The Bible Translator: Volume 66, Issue 1

This introductory article addresses the use of performance criticism in the translation of Philemon as a means of critically engaging a modern Caribbean audience. The aim is to elicit a hermeneutical appropriation, which faces, in one way or the other, the polemic of condoned New Testament slavery, the reality of the Atlantic slave trade, and the liberating message of the gospel, which in the concrete case of Philemon is expressed rather subtly. The point of departure is that oral performance played a key role in the composition and dissemination of the original Scripture texts. This, combined with the salient fact that orality plays a key role in Creole language cultures, provides a fecund terrain for the translator. As an illustration, an integral translation for performance in Papiamentu, a Caribbean Creole, is juxtaposed with a provocative fictional response by the historical character of Tula, the Curaçaoan revolt leader of 1795. View Less

This paper aims at raising awareness of the Bible translation needs among the non-Mandarin Han dialect groups in the People’s Republic of China, especially in the light of the recent reprinting of the 1898 Swatow New Testament by a Swatow Baptist Church in Hong Kong. Such needs are better understood in terms of the Chinese term fangyan, which means topolect (or, regionalect), rather than dialect; in particular, the non-Mandarin Han fangyan spoken in the southeast of the country, such as Cantonese (Yue), Hakka, Hokkien (Min), and so forth, are mutually incomprehensible. Bible translation work among the local fangyan remains very active in Taiwan. It is nevertheless not encouraged, if not forbidden, in Mainland China, mainly because of the country’s deliberate suppression of any fangyan publication. It is hoped that the 2001 revision of the language policy may give more room to the possibility of translation. View Less

Job 42.6 has been interpreted in various ways by ancient translators and modern scholars. The traditional interpretation of a repentant Job, found in most Bible versions, has its own problems and difficulties. A re-examination of the words used in Job 42.6 leads to the conclusion that Job is both overwhelmed and comforted. A new rendering of Job 42.6 is proposed, with the alternative interpretations listed in a footnote. View Less

In Isa 41.23 the Hebrew text is divided into two different readings, a Qere and a Kethib reading. The two readings have often been explained as a difference between two different verbs, the Qere reading derived from the verb rā’â “to see,” and the Kethib derived from yārē’ “to be afraid.” This is a misunderstanding: in both readings the verb is “to see.” The difference is in the mood: while the Qere reading is in the cohortative, “that we may see,” the Kethib is in the indicative, “and we will see.” No textual witness reads the verb “to be afraid” in this verse. The many Bible translations that render the verb as “to fear” in reality adopt a conjecture, that is, a reading without base in any textual witness. This example shows how translators must rely upon good textual resources in order to make the correct choices between competing readings. View Less

The mĕkônâ is a bronze wheeled stand described in detail in 1 Kgs 7.27-37. This article explores a number of questions that arise when the description in 1 Kings is compared to several bronze wheeled stands that have been found in Cyprus. View Less

What are the essential needs for survival? One answer to this question lies in 1 Timothy 6.8. But a quick comparison of various Bible translations will reveal that the answer is not so easily discernible. Some translations use the word pair “food and clothing” while others have “food and shelter.” These are vastly different answers. This study will examine primary source materials in order to seek an accurate translation and interpretation of the word σκέπασμα in this important verse. An examination of primary source materials with an emphasis on synchronic evidence will demonstrate that 1 Timothy 6.8 most likely refers to clothing and not to housing or shelter. View Less

This article argues that the LXX prophetic material should be considered when translating ἀσθενέω in James 5.14. This context implies that James, like the prophets, is offering restoration to those who have fallen into sin. In order to understand the role of the LXX prophetic material in James, a recent essay by Karen Jobes is highlighted, followed by further analysis of James’s allusion to the LXX and of the context and thought flow of 5.13-18. Although it is increasingly recognized that the prophetic material was an important source for James, its possible influence on the meaning of ἀσθενέω in 5.14 has been overlooked. After arguing that James addresses the spiritually fallen, the article examines several details of the paragraph in order to see how this conclusion relates to the immediate context. View Less

In most translations of 2 Sam 11.8b the nuanced similarity of the two clauses is lost. Often the translation of the second clause depicts the king actively sending משאת המלך out after Uriah, even though the king is not the subject of the verb. It has been suggested that משאת המלך refers to a signaller who goes out to spy on Uriah. It is more likely that the reference is to the gift of the king, ambiguously personified as a woman seeking to seduce the hapless Uriah from his duty. View Less