complete verse (1 Chronicles 12:4)

Following are a number of back-translations as well as a sample translation for translators of 1 Chronicles 12:4:

  • Kupsabiny: “Ishmaiah who was from Gibeon and was famous among those thirty men, Jeremiah, Jahaziel, Johanan, Jozabad who was from Gederah,” (Source: Kupsabiny Back Translation)
  • Newari: “Ishmaiah the Gibeonite, (Ishmaiah was one of the brave thirty, and was a leader among the thirty),” (Source: Newari Back Translation)
  • Hiligaynon: “Ishmaya of/from-Gibeon, a brave leader of the 30 brave soldiers.
    Jeremia, Jahaziel, Johanan, Jozabad of/from-Gedera,” (Source: Hiligaynon Back Translation)
  • English: “Ishmaiah from the Gibeon city, who was a leader of the thirty mighty warriors;
    Jeremiah, Jahaziel, Johanan, and Jozabad from Gederah town;” (Source: Translation for Translators)

Translation commentary on 1 Chronicles 12:4

Ishmaiah … a mighty man among the thirty and a leader over the thirty (verse 4): For the thirty, see the introductory comments on 1 Chr 11.10-47. Nearly all translations say that Ishmaiah was included among the Thirty and was a leader of the Thirty, and this seems to be the meaning of the Hebrew. However, New American Bible says he was “a warrior on the level of the Thirty,” which seems to suggest that he was not included among the Thirty.

Jeremiah, Jahaziel, Johanan, Jozabad of Gederah (verse 4): This last part of verse 4 is numbered as verse 5 in New Jerusalem Bible, New American Bible, New Jewish Publication Society’s Tanakh and most non-English versions because it is so numbered in the Hebrew text. This means that from this point to the end of the chapter there is a difference of one number between the Hebrew, New Jerusalem Bible, New American Bible and New Jewish Publication Society’s Tanakh on the one hand and the majority of English versions on the other hand (so Revised Standard Version, Good News Translation). Of Gederah is literally “the Gederathite.” Jozabad was from the town of Gederah in southern Judah (see 1 Chr 4.23).

Quoted with permission from Omanson, Roger L. and Ellington, John E. A Handbook on 1-2 Chronicles, Volume 1. (UBS Helps for Translators). Miami: UBS, 2014. For this and other handbooks for translators see here .