brothers

“Brothers” has to be translated into Naro as “younger brothers and older brothers” (Tsáá qõea xu hẽé / naka tsáá kíí). All brothers are included this way, also because of the kind of plural that has been used. (Source: Gerrit van Steenbergen)

This also must be more clearly defined in Yucateco as older or younger (suku’un or Iits’in), but here there are both older and younger brothers. Yucateco does have a more general word for close relative, family member. (Source: Robert Bascom)

Joseph

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)


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

complete verse (Genesis 45:3)

Following are a number of back-translations as well as a sample translation for translators of Genesis 45:3:

  • Kankanaey: “After that Jose said to his siblings, ‘I am Jose. Is my father still-(alive)?’ But they were not able-to-answer, because they were totally struck-speechless from their fear of him.” (Source: Kankanaey Back Translation)
  • Newari: “Joseph said to his elder brothers — ‘I am Joseph, is my father still living?’ His brothers, however, being afraid, were not able to give him any answer.” (Source: Newari Back Translation)
  • Hiligaynon: “Jose said to his siblings/(brothers), ‘I (am) Jose! (Is it) really true that father (is) still alive?’ But his siblings/(brothers) were- not -able-to-answer him for they were-astonished/stunned/[lit. not able to speak].” (Source: Hiligaynon Back Translation)
  • English: “Joseph said to his brothers, ‘I am Joseph! Is our father still alive?’ But his brothers were not able to reply, because they were frightened because of what he said.” (Source: Translation for Translators)

Translation commentary on Genesis 45:3

In this verse Joseph, now alone with his brothers, begins for the first time to speak to them in their own language.

I am Joseph: it is appropriate in many languages to show this as an exclamation.

Joseph immediately follows this stunning disclosure with a question about his father: is my father still alive? The urgency of knowing the truth is quite different from Joseph’s inquiry in 43.27. There Joseph maintained a social and emotional distance: “Is your father well, the old man of whom you spoke?” Here the Hebrew has “my father,” as in Revised Standard Version. In this context languages will differ in the way my father is translated. For example, Anchor Bible translates “Is father still alive?”—for English the absence of the pronoun makes father the father of the brothers and of Joseph and so builds on Joseph’s disclosure that they are all brothers. This sense is expressed in many other languages by making the question “Is our [inclusive] father still living?” Some translations also express the feeling of urgency by saying “Is it true that…?”

The brothers are unable to say “Yes” or “No” because they have just learned that this powerful ruler is the very boy they abandoned years before in a rain pit. They are now dumbfounded and frightened.

They were dismayed at his presence: dismayed translates a form of a verb meaning to be “frightened,” “terrified,” “stunned.” We may translate, for example, “They were so frightened to find themselves face to face with Joseph that they could not answer his question.”

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 .