early morning

In Gbaya, the notion of early morning is emphasized with the ideophone sút as in the referenced verses.

Ideophones are a class of sound symbolic words expressing human sensation that are used as literary devices in many African languages. (Source: Philip Noss)

making implicit plural form explicit (Genesis 32:1)

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 “Jacob (went on his way),” the Tagalog translation translates “sina Jacob” because the context of the text makes clear that Jacob had a group of others with him. (Source: Kermit Titrud and Steve Quakenbush)

angel

Click here to view graphically

The Greek, Hebrew, Ge’ez, and Aramaic that is translated as “angel” in English versions is translated in many ways:

  • Pintupi-Luritja: ngaṉka ngurrara: “one who belongs in the sky” (source: Ken Hansen quoted in Steven 1984a, p. 116.)
  • Tetela, Kpelle, Balinese, and Mandarin Chinese: “heavenly messenger”
  • Shilluk / Igede: “spirit messenger”
  • Mashco Piro: “messenger of God”
  • Batak Toba: “envoy, messenger”
  • Navajo (Dinė): “holy servant” (source for this and above: Bratcher / Nida 1961; Igede: Andy Warren-Rothlin)
  • Central Mazahua: “God’s worker” (source: Ronald D. Olson in Notes on Translation January, 1968, p. 15ff.)
  • Saramaccan: basia u Masa Gaangadu köndë or “messenger from God’s country” (source: Jabini 2015, p. 86)
  • Mairasi: atatnyev nyaa or “sent-one” (source: Enggavoter 2004)
  • Shipibo-Conibo: “word bringer” (source: James Lauriault in The Bible Translator 1951, p. 32ff. )
  • Apali: “God’s one with talk from the head” (“basically God’s messenger since head refers to any leader’s talk”) (source: Martha Wade)
  • Michoacán Nahuatl: “clean helper of God” (source: B. Moore / G. Turner in Notes on Translation 1967, p. 1ff.)
  • Noongar: Hdjin-djin-kwabba or “spirit good” (source: Warda-Kwabba Luke-Ang)
  • Wè Northern (Wɛɛ): Kea ‘a “sooa or “the Lord’s soldier” (also: “God’s soldier” or “his soldier”) (source: Drew Maust)
  • Iwaidja: “a man sent with a message” (Sam Freney explains the genesis of this term [in this article ): “For example, in Darwin last year, as we were working on a new translation of Luke 2:6–12 in Iwaidja, a Northern Territory language, the translators had written ‘angel’ as ‘a man with eagle wings’. Even before getting to the question of whether this was an accurate term (or one that imported some other information in), the word for ‘eagle’ started getting discussed. One of the translators had her teenage granddaughter with her, and this word didn’t mean anything to her at all. She’d never heard of it, as it was an archaic term that younger people didn’t use anymore. They ended up changing the translation of ‘angel’ to something like ‘a man sent with a message’, which is both more accurate and clear.”)

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 (or a lack) of an honorific prefix as shown here in the widely-used Japanese Shinkaiyaku (新改訳) Bible of 2017. When the referent is God, the “divine” honorific prefix mi- (御 or み) is used as in mi-tsukai (御使い) or “messenger (of God).” (Source: S. E. Doi, see also S. E. Doi in Journal of Translation, 18/2022, p. 37ff. )

See also angel (Acts 12:15) and this devotion on YouVersion .

complete verse (Genesis 32:1)

Following are a number of back-translations as well as a sample translation for translators of Genesis 32:1:

  • Kankanaey: “When plural Jacob were on the trail then, there-were angels who met them.” (Source: Kankanaey Back Translation)
  • Newari: “Jacob also went his own way from there. On the way the angel of God met him.” (Source: Newari Back Translation)
  • Hiligaynon: “As Jacob and-company/[lit. they of Jacob] were-continuing to go-(on-their-way), he was-met-by the angels of God.” (Source: Hiligaynon Back Translation)
  • English: “As Jacob and his family continued traveling, some angels, whom God sent, met him.” (Source: Translation for Translators)

Translation commentary on Genesis 32:1

Translations that follow the verse numbering of the Hebrew Bible place 31.55 (numbered as verse 1) as the opening verse of chapter 32. See the explanation at 31.55. This verse is then numbered as 32.2.

In some versions verse 31.55 (Hebrew 32.1) serves as a conclusion to the story of Jacob and Laban. However, 32.1 in Revised Standard Version and Good News Translation does not open the next story, which is the next episode in the story of Jacob and Esau. Rather verses 1-2 serve as a transition between the end of the story of Jacob and Laban and the beginning of the new episode of Jacob and Esau. Only in verse 3 does the new story really get under way. Accordingly the Handbook considers 31.1 and 2 as transitional. The nature of the transition is a movement away from the threat of Laban, which was laid to rest in chapter 31, to the new threat of Esau, which will be overcome in chapter 33.

In some languages it will be helpful to mark the opening of chapter 32 with something like “After Laban had gone home, Jacob continued his journey….”

Jacob went on his way: Jacob’s departure from the place where he made the treaty with Laban takes place after Laban leaves for home. His destination has been set for him by God in a dream (31.13). Therefore it is important that the expression went on his way has the sense of going forward with a destination in mind, not just walking aimlessly about. In some languages it may be necessary to say, for example, “Jacob went on toward his own country” or “… toward Canaan.” If this can mean that Jacob traveled alone, it may be necessary to say “Jacob and those with him” or “Jacob took his people and animals and went….”

And the angels of God met him: for angels see 16.7; 31.11. This is the first occurrence of the plural of “angel.” There is no way of knowing how many angels there may have been; but from Jacob’s remark there must have been many. Good News Translation says “some.” Revised English Bible use the indefinite “angels of God.” Met in this context means “to encounter,” “to meet up with unexpectedly.” There is nothing hostile about this encounter.

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 .