Biblical culture, which had kings and noblemen with their brilliant trappings and their position of honor and praise. But leadership among the Navajos is not accompanied by any such titles or distinctions of dress. Those most respected, especially in earlier days, were their headmen, who were the leaders in raids, and the shaman, who was able to serve the people by appealing for them to the gods, or by exorcising evil spirits. Neither of these made any outward show. Neither held his position by political intrigue or heredity. If the headman failed consistently in raids, he was superceded by a better warrior. If the shaman failed many times in his healing ceremonies, it was considered that he was making mistakes in the chants, or had lost favor with the gods, and another was sought. The term Navajos use for headman is derived from a verb meaning ‘to move the head from side to side as in making an oration.’ The headman must be a good orator, able to move the people to go to war, or to follow him in any important decision. This word is naat’áanii which now means ‘one who rules or bosses.’ It is employed now for a foreman or boss of any kind of labor, as well as for the chairman of the tribal council. So in order to show that the king is not just a common boss but the highest ruler, the word ‘aláahgo, which expresses the superlative degree, was put before naat’áanii, and so ‘aláahgo naat’áanii ‘anyone-more-than-being around-he-moves-his-head-the-one-who’ means ‘the highest ruler.’ Naat’áanii was used for governor as the context usually shows that the person was a ruler of a country or associated with kings.”

(Source: Faye Edgerton in The Bible Translator 1962, p. 25ff. )

See also king (Japanese honorifics).

Translation commentary on Genesis 26:8

When he had been there a long time: he refers to Isaac. The opening of this episode may require in some languages not only a transition but also an expression to mark the beginning of the new episode; for example, “Isaac had been living there for some time, then one day Abimelech looked….”

For king of the Philistines see the translation of Gen 26.1. Looked out translates a verb used also in 19.28, where Abraham looked down toward Sodom. The sense is to look from a high place toward something that is lower. Abimelech was probably at the window in a tower or upper part of his palace.

Saw Isaac fondling Rebekah: the Hebrew text begins with the word hinneh commonly rendered “lo” or “behold.” King James Version has “and saw, and behold, Isaac….” It probably suggests that what Abimelech saw surprised him. Revised English Bible retains something of this element by translating “… looked down from his window and there was Isaac caressing his wife.” Fondling translates the intensive participle of a verb meaning to laugh, play (as in 21.9), and in this context “to handle tenderly and lovingly.” The Hebrew word makes a wordplay on the name “Isaac.” Good News Translation “making love” is an unfortunate translation, since in many parts of the English-speaking world it will inevitably be understood to mean having sexual relations. The sense of the Hebrew is “caressing” or “embracing.” This is a context where the precise meaning of the Hebrew is not as important as using a term that refers to a display of affection between husband and wife in public that is culturally acceptable.

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 .