Jordan

The Hebrew, Greek and Ge’ez that is translated as “Jordan” means “descending (rapidly),” “flowing down.” (Source: Cornwall / Smith 1997 )

In Hungarian Sign Language it is translated with the sign for the river bordering Jordan and Israel, along with the general sign for river. (Source: Jenjelvi Biblia and HSL Bible Translation Group)


“Jordan river” in Hungarian Sign Language (source )

Learn more on Bible Odyssey: Jordan River .

cardinal directions

The cardinal directions “east” and “west” are easy to translate into Maan here since the language uses “where the sun comes up” and “where the sun goes down.” For “north” the translator had “facing toward the sun rising to the left,” and for “south” she had “facing toward the sun rising to the right.” So the listener had to think hard before knowing what direction was in view when translating “to the north and south, to the east and west.” So, in case all four directions are mentioned, it was shortened by saying simply “all directions.” Manya uses a similar nomenclature for the cardinal directions. (Source: Don Slager)

Likewise, Yakan has “from the four corners of the earth” (source: Yakan back-translation) or Western Bukidnon Manobo “from the four directions here on the earth” (source: Western Bukidnon Manobo back-translation).

Kankanaey is “from the coming-out and the going-away of the sun and the north and the south” (source: Kankanaey back-translation), Northern Emberá “from where the sun comes up, from where it falls, from the looking [left] hand, from the real [right] hand” (source: Charles Mortensen), Amele “from the direction of the sun going up, from the direction of the sun going down, from the north and from the south” (source: John Roberts), Ejamat “look up to see the side where the sun comes from, and the side where it sets, and look on your right side, and on your left” (source: David Frank in this blog post ).

In Lamba, only umutulesuŵa, “where the sun rises” and imbonsi, “where the sun sets” were available as cardinal directions that were not tied to the local area of language speakers (“north” is kumausi — “to the Aushi country” — and “south” kumalenje — “to the Lenje country”). So “north” and “south” were introduced as loanwords, nofu and saufu respectively. The whole phrase is kunofu nakusaufu nakumutulesuŵa nakumbonsi. (Source C. M. Doke in The Bible Translator 1958, p. 57ff. )

“West” is translated in Tzeltal as “where the sun pours-out” and in Kele as “down-river” (source: Reiling / Swellengrebel).

In Morelos Nahuatl, “north” is translated as “from above” and “south” as “from below.” (Source: Viola Waterhouse in Notes on Translation August 1966, p. 86ff.)

In Matumbi cardinal directions are defined as in relation to another place. “East” for instance typically is “toward the beach” since the coast is in the eastern direction in Matumbi-speaking areas. “North” and “south” can be defined as above or below another place. (Source: Pioneer Bible Translators, project-specific notes in Paratext)

The Hebrew text that gives instructions where to place items in the tabernacle with the help of cardinal directions (north and south) had to be approached in the Bambam translation specific to spacial concepts of that culture.

Phil Campbell explains: “There are no words in Bambam for north and south. In Exodus 26:35, God instructs that the table is to be placed on the north side and the lamp on the south side inside the tabernacle. The team wants to use right and left to tell where the lamp and table are located. In many languages we would say that the table is on the right and the lampstand is on the left based on the view of someone entering the tabernacle. However, that is not how Bambam people view it. They view the placement of things and rooms in a building according to the orientation of someone standing inside the building facing the front of the building. So that means the table is on the left side and the lampstand is on the right side.”

See also cardinal directions / left and right and people of the East.

complete verse (1 Chronicles 12:15)

Following are a number of back-translations as well as a sample translation for translators of 1 Chronicles 12:15:

  • Kupsabiny: “It was at a time when the river of Jordan had overflowed in the first month of the year. Then, those men crossed (it) and scattered all the people who lived in the East and the West side of Jordan.” (Source: Kupsabiny Back Translation)
  • Newari: “In the early months of the year, when water when water had come and filled the Jordan River up to its banks, they crossed over the river. Then they drove out the people who lived on the fertile banks east and west of the river.” (Source: Newari Back Translation)
  • Hiligaynon: “They crossed the River Jordan at the time of its season-of-overflowing-water in the first month of the year, and they drove-out all who lived in the valleys/plains in the east and west of the river.” (Source: Hiligaynon Back Translation)
  • English: “They crossed to the west side of the Jordan River during March, at the time of the year when the river was flooded. They chased from there all the people who lived in the valleys on both sides of the river.” (Source: Translation for Translators)

Translation commentary on 1 Chronicles 12:15

These are the men refers back to the men listed in verses 9-13. Good News Translation changes the focus of the passage somewhat by referring to them simply as “they” in the middle of the verse. In order to maintain its focus, it may be better to begin this verse by saying “It was they who…” (New American Bible, Traduction œcuménique de la Bible) or “These are the ones who…” (New American Standard Bible). Contemporary English Version highlights the fact that the event described in this verse had taken place previously by beginning with the word “Earlier.”

Who crossed the Jordan in the first month: The bravery of these men from the tribe of Gad is shown by the fact that they crossed the Jordan River while it was at flood level. These men did not regularly cross the Jordan River in the first month of each year. This verse refers to something that happened on one single occasion, so Good News Translation adds the words “of one year.” For the same reason Parola Del Signore: La Bibbia in Lingua Corrente begins this verse by saying “One time…,” and American Bible has “These were the ones who once crossed the Jordan….” The Jordan is “the Jordan River” (Good News Translation, Contemporary English Version, New Living Translation), and the men crossed it from east to west. The first month is Nisan, which corresponds to mid-March to mid-April.

When it was overflowing all its banks: The flooding may have been caused by the melting snow from Mount Hermon in the north or it may have been caused by heavy rains or a combination of the two.

And put to flight all those in the valleys, to the east and to the west is literally “and they put to flight all the valleys to the east and to the west.” Most interpreters understand “the valleys” as referring to the people who lived in the valleys, as do Revised Standard Version and Good News Translation. In some languages it may be more natural to render to the east and to the west as “on both sides of the Jordan River” or “on both sides of the river.” This last part of the verse may be understood in three different ways:

• (1) Revised Standard Version, Good News Translation, and most other versions interpret the Hebrew to mean that the soldiers from the tribe of Gad fought against the people living on both sides of the Jordan River and caused them to flee.

• (2) The flooding Jordan River, not the soldiers, caused the inhabitants of the valley to flee. Braun follows this interpretation by rendering the whole verse as “These were the men who crossed the Jordan in the first month when it was overflowing all the inhabitants of the valleys to the east and to the west.” New Jerusalem Bible is similar by making the flooding Jordan River the subject of the verb put to flight, but most versions either leave it ambiguous or clearly make the invading army of the tribe of Gad the subject of this verb.

• (3) Some interpreters make a slight change in the Hebrew verb translated put to flight, and then take the flooding river as the subject of the verb. The Hebrew verb is understood as related to the word for “bar” (of a gate). Following this interpretation, American Bible translates the final part of this verse as “and made impassable all the lowlands to the east and to the west.” Knoppers is similar with “rendering the lowlands impassable to the east and to the west.”

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 12:15

12:15a These are the ones who crossed the Jordan in the first month

They went across to the west side of the Jordan river during the first month of the year.
-or-
Once they dared to cross to the west side of the Jordan River in March.

12:15b when it was overflowing all its banks,

At that time the water in the river was very deep and wide. (EEB)
-or-
It was the time of year when the river was full with water.

12:15c and they put to flight all those in the valleys, both to the east and to the west.

They chased from there all the people who lived in the valleys on both sides of the river. (Translation for Translators)
-or-
And then they fought the people in the valleys and those people had to run away. They ran to the east and to the west. (Easy English Bible)

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