concubine

The Hebrew and Greek that is translated as “concubine” in English is translated in Kutu as “slave made to be his woman” or “female slave he married.”

Similarly, in Kwere it is translated as “slaves who were like wives.” The translation team explained: “We discussed how concubines are different from prostitutes (there is a word for that) in that they have a similar status to wives (they live with the man often and are provided for physically) and so we decided not to use the word for prostitute which is a loose woman or someone engaging in sexual immorality. But since concubines were an accepted part of the society and culture, this would give wrong meaning.” (Source: Pioneer Bible Translators, project-specific translation notes in Paratext)

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)

Jerusalem

The name that is transliterated as “Jerusalem” in English is signed in French Sign Language with a sign that depicts worshiping at the Western Wall in Jerusalem:


“Jerusalem” in French Sign Language (source: La Bible en langue des signes française )

While a similar sign is also used in British Sign Language, another, more neutral sign that combines the sign “J” and the signs for “place” is used as well. (Source: Anna Smith)


“Jerusalem” in British Sign Language (source: Christian BSL, used with permission)

Translation commentary on 2 Samuel 5:13

Some versions add a section heading at this point to describe the content of verses 13-16. Contemporary English Version, for example, has “David’s Sons Born in Jerusalem,” and Jerusalem Bible has “The sons born to David in Jerusalem.” Verses 13-16 correspond to 3.2-5, which names David’s sons who were born in Hebron.

The structure may be changed as in Good News Translation by shifting the part about moving to Jerusalem to the beginning of the sentence. This allows for putting the parts about wives and children together, which will be more natural in a number of languages.

Concubines: see the comments on 3.7. In this case some translators may prefer to combine the meaning of concubines and wives by translating “married many women” as in Contemporary English Version. Note, however, that Contemporary English Version is forced to include a footnote explaining that “some of these women were second-class wives.”

From Jerusalem: or “in Jerusalem” (so Fox). After David had moved to Jerusalem, it was there that he took additional wives and concubines.

The passive expression were born to David may be rendered actively as “David’s wives bore him more sons and daughters,” or simply “David fathered more children.”

Quoted with permission from Omanson, Roger L. and Ellington, John E. A Handbook on the First and Second Books of Samuel, Volume 2. (UBS Helps for Translators). New York: UBS, 2001. For this and other handbooks for translators see here .