8Then Judah said to his father Israel, “Send the boy with me, and let us be on our way, so that we may live and not die—you and we and also our little ones.
Many languages distinguish between inclusive and exclusive first-person plural pronouns (“we”). (Click or tap here to see more details)
The inclusive “we” specifically includes the addressee (“you and I and possibly others”), while the exclusive “we” specifically excludes the addressee (“he/she/they and I, but not you”). This grammatical distinction is called “clusivity.” While Semitic languages such as Hebrew or most Indo-European languages such as Greek or English do not make that distinction, translators of languages with that distinction have to make a choice every time they encounter “we” or a form thereof (in English: “we,” “our,” or “us”).
For this verse, the Jarai and the Adamawa Fulfulde translation both use the exclusive pronoun, excluding Israel.
The name that is transliterated as “Judah” or “Judea” in English (referring to the son of Jacob, the tribe, and the territory) is translated in Spanish Sign Language as “lion” (referring to Genesis 49:9 and Revelation 5:5). This sign for lion is reserved for regions and kingdoms. (Source: John Elwode in The Bible Translator 2008, p. 78ff. and Steve Parkhurst)
Following are a number of back-translations as well as a sample translation for translators of Genesis 43:8:
Kankanaey: “Juda also said to their father, ‘Please give-permission that he accompany me so that we (excl.) will go immediately so that we will not die-of-starvation (lit. be-famined).” (Source: Kankanaey Back Translation)
Newari: “Then Judah said to his father Israel — ‘Send Benjamin in my care. We will go from here like this. In this way you, I, and all of us will be able to live and not die.” (Source: Newari Back Translation)
Hiligaynon: “So Juda said to their father, ‘Father, just let- Benjamin -accompany us (excl.) so-that we (excl.) can-go immediately and can-buy food so-that we (excl.) will- not all -die with hunger.” (Source: Hiligaynon Back Translation)
English: “Then Judah said to his father Jacob, ‘Send the boy with me, and we will go immediately, in order that we and you and our children may get grain and not die from hunger.” (Source: Translation for Translators)
Click or tap here to see the rest of this insight.
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 important aspect of addressing someone else in one’s or someone else’s family is by selecting the correct word when referring to them.
One way to do this is through the usage of an appropriate title within a conversation. In the widely-used Japanese Shinkaiyaku (新改訳) Bible of 2017, the father is addressed with o-tō-san (お父さん), a form that expresses the intimate father-son relationship in the verses referenced here. (Source: S. E. Doi, see also S. E. Doi in Journal of Translation, 18/2022, p. 37ff. )
Click or tap here to see the rest of this insight.
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 to do this is through the usage (or a lack) of an honorific prefix as shown here in the widely-used Japanese Shinkaiyaku (新改訳) Bible of 2017. When the referent is God, the “divine” honorific prefix mi- (御 or み) can be used, as in mi-kao (御顔) or “face (of God)” in the referenced verses.
Judah said to Israel his father: for Israel see 35.21. Note that Good News Translation and others do not give any name here, as Jacob has been identified in Gen 43.6.
Send the lad: Benjamin is referred to here as lad (Hebrew naʿar), which often designates a young boy but just as frequently refers to a young man not yet married. For use of the term in the case of Ishmael, see 21.12. In the text the impression is given that Benjamin, who was born some time after Joseph, is a boy compared with Joseph, who is a mature man. According to 41.46 Joseph was thirty years old when he became ruler of Egypt. He is several years older when Benjamin goes to Egypt. It may be that we cannot depend on the references to age in the story, or that naʿar emphasizes the endearing quality of a man more than his actual age. Translators all seem to agree that Benjamin is a boy or youth in this story.
With me: Judah’s request is that Jacob allow Benjamin to go to Egypt with Judah; that is, “in my care,” or as New Jerusalem Bible, Biblia Dios Habla Hoy, and Die Bibel im heutigen Deutsch say, “Trust the boy to me.”
We will arise and go: we refers not just to Judah and Benjamin, but to all the brothers along with Benjamin. In some languages we requires a pronoun form that excludes the one addressed, namely Jacob. Arise and go means “get ready to leave,” or simply “go.” See Good News Translation.
That we may live and not die: this expression was first used in 42.2. See there for translation.
Both we and you and also our little ones: little ones refers to small children, as they are the ones who are most likely to die in a famine. However, New English Bible and New Jerusalem Bible translate more generally as “our dependents.” Bible en français courant has “our families.”
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 .
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