son vs. grandson

“Son of x, son of y” must be rendered as “son of x and grandson of y” in Tibetan or else it will sound like two different people.

Note: The same translation solution is chosen in many contemporary English Bibles that emphasize easy readability, such as the Contemporary English Version, Common English Bible, Good News Translation, God’s Word, or New Living Translation.

See also father / grandfather.

complete verse (Nehemiah 11:5)

Following are a number of back-translations as well as a sample translation for translators of Nehemiah 11:5:

  • Kupsabiny: “together with Maaseiah son of Baruch, son of Col-hozeh, the son of Hazaiah, son of Hadiah, son of Joiarib, the son of Zechariah who belonged to the family of Shelah.” (Source: Kupsabiny Back Translation)
  • Hiligaynon: “Maasea the child of Baruc. (Baruc was the child of Col Hoze; Col Hoze was the child of Hazaya; Hasaya was the child of Adaya; Adaya was the child of Joyarib; and Joyarib was the child of Zacarias who came from a descendant of Shela).” (Source: Hiligaynon Back Translation)
  • English: “Another one from the tribe of Judah was Maaseiah, who was the son of Baruch, who was the son of Colhozeh, who was the son of Hazaiah, who was the son of Adaiah, who was the son of Joiarib, who was the son of Zechariah, who was a descendant of Judah’s son Shelah.” (Source: Translation for Translators)

Translation commentary on Nehemiah 11:5

Maaseiah was descended from the Shilonite, which is a reference to Shelah the son of Judah (so Good News Translation). Translators should name Shelah and identify him as a son of Judah, rather than using the obscure term Shilonite.

Quoted with permission from Noss, Philip A. and Thomas, Kenneth J. A Handbook on Nehemiah. (UBS Helps for Translators). New York: UBS, 2005. For this and other handbooks for translators see here .