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)

complete verse (Genesis 36:12)

Following are a number of back-translations as well as a sample translation for translators of Genesis 36:12:

  • Newari: “Esau’s son, Eliphaz had a concubine [lit.: illegitimate wife] called Timna. From her he also had a son named Amalek. These are the grandchildren that Esau had from Adah.” (Source: Newari Back Translation)
  • Hiligaynon: “Elifaz also had a child Amalek with another/[lit. one more] of his wives Timna. They (were) the grandchildren of Esau with Ada.” (Source: Hiligaynon Back Translation)
  • English: “Esau’s son Eliphaz also had a concubine/female slave whom he took as a secondary wife. Her name was Timna. She gave birth to Amalek. Those six men were grandsons of Esau’s wife Adah.” (Source: Translation for Translators)