complete verse (Genesis 24:34)

Following are a number of back-translations as well as a sample translation for translators of Genesis 24:34:

  • Newari: “He said — ‘I am a servant of Abraham.” (Source: Newari Back Translation)
  • Hiligaynon: “He said, ‘I am a servant of Abraham.” (Source: Hiligaynon Back Translation)
  • English: “So the servant said, ‘I am Abraham’s servant.” (Source: Translation for Translators)

Translation commentary on Genesis 24:34

Verses 34-48 take up the servant’s story, his first-person account of the important events that brought him to Laban and Bethuel. In the commentary that follows, only terms and expressions not used in verses 1-33 will be discussed.

So he said: as this is the opening of a rather long discourse of past events, some remote and some very recent, said may need to be adjusted. Good News Translation has “he began.” Other expressions used in this context are “Well, this is how things happened,” “I will now tell you my story.” In some languages the length of this story is greater than would be normal for a passage of direct speech, and it is also quite complicated because it has a number of reported speeches within it. It may therefore be desirable to give additional indications for the readers at points within the story that the servant is still the speaker. See comments at verses 42 and 49.

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 .