The Old Testament in the 2020 Afrikaans translation: Some contentious issues In 1984, prof JP Oberholzer, one of the translators of the 1983 Afrikaans translation of the Bible, wrote an article dealing, inter alia, with three important issues on which the translators had to make decisions in comparison with the 1933/53 Afrikaans translation of the Bible. The decisions dealt with the translation of personal names, weights and measures and the translation of the divine name YHWH (Yahweh). The ultimate decisions of the translators deviated from decisions on the previous translation. The decisions made by the two groups of translators have to be evaluated in the light of the different aims set out for the two translations, as well as the different translation strategies followed. With regard to names, the 1983 translation sought to be consistent, for example by using the same name for a certain person, even when variant forms of the name occurred in the Hebrew. For weights and measures, they decided on a metrical system. The name Yahweh was rendered by "Here" ("Lord"), and not by "Here" ("Lord"), as in the older translation. The editorial committee on the Old Testament of the 2020 Afrikaans Bible also had to deal with these issues, as well as many others. This article discusses the decisions of the editorial committee with regard to these issues, as well as the treatment of messianic passages from the Old Testament. Oberholzer did not discuss this last issue, but it became a contentious matter to critics of the 1983 Afrikaans translation. However, it is clear from the translation what principle the translators had followed in not using capital letters in the case of personal pronouns interpreted to be messianic in nature.As regards personal names, the original decision was to follow the 1983 Afrikaans translation. However, that translation changed some of the customary forms of these names in Afrikaans and was not consistent in its practice. The 2020 translation reverts to many of the customary forms in Afrikaans and attempts to be more consistent, especially in following the common Hebrew pronunciation of these names and in retaining different forms of personal nouns, with footnotes linking the different forms to one another. Geographical names were frequently translated in the 1983 translation. Such translations occur less frequently in the 2020 translation, with footnotes explaining the meaning where the original names are used. For weights and measures, the original terms were used, with footnotes indicating the metrical equivalent. In this way, the symbolic values of the original numbers could be retained and some of the paraphrases in the 1983 translation avoided. The name YHWH is rendered by "Here" ("Lord"), while Adonai is rendered by "my Heer"/"die Heer" ("my Lord"/"the Lord"). With regard to the messianic texts in the Old Testament, the original decision was to follow the example of the 1983 translation. However, some of the churches involved in the whole project were in favour of following the example of ...
The Hebrew base text and the 2020 translation of the Bible in AfrikaansIn planning to create a new translation of the Bible in any language, a number of important decisions have to be made. These include issues like choosing the text to be translated and the translation strategy that will be followed. These questions received attention when the Bible Society of South Africa decided to undertake a new Afrikaans translation of the Bible. This translation, the 2020 translation of the Bible in Afrikaans, is the third Afrikaans translation undertaken by the Bible Society, following the 1933/53 translation and the 1983 translation. As it was decided to make a source text-orientated translation, selecting a base text was decisive for the translation process. As regards the Old Testament, it was decided to use the Masoretic Text as base text, and the Biblia Hebraica Stuttgartensia (BHS) as the source text. This article focusses on the decision regarding the treatment of text-critical issues in the Masoretic Text.The history and character of the Masoretic Text and its different editions are discussed and the text-critical apparatus of these editions receive special attention. The BHS is a diplomatic edition, which has to be distinguished from an eclectic edition. In an eclectic edition, the editors will make a choice between possible variants in every instance of a text-critical problem. The option chosen is then published. In a footnote, the choice and possible alternatives will be discussed. In a diplomatic edition, the editors decide which text or manuscript is best for the edition. This text is then published. A footnote will indicate other readings and, in some instances, the preferred reading of the editors. In the case of the BHS, the Codex Leningradensis was taken as the source text to be published. This is the source text of the 2020 translation. In scientific commentaries and modern translations of the Old Testament text-critical choices are often made, with the translations based on an eclectically reconstructed text of the Old Testament.The translators of the Old Testament, and especially the editorial committee for the Old Testament, did not formulate specific guidelines for dealing with text-critical issues, but the editorial committee followed certain basic points of departure. These points of departure of the editorial committee are briefly discussed, as well as three important editions of the Hebrew Bible, the BHS, the Biblia Hebraica of Kittel (BHK) and a new edition that has not yet been completed, the Biblia Hebraica Quinta (BHQ). This is followed by a discussion of a number of examples from the Old Testament, namely Deuteronomy 5:10, 33:2 and Hosea 6:5. The approach to the Masoretic Text can be described as conservative. In instances where the Masoretic Text has a reading without any problems, that reading is followed, even when the ancient translations or manuscripts from the Dead Sea have plausible variants. When, however, the Masoretic Text was found to be problematic, variants were considered and ...
The oldest Eastern manuscripts that contain these headings date from the twelfth century. The John Rylands manuscript contains the headings in a form 400 years older than the oldest of the other Eastern manuscripts, giving new insight into the history of these headings. The value of this manuscript can be judged when its headings are compared to those in 6t1 and 12t4. Many headings have shorter and longer versions. This paper explores the place of 18>8dt1 in the history of the East Syriac Psalm headings to demonstrate the originality of many of the readings in this manuscript. The conclusion is the headings in 6t1 cannot always be regarded as reflecting the original headings.
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