day and night

The Hebrew and Ge’ez that is often translated in English as “day and night” or “all day and all night” is translated in Danish as døgn, a word that specifically refers a more or less 24-hour period including day and night (unlike dag which refers to the time of daylight). (Source: Iver Larsen)

Levite

The Greek, Hebrew, Aramaic, Ge’ez, and Latin that is transliterated “Levites” in English (only the Contemporary English Version translates it as “temple helpers”) is translated in Ojitlán Chinantec as “temple caretakers,” Yatzachi Zapotec as “people born in the family line of Levi, people whose responsibility it was to do the work in the important church of the Israelites,” in Alekano as “servants in the sacrifice house from Jerusalem place,” in Tenango Otomi as “helpers of priests” (source: M. Larson / B. Moore in Notes on Translation February 1970, p. 1-125.), in Chuj as “family of Levi,” and in Desano as “grandchild of Levi” (source for this and one above: Viola Waterhouse in Notes on Translation August 1966, p. 86ff.)

In American Sign Language with a sign that combines “temple” + “servant.” (Source: Ruth Anna Spooner, Ron Lawer)


“Levite” in American Sign Language, source: Deaf Harbor

For the sign in Spanish Sign Language, see Levi.

More information about Levites .

complete verse (1 Chronicles 9:33)

Following are a number of back-translations as well as a sample translation for translators of 1 Chronicles 9:33:

  • Kupsabiny: “The singers lived in some rooms in the Compound/Home of God. They were not allowed to do any other work because they could be called to sing during day or night.” (Source: Kupsabiny Back Translation)
  • Newari: “The family leaders of the Levites, who sang and played instruments, lived in a room separately set apart for them.” (Source: Newari Back Translation)
  • Hiligaynon: “The musicians in the temple were leaders/[lit. heads] of the families who were descendants of Levi. And they no-longer had other work, because they did their works day-and-night.” (Source: Hiligaynon Back Translation)
  • English: “Some of the descendants of Levi were musicians who worked in the Sacred Tent. The leaders of those families stayed/slept in the rooms of the Sacred Tent. They did not do any other work in the Sacred Tent because they were responsible to serve as musicians day and night.” (Source: Translation for Translators)

Translation commentary on 1 Chronicles 9:33

Now these are …: This rendering gives the impression that a list of names will follow. Since this is not the case, an alternative rendering may be required. Most likely, as the footnote in Traduction œcuménique de la Bible states, a list of names originally followed here but the list has not been preserved. Einheitsübersetzung puts three dots at the end of this verse and states in a footnote that the expected names are missing here. Scholars find it difficult to determine to whom the demonstrative pronoun these might refer. Some go back to verses 14-16. Others connect it with 1 Chr 6.31-48, where a list of singers is given. But neither of these possibilities is grammatically reasonable. For this reason some modern versions omit the demonstrative pronoun altogether (so Good News Translation, Contemporary English Version, New Living Translation, New Century Version, Bible en français courant, Parola Del Signore: La Bibbia in Lingua Corrente). Others translate the Hebrew pronoun in the name of faithfulness to the Masoretic Text, but the resulting translation is often quite unnatural since the pronoun has no obvious antecedent.

Regarding the singers, see chapter 25.

Heads of fathers’ houses: See the comments on 1 Chr 5.24.

Dwelling in the chambers of the temple free from other service: Free from other service is literally “set free.” This phrase renders a Hebrew participle that comes from a word whose basic meaning is “to split.” Most versions take the Hebrew participle as referring to the singers, who are free from other service. But Revised English Bible takes the participle with the word chambers, that is, the chambers were for the singers’ use: “who were lodged in rooms set apart for them.”

For they were on duty day and night: This clause gives the reason why these musicians were not given other responsibilities. It is perhaps better to say that they were “on call” (Good News Translation), that is, they were required to perform at any time, rather than to say they were on duty twenty-four hours a day. A good model for this clause is “because they were liable for duty by day and by night” (similarly Revised English Bible).

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 9:33

9:33a Those who were musicians, the heads of Levite families,

Some descendants of Levi who were leaders in their clans/families were musicians/singers.
-or-
Some men from the clan of Levi were musicians and chiefs in their clans.

9:33b stayed in the temple chambers and were exempt from other duties

They stayed in the temple rooms and were free from other duties
-or-
They lived in the rooms for the workers in the house of God. They did no other work

9:33c because they were on duty day and night.

because they were in charge of the music. Their work/service as musicians continued day and night.
-or-
except the worship music. Their work duties took place during the day and at night.
-or-
They had to be available to perform their music/service day and night.

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