Canaan

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

Click or tap here to see a short video clip about Canaan in biblical times (source: Bible Lands 2012)

complete verse (Genesis 47:13)

Following are a number of back-translations as well as a sample translation for translators of Genesis 47:13:

  • Kankanaey: “There was also absolutely no food in the collective-countries, because the famine had-gotten-worse and the people in Egipto and Canaan became- utterly -weak.” (Source: Kankanaey Back Translation)
  • Newari: “Because the famine became severe there was no grain anywhere. Because the famine became severe both in Egypt and Canaan, the people there, having nothing to eat, became weak.” (Source: Newari Back Translation)
  • Hiligaynon: “Now, the famine/[lit. hunger] became very severe, so there was no food in any place. The people in Egipto and in Canaan now became-weak because of the famine/[lit. hunger].” (Source: Hiligaynon Back Translation)
  • English: “There were no crops growing in the whole region, because the famine was very severe. The people of Egypt and Canaan became weak because they did not have enough food to eat.” (Source: Translation for Translators)

Translation commentary on Genesis 47:13

Verses 13-14 serve as an introduction to this subdivision.

Now there was no food in all the land: Now, which translates the common Hebrew connective, serves as a transition from the story of Joseph’s family to the severity of the famine in Egypt and Canaan. The opening sentence in Revised Standard Version, as in the Hebrew, states a consequence of the next clause, which is followed by still another consequence. In many languages it is more natural to begin with the cause. See Good News Translation.

Food is literally “bread,” the necessary food in a Middle Eastern meal. Some translate food as “grain” or “wheat.” We may also say, for example, “there was nothing to eat.”

In all the land means here “in Egypt and Canaan”; or as a generalization it can be expressed as “there was no food anywhere.”

Languished by reason of the famine: languish means “to faint,” “to be weak,” or to be “without strength.” It is not the land itself that is so described but rather the people of the land. By reason of the famine may be expressed as “from the famine,” “from hunger,” “from starvation,” or “from having nothing to eat.”

Good News Translation is a good model to translate. We may also say, for example, “The people suffered badly from hunger because there was nothing to eat. As a result the people of Egypt and Canaan became weak.”

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 .