Joab the son of Zeruiah

The Hebrew that is translated as “Joab (also: Abishai) the son of Zeruiah” in English presented a problem in Maan. “In a patriarchal society like Mano, Zeruiah is assumed to be the father of Joab. Since we know that she was his mother (see 2Sam 17:25), we expressed this phrase as ‘Joab whose mother was Zeruiah.'” (Source: Don Slager)

In Batak Karo Zeruiah also has to be identified as a woman. M.K. Sembiring (in The Bible Translator 1991, p. 217ff. ) explains: “Unlike the Hebrew language, nouns in Batak Karo have no gender. The literal translation of the biblical names therefore does not indicate whether they are female or male names. Names are generally understood as male names when they occur in expressions like ‘the son of…’ or ‘the daughter of…,’ because in the Karo culture, if ever the names of the parents are mentioned, it is usually the name of the father that is used in identifying the children. For example, 1 Sam 26:6 says, ‘Then David said to Ahimelech the Hittite, and to Joab’s brother Abishai the son of Zeruiah,’Who will go down with me into the camp to Saul?” In Hebrew, Zeruiah will be recognized as a female name because of its ending, but in Karo the name will be considered as a male name for the reason given above. It is necessary then to identify Zeruiah as a female name by saying that Zeruiah was the mother of Joab and Abishai. The translation of the first part of that verse into Batak Karo is as follows,’Then David said to Ahimelech the Hittite, and to Joab’s brother Abishai (the mother of these two is Zeruiah)…'”

Jehoshaphat

The Hebrew and Greek that is transliterated as “Jehoshaphat” in English is translated in Spanish Sign Language with the signs for “king” and “mixup” referring to the fateful alliance with king Ahab of Israel in 1 Kings 22 and 2 Chronicles 18. (Source: Steve Parkhurst)


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

Translation commentary on 1 Chronicles 18:15

And Joab the son of Zeruiah was over the army: As in verse 12, most readers would have no way of knowing that Zeruiah was a woman even though the original readers or hearers of this passage very likely knew this. So it may be a good idea to follow the Good News Translation model (also Nova Tradução na Linguagem de Hoje), which renders Joab the son of Zeruiah as “Abishai’s brother Joab.” This rendering at least points the reader back to the identification of Zeruiah in verse 12 (see the comments there). Bible en français courant solves the problem by saying “Joab, whose mother was called Zeruiah.” Was over the army is literally “over the army.” Revised Standard Version adds the verb was. In some languages it will be more natural to render was over as “commanded,” “controlled,” or “supervised.” Still others may say “looked over the affairs of” or “was the leader of.” Compare also “was commanding general of” ( NET Bible).

And Jehoshaphat the son of Ahilud was recorder: The precise meaning of the Hebrew terms translated recorder here and “secretary” in the following verse is not clear. And the difference between the two is also uncertain. But the rendering of the two terms should be decided together. McCarter translates the term for recorder as “remembrancer” in the parallel passage of 2 Sam 8.16, and indeed the root verb on which the Hebrew noun is based is “to remember” or “to be mindful.” According to the American Bible commentary, the task of the person holding this office has been compared to that of the Egyptian “speaker,” who was responsible to report to the king and to communicate his proclamations to his subjects. Therefore American Bible and Bible en français courant say “spokesman [for the king]” here. New Jerusalem Bible seems to follow this interpretation by translating “herald.” Revised English Bible has the modern sounding expression “secretary of state.” Traduction œcuménique de la Bible, like Moffatt, translates “chancellor,” but adds a note giving details about the duties of this office. The majority of English versions still use the noun “recorder” or a verb phrase having a similar meaning, such as “kept the records” (Knox). The person’s duties probably included oversight of public records. In some languages the term that is applied to the keeper of oral history and traditions of the society may be the best one to use here. But translators may accept the alternative interpretation that Ahilud was a “royal herald.” Some may say “king’s spokesman,” “person in charge of direct communication with the king,” or “person who reported to the king and made known his decisions to the people.”

Quoted with permission from Omanson, Roger L. and Ellington, John E. A Handbook on 1-2 Chronicles, Volume 1. (UBS Helps for Translators). Miami: UBS, 2014. For this and other handbooks for translators see here .