Rachel

The Hebrew that is transliterated as “Rachel” in English is translated in Spanish Sign Language with a sign that signifies the eyelashes, referring to “beautiful eyes” as the opposite of Leah (see Genesis 29:17). (Source: Steve Parkhurst)


“Rachel” 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 .

See also Leah.

Learn more on Bible Odyssey: Rachel .

inclusive vs. exclusive pronoun (Gen 31:14)

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 Jacob.

complete verse (Genesis 31:14)

Following are a number of back-translations as well as a sample translation for translators of Genesis 31:14:

  • Newari: “Then Rachel and Leah said — ‘Now we no longer have any rights in our father’s house.” (Source: Newari Back Translation)
  • Hiligaynon: “Raquel and Lea replied to Jacob, ‘We (excl.) have nothing more to inherit from our (excl.) father.” (Source: Hiligaynon Back Translation)
  • English: “Rachel and Leah replied, ‘Our father will not give us anything more when he dies.” (Source: Translation for Translators)

Translation commentary on Genesis 31:14

In verses 14-16 Jacob’s wives respond to his speech.

Then Rachel and Leah answered him: this statement may give the impression that both women are speaking in unison, with one voice. If this is a problem for the translator’s language, it may be necessary to adjust this introductory sentence to say, for example, “Rachel and Leah spoke to Jacob and one of them asked [said] ….”

Is there any portion or inheritance…?: this question is rhetorical and a way of saying “There is nothing we can inherit….” See Good News Translation. Portion or inheritance is a construction in which two nouns are joined by a conjunction, but which has a single meaning, “inheritance.” The thought is that at their marriage to Jacob Rachel and Leah received all the inheritance they could expect from their father. Two examples of the way this may be expressed in translation are “There is nothing more that we-two can get when our father dies” and “Our father doesn’t want to give us anything when he dies.”

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 .