45until your brother’s anger against you turns away, and he forgets what you have done to him; then I will send and bring you back from there. Why should I lose both of you in one day?”
The Greek and Hebrew that is translated as “brother” in English is translated in Kwere as sekulu, in Elhomwe as mbalaawo´, and in Mandarin Chinese as gēgē (哥哥), all “older brother.”
Note that Kwere also uses lumbu — “older sibling” in some cases. (Source for Kwere and Elhomwe: Pioneer Bible Translators, project-specific translation notes in Paratext; Chinese: Jost Zetzsche)
In Lama it is translated as “older or younger brother.” (Source: Neal Brinneman)
The Hebrew, Latin, Ge’ez, and Greek that is translated as “forget” in English is translated in Noongar as dwangka-anbangbat, lit. “ear-lose.” (Source: Portions of the Holy Bible in the Nyunga language of Australia, 2018).
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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 to do this is through the usage of appropriate suffix title referred to as keishō (敬称) as shown here in the widely-used Japanese Shinkaiyaku (新改訳) Bible of 2017 by either using -san or –sama with the latter being the more formal title.
In these verses, the Hebrew that is translated as “brother” in English is translated in the Shinkaiyaku Bible as nī-san (兄さん), combining the word for “older brother” (nī) and the suffix title –san. Job 1:18 uses a smilar term with the additional honorific prefix o: o-nī-san (お兄さん). (Source: S. E. Doi, see also S. E. Doi in Journal of Translation, 18/2022, p. 37ff. )
The Hebrew, Latin and Greek that is translated as “anger” or similar in English in this verse is translated with a variety of solutions (Bratcher / Nida says: “Since anger has so many manifestations and seems to affect so many aspects of personality, it is not strange that expressions used to describe this emotional response are so varied”).
Chichewa: “have a burning heart” (source: Mawu a Mulungu mu Chichewa Chalero Back Translation) (see also anger burned in him)
Citak: two different terms, one meaning “angry” and one meaning “offended,” both are actually descriptions of facial expressions. The former can be represented by an angry stretching of the eyes or by an angry frown. The latter is similarly expressed by an offended type of frown with one’s head lowered. (Source: Graham Ogden)
In Akan, a number of metaphors are used, most importantly abufuo, lit. “weedy chest” (the chest is seen as a container that contains the heart but can also metaphorically be filled with other fluids etc.), but also abufuhyeε lit. “hot/burning weedy chest” and anibereε, lit. “reddened eyes.” (Source: Gladys Nyarko Ansah in Kövecses / Benczes / Szelid 2024, p. 21ff.)
Following are a number of back-translations as well as a sample translation for translators of Genesis 27:45:
Newari: “After your elder brother’s anger subsides, having forgotten what you have done, I will send to get you. Why should I be separated from the two of you on the very same day?'” (Source: Newari Back Translation)
Hiligaynon: “and he will-have-forgotten already what you have-done to him. I will- just -send-(someone)-to-get you (sing.) there if he is no-longer angry with you (sing.). I do not want that you two would-become-missing/lost from me in just one day if you (pl.) would-kill-each-other.'” (Source: Hiligaynon Back Translation)
English: “When he forgets what you did to him, I will send a message to you, to tell you to return from there. If Esau kills you, others will kill him, and then both my sons would die at the same time!'” (Source: Translation for Translators)
Until you brother’s anger turns away: this line only substitutes a different term with the same meaning for fury in the previous line. Note that Good News Translation does not repeat this thought, and many translations will be able to do the same.
Forgets what you have done to him: that is, “until he forgets that you have taken the blessing away from him.”
Send, and fetch you from there: “I will send someone to bring you home again.”
Rebekah then asks a rhetorical question: Why should I be bereft of you both in one day? The assumption is that, if Jacob does not leave, Esau will kill him, and then others will avenge Jacob’s death by killing Esau; or in some parts of the world, it would be that the two brothers would fight and kill each other. Bereft (or bereaved) means to lose a relative through death. This question may need to be expressed as a negative wish; for example, “I don’t want to lose you both in one day.” If the thought of losing two sons is not clear, it may be possible to say, for example, “I don’t want to have you killed and then Esau killed as well. I would lose you both at the same time.”
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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