Translating The Untranslatable (Presentation) by Gustavo Adolfo Loria Rivel PhD.

Translating the
Untranslatable
Gustavo Adolfo Loria Rivel Phd
Translating the Untranslatable 1
Translation implies two steps:
Source
1 2 Target
text text
Understanding Formulating
the concept in the the concept in the
source language target language
Main problem:
Anyone you could ask
died a long time ago
Versions used in this study:

1) Masoretic text (fixed in 7-10th cent. A.D.)
2) Onkelos (Ist-2nd cent. A.D.)
3) Septuagint (3rd cent. B.C.)
4) Vetus Itala (2nd-3rd cent. A.D.)
5) Vulgate (late 3rd cent. A.D.)
6) Peshitta (2nd-4th cent. A.D.)
7) Coptic Bohairic (4th cent. A.D.)
8) Coptic Sahidic (3rd-4th cent. A.D.)
Genesis 4:21
‫ ִּכּנֹור‬/kinnor/ S: ψαλτέριον (harp)
V: cithara (cithara)
‫ עּוגָב‬/’ugav/ S: κιθάρα
V: organum
Leviticus 11: 18, Deuteronomy 14:17
‫ רחם‬/rakham/ (cf. Ar. ‫ رخم‬/rakham/ vulture)
P: )_oqroqras /šarqoqo/ green raven

O: ‫ ירקרקא‬/yiraqriqa/ idem
S: κῦκνος (swan)
V: cycnus (idem)
Leviticus 11: 18, Deuteronomy 14:17
‫ קאת‬/kaat/ S: πελεκᾶν (pelican)

V: onocrotalus (idem)
P: )_o-q-oq /qoqo/ (idem)
However:
S: πελεκᾶν (pelican) in Psalms 101(102):7
S: χαμαιλέων (chameleon) in Zephaniah 2:14

S: ὄρνις (bird in general) in Isaiah 34:11
Exodus 28:18.
‫ נפך‬/nofech/ S: ἄνθραξ (carbuncle)

V: carbunculus (idem)
P: )diydc /tsedido/ (antimony)
O: ‫ אזמרגדין‬/izmaragdin/ (emeralds)
(however emeralds are called elsewhere ‫ ברקת‬/varaqat/)
S: ἄνθραξ < ‫ בדלח‬/bdolakh/ (bdellium) in Genesis 2:12.

Exodus 28:18.
‫ יהלום‬/yahalom/ S: ἰάσπις (jasper?)

V: iaspis (idem)
P: ")aa+(qen" /neqa'to/
(gem)
“Jasper” is a variety of opaque quartz of different colors.

However, in the times of Septuagint it was a transparent
stone. Cf. Revelation 11:21 (crystalline as jasper stone).
Deuteronomy 2:23.
‫ כפתור‬/kaftor/ S: Καππαδοκία (Cappadocia)

V: Cappadocia (idem)
P: Y_iqñuwdAp-q (idem)
O: ‫( קפדוטקיא‬idem)
However, Jeremiah 47:4 mentions "‫כפתור‬-‫ "אי‬/i-

kaftor/, i.e. the island of Caphtor, or maybe the
shore of Caphtor.
Leviticus 27:16.
Units of volume
‫ חמר‬/khomer/ S: κόρος (≈ 393 l.)
V: triginta modii (≈ 270 l.)
P: "rw-k" /kur/
Hapax legomena
There are about 1,500 of these in the Old Testament; but

only 400 are, strictly, "hapax legomena"
Ex. Genesis 6:14 "‫ג ֹפֶ ר‬-‫ "עֲ ֵצי‬/atsei-gofer/ (gofer wood)
Leviticus 11:22. Four types of locust are mentioned in this

verse, namely: “‫ ”ארבה‬/arveh/, "‫ "סלעם‬/sal'a/, "‫"חרגל‬
/khargol/ and "‫ "חגב‬/khagav/. Only the first one is frequent.
The second and third appear only here, and the fourth
appears five times in the Old Testament.
Main problem: When it comes to the Sacred

Text, “I don’t know” is not acceptable.
I see...
You do not
know!
Translation strategies
Descriptive translation
Genesis 2:12
‫ אבן שהם‬/even šoham/ S: λίθος ὁ πράσινος (green stone)
Exodus 28:20
‫ תרשיש‬/taršiš/ O: ‫ כרום ימא‬/krum yama/ (color of the sea)
Genesis 6:14
‫גפר‬-‫ עצי‬/atsei-gofer/ S: ξύλων τετραγώνων" (square woods)
V: "lignis levigatis" (smooth woods).
Translation by using general terms
Isaiah 34:11
‫ קאת‬/qaat/ S: ὄρνεα (birds)
Exodus 28:18
‫ יהלום‬/yahalom/ P: )aa+(qen /neqa'to/
(gem)
Translation by lexical borrowing
Genesis 22:13
"‫ "סבך‬/sevak/ S: φυτῷ σαβεκ (plant of sabek)
Exodus 16:16-36.
‫ עמר‬/'omer/ and its subunit ‫ איפה‬/eifa/ S: γομορ and οιφι
V: gomor and oephi
Leviticus 11:22.
‫ חגב‬,‫ חרגל‬,‫ סלעם‬,‫ ארב‬/arveh, sal'am, khargol, khagav/ → S:
βροῦχον, ἀττάκη, ἀκρίς, ὀφιομάχη → V: bruchus, attacus,
ophiomachus, lucusta
Loan translation (calque)

Genesis 17:13,23
M: ‫כסף‬-‫ מקנת‬/miqnat-kesef/ purchase of money, i.e. slave
procured by purchase
S: ἀργυρώνητος (from ἀργύρος “silver, money" and
ὡνέομαι "to buy“)
Genesis 14:14.
M: ‫בית‬-‫ יליד‬/ielid-bait/ born in the house, i.e. slave born in
the house
S: οἰκογενής (from οἰκος “house" and γενέομαι "to be born“)
Translation by omission
Leviticus 11:22.
The four species of locust mentioned in the Masoretic text:
‫ חגב‬,‫ חרגל‬,‫ סלעם‬,‫ ארב‬/arveh, sal'am, khargol, khagav/, are
reduced to just two in Peshitta: )ñc-m-q /qamtso/ and
O}ogÑrax /khargolo/.
Leviticus 11:13.14.
The five birds mentioned in Lv. 11:13, ‫ נשר פרס עזניה‬/nešer,
feres, 'azniah/ and Lv 11:14 ‫ איה דיה‬/ayah, dayah/ are
reduced to just two in Peshitta: )rsn /nešro/ and )Tyd
/dayto/.
Do we really understand
the “Our Father”?
Dis legomenon ἐπιούσιον
Τὸν ἄρτον ἡμῶν τὸν ἐπιούσιον δὸς ἡμῖν

σήμερον· "Give us our epiousion bread
today" (Matthew 6:11)
Τὸν ἄρτον ἡμῶν τὸν ἐπιούσιον δίδου ἡμῖν

τὸ καθ’ἡμέραν· "Give us our epiousion
bread every day" (Luke 11:3)
Theory 1
Epiousion < "ἐπί ὀυσίαν" (for existence or for
subsistence).
*"‫ "לחמא דחקנא‬/lakhma dekhuqana/ (the bread of
our allowance), by analogy with Proverbs 30:8
"‫ "לחם חקי‬the bread of my allowance), or "‫פיתן‬
‫ "דצרך‬/pithan detsorach/ (the bread of
subsistence).
Peshitta: "NnQnwfd )Mxl" /lakhmo

desunqonan/ (the bread of our need)
Theory 2
Epiousion < participle of "ἐπειμί" (to
come after, to succeed, to follow)
Coptic Sahidic "penoik etn/ou" (the

bread that is coming)
Curetonian Syriac Gospels (4-5th century

A.D.): ")nym) NMXl" /lakhman amino/ (our
constant bread)
Theory 3
Epiousion < "ἡ ἐπιούσα ἡμέρα" (the
coming day, tomorrow)
Coptic Bohairic "penwik nte rac]" (the

bread of tomorrow)
Gospel according to the Jews *"‫ִדי ִלמְ ַחר‬

‫ " ַלחְ מָ א‬/lakhama diləmakhar/ (the bread of
tomorrow
Translation techniques used to

translate the fourth request
1) To restore the original meaning

2) Loan translation or calque
3) Translation by extrapolation
Loan translation or calque
Epiousion < "ἐπί" above + " ὀυσία" (substance)
Vulgate: "ἐπιούσιον" > "supersubstantialis"

(< super + substantialis)
Church Slavonic Bible: насущный (< на [on,

above] + суть [substance, essence])
Translation by extrapolation
Matthew 6:11
Τὸν ἄρτον ἡμῶν τὸν ἐπιούσιον δὸς ἡμῖν σήμερον· "Give
us our epiousion bread today"
Luke 11:3
Τὸν ἄρτον ἡμῶν τὸν ἐπιούσιον δίδου ἡμῖν τὸ καθ’ἡμέραν·
"Give us our epiousion bread daily“
Give us today our daily bread

Merci!

Translating The Untranslatable (Presentation) by Gustavo Adolfo Loria Rivel PhD.

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Translating The Untranslatable (Presentation) by Gustavo Adolfo Loria Rivel PhD.

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Available Formats

Translating the

Translation implies two steps:

Versions used in this study:

‫ ִּכּנֹור‬/kinnor/ S: ψαλτέριον (harp)

Leviticus 11: 18, Deuteronomy 14:17

‫ רחם‬/rakham/ (cf. Ar. ‫ رخم‬/rakham/ vulture)

P: )_oqroqras /šarqoqo/ green raven

‫ קאת‬/kaat/ S: πελεκᾶν (pelican)

S: χαμαιλέων (chameleon) in Zephaniah 2:14

‫ נפך‬/nofech/ S: ἄνθραξ (carbuncle)

S: ἄνθραξ < ‫ בדלח‬/bdolakh/ (bdellium) in Genesis 2:12.

‫ יהלום‬/yahalom/ S: ἰάσπις (jasper?)

“Jasper” is a variety of opaque quartz of different colors.

‫ כפתור‬/kaftor/ S: Καππαδοκία (Cappadocia)

However, Jeremiah 47:4 mentions "‫כפתור‬-‫ "אי‬/i-

There are about 1,500 of these in the Old Testament; but

Leviticus 11:22. Four types of locust are mentioned in this

Main problem: When it comes to the Sacred

Translation by using general terms

Loan translation (calque)

Dis legomenon ἐπιούσιον

Τὸν ἄρτον ἡμῶν τὸν ἐπιούσιον δὸς ἡμῖν

Τὸν ἄρτον ἡμῶν τὸν ἐπιούσιον δίδου ἡμῖν

Peshitta: "NnQnwfd )Mxl" /lakhmo

Coptic Sahidic "penoik etn/ou" (the

Curetonian Syriac Gospels (4-5th century

Coptic Bohairic "penwik nte rac]" (the

Gospel according to the Jews *"‫ִדי ִלמְ ַחר‬

Translation techniques used to

1) To restore the original meaning

Loan translation or calque

Epiousion < "ἐπί" above + " ὀυσία" (substance)

Vulgate: "ἐπιούσιον" > "supersubstantialis"

Church Slavonic Bible: насущный (< на [on,

Give us today our daily bread

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