village

The Hebrew and Greek that is translated as “village” or “town” in English is translated in Noongar as karlamaya or “fire (used for “home“) + houses” (source: Warda-Kwabba Luke-Ang).

In Elhomwe it is typically translated as “place.” “Here in Malawi, villages very small, so changed to ‘places,’ since not sure whether biblical reference just to small villages or also to bigger towns. (Source: project-specific translation notes in Paratext)

complete verse (Judges 1:27)

Following are a number of back-translations as well as a sample translation for translators of Judges 1:27:

  • Kupsabiny: “The clan of Manasse did not chase away the people who lived in the cities of Beth-shan, Taanach, Dor, Ibleam and Megiddo together with their villages. (They) were unable to chase them away because the Caananites there defended themselves.” (Source: Kupsabiny Back Translation)
  • Newari: “Because the Canaanites were staying, not thinking of abandoning that land, those of the tribe of Manasseh were not able to drive out the people who lived in Beth-shean, Taanach, Dor, Ibleam, Megiddo city and in the settlements around them. In this way the Canaanites continued to live in that land.” (Source: Newari Back Translation)
  • Hiligaynon: “The tribe of Manase was- not -able-to-drive-out the residents of Beth Shean, Taanak, Dor, Ibleam, Megido, and the towns around them, for these Canaanhon were-determined not to leave from that land.” (Source: Hiligaynon Back Translation)
  • English: “There were people of the Canaan people-group who lived in Beth-Shan, Taanach, Dor, Ibleam, and Megiddo cities and in the surrounding villages. The men of the tribe of Manasseh did not force those people to leave those towns, because the people of the Canaan people-group were determined to stay there.” (Source: Translation for Translators)

Translation commentary on Judges 1:27

The information in this verse and the next one can also be found in verse 17.11-13. Even if a new paragraph begins here, this is a continuation of the story of the house of Joseph (verse 1.22-26). This verse begins with the Hebrew waw conjunction, which Revised Standard Version and most other English versions omit. However, if the story is allowed to flow from 1.26, this conjunction might be rendered “But” (New International Version).

Manasseh did not drive out the inhabitants …: Manasseh was the older of Joseph’s two sons (see Gen 48). He became the ancestor of one of the tribes of Israel, with Gideon being one of his tribe’s most famous heroes. Manasseh’s territory was in the area west of the Jordan River and north of Shechem, extending up to Megiddo Pass. However, the tribe spread out to live on both sides of the Jordan River. As with the other singular names in this section, Manasseh refers not to that individual, but to his descendants or his clan.

For did not drive out, see the discussion at verse 1.19. Revised English Bible uses the expression “failed to drive out,” repeated throughout this section. This wording is an effective way to emphasize that the various tribes failed to do what the LORD asked. For inhabitants see verse 1.11.

Five towns are mentioned here: Beth-shean, Taanach, Dor, Ibleam, and Megiddo, along with their villages. Some of these towns are known, especially Megiddo. All must have been wealthy cities and may have been important because of their proximity to various trade routes.

And its villages is literally “and its daughters,” obviously underlining all the places this tribe was unable to dominate. “Daughters” refers to the areas where those towns spread out. Often small communities settled around big towns, profiting from their protection and commercial contacts. Some languages do not have separate words for “city,” “town,” and “village,” so translators may have to find other means to express this notion. We may render its villages as “its settlements,” “its communities,” “people living near the town,” or “in the surrounding territory.”

Revised Standard Version follows the Hebrew text closely with its repetitive the inhabitants of … and its villages. This repetition gives emphasis, but the translator may reduce it if necessary. Good News Translation lists the five towns and then adds the phrase “and the nearby towns.” Contemporary English Version is similar with “the towns of Beth-Shan, Taanach, Dor, Ibleam, Megiddo, and all the villages nearby.”

But the Canaanites persisted in dwelling in that land: This sentence is quite emphatic and underlines not only the inability of the Israelites to dominate these peoples, but also the forceful determination of the Canaanite peoples. But, rendering the Hebrew waw conjunction, may express contrast here, but in many languages this conjunction may sound unnatural. Many English versions do not translate it (Good News Translation, Contemporary English Version, Revised English Bible, New Jerusalem Bible, New American Bible, New Jewish Publication Society’s Tanakh), but we might say “In fact,” “and,” or even “because” (see New International Version “for”).

The Canaanites put up strong resistance to the invasion by Manasseh’s soldiers. The Hebrew term for Canaanites is singular, but has a collective meaning here (see verse 1.1). Persisted in dwelling means the Canaanites “were determined to stay” (Contemporary English Version) or “held their ground” (New Jerusalem Bible). Good News Translation‘s “continued to live” is not strong enough here. In dwelling translates the Hebrew infinitive for the verb occurring first in verse 1.9 and throughout this book. In that land is emphatic in Hebrew, with the word for land (ʾerets) being the same one used throughout the Old Testament to refer to the Promised Land. However, here we may simply say “in that territory” or “in that region,” or we may replace the phrase with a pronominal expression such as “there” (Good News Translation).

A possible model for this verse is:

• But Manasseh did not succeed in driving out the people who lived in the towns of Beth-shean, Taanach, Dor, Ibleam, and Megiddo, nor the villages surrounding them. Indeed, the Canaanites were determined to stay there.

Quoted with permission from Zogbo, Lynell and Ogden, Graham S. A Handbook on Judges. (UBS Helps for Translators). Miami: UBS, 2019. For this and other handbooks for translators see here .