complete verse (Genesis 14:7)

Following are a number of back-translations as well as a sample translation for translators of Genesis 14:7:

  • Newari: “After that they came back. Then having gone to En-mishpat (later [known as] Kadesh) they took control of all the land of the Amalekites as well as all [the land of] the Amorites of Hazazon-tamar.” (Source: Newari Back Translation)
  • Hiligaynon: “From there, they returned and reached En Mishpat which is now called Kadesh. And they conquered all the lands of the Amaleknon and of the Amornon who were-living in Hazazon Tamar.” (Source: Hiligaynon Back Translation)
  • English: “Then they turned back and went to Mishpat city, which is now called Kadesh. They conquered all the land belonging to the Amalek people-group and the Amor people-group who were living in Hazazon-Tamar town.” (Source: Translation for Translators)

Translation commentary on Genesis 14:7

Then they turned back: they refers to the four kings of the east with their armies. Turned back means they turned around after going south and went to the northwest.

Enmishpat, which means “Spring of Judgment,” occurs only here. The name by which Enmishpat was known to the narrator’s readers is Kadesh, meaning “sacred” or “consecrated.” It is found in Num 20.1 and called Kadesh-barnea in Deut 1.2. The location is about eighty kilometers (fifty miles) south of Beersheba in the Negeb desert.

Subdued all the country of the Amalekites: subdued is the same word as used in verse 5 meaning “defeated.” Country is literally “field” but refers to the territory, land, or area where the Amalekites lived. The Amalekites later opposed the Israelites when they attempted to enter the Sinai peninsula (Exo 17.8-16). For Amorites see 10.16. Hazazon-tamar is identified in 2 Chr 20.2 as En-gedi, a town on the western shore of the Dead Sea.

Quoted with permission from Reyburn, William D. and Fry, Euan McG. A Handbook on Genesis. (UBS Helps for Translators). New York: UBS, 1997. For this and other handbooks for translators see here .