witness

The Hebrew, Ge’ez, and and Greek that is translated as “witness” in English is translated in these ways:

  • “truly have seen” in Highland Popoluca
  • “telling the truth regarding something” in Eastern Highland Otomi
  • “know something” in Lalana Chinantec
  • “verily know something to be the truth” in San Mateo del Mar Huave
  • “we ourselves saw this” in Desano
  • “tell the truth about something” in Eastern Highland Otomi
  • “know something is true because of seeing it” in Teutila Cuicatec (source for this and above: Viola Waterhouse in Notes on Translation August 1966, p. 86ff.)
  • “ones who will confirm that these-things that you have seen are true” in Kankanaey (source: Kankanaey Back Translation)
  • “ones who are to testify about these things, because it all happened before your eyes” in Tagbanwa (source: Tagbanwa Back Translation)

complete verse (Genesis 31:48)

Following are a number of back-translations as well as a sample translation for translators of Genesis 31:48:

  • Newari: “Laban said — ‘Today this rock heap is standing having been a witness between you and me. So its name is Galeed.” (Source: Newari Back Translation)
  • Hiligaynon: “Laban said, ‘These piled-up stones will-testify-to the agreement (between) the two of us.’ That is the reason why those piled-up (stones) were-named Galeed.” (Source: Hiligaynon Back Translation)
  • English: “Laban said to Jacob, ‘This pile of rocks we have put here today will help us to remember our agreement.’ That is why Jacob called it Galeed.” (Source: Translation for Translators)

Translation commentary on Genesis 31:48

This heap is a witness between you and me today: in many languages a pile of stones cannot be said to be a witness. Accordingly it may be necessary to translate as in Good News Translation or to say, for example, “this heap will make us remember,” or “… will keep us from forgetting,” or “… will help us keep in our hearts.”

Therefore he named it Galeed: this statement creates confusion because verse 47 has just said that Jacob called it by the name Galeed. Note that Good News Translation translates “That is why that place was named Galeed,” and most modern translations do something similar. By shifting to the passive these translations avoid saying that it is Laban who calls it Galeed. This is a possible understanding of the Hebrew, and it is recommended as a possibility to translators whose languages can use the passive voice. In some other languages an impersonal pronoun “they called it” has the same effect as the passive. Otherwise it will be necessary to follow Revised Standard Version.

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 .