Hapax Legomena in the Almeida Translation of Job: Testing Almeida’s Dependence on His Two Greatest Influences

Abstract

The study compares hapax legomena in Job in the Portuguese Almeida translation against their renderings in the Spanish Reina-Valera and the Dutch Statenvertaling to answer questions about Almeida’s competence in Hebrew, his dependence on the Spanish version, the nature of the Dutch influence on his translation, and the differences between the earliest available editions of his translation (1744, 1753, and 1819). The results challenge the narrative of Spanish influence and show differences between the editions, pointing to a shift from an earlier, more independent translation style to a rigorous revision in conformity to the Statenvertaling. The data also show that in fifteen percent of cases in the earliest version, the Almeida translator chose wording that was divergent or nuanced when compared to other translations. This may suggest an independent understanding of the Hebrew text on the part of the translator or an independent use of sources.