11All these were the sons of Jediael according to the heads of their ancestral houses, mighty warriors, seventeen thousand two hundred, ready for service in war.
Following are a number of back-translations as well as a sample translation for translators of 1 Chronicles 7:11:
Kupsabiny: “Each person was a leader in his house. They were very fierce in battle and the men who were fit to enter the army reached seventeen thousands and two hundreds (17,200).” (Source: Kupsabiny Back Translation)
Newari: “Each of these sons of Jediael was the head of his own family. They had 17,200 soldiers.” (Source: Newari Back Translation)
Hiligaynon: “They were the leaders/[lit. heads] of their families. They had 17,200 good soldiers who were ready to serve in the military.” (Source: Hiligaynon Back Translation)
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.
All these were the sons of Jedia-el: All these refers back to the names just mentioned in the previous verse. Sons must be taken in this context as including grandsons as well as sons, so it may be translated “descendants” (God’s Word).
The heads of their fathers’ houses is literally “the heads of the fathers.” But the meaning “heads of families” (New International Version) is clear from the context. Compare verses 2, 7, and 9.
Ready for service in war is literally “going out to service in war.” The meaning is “prepared to go out to serve in war.” Some possible renderings are “fit for active service” (Moffatt), “prepared to fight in battle” (Contemporary English Version), and “ready for combat” (American Bible).
The total of the numbers in verses 7, 9, and 11 equals 59,434, which was the number of men eligible for military duty from the tribe of Benjamin.
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 .
7:11a All these sons of Jediael were heads of their families, mighty men of valor;
All Jediael’s sons were leaders of their families in their clans and strong/virtuous warriors. -or-
Jediael was the father of all these men. They were both chiefs of their clans and mighty fighting men.
7:11b there were 17,200 fit for battle.
⌊Jediael⌋ had 17,200 descendants in his family line who were strong warriors prepared for war. -or-
Seventeen thousand and two hundred (17,200) of them were listed/enrolled as brave soldiers ready for battle. -or-
There were 17,200 strong and skilled fighters who were ready to serve in the army.
Leave a Reply
You must be logged in to post a comment.