It is not necessary to say These are the names in translating this verse, so long as the translation clearly introduces the list of names that follow. Thus Good News Translation has simply “The sons … were….”

Jacob and Israel were the same person. (See Gen 32.27-28.) The Hebrew says sons of Israel, but Good News Translation translates “sons of Jacob” to avoid confusion, and many translators will find this a helpful model. The expression came to Egypt suggests that the author was in Egypt when he wrote, but Good News Translation translates “went to Egypt,” suggesting that the writer was no longer there. The New English Bible’s [New English Bible] rendering, “who entered Egypt,” is closer to the Hebrew, which does not indicate where the writer was when he wrote this. However, since translators in many languages must locate the speaker or writer in order to have natural style, it is better to place the writer with the later Israelite community outside Egypt and translate “who went to Egypt.” In languages where all directional information depends upon where the speaker is located, translators should generally place the writer of Exodus in the area of Canaan or Palestine.

Each with his household means that each of Jacob’s sons took along his own “family.” Each son was the head of his own family, with the possible exception of Benjamin, who may not yet have been married. Each “family” included the wives, sons, daughters, and in some cases grandchildren. In addition each “family” included male and female servants with their own families, as well as other relatives who lived under the authority of the family head. In certain languages it will be necessary to translate this verse into two sentences; for example: “The following people are the sons of Jacob who went to Egypt with him. Each one took his family with him. These sons were….”

Quoted with permission from Osborn, Noel D. and Hatton, Howard A. A Handbook on Exodus. (UBS Helps for Translators). New York: UBS, 1999. For this and other handbooks for translators see here .

All the offspring of Jacob in the Hebrew is literally “every person coming from the loins of Jacob.” The offspring were the male descendants of Jacob; females were not included in the seventy. This is because the Israelites kept record of their ancestors only through the father, who was the head of the family. It may be helpful for translators to include this information in a footnote. In some languages it will be useful to translate offspring as “sons and grandsons,” as all of these are included in the seventy. Their names are given in Gen 46.8-27.

The footnote in Good News Translation calls attention to “one ancient translation” that has “seventy-five” instead of “seventy.” k The Preliminary and Interim Report on the Hebrew Old Testament Text Projectk* (Hebrew Old Testament Text Project) recommends that this ancient Greek translation, the Septuagint, be followed rather than the Hebrew. The reasons for this are not yet widely accepted by biblical scholars, so it is better to follow the Hebrew wording of “seventy” until there are more who support this change. However, a footnote similar to the one in Good News Translation should be included to show that there is a textual problem here and that “seventy-five” may have been the number intended.

Joseph was already in Egypt. This does not necessarily exclude him from the seventy, but it explains why he is not listed with the names of his eleven brothers in verses 2-4.

Quoted with permission from Osborn, Noel D. and Hatton, Howard A. A Handbook on Exodus. (UBS Helps for Translators). New York: UBS, 1999. For this and other handbooks for translators see here .

The word Then is to be understood as “In the course of time” (Good News Translation) and not as a sudden or unexpected event. Other ways of expressing this are “In time” (John I. Durham), “As the years passed,” or even “Eventually.” Since Benjamin, Joseph’s only younger brother, is included, all his brothers may be expressed idiomatically in a number of languages; for example, “elders and youngers” or “elder and younger siblings.” All that generation probably included all adults who lived at the same time as Joseph and his brothers. In many languages the phrase all that generation will be rendered as “all the people living at that time.”

Quoted with permission from Osborn, Noel D. and Hatton, Howard A. A Handbook on Exodus. (UBS Helps for Translators). New York: UBS, 1999. For this and other handbooks for translators see here .

The Hebrew literally says “the sons of Israel” as in verse 1, where the twelve sons of Jacob are meant. Here, however, the reference is to the descendants of those sons, who later became known as the “Israelites.” Descendants is not an easy concept to express in some languages. Other ways of rendering But the descendants of Israel are “But their grandchildren and great-grandchildren, called the people of Israel…” or “But the people who followed after them [or, came down from them], the Israelites….”

Three expressions in this verse say exactly the same thing: they were fruitful, they increased greatly, and they multiplied. This means simply that they “had many children and became … numerous.” But they also grew exceedingly strong. The word for strong means strong in number. It refers to the corporate strength of a large group of people rather than to the physical strength of an individual. The Israelites were not in a position to form a political organization that would threaten the Egyptians, but their large population was becoming a threat to the king (see verse 9). An alternative translation for grew exceedingly strong is “they grew so large in numbers that they became a threat [or, dangerous] to the Egyptians.”

So that the land was filled with them is an exaggeration. It describes the result of the increasing population of the Israelites as well the impact of their corporate strength upon the people of Egypt. The land refers to the territory of Egypt, and filled with them means that they seemed to be everywhere in the land of Egypt. Thus New English Bible says that “the country was overrun by them.”

An alternative translation model for this verse is:

• But the people who followed after them, who were called the Israelites, had many children. There were so many of them and they grew so large in number that they became a threat [or, dangerous] to the Egyptians. They were everywhere in the land of Egypt.

Quoted with permission from Osborn, Noel D. and Hatton, Howard A. A Handbook on Exodus. (UBS Helps for Translators). New York: UBS, 1999. For this and other handbooks for translators see here .

The pronouns he and his refer to the king. His people means the Egyptians rather than the Israelites. It is not certain whether he spoke publicly to all the Egyptians or secretly to his close advisors. If a choice must be made in translation, it is better to have him speak to his advisors; for example: “He discussed this problem with his advisors, saying….”

Behold is not included in Good News Translation because it has become archaic in English. The Hebrew word, however, carries a meaning that can be expressed naturally in many languages. Some translations have attempted to catch its meaning in this verse with the word “Look.” (For example, the Jerusalem Bible [Jerusalem Bible], TANAKH (New Jewish Publication Society’s Tanakh [the New Jewish Version]), and the New International Version [New International Version].) It is understood simply as a command to pay attention to what will be said. In certain languages this latter meaning will be a helpful model; for example: “Pay attention to me!” or “Listen to me well!”

The Hebrew may be understood as too many and too mighty for us, or as “more numerous and powerful than we” (the New Revised Standard Version [New Revised Standard Version]). Some translations such as Good News Translation and Jerusalem Bible draw from the danger implied in verse 10 and translate “so numerous and strong that they are a threat to us.” This idea may also be expressed as “so numerous and strong that we should fear them” or “… that they are dangerous to us.”

Quoted with permission from Osborn, Noel D. and Hatton, Howard A. A Handbook on Exodus. (UBS Helps for Translators). New York: UBS, 1999. For this and other handbooks for translators see here .

This sentence is complex because the “if” clause is embedded within the “lest” clause, and both of them are subordinate to the main clause. It can be simplified by making it two sentences, as Good News Translation has done. Note that Good News Translation also interchanges the clauses, placing the main clause as the second sentence. It is also possible to put the equivalent of “So” or “Therefore” here and say “So we must….” In languages where subordinate clauses must always precede the main clause, Good News Translation‘s model is a good one.

Come in Revised Standard Version reflects a word in the Hebrew that expresses urgency, such as the English expression “Come on!” It increases the force of let us …, which here means “We must” (Good News Translation). To deal shrewdly with them means to “find some way” (Good News Translation), or “devise a plan,” to prevent the Israelites from having so many children. It includes the idea that the Egyptians wanted both to “be prudent” (Jerusalem Bible) and to “take precautions” (New English Bible) to prevent this population increase.

Lest they multiply is quite literal from the Hebrew. New Revised Standard Version has made this a bit clearer: “or they will increase.” The Translator’s Old Testament) has “We must act astutely and prevent their becoming too numerous.” The expression really means “If we don’t outsmart them, their families will keep growing larger” (Contemporary English Version). This clause may be placed at the end of the verse, as Good News Translation has done.

The phrase if war befall us is based on a variant form of the Hebrew text. Literally the Hebrew says “if war happen,” an awkward combination of a singular subject with a plural verb. It may be easier to say “if our enemies attack us” or “if those who hate us attack us.” The meaning is also clearly rendered with “In case of war” (Good News Translation), or “if war breaks out” (New English Bible), or “in the event of war”. They join our enemies and fight against us may also be expressed as “they could easily fight on the side of our enemies” (Good News Translation).

The footnote in Good News Translation points out that the Hebrew can mean either escape from the land or “take control of the country.” The literal “rise up from the earth” is ambiguous. The idea that “they will become masters of the country” (New English Bible) is possible, but most translations understand it in terms of escape. Since Revised Standard Version and Good News Translation both interpret the Hebrew in this way, it is best to translate “escape from the country” (Good News Translation) and place a footnote that shows the other possible meaning.

An alternative translation model for this verse is:

• If our enemies attack us, the Israelites might join with these enemies and fight against us. As a result they may escape from Egypt. So we must find [or, make] a plan to prevent them from having so many children.

Quoted with permission from Osborn, Noel D. and Hatton, Howard A. A Handbook on Exodus. (UBS Helps for Translators). New York: UBS, 1999. For this and other handbooks for translators see here .