27But when they told him all the words of Joseph that he had said to them, and when he saw the wagons that Joseph had sent to carry him, the spirit of their father Jacob revived.
The term that is transliterated as “Joseph” in English is translated in American Sign Language with a sign that relates to a) the coat he wore (see Gen 37:3), b) the holding of his clothes by Potiphar’s wife (see Gen 39:12), and c) the many times Joseph experienced grief. (Source: RuthAnna Spooner, Ron Lawer)
“Joseph” in American Sign Language, source: Deaf Harbor
In Spanish Sign Language it is translated with a sign that signifies “dream,” referring to Jacob’s dream at Bethel (see Genesis 28:10 and the following verses). (Source: Steve Parkhurst)
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)
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)
Following are a number of back-translations as well as a sample translation for translators of Genesis 45:27:
Kankanaey: “But when they related to him all that Jose had told them and he also saw the horse-drawn-carriages that Jose had sent to be what- they -would-ride-in to go to Egipto, he recovered-his-faculties” (Source: Kankanaey Back Translation)
Newari: “Having heard the report of all Joseph had said to them, and after he saw the large cart he had sent to bring [things] to him, Jacob regained consciousness.” (Source: Newari Back Translation)
Hiligaynon: “But when they told him of all that Jose had-said to them, and when he saw the carts that Jose had-sent to-take him to Egipto, he became-strong.” (Source: Hiligaynon Back Translation)
English: “But they told him everything that Joseph had said to them, and Jacob saw the carts that Joseph had sent to carry him and his family and possessions to Egypt. Then their father Jacob’s shock ended.” (Source: Translation for Translators)
This verse contains two reasons followed by a consequence. The first reason is “they told him everything that Joseph had said to them,” and the second is “he saw the wagons Joseph had sent to bring him to Egypt.”
As a result the spirit of their father … revived; that is, “their father pulled himself together” or “… got over his shock.” Some translations say “his thinking recovered” or “… was all right again.”
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 .
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