Canaan

The term that is transliterated as “Canaan” in English is translated in American Sign Language with the sign loosely referencing the act of hiding/covering one’s face in shame. The association of “shame” with the name “Canaan” comes from Genesis 9, specifically verse 9:25. This sign was adapted from a similar sign in Kenyan Sign Language (see here). (Source: Ruth Anna Spooner, Ron Lawer)


“Canaan” in American Sign Language, source: Deaf Harbor

Click or tap here to see a short video clip about Canaan in biblical times (source: Bible Lands 2012)

complete verse (Deuteronomy 32:49)

Following are a number of back-translations as well as a sample translation for translators of Deuteronomy 32:49:

  • Kupsabiny: “‘Climb the hills of Abarim and go to the mountain of Nebo which is in the land of Moab and look at the city of Jericho from a distance. Look towards the land of Canaan that I am giving to the people of Israel to become theirs.” (Source: Kupsabiny Back Translation)
  • Newari: “Go up the Abarim mountain chain to Mount Nebo which is in the land of Moab opposite Jericho. Then look at the land of Canaan that I am about to give to the Israelites as their possession. ” (Source: Newari Back Translation)
  • Hiligaynon: “‘You (sing.) go to Moab, in the mountains of Abarim and go-up to Mount Nebo which is-facing Jerico. Look-at Canaan there, the land which I (am) giving to the Israelinhon that they are-to-possess.” (Source: Hiligaynon Back Translation)
  • English: “‘Go to the Abarim Mountain range here in the Moab region, across from Jericho. Climb Nebo Mountain, and look toward the west to see Canaan land, the land that I am about to give to the Israeli people.” (Source: Translation for Translators)

1st person pronoun referring to God (Japanese)

Click or tap here to see the rest of this insight.

Like a number of other East Asian languages, Japanese uses a complex system of honorifics, i.e. a system where a number of different levels of politeness are expressed in language via words, word forms or grammatical constructs. These can range from addressing someone or referring to someone with contempt (very informal) to expressing the highest level of reference (as used in addressing or referring to God) or any number of levels in-between.

One way Japanese shows different degree of politeness is through the choice of a first person singular and plural pronoun (“I” and “we” and its various forms) as shown here in the widely-used Japanese Shinkaiyaku (新改訳) Bible of 2017. The most commonly used watashi/watakushi (私) is typically used when the speaker is humble and asking for help. In these verses, where God / Jesus is referring to himself, watashi is also used but instead of the kanji writing system (私) the syllabary hiragana (わたし) is used to distinguish God from others.

(Source: S. E. Doi, see also S. E. Doi in Journal of Translation, 18/2022, p. 37ff. )

See also pronoun for “God”.

Translation commentary on Deuteronomy 32:48-49

Verses 48-49 are one sentence; it may be better to break it up into two or more sentences.

That very day: the “same day” (Good News Translation) in which everything related in this part of Deuteronomy took place.

Ascend this mountain of the Abarim, Mount Nebo: see 3.23-27. Abarim is a plural form and means the Abarim range of mountains, east of the Dead Sea. So Good News Translation has “Abarim Mountains,” and Contemporary English Version has “Abarim Mountain range.” Another possible translation is “group of mountains named Abarim.” It is possible to translate the first sentence by using two verbs instead of the single one ascend; for example, “Go up into the group of mountains named Abarim … climb to the top of Mount Nebo.” Nebo was one of the mountains of that range (see Num 27.12).

In the land of Moab, opposite Jericho: that is, the city of Jericho lay on the other side (the west side) of the Jordan River. It will be helpful in many languages to restructure the beginning of verse 49 in a similar way to Good News Translation and Contemporary English Version: “Go up into the group of mountains named Abarim here in the land of Moab across the Jordan River from the city of Jericho. Climb to the top of Mount Nebo….”

View the land of Canaan: Moses is ordered to take a good look at it, since he will not be allowed to go there. We may begin a new sentence here: “When you reach the top [of Mount Nebo], look at the land.”

Which I give to the people of Israel for a possession: see Josh 22.19. Here the word translated possession is different from the two words normally used (see 1.8, 38). It means “landed property,” but in this context it has the same meaning as the two other words.