Thou art the LORD, the God who didst choose Abram …: The next part of the prayer is about the covenant God made with Abraham. God is addressed again as the LORD in a partial repetition of verse 6. The pattern of three elements is also repeated. Here it is the three actions of God 1) in choosing Abram, 2) in bringing him out of Ur, and 3) of changing his name.

Bring him forth out of Ur of the Chaldeans: The Septuagint uses the noun “country/place” instead of the name Ur. In a translation it would be appropriate to use a word like this as an identifier together with the place name (see Gen 11.28, 31), for example, “Ur, the place of the Chaldeans.” The Chaldeans were the Semitic-speaking people who lived at the head of the Persian Gulf where Ur was located. Ur is generally thought to have been an ancient city that was located in southern Babylonia on the eastern bank of the Euphrates River. Good News Translation makes it explicit that this was in the territory that was known as “Babylonia” (also Contemporary English Version, Bible en français courant), and many translators will follow this example.

Give him the name Abraham: Abram was a name that meant “exalted father.” God gave to him the name Abraham. This new name meant “father of a multitude” and this was a sign of God’s promise that Abraham would have many descendants. Translators should use footnotes to explain the meaning of the two names because of their importance in the history of the Israelites. In many cultures the act of naming is expressed by a special verb or phrase. In this verse the Hebrew says that God “made [or, placed] Abraham as his name.” Chouraqui renders it “you placed for him Abraham as name.” Translators should express this in a way that allows a possible relationship between his first name and his new name, such as “[you] gave him the name Abraham” (New Revised Standard Version) or “you changed his name to Abraham” (Good News Translation). It should not be translated “[you] named him Abraham” (New English Bible, New International Version) if this will be misunderstood to refer to a first naming ceremony for an infant.

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 .