why do you look at one another?

The Hebrew that is translated in English as “why do you look at one another?” is translated in Newari as “why are you doing nothing but fold your hands?” (Source: Newari Back Translation)

grain

The Greek and Hebrew that is translated in English as “grain” (or: “corn”) is translated in Kui as “(unthreshed) rice.” Helen Evans (in The Bible Translator 1954, p. 40ff. ) explains: “Padddy [unthreshed rice] is the main crop of the country and rice the staple diet of the people, besides which [grain] is unknown and there is no word for it, and it seemed to us that paddy and rice in the mind of the Kui people stood for all that corn meant to the Jews.” “Paddy” is also the translation in Pa’o Karen (source: Gordon Luce in The Bible Translator 1950, p. 153f. ).

Other translations include: “wheat” (Teutila Cuicatec), “corn” (Lalana Chinantec), “things to eat” (Morelos Nahuatl), “grass corn” (wheat) (Chichimeca-Jonaz) (source: Viola Waterhouse in Notes on Translation August 1966, p. 86ff.), “millet” (Lambya) (source: project-specific notes in Paratext), “food” (Nyamwezi) (source: Pioneer Bible Translators, project-specific notes in Paratext)or ntimumma lujia / “seeds for food” (Lokạạ — “since Lokạạ does not have specific terms for maize and rice that can be described as grains”) (source: J.A. Naudé, C.L. Miller Naudé, J.O. Obono in Acta Theologica 43/2, 2023, p. 129ff. )

Why do you keep looking at one another?

The Hebrew that is translated as “Why do you keep looking at one another?” or similar in English is translated in Vidunda as “Why do you keep looking at one another, sitting (around)?” (Pioneer Bible Translators, project-specific translation notes in Paratext)

Jacob

The Hebrew, Latin, and Greek that is transliterated as “Jacob” in English is translated in Spanish Sign Language with a sign that signifies “lentil,” referring to the soup he gave his brother in exchange for his birthright (see Genesis 25:34). Note that another Spanish Sign Language sign for Jacob also users the sign for Jewish. (Source: Steve Parkhurst)


“Jacob” in Spanish Sign Language, source: Sociedad Bíblica de España

In German Sign Language it is a sign that shows the touching of the hip, described in Genesis 32:25:


“Jacob” in German Sign Language (source: Taub und katholisch )

In Finnish Sign Language it is translated with the signs signifying “smooth arm” (referring to the story starting at Genesis 27:11). (Source: Tarja Sandholm)


“Jacob” in Finnish Sign Language (source )

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

See also Esau.

Learn more on Bible Odyssey: Jacob .

complete verse (Genesis 42:1)

Following are a number of back-translations as well as a sample translation for translators of Genesis 42:1:

  • Kankanaey: “When Jacob came-to-know that there-was a place-to-buy-supplies of food in Egipto, he said to his children, ‘Let’s not just be-sitting-down,” (Source: Kankanaey Back Translation)
  • Newari: “After it was known that there was grain in Egypt, Jacob said to his sons — ‘Why are you doing nothing but fold your hands?” (Source: Newari Back Translation)
  • Hiligaynon: “When Jacob learned that there-was food for-sale in Egipto, he told his sons, ‘What are- you still -waiting-for?” (Source: Hiligaynon Back Translation)
  • English: “When someone told Jacob that there was grain in Egypt that people could buy, he said to his sons, ‘Why do you just sit there looking at each other?/Do not just sit there looking at each other! We need some grain!'” (Source: Translation for Translators)

2nd person pronoun with low register (Japanese)

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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 second person pronoun (“you” and its various forms) as shown here in the widely-used Japanese Shinkaiyaku (新改訳) Bible of 2017. The most commonly used anata (あなた) is typically used when the speaker is humbly addressing another person.

In these verses, however, omae (おまえ) is used, a cruder second person pronoun, that Jesus for instance chooses when chiding his disciples. (Source: S. E. Doi, see also S. E. Doi in Journal of Translation, 18/2022, p. 37ff. )

See also first person pronoun with low register and third person pronoun with low register.

Translation commentary on Genesis 42:1

The episode in this chapter is a continuation of the story in chapter 41. The setting switches from Egypt to Canaan in the introduction in verses 1-5. Most translators will have no problem opening this chapter the same as in Revised Standard Version and Good News Translation. An example of a transition that may be used if necessary is “At this time Jacob and his family were far away in Canaan, and when he heard the news….”

When Jacob learned that there was grain in Egypt: learned is literally “saw” and has the sense of “found out” or “heard.” Some languages prefer a passive construction; for example, “When Jacob was told that….” The word for grain refers to grain that has been threshed and is a market produce. In Egypt this most likely refers to wheat.

Said to his sons may need to be rendered as “asked his sons,” if the words that follow are translated as a question that asks for information.

Why do you look at one another?: Revised Standard Version translates this question literally. The question is regarding the sons’ helplessness to do anything to get food. Jacob is chiding them for their failure to take initiative. See Good News Translation. In English we may say, for example, “Why do you stand around doing nothing?” or “Why do you stand around looking helplessly at each other?” But the question may also be taken as a rhetorical question and rendered as a negative command: “Don’t just stand around doing nothing!” “Don’t just look at each other!”

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 .