neighbor - relative

The Hebrew and Greek that is translated as “neighbor” or “relative” in English is translated in the Contemporary Chichewa translation (2002/2016) and the Buku Lopatulika translation (1922/2018) with just one word: nansi. This word can also be translated as neighbors whom you share a blood relation with because in Chewa context a community is mostly comprised of people of blood relations. (Source: Mawu a Mulungu mu Chichewa Chalero Back Translation)

David

The name that is transliterated as “David” in English is translated in Spanish Sign Language with the sign signifying king and a sling (referring to 1 Samuel 17:49 and 2 Samuel 5:4). (Source: John Elwode in The Bible Translator 2008, p. 78ff. )


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

In German Sign Language it is only the sling. (See here ).


“David” in German Sign Language (source )

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

The (Protestant) Mandarin Chinese transliteration of “David” is 大卫 (衛) / Dàwèi which carries an additional meaning of “Great Protector.”

Click or tap here to see a short video clip about David (source: Bible Lands 2012)

Learn more on Bible Odyssey: David .

complete verse (Ruth 4:16 - 4:17)

Following are a number of back-translations of Ruth 4:16-17:

  • Noongar: “And Naomi took the child and put him on her lap and Naomi looked after him. The women of Bethlehem said, ‘This baby has become the son of Naomi.’ They named him Obed. He became the father of Jesse, the father of David.” (Source: Bardip Ruth-Ang 2020)
  • Eastern Bru: “Then Naomi raised this child with all her heart. After that the women in the town called the child Obed. And they said: “This day Naomi has again a son.” Obed was the father of Jesse, and Jesse was the father of King David.” (Source: Bru Back Translation)
  • Hiligaynon: “Noemi always took the child and laid-(him)-in-her-lap. She was the-one-taking-care of the child. The women who were Noemi’s neighbors said, ‘Noemi has now a male grandchild!’ They named the child Obed. And when Obed had-grown-up, he had a child Jesse. And Jesse was the father of David.” (Source: Hiligaynon Back Translation)
  • English: “Then Naomi took the baby and put him on her lap, and took care of him. The women who were living near her said, ‘It is as though Naomi now has a son!’ And they named him Obed. Later, Obed became the father of Jesse, and later Jesse became the father of King David.” (Source: Translation for Translators)

Translation commentary on Ruth 4:17

The Hebrew text of verse 17 is literally “and the women of the neighborhood gave him a name, saying, A son has been born to Naomi. They named him Obed; he was the father of Jesse, the father of David.” This Hebrew text is rather redundant in its literal form, and therefore some restructuring is necessary in most receptor languages if one is to make the rendering clear and natural. Rather than repeat “gave him a name” and “they named him Obed,” it is usually better to translate “the women of the neighborhood named the boy Obed,” “they called the boy by the name of Obed,” “they said, ‘Obed is his name,’ ” or “they declared, ‘Obed will be his name.’ ” It is also possible to retain somewhat more of the Hebrew order by translating “the women of the neighborhood said, ‘A son has been born to Naomi’; and they named him Obed.” This restructuring already exists in an early translation. So the Syriac version. It should, however, be noted that such a restructuring may destroy the traces of a more primitive text in which (according to the typical Hebrew style of name giving), instead of shem, another name figured, alluding to yullad ben lenaʿomi, something like Yibleam (Gunkel, op. cit., ad loc.) or Ben Noam (Eißfeldt, op. cit., page 649).

It is quite impossible in some languages to say “a son has been born to Naomi.” This would imply that Naomi herself was the mother. The relationship must be changed to read: “Naomi now has a grandson,” “a grandson has been born for Naomi,” or “Ruth has given birth to a grandson for Naomi.”

The name Obed in Hebrew sounds like the word meaning “servant.” S. Öttli (in Strack-Zöckler’s Kurzgefaßte Kommentar, 1889, ad loc.) and Bertholet (op. cit., ad loc.) explain the name as “ganz für sie da.” This is, however, questionable. It would be more probable to take it in the sense of “worshiper” as a hypocoristic, in which the following name of the divinity has been omitted (so Dhorme, op. cit., ad loc.).

In some languages it is impossible to introduce the final sentence of verse 17 without some alteration. A literal translation, “he was the father of Jesse, who was David’s father,” would be completely confusing, since Obed only later became the father of Jesse, who still later became the father of David. Therefore, one must translate this final sentence as “Obed later became the father of Jesse, and Jesse in turn became the father of David.” One may also translate it as “Obed later had a son who was named Jesse, and Jesse had a son who was named David.”

Quoted with permission from de Waard, Jan and Nida, Eugene A. A Handbook on Ruth. (UBS Helps for Translators). New York: UBS, 1978, 1992. For this and other handbooks for translators see here .

SIL Translator’s Notes on Ruth 4:17

4:17a

The neighbor women: The Hebrew word that the Berean Standard Bible translates as The neighbor women is a word that literally means “female inhabitants.” It refers to the women who lived in Bethlehem.

said: The Hebrew word that the Berean Standard Bible translates as said is literally “called him a name, saying….” The words “they called him a name” is a Hebrew idiom that means “they named him” or “they gave him a name.” The Hebrew text of 4:17c repeats the phrase “they called him a name.” For example:

And the women of the neighborhood gave him a name, saying… (Revised Standard Version)

If repeating the phrase in 4:17a and 4:17c would be unnatural in your language, you may follow the Berean Standard Bible and omit it in 4:17a.

Here are some other ways to translate this clause:

The neighbor women named him, saying, (NET Bible)
-or-
and the women neighbors gave him a name, saying, (Tanakh: The Holy Scriptures)
-or-
The women living there said, (New International Reader’s Version)

4:17b

A son has been born to Naomi: The women meant that Naomi would help Ruth take care of the baby. Also, they thought about this child becoming a replacement for Naomi’s own sons. He would be the heir of the family property.

In Hebrew, as in many other languages, the word for “son” can also refer to a grandson. In other languages, it would be confusing, or impossible, to call Ruth’s baby Naomi’s son. In these languages, it may be necessary to use a word meaning “grandson.” Or you could use a simile and say, “The baby is like a son to Naomi.”

Here are some other ways to translate this clause:

A grandson has been born to Naomi
-or-
Ruth has given birth to a baby boy. He will be like a son to Naomi

4:17c

and they named him Obed: The women gave the baby a name that means “servant.”

Here is another way to translate this clause:

They gave the baby the name Obed.

4:17d

He became the father of Jesse, the father of David: In the lists of names of family descendants (as in the list given at the end of this story), father of can sometimes mean “ancestor of.” In this verse, however, father does refer to the man’s immediate parent.

Here are some other ways to translate this sentence:

Obed was the father of Jesse, and Jesse was the father of David. (New Century Version)
-or-
He became the father of Jesse and the grandfather of David. (New Living Translation (2004))
-or-
When Obed grew up he had a son named Jesse, who later became the father of King David. (Contemporary English Version)

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