complete verse (Genesis 41:48)

Following are a number of back-translations as well as a sample translation for translators of Genesis 41:48:

  • Kankanaey: “Jose caused-to-be-gathered what the people harvested in each town and he caused-it-to-be-stored in their granaries there.” (Source: Kankanaey Back Translation)
  • Newari: “During those seven years Joseph collected all the plentiful grain and stored it in the cities. In all the cities he collected the grain of the surrounding areas and stored it.” (Source: Newari Back Translation)
  • Hiligaynon: “And in those years, Jose gathered-up all that was-collected from the harvests. He had-kept/stored-away in each city the harvest from the farms in the surrounding-(areas)” (Source: Hiligaynon Back Translation)
  • English: “As Joseph supervised them, his helpers collected one-fifth of all the grain that was produced during those years, and stored it in the cities. In each city, he had his helpers store up the grain that was grown in the fields that surrounded that city.” (Source: Translation for Translators)

Translation commentary on Genesis 41:48

He gathered up: he refers to Joseph; however, the work of gathering is actually done under Joseph’s supervision. It may be necessary to say, for example, “Joseph made workers gather….”

The food of the seven years when there was plenty in the land: as in verse 35, food refers to crops or grain. Of the seven years represents the Hebrew text, to which the Septuagint adds “of plenty,” which is then followed by Revised Standard Version. However, this is more a translation adjustment than a textual problem.

Stored up food in the cities: that is, “he ordered the people to store the crops in the towns,” which in Hebrew refers to “walled cities.”

He stored up … from the fields around it: in every town he arranged for the crops grown near by to be stored in the local towns. The point here is that the grain would not have to be transported to a central storage place, and when the time of need came, the grain would be locally available.

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 .