Section Headings as a Quality Issue? An exegetical study of the Toledot Formula in Genesis

Most translation projects carried out today include headings in their translations. It is challenging to translate section headings because modern versions put them at different places in the text. The content of the headings can also vary from one version to another. How are translators to know which version has the most plausible section heading for a given text? Is it a matter of opinion or are there more objective criteria by which translators can judge where to put headings and what content best fits the biblical text? This paper explores the section headings in Genesis with special attention to how the Hebrew toledot formula is rendered in modern versions. This study is will show that the placement and content of the formulae in Genesis are exegetical and hermeneutical issues that can impact the quality of the translation. First, new linguistic and exegetical insights will be presented on how the formula functions as a verbless clause throughout Genesis, as a means of determining whether the formula begins a new section, or closes the previous section. It will be shown that the formula in Genesis begins a new section in all instances. The next section in the paper looks at the referent denoted by toledot in each context. This portion of the analysis is based on a study of all 39 occurrences of toledot in the Hebrew Bible. Distinct senses of toledot will be presented. Using insights from the first two sections, the final section assesses how the formula is rendered in various English versions. The paper then offers suggestions on how the formula might be rendered.