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)
The Hebrew, Latin and Greek that is translated in English as “camel” is translated in Muna as “water buffalo.” René van den Berg explains: “Camels are unknown; the biggest known animal is the water buffalo (though now rare on Muna).”
In Bislama is is translated as buluk: “cow” / “bull” (source: Ross McKerras) and in Bahnar as aseh lăk-đa which is a combination of the Vietnamese loan word for “camel” (lăk-đa) and the Bahnar term for “horse” (aseh) to communicate that the camel is a beast of burden (source: Pham Xuan Tin in The Bible Translator 1952, p. 20ff. ).
In the 1900 Kalaallisut (Greenlandic) translation (a newer version was published in 2000) it was translated as ĸatigagtôĸ or “big-backed ones.” “Katigagtôĸ (modern qatigattooq), which has the literal meaning of ‘something with a big back.’ It comprises the noun ĸatigak (modern qatigak) ‘back’ combined with the suffix –tôĸ (modern –tooq) ‘something possessing a big X.’” (Source: Lily Kahn & Riitta-Liisa Valijärvi in The Bible Translator 2019, p. 125ff.)
In Luke 18:25, Mark 10:25, and Matthew 19:24 some versions of the Peshitta translation in Syriac Aramaic (Classical Syriac) show an ambiguity between the very similar words for “camel” and “rope.” Some translations of the Peshitta, therefore, use the “rope” interpretation, including the Classical Armenian Bible (մալխոյ for “rope”), the English translation by George Lamsa (publ. 1933) (It is easier for a rope to go through the eye of a needle), or the Dutch translation by Egbert Nierop (publ. 2020) (het voor een kabel eenvoudiger is het oog van een naald binnen te gaan).
In the above-mentioned three verses, it is translated in Noongar as “kangaroo” (source: Warda-Kwabba Luke-Ang).
There were two types of camel known in Bible times the most common being the Arabian Dromedary camelus dromedarius, which was indigenous to the area. The two-humped Bactrian Camel camelus bactrianus was also known and prized, but it was imported from Central Asia.
Camels belong to the same family as the South American llama, vicuna, alpaca, and guanaco, but camels are much larger and have a big fatty hump on their backs. Bactrian camels may reach a height of about two meters (6.5 feet), while dromedaries are even bigger. Dromedaries are a uniform light fawn color, while Bactrian camels are darker, especially in winter when they grow longer fur.
Camels do not have hooves but a large footpad with two broad toes ideally suited to walking on sand. In other ways too they are ideally suited to life in desert areas. They store excess food in their humps and this makes it possible for them to go a long time without eating. Special blood cells also enable them to go without water for long periods. They also have a very efficient digestive system and can extract the maximum amount of nutrition from apparently dry vegetation. This adaptation to harsh environments means that camels can make long journeys through dry areas which would be beyond the abilities of other types of pack animal such as donkeys. Camels were used for riding and for carrying heavy loads. They were also used to pull carts.
In winter the fur of camels thickens and grows longer and then when summer comes they shed their winter fur in large wads. These wads of camel hair are collected and twisted into cords and ropes or spun into thread which is then used for weaving coarse cloth. This cloth was usually used for making tents but it was sometimes used for making outer robes.
Camels’ milk was used as food and drink but their meat was considered unclean by the Israelites.
In spite of the fact that camels were considered to be unclean for food they were a symbol of wealth and commerce. People or nations with many camels were automatically viewed as commercially successful and wealthy as the possession of camels opened up the possibility of transporting goods long distances and engaging in trade.
In areas where camels are not known, the word is often transliterated from Hebrew or the dominant language of the area. However, in some languages descriptive names have been invented. In some South American languages names meaning “hump-backed llama” or “big alpaca with a hump” have been used. Elsewhere expressions such as “hump-backed horse” have been used. A fuller description should usually be included in a glossary or word list.
Following are a number of back-translations as well as a sample translation for translators of Genesis 31:34:
Newari: “Rachel, however, having put the idols of the house into the camel saddle, was sitting on it. No matter how much Laban searched inside the tent, he was not able to find [them].” (Source: Newari Back Translation)
Hiligaynon: “But Raquel had- already -hid the little-gods/false-gods in a pocket of the cover on the camel, and she sat-on it. Laban searched-for the little-gods/false-gods there in the tent of Raquel but he could- not -find (them).” (Source: Hiligaynon Back Translation)
English: “But Rachel had previously taken the idols and put them in the saddle of a camel, and she was sitting on the saddle. So when Laban searched all over for them inside Rachel’s tent, he did not find them.” (Source: Translation for Translators)
Now Rachel had taken the household gods and put them in the camel’s saddle; Now is again Revised Standard Version‘s treatment of the connective as a transition to a new development. Note Good News Translation. Taken … and put translates the Hebrew form, which may often be rendered by a single verb. Camel’s saddle refers to what BDB calls a “camel-basket.” This is not the saddle itself but rather a basket that is attached to the saddle for carrying goods. Good News Translation translates “saddlebag,” Revised English Bible “camel-bag,” New Jerusalem Bible “camel cushion.” The term used in translation should refer to an object that is small enough to be concealed by Rachel’s skirts while seated.
And sat upon them suggests that her clothing, particularly a long and wide skirt, would hide the images that were inside the saddlebag or cushion she was sitting on.
Laban felt all about the tent, but did not find them: while Rachel is sitting on the idols, Laban is poking his hands into the baggage in the tent. Felt all about the tent means he searched the whole tent, feeling everything with his hands.
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 .
Verses 34 and 35 also begin with third person commands in the Hebrew, rendered by Revised Standard Version as “let” commands addressed to the king. See comments on verse 33 above.
Let … appoint overseers over the land: overseers refers to other officials, probably on a regional and local basis. Some translations call these overseers “governors,” “commissioners,” or “supervisors.” In some languages these persons are called “smaller bosses.”
Take the fifth part of the produce … during the seven plenteous years: it appears that the task of these overseers is to collect from the farmers a fifth of their crops during the years of abundant crops. It is assumed that they will do this each growing season. There is no indication, however, whether this fifth is taken as a tax or is purchased. But the Hebrew is also open to other interpretations. For example, some scholars understand it to mean “to divide the land into five parts.” Speiser understands it to mean “to organize or to regiment the land,” and this is followed by New Jerusalem Bible and New American Bible. Most modern translations follow Revised Standard Version and Good News Translation, which is recommended. In this case we may translate, for example, “and let these officials collect a fifth of all the crops grown in Egypt during the seven years of good crops” or “order these overseers to collect a fifth of every farmer’s crops every season during the good years.” Where the concept of a fifth part is difficult to express, some translators say “divide all the food they produce into five heaps [parts]: four of these are for food and one is to be held in storage.”
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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