The translation of proper names

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Jan Ziska

Jan Ziska

Puritan Board Freshman
Hi,

I was wondering about why we translate verbs, nouns etc from the original languages to English, but leave the names of people and places untranslated.

If the hebrews understood Joshua's name to mean 'saviour', why don't we translate his name in english as 'Saviour'?

Or if the people of Jesus' day understood the word 'Peter' to mean 'rock', why don't we translate his name as 'Rock'?
 
Well, it would be cumbersome to read, "And Lo, a son went in the days of wheat harvest...." And hearing about the conflicts of Red and Supplanter would not have quite the same impact as Jacob and Esau.
 
Just because a name has a meaning doesn't mean the spelling is the same. Your name is a perfect example. It means John, but it's spelled differently. My surname Vaughan means small in Welsh, but I don't go by Small anymore than you go by John. Look up Joshua in Strong's and see how many variations there are of the word, and the different meanings, related words, etc...
 
My name means (as well as the name, John) "God's Gracious Gift". Believe me, that doesn't refer to me! My middle name is Roy...meaning King. If I thought I were a king it would be in my own mind. My surname is Schoen...meaning handsome or beautiful...let's not go there! LOL

I think it's a very good thing names are not translated....in the Bible or in our world today.
 
My name, Bradford, means a wide, shallow river crossing. Always been shallow, and I'm getting wider with age, so if ya'll want to use that, I have no objections... :p
 
Well Martin means him that always whats to fight,(also in the realm of theological fighting) that is a pretty good name for me.:lol::lol::lol:
 
My name would then be:
The Laurel Crowned Well Bred Forest Dweller, Jr.

I think I will stick with non-translation.
 
Mine would be:

A Royal Fortress Field (Kimberly) of Grace and Favor (Ann) that Desires Helmet Protection (Guilliams, or Williams).
 
Donald is celtic for "Ruler of the world". Jacobs is a form of Jacob meaning "supplanter", "trickster", or "liar".

I have good reason for not going by the translation of my name.

(Anyone happen to know what Wayne [my middle name] means?
 
MrMerlin777 said:
Donald is celtic for "Ruler of the world". Jacobs is a form of Jacob meaning "supplanter", "trickster", or "liar".

I have good reason for not going by the translation of my name.

(Anyone happen to know what Wayne [my middle name] means?
Click to expand...

Wayne means "wagon builder or driver".
 
Ivan said:
Theoretical said:
Ivan said:
What kind of blood do you have?
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German, Finnish, Swedish, and English (25 Finn/25 Swede/50 German/Rest is very little). I suppose it's possible there might be some Scottish, but I don't believe so.
Click to expand...

So how did you determine you were a Scotsman...because your name is Scott?
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Yes, that's at least what Scott supposedly means. Who knows, it's the internet.

Of course, my first name isn't the interesting one. It's the last name that makes things interesting ;-)
 
yeah, ok, *besides* the fact that we aren't used to names having obvious meanings, is there any reason as to why the translators don't translate them?

It just seems very incomplete. Many times in the bible people had their names changed (Joshua, Abraham, Sarah, Paul etc etc) and the changes were significant and immediately obvious to the people at the time.

Who really thinks there is much of a difference between Abram and Abraham? They sound almost identical. God changed it for a reason though, and I think that would come across much clearer if the names were translated like everything else.
 
Jan Ziska said:
Who really thinks there is much of a difference between Abram and Abraham? They sound almost identical. God changed it for a reason though, and I think that would come across much clearer if the names were translated like everything else.
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My ESV Study Bible has footnotes that explain what the names mean. It's nice to know what they mean without getting confused by seeing it in the text over and over again.
 
Ivan said:
My name means (as well as the name, John) "God's Gracious Gift". Believe me, that doesn't refer to me! My middle name is Roy...meaning King. If I thought I were a king it would be in my own mind. My surname is Schoen...meaning handsome or beautiful...let's not go there! LOL

I think it's a very good thing names are not translated....in the Bible or in our world today.
Click to expand...

OOPS. I name my children specifically for the translated effect!
Tobiah=the Lord is good
Evangeline=bearer of good news
I hope my children grow to know and be their names!!

Jan Ziska said:
yeah, ok, *besides* the fact that we aren't used to names having obvious meanings, is there any reason as to why the translators don't translate them?

It just seems very incomplete. Many times in the bible people had their names changed (Joshua, Abraham, Sarah, Paul etc etc) and the changes were significant and immediately obvious to the people at the time.

Who really thinks there is much of a difference between Abram and Abraham? They sound almost identical. God changed it for a reason though, and I think that would come across much clearer if the names were translated like everything else.
Click to expand...

I definitely get what you are saying, but I wonder if their names were still names, or just nouns. Like if Peter was a name, then I think it should still be translated as a name. Peter does still mean Rock. So we are still calling him Rock, but we just aren't calling him it in English.

My name, by the way, does mean my PB handle.
Jessica means God beholds (as far as anyone can tell, anyway). I would not mind being called in day-to-day life, "he beholds," but I don't need to if I know what it means, I am being called that! And anytime we call our son, we are declaring the goodness of the Lord, even though we are saying it in Hebrew. And our daughter, we are calling her a bearer of good news (which we pray that she becomes), even though we are saying it in Greek.
 
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