Modern Arab translations of the sentence “possessing the Earth” in biblical Hebrew

Abstract

This article studies the translation of the Hebrew phrase yrsh 'rz in three Modern Arabic Bibles: the Protestant SVD, the Roman Catholic ABJ and the ecumenical GNA. The analysis is based on a synchronic and linguistic study of the Old Testament in order to pinpoint the semantic field of this expression. The specialized biblical lexica and the dictionaries of Classical and Modern Arabic are consulted, as well. Giving the sense of possessing to the stem yrsh is a well discussed issue and to translate it into Arabic by the root mlk is not only incorrect but also damaging to a theology that intends to contextualize with the sociopolitical problems in the area and aims at providing bridges of understanding between the three religions that coexist in the Middle East.