Methodological Considerations in the Translations and Commentaries of Wogue and Hirsch

Samson Raphael Hirsch and Lazare Wogue are two nineteenth-century figures who produced translations of the Pentateuch into their vernacular languages, namely German and French, and most notably accompanied them with commentaries on the Pentateuch in their vernaculars. Both translators clearly identified with orthodox interpretations of Judaism but were also open to non-Jewish sources of knowledge, each in a distinctive manner. The article compares the translation of several verses in Exodus 17 and elsewhere that exhibit analogous translation choices, to identify the priorities of both translators and situate them within the field of translation studies. By analysing the manner in which they address the repetition of verbs and other formal elements in their translations and adapt their translations to narrative understandings of a passage, the analysis reveals their different methodologies. Their respective commentaries also shed light on the motivation behind their translations.