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. )
Many languages distinguish between inclusive and exclusive first-person plural pronouns (“we”). (Click or tap here to see more details)
The inclusive “we” specifically includes the addressee (“you and I and possibly others”), while the exclusive “we” specifically excludes the addressee (“he/she/they and I, but not you”). This grammatical distinction is called “clusivity.” While Semitic languages such as Hebrew or most Indo-European languages such as Greek or English do not make that distinction, translators of languages with that distinction have to make a choice every time they encounter “we” or a form thereof (in English: “we,” “our,” or “us”).
For this verse, both the Jarai translation and the Adamawa Fulfulde translation use the inclusive pronoun, “referring to Jacob and those he is addressing”.
Following are a number of back-translations as well as a sample translation for translators of Genesis 43:2:
Kankanaey: “until plural Jacob used-up the-food-supplies- they -had-bought in Egipto. Then he said to his children, ‘Return to Egipto so-that you will go buy a little that we will eat.'” (Source: Kankanaey Back Translation)
Newari: “After all the grain brought from Egypt had been finished, Jacob said to his sons — ‘Go and buy bread once more.'” (Source: Newari Back Translation)
Hiligaynon: “The family of Jacob consumed the food which they had-bought from Egipto. So Jacob said to his sons, ‘[You (pl.)] go-back there in Egipto and buy even just a little food.'” (Source: Hiligaynon Back Translation)
English: “Finally, when Jacob and his family had eaten all the grain they had brought from Egypt, Jacob said to them, ‘Go back to Egypt and buy some more grain for us!'” (Source: Translation for Translators)
When they had eaten the grain which they had brought from Egypt: the first they refers to all Jacob’s family; the second they refers to the brothers.
Go again, buy us a little food: Go again means “Go back to Egypt.” Us is inclusive, referring to Jacob and those he is addressing. Little may refer to a small amount or few in number, but in a little food Jacob is using this limiting expression as a contrast with “a great amount.” He does not mean that they should buy an insufficient amount but rather “buy some food.” Revised English Bible says “buy some more grain,” which New English Bible has revised as “buy a little more corn.” This use of “little” in the sense of “enough” is typical colloquial speech in many languages in relation to food.
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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