making implicit plural form explicit (2 Samuel 17:27)

In many, if not most of the languages in the Philippines, proper nouns, such as personal names, are tagged with a marker that signals their grammatical role within a sentence. For Tagalog and the Visayan languages , this typically includes si to mark the proper noun as the actor or subject (nominative case), ni to mark the proper noun as an owner (genitive case), and kay to mark the proper noun as as an indirect object, i.e. the one to or toward whom an action is directed (dative case). All of these also have plural forms — sina, nina and kina respectively — and unlike in the biblical languages or in English, the plural form has to be used when only a single proper name is mentioned but implicitly that proper name includes more than just one.

In this verse, where English translates “David (came),” the Tagalog translation translates “sina David” because the context of the text makes clear that David was with his followers. (Source: Kermit Titrud and Steve Quakenbush)

complete verse (2 Samuel 17:27)

Following are a number of back-translations as well as a sample translation for translators of 2 Samuel 17:27:

  • Kupsabiny: “When David reached Mahanaim, he was welcomed. The people who welcomed him were Shobi the son of Nahash who came from Rabbah and was of the clan of Ammonites, Makir son of Ammiel who came from Lo-debar, and Barzillai of the clan of Gilead from the town of Rogelim.” (Source: Kupsabiny Back Translation)
  • Newari: “When David arrived in Mahanaim, Shobi son of Nahash from Rabbah of the Ammonites, Machir, son of Ammiel, who lived in Lo-debar and Barzillai the Gileadite, who lived in Rogelim” (Source: Newari Back Translation)
  • Hiligaynon: “When David and company arrived at Mahanaim, they were-welcomed by Shobi the child of Nahash the Ammonite, who comes-from-Raba, Makir the child of Amiel, who comes-from-Lo Debar, and Barzilai the Gileadite, who comes-from-Rogelim.” (Source: Hiligaynon Back Translation)
  • English: “When David and his soldiers arrived at Mahanaim, Shobi the son of Nahash from Rabbah city in the Ammon area, and Machir the son of Ammiel from Lo-Debar city, and Barzillai from Rogelim town in the Gilead region” (Source: Translation for Translators)

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 .

Translation commentary on 2 Samuel 17:27

Since verse 24 already indicated that David had gone to Mahanaim, the verb tense or the verb itself may have to be changed here. New Century Version attempts to deal with the problem by restructuring the sentence and putting David in a subordinate clause: “Shobi, Makir and Barzillai were at Mahanaim when David arrived.” Then New Century Version goes on to give the details about each of these three participants. This may be a good model for others to follow, since the structure of Revised Standard Version (following the Hebrew) is rather complicated.

Shobi was probably the king of the Ammonites and the brother of Hanun (10.1). Some scholars indicate that he was probably appointed by David after the conquest of Rabbah (see 10.1-3 and 12.26-31). On Rabbah see also 11.1.

Machir and Lodebar are mentioned earlier at 9.4-5.

The Gileadite from Rogelim: Rogelim is mentioned only here and in 19.31. It was apparently a town located to the east of Mahanaim in the region of Gilead. Since these men were in the territory of Gilead (verse 26), it is possible to translate this “who was from the town of Rogelim in that region.” The reader learns more about Barzillai in chapter 19.

Verses 27 through 29 are a single sentence in Hebrew, but this sentence is far too long and complex to be translated literally. Even if verse 27 is not broken down following the model of New Century Version as suggested above, there should certainly be a full stop at the end of this verse.

Quoted with permission from Omanson, Roger L. and Ellington, John E. A Handbook on the First and Second Books of Samuel, Volume 2. (UBS Helps for Translators). New York: UBS, 2001. For this and other handbooks for translators see here .