What is it about?
In Genesis 4.7, Adoniram Judson made what now seems an unusual interpretive decision in his Burmese translation of the bible. This unusual translation of the verse was a common interpretation in Judson's time, but fell out of favour in subsequent years. Hence it is an exegetical "fossil", which has been preserved in the Judson version of the Bible.
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Why is it important?
The Judson version of the bible in Burmese is virtually the only Burmese bible that is used, despite there being several other good, newer versions of the bible in Burmese. It is important, therefore, to understand more about Judson's translation. This verse is a case in point, as Judson has been accused, for example, of having poor Hebrew and mistranslating Genesis 4.7. Judson's Hebrew was actually very good, and his rendering of the verse is a possible translation.
Perspectives
This article represents my first foray into research on the Judson version of the Burmese bible. I still agree with most of what I have written in this articel, but I now know that Judson was a much more sophisticated exegete than I gave him credit for then. He was part of the New England biblical "science" movement, which began in the early 19th century. Judson may have been reading Matthew Henry, but he was definitely reading the latest biblical studies material as it was being published, not only in English but also in German, right up until he finished his translation of the Bible in 1840.
Dr John Hans de Jong
Laidlaw College
Read the Original
This page is a summary of: A “Sin Offering” Crouching at the Door? Translation Lessons from an Exegetical Fossil in the Judson Bible, The Bible Translator, April 2010, SAGE Publications,
DOI: 10.1177/026009351006100205.
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