oak

Three species of oak are found in Israel, the main ones being the Tabor oak and the Kermes (or common) oak. Both go by the name ’elon or ’allon in Hebrew. The similarity to the Hebrew word ’el (“god”) is significant, since these trees have long been associated with worship and with burial. Since the Tabor oak is the biggest, it is likely that ’elon and ’allon most often refer to that one. English versions have sometimes mistakenly translated the Hebrew word ’elah (“terebinth”) as “oak.”

According to Hepper (Baker Encyclopedia of Bible Plants, Baker Book House, 1992), forests of Kermes oak (Quercus calliprinos or Quercus coccifera) covered the hill country of Israel from Carmel to Samaria in biblical times. The Kermes oak forest is the most familiar and important type of vegetation in Israel.

The Tabor Oak Quercus macrolepsis (= Quercus aegilops = Quercus ithaburensis = Valonea oak in Israel) apparently replaced the original common oak during the Arab period (800–1400 A.D.), but has itself been nearly destroyed in more recent times by the efforts of charcoal makers, limestone burners, and the Turkish rail-way. Tabor oaks are deciduous and are found mostly in Carmel.

The large Tabor oak reaches a height of 25 meters (82 feet), branching at around 5.5 meters (18 feet). The Kermes oak is more like a large shrub, normally branching at ground level. The Tabor oak loses its leaves every winter; the Kermes oak is evergreen and prickly.

Oaks were used to mark grave sites (see Genesis 35:8), and it is possible that the references to “oak of Moreh” or “oaks of Mamre” may hint at burial sites of famous people. They were probably also important in divination, if the reference in Judges 9:37 (see Translation commentary on Judges 9:37) to a “Diviners’ Oak” can be taken as typical. References to people named Allon (1 Chronicles 4:37) or Elon (Genesis 46:14 et al.) may suggest that the oak was a symbol of strength or beauty, or both.

Oaks grow mainly in temperate areas (Europe, North America, North Asia, and Japan) and the Mediterranean area, including North Africa. Translators in tropical areas will not have a local variety as an option. In historical contexts, therefore, it will be necessary to transliterate from a major language. In poetic contexts such as the prophets, the oak typically represents a large and very strong tree, and a local species with those characteristics can be considered.

Tabor oak, photo by Ray Pritz
Kermes oak, Wikimedia Commons

Source: Each According to its Kind: Plants and Trees in the Bible (UBS Helps for Translators)

complete verse (Judges 4:11)

Following are a number of back-translations as well as a sample translation for translators of Judges 4:11:

  • Kupsabiny: “There was a man called Heber from the clan of Ken. That man hailed from the house of Hobab who was the father-in-law of Moses. That man had gone and set up his tent far away from his people. He had set it up at the podo tree of Zaanannim which was near Kedesh.” (Source: Kupsabiny Back Translation)
  • Newari: “At that time a Kenite called Heber had been setting up his tent near a tree in Zaanannim of Kedesh. The Kenites were descendants of Hobab, father-in-law of Moses. Heber was staying there, having left the other Kenites.” (Source: Newari Back Translation)
  • Hiligaynon: “At that time, Heber the Kenhanon built his tent near the big tree at Zaananim near Kedesh. He separated (himself) from other Kenhanon who were the descendants of Hobab the (brother)-in-law of Moises.” (Source: Hiligaynon Back Translation)
  • English: “At that time Heber, one of the descendants of the Ken people-group, had moved with his wife Jael from the area where that group lived, and set up his tent near the big oak tree at Zaanannim, near Kedesh. Heber was a descendant of Moses’ brother-in-law Hobab.” (Source: Translation for Translators)

Moses

The name that is transliterated as “Moses” in English is signed in Spanish Sign Language and Polish Sign Language in accordance with the depiction of Moses in the famous statue by Michelangelo (see here ). (Source: John Elwode in The Bible Translator 2008, p. 78ff. )


“Moses” in Spanish Sign Language, source: Sociedad Bíblica de España

American Sign Language also uses the sign depicting the horns but also has a number of alternative signs (see here ).

In French Sign Language, a similar sign is used, but it is interpreted as “radiance” (see below) and it culminates in a sign for “10,” signifying the 10 commandments:


“Moses” in French Sign Language (source )

The horns that are visible in Michelangelo’s statue are based on a passage in the Latin Vulgate translation (and many Catholic Bible translations that were translated through the 1950ies with that version as the source text). Jerome, the translator, had worked from a Hebrew text without the niqquds, the diacritical marks that signify the vowels in Hebrew and had interpreted the term קרו (k-r-n) in Exodus 34:29 as קֶ֫רֶן — keren “horned,” rather than קָרַו — karan “radiance” (describing the radiance of Moses’ head as he descends from Mount Sinai).

In Swiss-German Sign Language it is translated with a sign depicting holding a staff. This refers to a number of times where Moses’s staff is used in the context of miracles, including the parting of the sea (see Exodus 14:16), striking of the rock for water (see Exodus 17:5 and following), or the battle with Amalek (see Exodus 17:9 and following).


“Moses” in Swiss-German Sign Language, source: DSGS-Lexikon biblischer Begriffe , © CGG Schweiz

In Vietnamese (Hanoi) Sign Language it is translated with the sign that depicts the eye make up he would have worn as the adopted son of an Egyptian princess. (Source: The Vietnamese Sign Language translation team, VSLBT)


“Moses” in Vietnamese Sign Language, source: SooSL

In Estonian Sign Language Moses is depicted with a big beard. (Source: Liina Paales in Folklore 47, 2011, p. 43ff. )


“Moses” in Estonian Sign Language, source: Glossary of the EKNK Toompea kogudus

For more information on translations of proper names with sign language see Sign Language Bible Translations Have Something to Say to Hearing Christians .

Learn more on Bible Odyssey: Moses .

Translation commentary on Judges 4:11

This verse is an “aside,” since it does not contribute directly to the current story line. Rather, it provides readers with background information on the movement of the Kenites and in particular, Heber, the husband of Jael, a main character in this story (verse 4.17). However, there is a link to the present story with the mention of Kedesh, Barak’s hometown. Most versions put this verse into a paragraph of its own.

Now Heber the Kenite had separated from the Kenites: Now translates the Hebrew waw conjunction. It would be good to use a connector that introduces a side statement, for example, “In the meantime” (Good News Translation) or “At this time” (Contemporary English Version). Heber is a name that is first mentioned in Gen 46.17 as belonging to a man from the tribe of Asher. Here it refers to an individual whose wife will play an important role in this story. For the Kenite, see verse 1.16.

Had separated from the Kenites indicates that Heber and his family decided to move away from their clan, the Kenites. The Hebrew verb rendered had separated means “divided,” as when a river divides into two parts. Thus Heber and his family “broke away” from their original group. The text does not give a reason for this separation, but this was a common occurrence when there were disputes or when the land was not suitable or big enough for a given group (see, for example, Gen 13.11). Separated may also be rendered “migrated” or “moved away.” Revised Standard Version uses the past anterior verb tense, had separated, to show this is background information.

From the Kenites is literally “from Qayin” (seemingly related to the name “Cain”), which may be a reference to a location in the south of Judah or to the people. However, the further description, the descendants of Hobab, makes it clear that the clan or people group is intended. In some languages it may be unusual to repeat Kenites, so we might rather say “At that time Heber and his family had separated off from his clan, the Kenites.”

The descendants of Hobab the father-in-law of Moses: In Num 10.29 Hobab is referred to as the son of Reuel the Midianite, and as Moses’ father-in-law. This person is first mentioned in verse 1.16, but without his name.

And had pitched his tent …: Heber and his family moved into a new region. Pitched his tent renders an idiomatic Hebrew expression that means “settled” or “set up a home” in a given place. “Tents” were made of animal skins and were the traditional form of housing for a nomadic or semi-nomadic people. Heber and his clan migrated and set up their new home in this northern region. In many languages it will be better to use a functional equivalent for pitched his tent, such as “was living,” “moved his family,” or “installed himself and his family,” but this expression is certainly introduced here to set the scene for what follows, when Jael invites Sisera into her tent. Thus if possible, it is best to keep this word here. Revised Standard Version once again uses the past anterior tense, had pitched, to show that this event occurred before the present story.

As far away as the oak in Za-anannim: The Hebrew preposition for as far away as can be rendered “at” (New International Version), “near” (Good News Translation, Contemporary English Version), or “by” (New American Bible). The oak in Za-anannim refers to what must have been a significant landmark, a large oak tree near to the town of Za-anannim (see verse 19.33). Some scholars assume this was a sacred tree. New Jewish Publication Society’s Tanakh transliterates the entire place name as “at Elon-bezaanannim,” but it will be easier for readers if part of this long name is translated. For oak tree. Since many languages will not have a name for oak, this whole phrase may be rendered “near the big/great tree in the town of Zaanannim.”

Which is near Kedesh: Za-anannim was near the town of Kedesh in the north. By going to Kedesh, Heber moved a very long way from his tribal home. This town is first mentioned in verse 4.6.

Good News Translation and Contemporary English Version change the order of this verse by saying first that Heber lived near the oak tree and then stating that he had moved away from his clan. There is a lot of information in this verse, and translators should arrange this background material in a natural way in their language. Translation examples for this verse are:

• Now it so happened that Heber, a Kenite, from the clan of Hobab, Moses’ father-in-law, had left the rest of the tribe and migrated north, settling near the oak tree by the town of Zaanannim near Kedesh.

• Meanwhile a Kenite man by the name of Heber took his family and moved north toward Kedesh, away from the rest of the clan. They settled down in a place called Zaanannim close to the big tree there. Heber and his family were descendants of Hobab, who was the father-in-law of Moses.

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 .