Ephraim

The Hebrew and Greek that is transliterated as “Ephraim” in English is translated in Spanish Sign Language with the sign for “palm tree” referring to the palm of Deborah in the land of Ephraim (see Judges 4:5. (Source: Steve Parkhurst)


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

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

For Deborah, see here.

More information about Ephraim and the Tribe of Ephraim .

complete verse (Judges 1:29)

Following are a number of back-translations as well as a sample translation for translators of Judges 1:29:

  • Kupsabiny: “The clan of Ephraim did not chase away the Caananites who lived there in Gezer. So, those Caananites lived with the clan of Ephraim.” (Source: Kupsabiny Back Translation)
  • Newari: “Those of the tribe of Ephraim were also not able to drive out the Canaanites who lived in Gezer city. So the Canaanites are continuing to live with them.” (Source: Newari Back Translation)
  • Hiligaynon: “The tribe of Efraim was- not also -able-to-drive-out the residents of Gezer. Therefore these Canaanhon continue to live together-with them.” (Source: Hiligaynon Back Translation)
  • English: “The men of the tribe of Ephraim did not force the people of the Canaan people-group to leave Gezer city. So the people of the Canaan people-group continued to live with the people of the tribe of Ephraim.” (Source: Translation for Translators)

Translation commentary on Judges 1:29

And Ephraim did not drive out the Canaanites who dwelt in Gezer: And renders the Hebrew waw conjunction, which seems to link back to what precedes. Interestingly, this conjunction does not introduce the information occurring with the tribes mentioned in the following verses (verse 1.30, 31, 33). Certainly this link is due to the fact that Manasseh and Ephraim were brothers and their names almost always appear together. Since a negative clause follows this conjunction, in some languages negative introductory words such as “Neither” or “Nor” might be used here.

Ephraim was the second son of Joseph, but his descendants became more famous than those of his older brother, Manasseh. Indeed, this tribe became so important that the name Ephraim began to be used to refer to the entire northern kingdom of Israel, located in the central hills between Manasseh and Benjamin. Its territory extended north from Bethel to Shechem and from the Jordan River down to the Mediterranean Sea. The words rendered Ephraim and Canaanites both occur in the singular in Hebrew, but as usual refer to a collective plural. For did not drive out, see verse 1.19.

The town of Gezer was located on the southern border of Ephraim’s territory, in the lowlands toward the coast. The Israelites captured this city and killed its king (verse 10.33; verse 12.7, 12). Though there were many important cities in Ephraim, Gezer is the only one cited here. This is probably due to its importance and wealth. During the time of Solomon, the king of Egypt captured this city and gave it to his daughter as a wedding present when she married Solomon. Later, Solomon rebuilt the city (verse 1 Kgs 9.15-17).

But the Canaanites dwelt in Gezer among them: But, which renders the Hebrew waw conjunction, seems slightly out of place. Some versions omit the conjunction altogether. Good News Translation and New American Bible provide a good transition with “and so.” For dwelt see verse 1.9. Dwelt … among them implies that the Canaanites lived together with the Israelites, but unlike the previous verse, here there is no mention of persistence. It might be helpful to say they “continued to reside/live among them.” Among is literally “in middle of,” which perhaps insists on the fact that they lived right alongside each other. We might say “in the midst of” or “along with.” This is an important statement because the LORD had prohibited intermixing with these peoples.

The repetition of the city name Gezer may emphasize its status, but in many languages it will be better to eliminate the repetition by using a substitute expression, such as “in that place” or “there.”

For this verse we might say:

• Nor did the tribe of Ephraim drive out the Canaanites from the city of Gezer. The Canaanites continued to live right there alongside them.

• The descendants of Ephraim could not drive the Canaanites out from Gezer [either], so the Canaanites continued to live among them.

Quoted with permission from Zogbo, Lynell and Ogden, Graham S. A Handbook on Judges. (UBS Helps for Translators). Miami: UBS, 2019. For this and other handbooks for translators see here .