וַיָּבֹ֣א יוֹסֵף֮ וַיַּגֵּ֣ד לְפַרְעֹה֒ וַיֹּ֗אמֶר אָבִ֨י וְאַחַ֜י וְצֹאנָ֤ם וּבְקָרָם֙ וְכָל־אֲשֶׁ֣ר לָהֶ֔ם בָּ֖אוּ מֵאֶ֣רֶץ כְּנָ֑עַן וְהִנָּ֖ם בְּאֶ֥רֶץ גֹּֽשֶׁן׃
Genesis 47
1So Joseph went and told Pharaoh, “My father and my brothers, with their flocks and herds and all that they possess, have come from the land of Canaan; they are now in the land of Goshen.”
“Brothers” has to be translated into Naro as “younger brothers and older brothers” (Tsáá qõea xu hẽé / naka tsáá kíí). All brothers are included this way, also because of the kind of plural that has been used. (Source: Gerrit van Steenbergen)
This also must be more clearly defined in Yucateco as older or younger (suku’un or Iits’in), but here there are both older and younger brothers. Yucateco does have a more general word for close relative, family member. (Source: Robert Bascom)
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 .
The term that is transliterated as “Canaan” in English is translated in American Sign Language with the sign loosely referencing the act of hiding/covering one’s face in shame. The association of “shame” with the name “Canaan” comes from Genesis 9, specifically verse 9:25. This sign was adapted from a similar sign in Kenyan Sign Language (see here). (Source: Ruth Anna Spooner, Ron Lawer)
“Canaan” in American Sign Language, source: Deaf Harbor
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 used by Pharaohs during official functions. (Source: Tarja Sandholm)
“Pharaoh” in Finnish Sign Language (source )
Learn more on Bible Odyssey: Pharaoh .
Following are a number of back-translations as well as a sample translation for translators of Genesis 47:1:
Like a number of other East Asian languages, Japanese uses a complex system of honorifics, i.e. a system where a number of different levels of politeness are expressed in language via words, word forms or grammatical constructs. These can range from addressing someone or referring to someone with contempt (very informal) to expressing the highest level of reference (as used in addressing or referring to God) or any number of levels in-between. One important aspect of addressing someone else in one’s or someone else’s family is by selecting the correct word when referring to them. One way to do this is through the usage of an appropriate title within a conversation as shown here in the widely-used Japanese Shinkaiyaku (新改訳) Bible of 2017.
When the speaker humbly refers to his or her father in the presence of respected interlocutor(s), chichi (父) is often used as in the case of Jacob’s sons referring to their father before Joseph (in Genesis 43:28). This form is very appropriately chosen as they refer to their father as “your servant” and bowed down before Joseph the prime minister.
In some conversations, archaic honorific forms for “father” are chosen that also contain chichi (父) and typically indicate a greater level of respect. These are o-chichi-ue (お父上) (only in Genesis 48:1), and chichi-gimi (父君) in few occasions (2 Samuel 10:3, 2 Samuel 13:5, and 1 Chronicles 19:3).
Yet another, ore often-used term is chichi-ue (父上) (see addressing one’s or someone else’s father respectfully in Japanese (父上)). An interesting contrast can be found in the message sent from Asa the king of Judah to Ben-hadad the king of Aram (1 Kings 15:19). In this utterance, commonly translated as “my father and your father” in English, Asa humbly refers to his father as chichi (父) but respectfully refers to Ben-hadad’s father as chichi-ue (父上). Similar contrasts can be found in 1 Kings 20:34 and 2 Chronicles 16:3 as well.
While chichi can carry this humbling effect in reference to the speaker’s father, in some types of dialogues/utterances such as in poetry, including prayers (e.g. Jesus teaching how to pray in Matthew 6:9) and proverbial teachings (e.g. “honor your father and mother” in Exodus 20:12, Deuteronomy 5:16 et al.), chichi is used without the humbling effect. (Source: S. E. Doi, see also S. E. Doi in Journal of Translation, 18/2022, p. 37ff. )
See also my / our Father and Father (address for God).
Verses 1-6 of this chapter are a direct continuation of what went before in chapter 46. However, the opening of this chapter has a change of setting that involves the movement of Joseph, his father, and at least some of his brothers from Goshen to the capital, where the king of Egypt (Pharaoh) lived. In languages whose narrative structure requires making movements and scene changes unambiguously clear, some adjustments must be made in verses 1 and 2.
There are two ways to view the movement from Goshen to the king’s palace in the capital city:
(1) that Joseph takes his father and brothers with him when he goes to his audience or meeting with the king; or
(2) that Joseph returns, leaving his father and brothers in Goshen.
If we assume the first of these possibilities, as Good News Translation and a number of other English versions do, we are faced with the problem of the brothers and Jacob being at the same time in Goshen and in the palace. Good News Translation begins with “Joseph took five of his brothers and went to the king,” but then says about the brothers and Jacob, “They are now in the region of Goshen.” If this is a real problem, it may be solved by using a different expression to indicate the presence of Jacob’s people at Goshen. See further comments below.
If, on the other hand, we make the second assumption, we must also assume that there are two different occasions when Joseph meets with the king. In this case the language of translation may still require making the movements clear; we may say, for example, “After instructing his brothers, Joseph returned to the king’s palace and went in to speak with him: ‘My father and brothers have arrived from Canaan with … They are now in the region of Goshen.’ ” This view assumes they are physically in Goshen. Therefore we have to assume that Joseph arranges a second meeting, in which the king will speak with the brothers. If this is so, before Joseph can present the brothers to the king, he must send for them to come; and to show the movement of the brothers from Goshen, we must say something like “Joseph sent for his father and his brothers. He then chose five of his brothers to present them to the king.”
So Joseph went in and told Pharaoh: the Hebrew says “Joseph came and told Pharaoh.” “Came” in English is speaking from the point of view of the place where the king is. Revised Standard Version went speaks from the point of view of where Joseph was at the time, namely, in Goshen. We may keep the point of view of Goshen and say, for example, “Then Joseph left Goshen and went to speak with the king.”
They are now in …: in Hebrew this is literally “and behold them in…”; there is no verb. The word hinneh again has the function of drawing attention to a significant development in the story. If Jacob and the (five) brothers are in fact waiting at the palace at this time, then a verb other than one that means “they are staying” should be supplied; for example, “they have made their camp in….”
From among his brothers he took five men: five men may be expressed as “five of them.” Anchor Bible believes the number five means “several” here as well as in 43.34. However, most modern translations retain the number five both here and in 43.34. As suggested above, most translations that follow possibility (2) render took as “sent for” or “called for.”
Presented them to Pharaoh: presented translates a verb meaning “to put,” “to set,” or “to place.” The same verb is used of Jacob putting the peeled branches in front of the animals in 30.38. In this context it has the sense of “introduced,” “showed,” or “took them to the king so he could see them.”
Some translations that follow possibility (1) above also assume that Joseph took his brothers with him when he first went in to speak with the king, rather than having them wait outside. In this case Joseph concludes his speech by introducing the brothers: “He told the names of his brothers to the king.”
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 .
Like a number of other East Asian languages, Japanese uses a complex system of honorifics, i.e. a system where a number of different levels of politeness are expressed in language via words, word forms or grammatical constructs. These can range from addressing someone or referring to someone with contempt (very informal) to expressing the highest level of reference (as used in addressing or referring to God) or any number of levels in-between.
One way to do this is through the usage of lexical honorific forms, i.e., completely different words, as shown here in the widely-used Japanese Shinkaiyaku (新改訳) Bible of 2017. In these verses, mairu (参る), a humble form of kuru (来る) or “come” is used.
(Source: S. E. Doi, see also S. E. Doi in Journal of Translation, 18/2022, p. 37ff. )
See also respectful form of “come” (omie ni naru), respectful form of “come” (oide ni naru), and come (Japanese honorifics).
No comments yet.
Leave a Reply
You must be logged in to post a comment.