Beor / Bosor

The name that is transliterated as “Beor” and “Bosor” in English means “torch,” “lamp,” “burning.” (Source: Cornwall / Smith 1997 )

In Libras (Brazilian Sign Language) it is translated with a sign that combines “Balaam” (he was Balaam’s father) and “fire” (the name means “burning”). (Source: Missão Kophós )


“Beor / Bosor” in Libras (source )

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

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

complete verse (Numbers 31:8)

Following are a number of back-translations as well as a sample translation for translators of Numbers 31:8:

  • Kupsabiny: “They even killed five kings of those people. Those were: Evi, Rekem, Zur, Hur and Reba. They also killed Balaam son of Beor.” (Source: Kupsabiny Back Translation)
  • Newari: “As it happened, the five kings of Midian, Evi, Rekem, Zur, Hur and Reba were also among the men who died. They also killed Balaam son of Beor with the sword.” (Source: Newari Back Translation)
  • Hiligaynon: “Among whom they killed were the five kings of Midian who were Evi, Rekem, Zur, Hur, and Reba. They also killed Balaam the child of Beor by sword.” (Source: Hiligaynon Back Translation)
  • English: “Among those whom they killed were the five kings of the Midian people-group—Evi, Rekem, Zur, Hur, and Reba. They also killed with a sword Balaam, the son of Beor.” (Source: Translation for Translators)

king

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Some languages do not have a concept of kingship and therefore no immediate equivalent for the Greek, Hebrew, Ge’ez, Aramaic, and Latin that is translated as “king” in English. Here are some (back-) translations:

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  • Piro: “a great one”
  • Highland Totonac: “the big boss”
  • Huichol: “the one who commanded” (source for this and above: Bratcher / Nida)
  • Ekari: “the one who holds the country” (source: Reiling / Swellengrebel)
  • Una: weik sienyi: “big headman” (source: Kroneman 2004, p. 407)
  • Pass Valley Yali: “Big Man” (source: Daud Soesilo)
  • Ninia Yali: “big brother with the uplifted name” (source: Daud Soesilio in Noss 2007, p. 175)
  • Nyamwezi: mutemi: generic word for ruler, by specifying the city or nation it becomes clear what kind of ruler (source: Pioneer Bible Translators, project-specific translation notes in Paratext)
  • Ghomála’: Fo (“The word Fo refers to the paramount ruler in the kingdoms of West Cameroon. He holds administrative, political, and religious power over his own people, who are divided into two categories: princes (descendants of royalty) and servants (everyone else).” (Source: Michel Kenmogne in Theologizing in Context: An Example from the Study of a Ghomala’ Christian Hymn))

Faye Edgerton retells how the term in Navajo (Dinė) was determined:

“[This term was] easily expressed in the language of Biblical culture, which had kings and noblemen with their brilliant trappings and their position of honor and praise. But leadership among the Navajos is not accompanied by any such titles or distinctions of dress. Those most respected, especially in earlier days, were their headmen, who were the leaders in raids, and the shaman, who was able to serve the people by appealing for them to the gods, or by exorcising evil spirits. Neither of these made any outward show. Neither held his position by political intrigue or heredity. If the headman failed consistently in raids, he was superceded by a better warrior. If the shaman failed many times in his healing ceremonies, it was considered that he was making mistakes in the chants, or had lost favor with the gods, and another was sought. The term Navajos use for headman is derived from a verb meaning ‘to move the head from side to side as in making an oration.’ The headman must be a good orator, able to move the people to go to war, or to follow him in any important decision. This word is naat’áanii which now means ‘one who rules or bosses.’ It is employed now for a foreman or boss of any kind of labor, as well as for the chairman of the tribal council. So in order to show that the king is not just a common boss but the highest ruler, the word ‘aláahgo, which expresses the superlative degree, was put before naat’áanii, and so ‘aláahgo naat’áanii ‘anyone-more-than-being around-he-moves-his-head-the-one-who’ means ‘the highest ruler.’ Naat’áanii was used for governor as the context usually shows that the person was a ruler of a country or associated with kings.”

(Source: Faye Edgerton in The Bible Translator 1962, p. 25ff. )

See also king (Japanese honorifics).

Translation commentary on Numbers 3:17 - 3:20

And these were … And these are …: Good News Translation renders verses 17-20 in the past tense. But Revised Standard Version is closer to the Hebrew since it has a past tense in verse 17 only. Revised Standard Version thus brings out more clearly than Good News Translation that these verses are part of a list. In languages where a change of tense from past to present as in Revised Standard Version would be awkward, La Nouvelle Bible Segond provides a good model by using only the present tense.

And these were the sons of Levi by their names: Gershon and Kohath and Merari: See Gen 46.11 and Exo 6.16.

And these are the names of the sons of Gershon by their families: Libni and Shime-i: See Exo 6.17 and 1 Chr 6.17. By their families is better rendered “by their clans,” since families translates the Hebrew word mishpachah (see the comments on 1.2). New Jewish Publication Society’s Tanakh renders by their families as “by clan,” and La Nouvelle Bible Segond has “clan by clan.”

And the sons of Kohath by their families: Amram, Izhar, Hebron, and Uzziel: See Exo 6.18; 1 Chr 6.2, 18; 23.12.

And the sons of Merari by their families: Mahli and Mushi: See Exo 6.19; 1 Chr 6.19; 23.21.

These are the families of the Levites, by their fathers’ houses: The demonstrative pronoun These refers to Levi’s grandsons. De Nieuwe Bijbelvertaling expresses clearly the difference in size between families (mishpachah in Hebrew) and fathers’ houses (see 1.2) by rendering this sentence as “These were the clans of the Levites, which in turn were divided into families.” A similar model is “These were the clans of the Levites, which consisted of families.” New Jewish Publication Society’s Tanakh makes this sentence the introduction of a new paragraph. But actually it is not just this sentence but all of verses 17-20 that together form an introduction to verses 21-37.

Quoted with permission from de Regt, Lénart J. and Wendland, Ernst R. A Handbook on Numbers. (UBS Helps for Translators). Miami: UBS, 2016. For this and other handbooks for translators see here .

Translation commentary on Numbers 31:7 - 31:8

They warred against Midian: This clause begins with the Hebrew waw conjunction (literally “And”), which introduces the next event here. Some languages use a sequential connector, such as “Then,” to begin it. The Hebrew verb for warred (tsavaʾ) comes from the same root as the word for “war” in verses 3-5. Warred against may be rendered “attacked” (Good News Translation) or “fought against” (NET Bible).

As the LORD commanded Moses: The Israelites attacked the Midianites just as the LORD had told them to do through Moses (see verse 3).

And slew every male means they killed all the Midianite soldiers whom they attacked. This clause does not mean they killed all the Midianite men.

They slew the kings of Midian with the rest of their slain: Their slain refers to the Midianite troops who were killed in the battle.

Evi, Rekem, Zur, Hur, and Reba are the names of the five kings of Midian who were killed. These names are listed again in the same order in Josh 13.21. Zur was the father of Cozbi (see 25.15).

And they also slew Balaam the son of Beor with the sword means they killed Balaam in the battle. The specific instrument of killing is not really important (see the comments on sword at 14.3), so Good News Translation says simply “They also killed Balaam son of Beor.” For Balaam the son of Beor, see 22.5. According to verse 16, Balaam was the instigator of the Israelites’ apostasy at Peor. In some languages a special demonstrative pronoun may be needed to indicate that Balaam was an important person mentioned earlier in the narrative; for example, Chewa says “that [already known] Balaam.”

Quoted with permission from de Regt, Lénart J. and Wendland, Ernst R. A Handbook on Numbers. (UBS Helps for Translators). Miami: UBS, 2016. For this and other handbooks for translators see here .