swear, vow

The Hebrew and Greek that is translated as “swear (an oath)” or “vow” is translated as “God sees me, I tell the truth to you” (Tzeltal), “loading yourself down” (Huichol), “to speak-stay” (implying permanence of the utterance) (Sayula Popoluca), “to say what he could not take away” (San Blas Kuna), “because of the tight (i.e. “binding”) word which he had said to her face” (Guerrero Amuzgo), “strong promise” (North Alaskan Inupiatun) (source for all above: Bratcher / Nida), “eat an oath” (Nyamwezi — source: Pioneer Bible Translators, project-specific translation notes in Paratext), or sswa nak/”drink an oath” (Jju — source: McKinney 2018, p. 31).

In Bauzi “swear” can be translated in various ways. In Hebrews 6:13, for instance, it is translated with “bones break apart and decisively speak.” (“No bones are literally broken but by saying ‘break bones’ it is like people swear by someone else in this case it is in relation to a rotting corpse’ bones falling apart. If you ‘break bones’ so to speak when you make an utterance, it is a true utterance.”) In other passages, such as in Matthew 26:72, it’s translated with an expression that implies taking ashes (“if a person wants everyone to know that he is telling the truth about a matter, he reaches down into the fireplace, scoops up some ashes and throws them while saying ‘I was not the one who did that.'”). So in Matthew 26:72 the Bauzi text is: “. . . Peter took ashes and defended himself saying, ‘I don’t know that Nazareth person.'” (Source: David Briley)

See also swear (promise) and Let your word be ‘Yes, Yes’, or ‘No, No’.

Canaan

The term that is transliterated as “Canaan” in English is translated in American Sign Language with the sign loosely referencing the act of hiding/covering one’s face in shame. The association of “shame” with the name “Canaan” comes from Genesis 9, specifically verse 9:25. This sign was adapted from a similar sign in Kenyan Sign Language (see here). (Source: RuthAnna Spooner, Ron Lawer)


“Canaan” in American Sign Language, source: Deaf Harbor

Click or tap here to see a short video clip about Canaan in biblical times (source: Bible Lands 2012)

complete verse (Genesis 50:5)

Following are a number of back-translations as well as a sample translation for translators of Genesis 50:5:

  • Newari: “My father caused me to swear an oath like this — ‘I am about to die. ‘Bury me in my grave that I dug in the land of Canaan.’ So if Pharaoh gives me the order to go, I will go and come [back].'” (Source: Newari Back Translation)
  • Hiligaynon: “that he will-allow me to-bury my father in Canaan. For before he died, he had- me -swear that I would-bury him in the burial-place that he had-made in Canaan. After the burial I will-come-back immediately.'” (Source: Hiligaynon Back Translation)
  • English: “‘When my father was about to die, he told me to solemnly promise that I would bury his body in Canaan, in the tomb that he himself had prepared. So please let me go up to Canaan and bury my father’s body. Then I will return.”” (Source: Translation for Translators)

Translation commentary on Genesis 50:5

My father made me swear: see 47.29-32 for this event. In languages where the name or relationship of a dead person are not mentioned for a time after death, translators usually say something like “that dead one made me promise before….”

Saying ‘I am about to die…’: Joseph tells the court officials the story of Jacob’s last request in the first person (as told by Jacob to Joseph). This may need to be translated, for example, “When he said these words to me, ‘I am about to die….’ ” In some languages it will be more natural to retell Jacob’s request in the third person; for example, “Tell him that my father made me swear when he was dying that I would bury him in the grave he had dug for himself in Canaan.”

The wording in this verse is quite different than that spoken by Jacob in 47.29-32. Note that Joseph carefully avoids saying that his father did not want to be buried in Egypt. Therefore he expresses Jacob’s wish as in my tomb which I hewed out for myself in the land of Canaan, that is, “in the grave I dug for myself in Canaan.” The word rendered hewed out may be understood as related to either one of two similar Hebrew verbs meaning “to dig” and “to buy.” This explains translations like Revised English Bible, “that he had bought for himself.” Many translations use a word meaning “to prepare.” Some have a more general expression like “… right back to his own graveyard in Canaan.”

There shall you bury me: the Revised Standard Version clause order in this verse follows the Hebrew closely, but it must be reordered in many languages. For a model see Good News Translation.

Now therefore let me go up: Joseph has completed the telling of Jacob’s request and now addresses the king (indirectly) with his own request. Go up means “go to Canaan,” “go bury him,” or “go to Canaan and bury my father.”

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 .