Joab the son of Zeruiah

The Hebrew that is translated as “Joab (also: Abishai) the son of Zeruiah” in English presented a problem in Maan. “In a patriarchal society like Mano, Zeruiah is assumed to be the father of Joab. Since we know that she was his mother (see 2Sam 17:25), we expressed this phrase as ‘Joab whose mother was Zeruiah.'” (Source: Don Slager)

In Batak Karo, Zeruiah also has to be identified as a woman. M.K. Sembiring (in The Bible Translator 1991, p. 217ff. ) explains: “Unlike the Hebrew language, nouns in Batak Karo have no gender. The literal translation of the biblical names therefore does not indicate whether they are female or male names. Names are generally understood as male names when they occur in expressions like ‘the son of…’ or ‘the daughter of…,’ because in the Karo culture, if ever the names of the parents are mentioned, it is usually the name of the father that is used in identifying the children. For example, 1 Sam 26:6 says, ‘Then David said to Ahimelech the Hittite, and to Joab’s brother Abishai the son of Zeruiah,’Who will go down with me into the camp to Saul?” In Hebrew, Zeruiah will be recognized as a female name because of its ending, but in Karo the name will be considered as a male name for the reason given above. It is necessary then to identify Zeruiah as a female name by saying that Zeruiah was the mother of Joab and Abishai. The translation of the first part of that verse into Batak Karo is as follows,’Then David said to Ahimelech the Hittite, and to Joab’s brother Abishai (the mother of these two is Zeruiah)…'”

army

The Hebrew, Aramaic, Greek and Latin that is translated as “army” in English is translated in Chichewa as “group of warriors.” (Source: Mawu a Mulungu mu Chichewa Chalero Back Translation)

complete verse (2 Samuel 8:16)

Following are a number of back-translations as well as a sample translation for translators of 2 Samuel 8:16:

  • Kupsabiny: “Joab who was son Zeruiah, was in charge of all (the) soldiers, but the one who was the attendant/assistant to the king was Jehoshaphat son of Ahilud.” (Source: Kupsabiny Back Translation)
  • Newari: “The commanding general was Joab, son of Zeruiah, Jehoshaphat son of Ahilud was the one who wrote the events of the land.” (Source: Newari Back Translation)
  • Hiligaynon: “The-(one-who) leads-over his soldiers was Joab the child of Zeruya. The one-who-is-in-charge of the records/documents of the kingdom was Jehoshafat the child of Ahilud.” (Source: Hiligaynon Back Translation)
  • English: “Joab was the army commander; Jehoshaphat, the son of Ahilud, was the man who reported to the people everything that David decided that they should do;” (Source: Translation for Translators)

Translation commentary on 2 Samuel 8:16

The son of Zeruiah: most readers will have no way of knowing that Zeruiah was a woman, even though it is very likely the original readers or hearers knew it. So it will probably be a good idea to follow the Good News Translation model (also Nova Tradução na Linguagem de Hoje, Die Bibel im heutigen Deutsch) in saying “whose mother was Zeruiah,” even though no other English version does this. Compare 2.13.

Was over the army: the text has only the preposition over, while the verb “to be” is understood. This idea will be expressed differently in a number of languages. In some languages it will be more natural to use a verb like “commanded,” “controlled,” or “supervised.” Still others may say something like “looked over the affairs of” or “was the leader of.”

Recorder: the precise meanings of the terms recorder here and “secretary” in the following verse are not clear. The difference between the two is also uncertain. But the rendering of the two terms should be decided together. Anchor Bible translates the term used in this verse (recorder) as “remembrancer,” and indeed the root verb on which the noun is based is “to remember” or “to be mindful.” According to the Anchor Bible commentary, the task of the person holding this office has been compared to that of the Egyptian “speaker,” who was responsible to report to the king and to communicate his proclamations to his subjects. New Jerusalem Bible seems to follow this interpretation by translating “herald.” And so does Anderson, who qualifies the term by adding “royal herald.” Revised English Bible has the modern-sounding expression “secretary of state.” Traduction œcuménique de la Bible, like Moffatt, translates “chancellor” but adds a note giving details about the duties of this office.

Although the majority of English versions still use the noun recorder or a verb phrase having similar meaning—like “kept the records” (Knox)—translators should feel free to communicate the meaning “royal herald.” Some may say “the spokesman,” “the person in charge of direct communication with the king,” or “the one who reported to the king and made known his decisions to the people.” Since the next verse speaks of a “secretary,” it is probable that the term recorder does not refer primarily to someone who kept official records for the king.

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 .