complete verse (Genesis 43:27)

Following are a number of back-translations as well as a sample translation for translators of Genesis 43:27:

  • Kankanaey: “He greeted them and then he said, ‘Is your old father that you told me about previously still-(alive)? Is he still strong?'” (Source: Kankanaey Back Translation)
  • Newari: “Asking whether they were well or not, Joseph said — ‘You told me about your old father. How is he now? Is he still well?'” (Source: Newari Back Translation)
  • Hiligaynon: “Jose asked them how they were. Then he also asked, ‘How (is) your (pl.) father who is old now, who you (pl.) mentioned previously to me? (Is) he still alive?'” (Source: Hiligaynon Back Translation)
  • English: “He asked them if they were well/in good health, and then he asked, ‘How is the health of your old father, the one that you told me about? Is he still living?'” (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 43:27

Joseph says nothing about the gifts but rather inquires about their own and their father’s health.

Inquired about their welfare: that is, “asked if they were well [in good health—shalom].” For further comments on shalom see 15.15. In some translations this inquiry is expressed in direct speech: “asked them, ‘Are you well?’ ” This leads on to the other questions that are already in direct speech in the Hebrew. Another approach to this clause is to take it as a greeting, as New Jerusalem Bible does; for example, “said good day to them.”

Is your father well…? is literally “Is there shalom to your father…?”

Good News Translation has restructured the direct speech parts of verse 27 so that the two questions are kept together. Translators may find Good News Translation a good model here.

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 .