A Case Example in Translation: 2 Kings 8:26

One of my friends posted about this subject in another venue, but I want to take the topic in a different direction than he did.

NWT 2013: A·ha·ziʹah was 22 years old when he became king, and he reigned for one year in Jerusalem. His mother’s name was Ath·a·liʹah the granddaughter* of King Omʹri of Israel.

Note: Lit., “daughter.”

ESV: Ahaziah was twenty-two years old when he began to reign, and he reigned one year in Jerusalem. His mother's name was Athaliah; she was a granddaughter of Omri king of Israel.

NET Bible: Ahaziah was twenty-two years old when he became king and he reigned for one year in Jerusalem. His mother was Athaliah, the granddaughter^[a] of King Omri of Israel.

Note [a]: tn Hebrew בַּת (bat), “daughter,” can refer, as here to a granddaughter. See HALOT 166 s.v. בַּת.

KJV: Two and twenty years old was Ahaziah when he began to reign; and he reigned one year in Jerusalem. And his mother's name was Athaliah, the daughter of Omri king of Israel.

This brings up an issue of how one should translate the Bible: should it be according to dynamic equivalence or formal equivalence principles? What is the difference?

Bible translators explain that dynamic equivalence is also known as functional equivalence: Bibles that chiefly use this translation principle might render certain passages "literally," but for the most part, they seek to render the source language in an idiomatic way for the target audience. For example the NLT (a dynamic equivalence translation) renders Ezekiel 40:5, "I could see a wall completely surrounding the Temple area. The man took a measuring rod that was 10 1⁄2 feet^[b] long and measured the wall, and the wall was 10 1⁄2 feet^[c] thick and 10 1⁄2 feet high." Conversely, the RSV translates this same passage: "And behold, there was a wall all around the outside of the temple area, and the length of the measuring reed in the man’s hand was six long cubits, each being a cubit and a handbreadth in length; so he measured the thickness of the wall, one reed; and the height, one reed."

The differences in these renderings illustrate how dynamic equivalence Bibles differ from functional equivalence translations: the NLT gives the measurements in feet whereas the RSV provides the units in cubits. Contra dynamic equivalence translations, formal equivalence Bibles attempt to stick to the form of the source language: they are called "literal" translations as we see with the RSV. The formal/functional translating of Hebrew and Greek applies not just to individual words but to the way sentences are constructed too (i.e., syntax).

Going back to 2 Kings 8:26, which way should translators handle the verse? Should they render the Hebrew word, bat, as "daughter" (KJV) or "granddaughter" (NWT, et al.). One way seems more "literal" than the other but could be misleading since the Hebrew word in this context refers to a granddaughter. Another option is to do like NWT/NET and translate "granddaughter," but then add notes explaining the choice. Conversely, if one chooses "daughter," a note could also be supplied. I'm glad to know that Athaliah was the granddaughter of King Omri, not his daughter. It is interesting how Hebrew used this term as a reference to a daughter or granddaughter.

The NABRE translates bat in this case as "daughter," but includes the following note:

Note for 2 Kings 8:26: It is unclear whether Athaliah was Omri’s daughter (v. 26) or his granddaughter (v. 18). Perhaps “daughter” here is being used loosely for “female descendant.”

Translating Exodus 19:9 (Robert Alter and the Cloud)

I've been working my way through Robert Alter's work, The Art of Biblical Translation. He has a number of interesting analyses pertaining to biblical translation and Hebrew philology. One example that he gives of so-called biblical inaccuracies is Exodus 19:9. Notice how some translations render this passage and specifically, what they state about the cloud:

Exodus 19:9 (ASV): "And Jehovah said unto Moses, Lo, I come unto thee in a thick cloud, that the people may hear when I speak with thee, and may also believe thee for ever. And Moses told the words of the people unto Jehovah."

Exodus 19:9 (CJB): "ADONAI said to Moshe, 'See, I am coming to you in a thick cloud, so that the people will be able to hear when I speak with you and also to trust in you forever.' Moshe had told ADONAI what the people had said;"

Exodus 19:9 (CSB): "The Lord said to Moses, 'I am going to come to you in a dense cloud, so that the people will hear when I speak with you and will always believe you.' Then Moses reported the people's words to the Lord."

Exodus 19:9 (ESV) " And the LORD said to Moses, 'Behold, I am coming to you in a thick cloud, that the people may hear when I speak with you, and may also believe you forever.' When Moses told the words of the people to the LORD,"

Exodus 19:9 (RHE): "The Lord said to him: Lo, now will I come to thee in the darkness of a cloud, that the people may hear me speaking to thee, and may believe thee for ever. And Moses told the words of the people to the Lord."

NET Bible: "The Lord said to Moses, 'I am going to come^[r] to you in a dense cloud,^[s] so that the people may hear when I speak with you and so that they will always believe in you.'^[t] And Moses told the words of the people to the Lord."

note [s]: tn Heb “the thickness of the cloud”; KJV, ASV, NASB, NCV, TEV, CEV, NLT “in a thick cloud.”

As NET informs us, I found that most English Bibles say some version of "thick cloud."

NWT 2013: "And Jehovah said to Moses: 'Look! I am coming to you in a dark cloud, so that the people may hear when I speak with you and so that they may always put faith in you as well.' Then Moses reported the words of the people to Jehovah."

First, Robert Alter relates that "A rough equivalent in English of the literal effect would be 'the thunderhead of the cloud.' "

Then, contrary to all of the foregoing Bibles, Alter writes: "so I propose rendering it as 'the utmost cloud.' The mistaken construction of ‘av as 'thick' does not entirely alter the moment, but it takes away something of its high solemnity."

He encourages Bible translators to consult Exodus 10:22 and think about the setting for the verse. To close, I've read five reviews of Alter's work, and have yet to find a scholar who criticizes "the utmost cloud." But frankly, I need to do more research on this issue.

Translating the Greek Word Sarx ("flesh")--A Screen Shot

I am totally on board with this translational approach.