stunned

In Gbaya, the notion of being stunned (or amazed, dazed, troubled in spirit) in the referenced verses is emphasized with yemsele, an ideophone that expresses the fact of being stunned, dazed.

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

Pharaoh

The term that is used for monarchs in ancient Egypt and is transliterated as “Pharaoh” in English is translated in Finnish Sign Language with the sign signifying the “fake metal beard (postiche)” that was word by Pharaohs during official functions. (Source: Tarja Sandholm)


“Pharaoh” in Finnish Sign Language (source )

Learn more on Bible Odyssey: Pharaoh .

complete verse (Genesis 41:8)

Following are a number of back-translations as well as a sample translation for translators of Genesis 41:8:

  • Kankanaey: “When it-got-light then (i.e. next day), he was-worried, so he caused-to-be-invited all the wise/skilled/intelligent future-predictors and omen-interpreters in their land at Egipto so-that he would ask them what his dreams meant to say. But when he related-(them) to them, none was able-to-tell their (lit. its) meaning to him.” (Source: Kankanaey Back Translation)
  • Newari: “The next morning, Pharaoh’s mind not being at rest, sent to summon the astrologers and the ones who were learned and skilled in the whole land. He told them about the dream that he had seen. None of them, however, were able to tell Pharaoh its meaning.” (Source: Newari Back Translation)
  • Hiligaynon: “In-the-morning, the mind of the king was-troubled about his dreams so he summoned/caused-to-call all the magicians and wise/smart men of Egipto. He told them his dreams, but not one of them could-explain the meaning of those.” (Source: Hiligaynon Back Translation)
  • English: “But the next morning he was worried about the meaning of the dream. So he summoned all the magicians and wise men who lived in Egypt. He told them what he had dreamed, but none of them could tell him the meaning of the two dreams.” (Source: Translation for Translators)

Translation commentary on Genesis 41:8

So in the morning his spirit was troubled: this is a literal rendering of the Hebrew, which may also be expressed as “He was upset,” “… disturbed,” or “… worried.” A similar thought is expressed when the king’s officials awoke from their dreams in 40.6.

Sent and called: that is, “sent someone to bring,” or “sent word for them to come.”

Magicians … wise men: magicians refers to a class of Egyptian priests who had special powers and knowledge. The Hebrew term is found only in passages related to Egypt; for example, Exo 7.11, 22; 8.18-19; 9.11. Most English translations call them “magicians,” but Revised English Bible prefers “dream-interpreters.” Interpreting dreams, however, was probably only one of their functions. A magician is a person skilled in magic or the control of secret forces in nature. If the translator finds that it is not suitable to use the local term for sorcerer or shaman, it may be best to follow Revised English Bible, or to say “priest,” as in some translations. Wise men refers to another class of Egyptian priests or people with special knowledge or wisdom. Traduction œcuménique de la Bible explains the relation of these two groups in its footnote: “These ‘priests’ (magicians) were the head ‘reader priests’ according to Egyptian terminology. They are here the highest in the hierarchy. The ‘wise men’ are the top level civil servants educated in the scribal schools. These two groups were the scholars of their day and were responsible to answer the Pharaoh’s questions.” In some languages wise men is expressed as “men who know things” or “the knowing ones.”

Some interpreters understand all before magicians and before wise men to mean “all kinds of….” It may also refer to the main ones or those who were highest in the hierarchy. However, most translations take all to refer to the entire group of such persons.

Pharaoh told them his dream: that is, he described it, he told them what he saw. Dream is singular in the Hebrew, as shown by Revised Standard Version, but translators may need to make it plural as in Good News Translation.

Who could interpret it to Pharaoh: Revised Standard Version footnote shows that the Hebrew has “them” in place of it. The term dream, which the pronoun refers back to, is singular in the Hebrew but is understood in a collective sense, as Hebrew Old Testament Text Project says: “all the things he had dreamt.” We may translate, for example, “but no one could explain the meaning of the things the king [Pharaoh] had dreamed.”

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 .