‘To Take Up a Parable’: The History of Translating a Biblical Idiom
The following study examines the history of the translation of a Biblical Hebrew phrase in Greek, Aramaic, and Latin—a phrase which shaped the English idiom “to take up a parable, proverb, or song.” As early as Greek and Aramaic Bible translations, the phrase NŚʾ mɔšɔl was translated word-for-word i...
| Main Author: | |
|---|---|
| Format: | Electronic Article |
| Language: | English |
| Check availability: | HBZ Gateway |
| Journals Online & Print: | Drawer...
|
| Fernleihe: | Fernleihe für die Fachinformationsdienste |
| Published: |
Brill
2016
|
| In: |
Vetus Testamentum
Year: 2016, Volume: 66, Issue: 4, Pages: 627-645 |
| Standardized Subjects / Keyword chains: | B
Old Testament
/ Hebrew language
/ Speech act
/ Translation
/ History
|
| IxTheo Classification: | HB Old Testament KAA Church history |
| Further subjects: | B
Calques
translation
Biblical Hebrew
meta-discourse
speech performance
proverb
parable
lament
|
| Online Access: |
Presumably Free Access Volltext (Verlag) |
| Summary: | The following study examines the history of the translation of a Biblical Hebrew phrase in Greek, Aramaic, and Latin—a phrase which shaped the English idiom “to take up a parable, proverb, or song.” As early as Greek and Aramaic Bible translations, the phrase NŚʾ mɔšɔl was translated word-for-word in the target language, even though the verb used in the target language did not previously attest the specific sense of “speech performance.” This same translational strategy persists in modern translations of this idiom, preventing scholars from understanding the idiom as it was used by biblical authors. The study compares the Biblical Hebrew phrase to a similar Ugaritic phrase, showing how it should be understood to express the voicing of speech rather than the initiating of speech. The study concludes by offering an English translation which more closely reflects the metaphor for voice-activation employed by the Biblical Hebrew phrase. |
|---|---|
| ISSN: | 1568-5330 |
| Contains: | In: Vetus Testamentum
|
| Persistent identifiers: | DOI: 10.1163/15685330-12341252 |