army

The Hebrew, Aramaic, Greek and Latin that is translated as “army” in English is translated in Chichewa as “group of warriors.” (Source: Mawu a Mulungu mu Chichewa Chalero Back Translation)

complete verse (1 Chronicles 12:14)

Following are a number of back-translations as well as a sample translation for translators of 1 Chronicles 12:14:

  • Kupsabiny: “These were the ones in charge of the soldiers. A small one was in charge of one hundred soldiers, a big one was in charge of one thousand.” (Source: Kupsabiny Back Translation)
  • Newari: “These Gadites were army captains. The smallest soldier among them was equal to 100 soldiers. The biggest soldier among them was equal to 1000 soldiers.” (Source: Newari Back Translation)
  • Hiligaynon: “These descendants of Gad were commanders of the soldiers. The weakest among them could-lead 100 soldiers and the strongest among them could-lead 1,000 soldiers.” (Source: Hiligaynon Back Translation)
  • English: “Those men from the tribe of Gad were all army officers. Some of them commanded 1,000 soldiers, and some of them commanded 100 soldiers.” (Source: Translation for Translators)

large numbers in Angguruk Yali

Many languages use a “body part tally system” where body parts function as numerals (see body part tally systems with a description). One such language is Angguruk Yali which uses a system that ends at the number 27. To circumvent this limitation, the Angguruk Yali translators adopted a strategy where a large number is first indicated with an approximation via the traditional system, followed by the exact number according to Arabic numerals. For example, where in 2 Samuel 6:1 it says “thirty thousand” in the English translation, the Angguruk Yali says teng-teng angge 30.000 or “so many rounds [following the body part tally system] 30,000,” likewise, in Acts 27:37 where the number “two hundred seventy-six” is used, the Angguruk Yali translation says teng-teng angge 276 or “so many rounds 276,” or in John 6:10 teng-teng angge 5.000 for “five thousand.”

This strategy is used in all the verses referenced here.

Source: Lourens de Vries in The Bible Translator 1998, p. 409ff.

See also numbers in Ngalum and numbers in Kombai.

Translation commentary on 1 Chronicles 12:14

These Gadites were officers of the army: Gadites is literally “sons of Gad” (New American Standard Bible, Nouvelle Bible Segond, La Bible de Jérusalem: Nouvelle édition revue et corrigée), which some have translated “descendants of Gad” (Complete Jewish Bible). The Hebrew word translated officers is literally “heads,” the same word rendered “chief” in verses 3 and 9. Officers of the army may be rendered “leaders of the troops” (New Jerusalem Bible) or “army commanders” (New American Bible).

The lesser over a hundred and the greater over a thousand: The lesser and the greater are translated as “junior officers” and “senior officers” in Good News Translation. There are two different ways of understanding this whole Hebrew phrase, which is literally “the lesser to a hundred and the greater to a thousand.” According to the interpretation followed by Good News Translation (and apparently by Revised Standard Version), the “hundred” and the “thousand” refer to Israelite troops. New Century Version is similar to Good News Translation for this phrase, saying “The least of these leaders was in charge of a hundred soldiers, and the greatest was in charge of a thousand.” However, the Hebrew may also be translated “the least equal to a hundred and the greatest equal to a thousand,” in which case the writer does not say how many troops the officers commanded, but rather describes their courage and power by saying that the least powerful was as powerful as a hundred enemy soldiers and the most powerful was equal to a thousand enemy soldiers (compare Lev 26.8; Deut 32.30; Isa 30.17). Compare the Revised English Bible rendering, which reads “the least of them a match for a hundred, the greatest a match for a thousand” (similarly New Revised Standard Version, New Living Translation, New Jewish Publication Society’s Tanakh, American Bible, and the alternative translation in Parola Del Signore: La Bibbia in Lingua Corrente). This second interpretation seems more appropriate in the larger context.

Quoted with permission from Omanson, Roger L. and Ellington, John E. A Handbook on 1-2 Chronicles, Volume 1. (UBS Helps for Translators). Miami: UBS, 2014. For this and other handbooks for translators see here .

SIL Translator’s Notes on 1 Chronicles 12:14

12:14a These Gadites were army commanders,

These descendants of Gad were the leaders of the army. (Easy English Bible)
-or-
These men were leaders of the Gadite army. (English Easy-to-Read Version)

12:14b the least of whom was a match for a hundred,

The weakest man from that group was worth a hundred ⌊men⌋ .
-or-
The least important among these men could fight against one hundred (100) ⌊men⌋ .

12:14c and the greatest for a thousand.

The strongest one ⌊was worth⌋ a thousand ⌊men⌋ .
-or-
The greatest of them ⌊could fight against⌋ one thousand (1000) ⌊men⌋ .

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