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)…'”

David

The name that is transliterated as “David” in English is translated in Spanish Sign Language with the sign signifying king and a sling (referring to 1 Samuel 17:49 and 2 Samuel 5:4). (Source: John Elwode in The Bible Translator 2008, p. 78ff.)


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

In German Sign Language it is only the sling. (See here ).


“David” in German Sign Language (source )

The (Protestant) Mandarin Chinese transliteration of “David” is 大卫 (衛) / Dàwèi which carries an additional meaning of “Great Protector.”

Click or tap here to see a short video clip about David (source: Bible Lands 2012)

Translation commentary on 1 Samuel 26:6

Ahimelech the Hittite is not mentioned elsewhere in the Old Testament. Ahimelech probably belonged to the group of Hittites who lived in southern Palestine prior to the time of Abraham. Another unrelated group of people, also called Hittites, came from northern Syria and are referred to in 1 Kgs 10.29 and 2 Kgs 7.6.

Zeruiah was the mother of Joab, Abishai, and Asahel, three of David’s warriors. Perhaps the reason these three brothers are always identified by their mother’s name rather than their father’s name (as, for example, in 2 Sam 2.13, 18; 3.39; 8.16; 14.1) is that, according to 1 Chr 2.16, Zeruiah was David’s sister. A literal translation of the words son of Zeruiah will probably suggest incorrectly to most readers that Zeruiah was the father rather than the mother.

Who will go down with me…? The Hebrew verb is singular in form. The rendering of Good News Translation makes it clear that David was looking for one person to accompany him. Bible en français courant, Contemporary English Version, La Bible du Semeur, and Knox also translate in such a way as to make it clear that David wanted only one person to accompany him into Saul’s camp. Contemporary English Version, for example, has “Which one of you will go…?” The specific mention of movement downward may or may not be natural in the receptor language. In many cases the verb “to go” will be perfectly adequate.

The response of Abishai begins with the emphatic personal pronoun, which is not reflected in most translations. Anchor Bible, however, attempts to show the emphatic character of this pronoun by translating “ ‘I!’ said Abishai. ‘I shall go down with you.’ ”

Quoted with permission from Omanson, Roger L. and Ellington, John E. A Handbook on the First and Second Books of Samuel, Volume 1. (UBS Helps for Translators). New York: UBS, 2001. For this and other handbooks for translators see here .