Abraham

The name that is transliterated as “Abraham” in English is translated in the vast majority of sign languages, including American Sign Language with the sign signifying “hold back arm” (referring to Genesis 22:12).


“Abraham” in American Sign Language (source )

In Vietnamese (Hanoi) Sign Language it is translated with a sign for that demonstrates his new destiny. Previously, he had been called to wander from his home, and the name “Abram” reflected this movement (see here). The new sign name is in one location and stays there, showing Abraham will be given a land to call his own. At this time, Abraham was in the southern part of Canaan, which is shown on the base arm by the location near the elbow. (Source: The Vietnamese Sign Language translation team, VSLBT)


“Abraham” in Vietnamese Sign Language, source: SooSL

For more information on translations of proper names with sign language see Sign Language Bible Translations Have Something to Say to Hearing Christians .

In Tira it is transliterated as Abaram. The choice of this, rather than the widely-known “Ibrahim,” as used in the Tira translation of the Qu’ran, was to offset it against the Muslim transliteration which originates from Arabic. (Source: J.A. Naudé, C.L. Miller Naudé, J.O. Obono in Acta Theologica 43/2, 2023, p. 129ff. )

Click or tap here to see two short video clips about Abraham (source: Bible Lands 2012)

See also our ancestor Abraham and Abram.

Learn more on Bible Odyssey: Abraham .

complete verse (Genesis 23:16)

Following are a number of back-translations as well as a sample translation for translators of Genesis 23:16:

  • Newari: “Abraham listened to Ephron’s offer. Then, before all who were there, he gave him 400 silver mohars.” (Source: Newari Back Translation)
  • Hiligaynon: “Abraham agreed to the price that Efron had-said. Therefore he weighed 400 pieces of silver according to the weight that the businessmen were basing at-that-(time). And he paid it to Efron there before/[lit. in front-of] the Hithanon.” (Source: Hiligaynon Back Translation)
  • English: “Abraham agreed with Ephron about the price, and weighed for Ephron the 400 pieces of silver he had suggested, as everyone was listening, using the standard weights for silver used in that area by people who sold things.” (Source: Translation for Translators)

Translation commentary on Genesis 23:16

Abraham agreed with Ephron: this is literally “heard Ephron” and shows that the final stage has been reached, which is the handing over of the cash payment. Revised English Bible says “Abraham closed the bargain with him.” Translators should use the expression that is the most natural for closing a deal when making a purchase; for example, “Abraham agreed to pay the price that Ephron had named.”

Abraham weighed out for Ephron the silver: weighed translates the Hebrew verb shakal related to the noun shekel. Driver says there was no coined money, and that “precious metals circulated in the form of ingots of known weight, which upon occasion of any commercial transaction were regularly ‘weighed’ as a security against fraud.” In language areas where the weighing of precious metals is unknown, the local equivalent should be used. It may be necessary to say “Abraham counted the silver pieces.”

The silver which he had named: that is, “the amount of silver he had said” or “the four hundred pieces of silver he had mentioned.” Most translations avoid repeating the term “silver” by using a term like “amount” (Good News Translation) or “price”; for example, “Abraham counted out the right money … he gave that man four hundred silver pieces.”

In the hearing of the Hittites: see verses 10, 13.

According to the weights current among the merchants: the expression is literally “… passing over to the merchant.” According to Speiser “this means that the goods that were offered in payment were computed in terms of silver at the fixed rate that was current at the time.” Good News Translation translates “four hundred pieces of silver, according to the standard weights used by the merchants.” We may also say, for example:

• Abraham closed the sale with Ephron. He weighed out [counted] the amount of silver that Ephron had asked for, with his countrymen as witnesses. That was four hundred silver pieces using the merchants’ fixed rate [or, … figuring the way the merchants do].

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 .