the organization of work (image)

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Image taken from the Wiedmann Bible. For more information about the images and ways to adopt them, see here .

For other images of Willy Wiedmann paintings in TIPs, see here.

son of

The Greek and Hebrew that is translated as “son of” in English is translated in all Icelandic Bible versions of the Icelandic Bible Society (latest edition 2007) in parallel with the Icelandic naming system . This means that for instance in Matthew 16:17 the name that is transliterated and translated in English as “Simon son of Jonah” becomes “Simon Jónasson” or in Isaiah 8:2 “Zechariah son of Jeberechiah” becomes “Sakaría Jeberekíason” where in both cases the “-son” means “son of.”

In cases where “son of” does not refer to a literal father or perhaps stepfather but to lineage, however, this system is not used. So in Matthew 1:1 “Jesus the Messiah, the son of David, the son of Abraham” is translated as “Jesú Krists, sonar Davíðs, sonar Abrahams.”

The referenced verses all have at least one instance where the Icelandic patronymic or matronymic naming system is used. (Source: Halldór Elías Guðmundsson)

See also daughter of

Jerusalem

The name that is transliterated as “Jerusalem” in English is signed in French Sign Language with a sign that depicts worshiping at the Western Wall in Jerusalem:


“Jerusalem” in French Sign Language (source: La Bible en langue des signes française )

While a similar sign is also used in British Sign Language, another, more neutral sign that combines the sign “J” and the signs for “place” is used as well. (Source: Anna Smith)


“Jerusalem” in British Sign Language (source: Christian BSL, used with permission)

Learn more on Bible Odyssey: Jerusalem .

complete verse (Nehemiah 3:9)

Following are a number of back-translations as well as a sample translation for translators of Nehemiah 3:9:

  • Kupsabiny: “The one who built the following part of that wall was Rephaiah son of Hur who was a ruler over a part/half of the ridge of Jerusalem.” (Source: Kupsabiny Back Translation)
  • Hiligaynon: “Next to them was the child of Hur who was Rafaya, the leader/[lit. head] of the half district of Jerusalem.” (Source: Hiligaynon Back Translation)
  • English: “Next to them, Rephaiah the son of Hur, who ruled half of Jerusalem District, repaired part of the wall.” (Source: Translation for Translators)

Translation commentary on Nehemiah 3:9

Rephaiah the son of Hur: See 1 Chr 2.19-20; 4.1.

Ruler of half the district of Jerusalem: A district referred to the territory around a town or city. The province of Judah was divided into a number of districts, five of which are mentioned in this chapter. Each district was divided into two parts with a ruler (see Ezra 8.20, where Revised Standard Version has “officials” for the same Hebrew word) for each half. Some languages will need to express this fraction as one part of something that has been divided into two equal parts. Rephaiah ruled over a half of the district of Jerusalem. Translators should use a word or expression for district that shows that it is a part of a larger administrative unit, which is the province (see Ezra 2.1). Sometimes this may be called the “division of land of Jerusalem” or the “circle of territory of Jerusalem.” By calling it the “Jerusalem District,” Good News Translation uses common English practice in citing the names of geographic entities.

Quoted with permission from Noss, Philip A. and Thomas, Kenneth J. A Handbook on Nehemiah. (UBS Helps for Translators). New York: UBS, 2005. For this and other handbooks for translators see here .