“Reading the Bible in
translation is like kissing your bride through a veil.” ― Haim Nachman Bialik
“Traduttori traditori” (translators
[are] traitors) but linguists are also lovers and this came to mind as I
finally get to read more of Samuel L. Bray and John F. Hobbins, Genesis 1-11: A
New Old Translation For Readers, Scholars, and Translators
(GlossaHouse, 2017). The book oozes love for the biblical text and love for the
English as well as the Hebrew language. It is appropriate that it should become
the first book to be warmly commended to the readers of my blog.
This is a new translation of
Genesis 1-11 (actually, 1:1-12:9 for reasons explained in the notes) which aims to hold together the virtues of old translations, namely
staying close to the form and structure of the original language rather than
aiming for smooth, thoroughly colloquial English, giving preference to
traditional renderings, and being attentive to the aural quality of the text rather
than optimised for silent reading. “It is true that some of the newer
translations embody one or another of the old virtues. But the unity is gone.”
(p5) This step forward is therefore also a step back. Hence the use of “New Old
Translation” in the title.
The actual translation is on pp. 19-38 and makes for a very enjoyable reading of these
chapters. The translation is preceded by remarks to the reader which outline and
briefly defend the principles behind it and followed by remarks addressed to “the
persistent reader” (pp. 41-64) which elaborate on a number of issues, e.g., why
the Masoretic Text is the basis for the translation even in places where we are
able to conjecture an earlier text and why it is desirable to follow the
ancient paragraph divisions. There is a discussion of how to deal with “fronting”
in the Hebrew text. Sometimes the subject or object of the clause is placed
unusually early in the Hebrew text, e.g., to introduce a new topic or for
emphasis. Such “fronting” cannot easily be replicated in English where the
subject usually comes first anyway and word order is more fixed. The authors
introduce the various ways in which they sought to bring out this feature in
translation. The knotty issue of gender is discussed and the question of how to
deal with conjunctions. I am familiar with these issues and share the
translation philosophy of the authors but enjoyed reading about them anyway.
One aspect that had not been sufficiently on my radar is the use of double
translation to solve some tricky translation problems. I am grateful to be made
to think about this, and about the question what it means to call Genesis the
first book of Moses.
In short, there is a great deal
here that persistent readers can learn about the task of translation. This is
by no means of interest to scholars and translators only but should prove
useful to anyone who wants to be a careful reader and the authors have made sure
to keep the discussion accessible. The persistent reader will not need much by
way of prior knowledge to benefit from this section.
One of the authors, Sam Bray, has published several items in
the Washington Post which relate to this:
But that’s only the first part of the book! It is followed
by almost 150 pages of annotations (pp. 65-200) which offer notes on nearly
every verse, explaining the translation choices made in interaction with both
ancient translations (Greek and Latin in particular) and modern ones (Roman
Catholic, ecumenical, Protestant, Jewish). You will not get any closer to having
the veil lifted to kiss the bride! Needless to say that there are plenty of
insights here and studying these notes will both enhance understanding of the
biblical text and an appreciation for the challenges of translation and the
principles adopted here. “The arguments are consistently put in ordinary
language” (p65) and, again, should be accessible to a wide readership.
And there is more to come: a list of dramatis personæ
in Genesis (pp. 201-206), a glossary (pp. 207-222), with entries on, e.g., important
(ancient and medieval) Bible editions and scholars, a note “Of the Making of
Books” (pp. 223-225) which offers suggestions for further readings, a list of
abbreviations (pp. 226-234) and one of works cited (pp. 235-267) and no fewer
than five indices (subjects, ancient sources, translations, authors, and “stories
& genealogies” in Genesis).
I hold in my hands the paperback version. It is well
produced. The pages do not stay open on their own, as they might in the
hardback version, but the binding gives the impression that it will last a long
time. I find the layout of the pages very pleasing on the eye. An impression
can be gained from the publisher’s
sample and Amazon’s “Look inside” function (e.g., on the UK page).
Take and read!
Disclosure: I have known John Hobbins for a good few years
although we have only met once or maybe twice in person. He had sent me a pre-publication
manuscript for comments and subsequently a free copy of the book in return for
an honest review.