Hamor

The name that is transliterated as “Hamor” in English means “ass / donkey.” (Source: Cornwall / Smith 1997 )

In Libras (Brazilian Sign Language) it is translated with a sign that depicts “circumcision” (see the story starting with Genesis 34:13) and U as a replacement for the initial H. (Source: Missão Kophós )


“Hamor” in Libras (source )

For more information on translations of proper names with sign language see Sign Language Bible Translations Have Something to Say to Hearing Christians .

circumcise, circumcision

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The Hebrew and Greek terms that are translated as “circumcise” or “circumcision” in English (originally meaning of English term: “to cut around”) are (back-) translated in various ways:

  • Chimborazo Highland Quichua: “cut the flesh”
  • San Miguel El Grande Mixtec, Navajo (Dinė): “cut around”
  • Javanese: “clip-away”
  • Uab Meto: “pinch and cut” (usually shortened to “cut”)
  • North Alaskan Inupiatun, Western Highland Purepecha: “put the mark”
  • Tetelcingo Nahuatl: “put the mark in the body showing that they belong to God” (or: “that they have a covenant with God”)
  • Indonesian: disunat — “undergo sunat” (sunat is derived from Arabic “sunnah (سنة)” — “(religious) way (of life)”)
  • Ekari: “cut the end of the member for which one fears shame” (in Gen. 17:10) (but typically: “the cutting custom”) (source for this and above: Reiling / Swellengrebel)
  • Hiri Motu: “cut the skin” (source: Deibler / Taylor 1977, p. 1079)
  • Garifuna: “cut off part of that which covers where one urinates”
  • Bribri: “cut the soft” (source for this and the one above: Ronald Ross)
  • Amele: deweg cagu qoc — “cut the body” (source: John Roberts)
  • Eastern Highland Otomi: “cut the flesh of the sons like Moses taught” (source: Ronald D. Olson in Notes on Translation January, 1968, p. 15ff.)
  • Newari: “put the sign in one’s body” (Source: Newari Back Translation)
  • Central Mazahua: “sign in his flesh”
  • Hopi: “being cut in a circle in his body” (source for this and above: Waterhouse / Parrott in Notes on Translation October 1967, p. 1ff.)
  • Mandarin Chinese: gēlǐ (割礼 / 割禮) or “rite of cutting” (Protestant); gēsǔn (割损 / 割損) or “cut + loss” (Catholic) (Source: Zetzsche)
  • Tibetan: mdun lpags gcod (མདུན་​ལྤགས་​གཅོད།), lit. “fore + skin + cut” (source: gSungrab website )
  • Kutu: “enter the cloth (=undergarments)” (source: Pioneer Bible Translators, project-specific translation notes in Paratext)

Learn more on Bible Odyssey: Circumcision .

complete verse (Genesis 34:24)

Following are a number of back-translations as well as a sample translation for translators of Genesis 34:24:

  • Newari: “All who lived in the city listened to what Hamor and his son Shechem said. And all the men were circumcised.” (Source: Newari Back Translation)
  • Hiligaynon: “All the men of the city agreed to what Hamor and his child Shekem said. So all the men were-circumcised/[lit. were-caused-to-be-circumcised].” (Source: Hiligaynon Back Translation)
  • English: “Shechem was the most respected person in his father’s household, so all the men who were there at the city gate agreed to what Hamor and Shechem suggested. So every male in the city was circumcised.” (Source: Translation for Translators)

Translation commentary on Genesis 34:24

All who went out of the gate of his city: see also 23.10. There are two interpretations of this expression:
(1) That it refers to the men capable of defending the town.
(2) That it refers to all the men (Good News Translation “citizens”) of the town.

Anchor Bible argues for the former meaning, saying that the verb translated went out is military usage. Accordingly he and others translate “all the able-bodied men.” There is little if any difference between these two understandings.

Hearkened to Hamor: in the Hebrew this clause comes before “all who went out….” Hearkened means “listened to” and in this context has the sense of “agreed with” or “accepted what Hamor wanted them to do.” In some languages this may be more naturally expressed in direct speech: “… said, ‘Yes. We agree with your words.’ ”

And every male was circumcised: all who went out of the gate of his city is parallel to every male and means “all the males in the city.” In verse 25 all the males regardless of age are killed, as Revised Standard Version says.

All who went out of the gate of his city (as repeated at the end of verse 24) is not repeated in some modern translations. See Good News Translation. Westermann considers it a scribal error.

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 .