bless(ed)

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The Greek, Hebrew, Latin, and Aramaic that is translated into English as “(to) bless” or “blessed” is translated into a wide variety of possibilities.

The Hebrew term barak (and the Aramaic term berak) also (and originally) means “kneel” (a meaning which the word has retained — see Gen. 24:11) and can be used for God blessing people (or things), people blessing each other, or people blessing God. While English Bible translators have not seen a stumbling block in always using the same term (“bless” in its various forms), other languages need to make distinctions (see below).

In Bari, spoken in South Sudan, the connection between blessing and knees/legs is still apparent. For Genesis 30:30 (in English: “the Lord has blessed you wherever I turned”), Bari uses a common expression that says (much like the Hebrew), ‘… blessed you to my feet.'” (Source: P. Guillebaud in The Bible Translator 1965, p. 189ff. .)

Other examples for the translation of “bless” when God is the one who blesses include (click or tap here to see the rest of this insight):

  • “think well of” (San Blas Kuna)
  • “speak good to” (Amganad Ifugao)
  • “make happy” (Pohnpeian)
  • “cause-to-live-as-a-chief” (Zulu)
  • “sprinkle with a propitious (lit. cool) face” (a poetic expression occurring in the priests’ language) (Toraja Sa’dan) (source for this and above: Reiling / Swellengrebel)
  • “give good things” (Mairasi) (source: Enggavoter 2004)
  • “ask good” (Yakan) (source: Yakan Back Translation)
  • “praise, say good things” (Central Yupik) (source: Robert Bascom)
  • “greatly love” (Candoshi-Shapra) (source: John C. Tuggy)
  • “showing a good heart” (Kutu) (source: Pioneer Bible Translators, project-specific translation notes in Paratext)
  • “good luck — have — good fortune — have” (verbatim) ꓶꓼ ꓙꓳ ꓫꓱꓹ ꓙꓳ — ɯa dzho shes zho (Lisu). This construction follows a traditional four-couplet construct in oral Lisu poetry that is usually in the form ABAC or ABCB. (Source: Arrington 2020, p. 58)

In Tagbanwa a phrase is used for both the blessing done by people and God that back-translates to “caused to be pierced by words causing grace/favor” (source: Tagbanwa Back Translation).

Ixcatlán Mazatec had to select a separate term when relating “to people ‘blessing’ God” (or things of God): “praise(d)” or “give thanks for” (in 1 Cor. 10:16) (“as it is humans doing the ‘blessing’ and people do not bless the things of God or God himself the way God blesses people” — source: Robert Bascom). Eastern Bru and Kui also use “praise” for this a God-directed blessing (source: Bru back translation and Helen Evans in The Bible Translator 1954, p. 40ff. ) and Uma uses “appropriate/worthy to be worshipped” (source: Uma back translation).

When related to someone who is blessing someone else, it is translated into Tsou as “speak good hopes for.” In Waiwai it is translated as “may God be good and kind to you now.” (Sources: Peng Kuo-Wei for Tsou and Robert Hawkins in The Bible Translator 1962, pp. 164ff. for Waiwai.)

Some languages associate an expression that originally means “spitting” or “saliva” with blessing. The Bantu language Koonzime, for instance, uses that expression for “blessing” in their translation coming from either God or man. Traditionally, the term was used in an application of blessing by an aged superior upon a younger inferior, often in relation to a desire for fertility, or in a ritualistic, but not actually performed spitting past the back of the hand. The spitting of saliva has the effect of giving that person “tenderness of face,” which can be translated as “blessedness.” (Source: Keith Beavon)

Martin Ehrensvärd, one of the translators for the Danish Bibelen 2020, comments on the translation of this term: “As for ‘blessing’, in the end we in most instances actually kept the word, after initially preferring the expression ‘giving life strength’. The backlash against dropping the word blessing was too hard. But we would often add a few words to help the reader understand what the word means in a given context — people often understand it to refer more to a spiritual connection with God, but in the Hebrew texts, it usually has to do with material things or good health or many children. So when e.g. in Isaiah 19:25 the Hebrew text says ‘God bless them’, we say ‘God bless them’ and we add: ‘and give them strength’. ‘And give them strength’ is not found in the overt Hebrew text, but we are again making explicit what we believe is the meaning so as to avoid misunderstanding.” (Source: Ehrensvärd in HIPHIL Novum 8/2023, p. 81ff. )

See also bless (food and drink), blessed (Christ in Mark 11:9), and I will bless those who bless you, and the one who curses you I will curse.

See also “Blessed by ‘The Blessing’ in the World’s Indigenous Languages” and Multilingual version of “The Blessing” based on Numbers 6:24-26 .

Jacob

The Hebrew, Latin, and Greek that is transliterated as “Jacob” in English is translated in Spanish Sign Language with a sign that signifies “lentil,” referring to the soup he gave his brother in exchange for his birthright (see Genesis 25:34). Note that another Spanish Sign Language sign for Jacob also users the sign for Jewish. (Source: Steve Parkhurst)


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

In German Sign Language it is a sign that shows the touching of the hip, described in Genesis 32:25:


“Jacob” in German Sign Language (source: Taub und katholisch )

In Finnish Sign Language it is translated with the signs signifying “smooth arm” (referring to the story starting at Genesis 27:11). (Source: Tarja Sandholm)


“Jacob” in Finnish Sign Language (source )

See also Esau.

complete verse (Genesis 27:36)

Following are a number of back-translations as well as a sample translation for translators of Genesis 27:36:

  • Newari: “Esau said — ‘It was right that he was named Jacob. He has already deceived me twice [lit.: twice twice]. He snatched my right as first-born son, Now he has snatched the blessing that I was to have taken [lit. that I will take]. Now have you no blessing left at all for me?'” (Source: Newari Back Translation)
  • Hiligaynon: “Esau said, ‘This is now the second time that he deceived me. I am not surprised that his name is Jacob. He already took my rights as older-one and now he yet/as-well took the blessing which was for me.’ Then he asked, ‘Father, have you not any blessing left for me?'” (Source: Hiligaynon Back Translation)
  • English: “Esau said, ‘It is right that his name is Jacob, which means ‘cheat,’ because he deceived me two times. The first time he took my rights from being his firstborn son, and this time he took my blessing!’ Then he asked, ‘Do you not have any blessing left for me?'” (Source: Translation for Translators)

Translation commentary on Genesis 27:36

Esau’s reply is rhetorical: Is he not rightly named Jacob? For Jacob’s name see 25.26. Esau’s question may require a reply such as “He certainly is.” This question may also be rephrased as a statement; for example, “He is rightly called Jacob,” “With good reason they named him Jacob,” “He is not called Jacob for nothing.” In translation it may be helpful to use a cross reference to 25.26. If the cross reference will not be adequate to make Esau’s statement clear, it may be preferable to translate, for example, “Is he not called Jacob because he deceives people?” At 25.26 the Handbook recommended a footnote that explained the play on Jacob’s name. There his name was associated with the word for “heel.” Here there is a second association, and this time it is with the word “cheat” or “deceive.” The Handbook recommends a footnote here that is equivalent to that found in Good News Translation. On the other hand, translators may feel that the following statement made by Esau is sufficient to make clear the meaning of Jacob’s name. Another model translators may wish to consider is Bible en français courant: “His name Jacob, ‘he who cheats,’ suits him well, because he has cheated me twice.”

For he has supplanted me these two times: supplanted in this context means to take the place of someone else through fraud and deceit. The Hebrew word uses the same consonants as the name Jacob. In some languages it will be more natural to follow Good News Translation, “This is the second time that he has…,” than to translate Revised Standard Version literally.

Esau goes on to state what the two occasions were. The first is He took away … birthright. For birthright see discussion at 25.31. The second is introduced by and behold, an expression that emphasizes the importance of what is to be said. We may translate, for example, “and now look,” “and what is more,” “and see here.” Taken away my blessing is as in verse 35.

Have you not reserved a blessing for me? that is, “… saved,” “… kept back,” “… laid aside.” Esau accepts that his father cannot give the same blessing twice, but he is hopeful that something may be left for him. This is brought out more fully by some translations; for example, “Isn’t there one more blessing that you can give to me?” and “Are there no other things that you didn’t say before that you can ask God to give me?”

Quoted with permission from Reyburn, William D. and Fry, Euan McG. A Handbook on Genesis. (UBS Helps for Translators). New York: UBS, 1997. For this and other handbooks for translators see here .