as numerous as the sand on the seashore

The Greek and Hebrew that is translated as “as numerous as the sand on the seashore” or “as numerous as the sand by the sea” in English is translated in Bauzi as “as many like the tree flowers of the jungle” (source: David Briley in Kroneman 2004, p. 539), in Afar it’s translated as mari mangah arrooqih gide akkuk yeneeniih: “are as numerous as gravel” or loowo sinni: “not countable” (source: Loren Bliese), in Angal Heneng as “like the hairs on a dog” (Source: Deibler / Taylor 1977, p. 1077), and in Copainalá Zoque as “their number is like ants” (source: John Beekman in Notes on Translation, March 1965, p. 2ff.).

grain

The Greek and Hebrew that is translated in English as “grain” (or: “corn”) is translated in Kui as “(unthreshed) rice.” Helen Evans (in The Bible Translator 1954, p. 40ff. ) explains: “Padddy [unthreshed rice] is the main crop of the country and rice the staple diet of the people, besides which [grain] is unknown and there is no word for it, and it seemed to us that paddy and rice in the mind of the Kui people stood for all that corn meant to the Jews.” “Paddy” is also the translation in Pa’o Karen (source: Gordon Luce in The Bible Translator 1950, p. 153f. ).

Other translations include: “wheat” (Teutila Cuicatec), “corn” (Lalana Chinantec), “things to eat” (Morelos Nahuatl), “grass corn” (wheat) (Chichimeca-Jonaz) (source: Viola Waterhouse in Notes on Translation August 1966, p. 86ff.), “millet” (Lambya) (source: project-specific notes in Paratext), “food” (Nyamwezi) (source: Pioneer Bible Translators, project-specific notes in Paratext)or ntimumma lujia / “seeds for food” (Lokạạ — “since Lokạạ does not have specific terms for maize and rice that can be described as grains”) (source: J.A. Naudé, C.L. Miller Naudé, J.O. Obono in Acta Theologica 43/2, 2023, p. 129ff. )

Joseph

The term that is transliterated as “Joseph” in English is translated in American Sign Language with a sign that relates to a) the coat he wore (see Gen 37:3), b) the holding of his clothes by Potiphar’s wife (see Gen 39:12), and c) the many times Joseph experienced grief. (Source: Ruth Anna Spooner, Ron Lawer)


“Joseph” in American Sign Language, source: Deaf Harbor

In Spanish Sign Language it is translated with a sign that signifies “dream,” referring to Jacob’s dream at Bethel (see Genesis 28:10 and the following verses). (Source: Steve Parkhurst)


“Joseph” in Spanish Sign Language, source: Sociedad Bíblica de España

Learn more on Bible Odyssey: Joseph .

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

complete verse (Genesis 41:49)

Following are a number of back-translations as well as a sample translation for translators of Genesis 41:49:

  • Kankanaey: “What-was-stored was-more-than-sufficiently heaped-up like the quantity (lit. manyness) of the sand/gravel at the edge of the ocean, therefore Jose caused-to-be-stopped that what-was-being-packed-in was-caused-to-be-counted (i.e. he ordered that people stop counting).” (Source: Kankanaey Back Translation)
  • Newari: “Since what was gathered was like the grains of sand on the seashore in number, impossible to count, Joseph even gave up keeping count of it.” (Source: Newari Back Translation)
  • Hiligaynon: “Jose gathered a very great/[two emphasis markers] amount of wheat; as-if like the amount in the sand on the seashore. He just stopped the measuring of-it because it was no-longer measureable.” (Source: Hiligaynon Back Translation)
  • English: “Joseph had them store up a huge amount of grain. It looked as plentiful as the sand on the seashore. There was so much grain that after a while they stopped keeping records of how much grain was stored, because there was more grain than they could measure.” (Source: Translation for Translators)

sea / lake

The various Greek, Aramaic, Ge’ez, and Latin and Hebrew terms that are translated as “sea,” “ocean,” or “lake” in English are all translated in Chichewa with one term: nyanja. Malawi, where Chichewa is spoken, has a lot of lakes but does not share a border with the ocean. (Source: Mawu a Mulungu mu Chichewa Chalero Back Translation)

Translation commentary on Genesis 41:49

Stored up grain in great abundance: here again it may be necessary to say, for example, “Joseph commanded people and they stored up lots of grain.”

Like the sand of the sea: this simile was used in promises of numerous descendants in 22.17 and 32.12.

Until he ceased to measure it … measured: it is not known how the grain was counted or measured; but this is not really important for the story, and translators may use a very general expression or an expression for measuring grain that is known to their readers. Another way of expressing the sense of this clause is to say, for example, “the grain that was stored increased so much that the people no longer wrote down how much it was.”

We may translate verse 49, for example, “The grain that Joseph ordered the people to store was so great in amount that they stopped trying to measure how much there was. Counting it was like counting grains of sand on the seashore.”

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 .