25When the man saw that he did not prevail against Jacob, he struck him on the hip socket, and Jacob’s hip was put out of joint as he wrestled with him.
Hand colored stencil print on washi by Sadao Watanabe (1970).
Image taken with permission from the SadaoHanga Catalogue where you can find many more images and information about Sadao Watanabe. For other images of Sadao Watanabe art works in TIPs, see here.
The following is a stained glass window in the Sacred Heart Cathedral in Chiang Mai, Thailand:
Photo by Jost Zetzsche
Stained glass is not just highly decorative, it’s a medium which has been used to express important religious messages for centuries. Literacy was not widespread in the medieval and Renaissance periods and the Church used stained glass and other artworks to teach the central beliefs of Christianity. In Gothic churches, the windows were filled with extensive narrative scenes in stained glass — like huge and colorful picture storybooks — in which worshipers could ‘read’ the stories of Christ and the saints and learn what was required for their religious salvation. (Source: Victoria and Albert Museum )
The Hebrew, Latin, Ge’ez, and Greek that is transliterated as “Jacob” in English is translated in Spanish Sign Language with a sign that signifies “lentil,” referring to the soup he gave his brother in exchange for his birthright (see Genesis 25:34). Note that another Spanish Sign Language sign for Jacob also users the sign for Jewish. (Source: Steve Parkhurst)
In Finnish Sign Language it is translated with the signs signifying “smooth arm” (referring to the story starting at Genesis 27:11). (Source: Tarja Sandholm)
Following are a number of back-translations as well as a sample translation for translators of Genesis 32:25:
Kankanaey: “When that man calculated that he was not able-to-defeat Jacob, he abruptly-hit his thigh and it-was-dislocated.” (Source: Kankanaey Back Translation)
Newari: “Because that man was not able to defeat Jacob, he hit Jacob right on the buttocks. Because of that his buttocks joint became loose.” (Source: Newari Back Translation)
Hiligaynon: “When the man thought that he could- not -beat Jacob, he squeezed the hip of Jacob and the bones which come-together were-dislocated.” (Source: Hiligaynon Back Translation)
English: “When the man realized that he was not winning against Jacob, he struck Jacob’s hip and caused the thigh bone to pull away from the hip socket.” (Source: Translation for Translators)
When the man saw that he did not prevail against Jacob: did not prevail means that he could not beat Jacob, could not throw him down. See Good News Translation “he was not winning.” Jacob’s opponent was unable to defeat him by using ordinary wrestling methods, and, in order to escape before dawn, he threw Jacob’s hip out of joint.
He touched the hollow of his thigh: the verb rendered touched may also mean to strike or hit. Hollow refers to the hip socket. The ball of the thigh bone fits into the hip socket. It is clearer to say, for example, “he hit him on the hip.” See Good News Translation.
Put out of joint means the thigh bone was pulled loose from the hip socket.
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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