overtranslation of na'ar in 1 Samuel

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20230109 overtranslation of na'ar in 1 Samuel

One thing that spurs me on as I attempt to translate the Bible is that I find some overtranslation in the current versions. I consider it an overtranslation when a word in the original Hebrew, Aramaic or Greek text appears throughout a book, but it is translated with numerous different terms in English. No doubt there are times when the meaning of a word is clearly different, so a different term in English is warranted. I think such occasions are actually rare. Whenever possible, in my translation, I attempt to render the same word by the same author in the same context with the same gloss.

The appearances of na'ar (נָעַר) in 1 Samuel serves as an example. The noun appears over 50 times.

נָעַר = boy (might refer to a young man of servant). 1 Samuel 1:22, 24, 25, 27; 2:11, 13, 15, 17, 18, 21, 26; 3:1, 8; 4:21; 9:3, 5, 7, 8, 10, 22, 27; 10:14; 14:1, 6; 16:11, 18; 17:42, 55, 58; 20:21, 35, 36, 37, 38, 39, 40, 41; 21:2, 4, 5; 25:5, 8, 9, 12, 14, 19, 25, 27; 26:22; 30:13, 17.

Sometimes the word refers to a small boy, other times it refers to young man, and other times it appears to designate a young male attendant or servant. Our English translations have sought to render the word according to what it implies in the different contexts.

My concern with that practice is that readers of the English translation have no clue that the same word is being used. As such, they will miss what the Hebrew author wanted to convey by his use of this particular word.

In my translation, I chose to render the word "boy" in each instance. I realize that modern readers might envision someone younger than that intended by the text. Consequently, I chose to include this explanation in the footnote of 1 Samuel 1:22 (might refer to a young man or servant).

In so doing, I open myself to the criticism that I have undertranslated the text. Guilty as charged. But I am more concerned with producing a translation that reflects how the original authors of scripture used the words they chose to use.

For example, the author of 1 Samuel had another word for servant. He used 'eved (עֶבֶד) in 1 Samuel 3:9, 10; 8:14, 15, 16, 17; 12:19; 16:15, 16, 17; 17:8, 9, 32, 34, 36, 58; 18:5, 22, 23, 24, 26, 30; 19:1, 4; 20:7, 8; 21:7, 11, 14; 22:6, 7, 8, 9, 14, 15, 17; 23:10, 11; 25:8, 10, 39, 40, 41; 26:18, 19; 27:5, 12; 28:2, 7, 23, 25; 29:3, 8, 10; 30:13.

When the author of 1 Samuel referred to someone as a na'ar, he did so because he was showing a connection between that person and other persons he also designated with that term in his book. Samuel is a na'ar, but so is the servant of the sons of Eli. So is David's armor bearer. Throughout the narrative, the term is being used. As we read the narrative, ideas are being traced from section to section, and words are the links to those ideas.

Our existing translations are not helping us to connect those thoughts, because they too often reflect a particular word's implication, rather than its core meaning.

Wycliffe saw the same thing happening in the New Testament concerning the meaning of the Greek word ekklesia. He preferred to translate that word as congregation, rather than church because he wanted to reflect the term's meaning as a body of people, rather than a building or organization.

We need to reflect on the meaning of words and their implication. But we need some translations that are not too quick to do all the theology for us.

When I grew up, the term "boy" had some rather undesirable connotations. It was an emotional word, so when you spoke, you had to be careful how you used it. Perhaps there is some of that emotion in the use of na'ar in 1 Samuel. In my translation, I decided not to hide that problem. Perhaps I should accompany my translation with a warning: Beware, sausage being made.