The Hebrew and Greek that is transliterated as “Ephraim” in English is translated in Spanish Sign Language with the sign for “palm tree” referring to the palm of Deborah in the land of Ephraim (see Judges 4:5. (Source: Steve Parkhurst)
Following are a number of back-translations as well as a sample translation for translators of Judges 18:13:
Kupsabiny: “They continued until the highlands of Ephraim and went to rest where it was near the home of Micah.” (Source: Kupsabiny Back Translation)
Newari: “Then proceeding to the hill country of Ephraim, they came to Micah’s house.” (Source: Newari Back Translation)
Hiligaynon: “From there, they continued to journey until they arrived to the house of Micas, in the mountains of Efraim.” (Source: Hiligaynon Back Translation)
English: “From there, they went to the hilly area where the tribe of Ephraim lives. And they arrived at Micah’s house.” (Source: Translation for Translators)
And they passed on from there to the hill country of Ephraim: The Hebrew waw conjunction rendered And may be translated “Then” (Contemporary English Version) to indicate that this clause gives the next stage in the Danites’ journey. The text does not say how long they remained at Kiriath-jearim. For the key Hebrew verb rendered passed on (ʿavar), see verse 3.26 and verse 11.29. Revised Standard Version gives one interpretation for it here, but the clause can also mean “Then from there they passed over the mountains of Ephraim.” For the hill country of Ephraim, see verse 2.9.
And came to the house of Micah: See verse 18.2. The intrigue becomes more complicated, as the irony of the situation becomes evident. Earlier, the Danite spies had stopped at Micah’s house and found out about his idols. Here 600 armed Danite soldiers, who were sent out to find a new place to live (their “inheritance”), end up at Micah’s house, where all they can find to do is rob one man of his idols.
A translation model for this verse is:
• From there they passed on into the hill country of Ephraim and came to Micah’s house.
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 .
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