Translating Common Words

The Dictionary of Classical Hebrew, now complete, particularly helps one study common words, both ordinary words and words with theological freight. Such study suggests some myopia in how English translations render words such as ḥesed, ’āhēb, sānē’, yārē’, dāraš, biqqēš, ‘ebed, nāsā’, yĕšû‘āh, mišpāt, and ṣĕdāqāh. The paper considers ways of translating some of these words and then considers Isaiah 56:1. This example also points to the usefulness of keeping the same translation for a particular word, to help readers perceive links within the text. There is thus a case for stepping back from recent practice associated with dynamic equivalence.