The Hebrew, Aramaic and Greek that is translated as “cubit” or into a metric or imperial measurement in English is translated in Kutu, Kwere, and Nyamwezi as makono or “armlength.” Since a cubit is the measurement from the elbow to the tip of the middle finger, one armlength (measured from the center of the chest to the fingertips) equals two cubits or roughly 1 meter. (Source: Pioneer Bible Translators, project-specific translation notes in Paratext)
Similarly, in Akoose, the translation is “arm distance.” (Source: Joseph Nkwelle Ngome and Marlie van Rooyen & Jacobus A. Naudé in Communicatio 2009, p. 251ff.)
In Klao it is converted into “hand spans” (app. 6 inches or 12 cm) and “finger spans” (app. 1 inch or 2 cm) (source: Don Slager) and in Bariai into leoa or “fathom,” which comprises the distance from a person’s fingertip to fingertip with arms outstretched, app. 6 feet (source: Bariai Back Translation).
Following are a number of back-translations as well as a sample translation for translators of 1 Kings 6:10:
Kupsabiny: “The beams which were used to build that storied house were of cedar tree. But/And the height of each story was seven and a half feet high.” (Source: Kupsabiny Back Translation)
Newari: “He built small rooms all around the temple. Each room was 2.2 meters high. And beams of cedar wood connected them to the temple.” (Source: Newari Back Translation)
Hiligaynon: “And the rooms at the sides and back of the temple whose heights were seven and a half feet were-attached to the temple by-means also of the cedar woods.” (Source: Hiligaynon Back Translation)
English: “They built the structure that had three levels/stories, that was against the walls of the temple. Each level/story was 7-1/2 feet high, and was joined to the temple with cedar beams.” (Source: Translation for Translators)
Long ago the majestic cedars of Lebanon (Cedrus libani) completely covered the upper slopes of the Lebanon Mountains on the western and northern sides. Now only a few pockets of these mighty cedars remain. At that time they were mixed, as they are today, with other trees such as Cilician fir, Grecian juniper, cypress, and Calabrian pine.
We know from 1 Kings that Solomon used cedar wood in his palace and in the Temple. Cedar was used for beams, boards, pillars, and ceilings. Historians tell us that the Assyrians also hauled cedars to their land for use in buildings. Nebuchadnezzar of Babylon also imported cedars from Lebanon. In some versions of Isaiah we read that people made idols of cedar and oak (44:14-20). Finally, when the Temple was rebuilt by the returning exiles (Ezra 3:7), they again cut down cedar trees to grace the house of God.
In 2 Samuel, 1-2 Kings, 1-2 Chronicles and Ezra, when Lebanon is specifically mentioned, there can be no doubt that ’erez is Cedrus libani, the “cedar of Lebanon,” although it is possible that sometimes the word was used loosely to include various evergreen trees.
In the description of the purification rituals (Leviticus 14:4 at al.), the word ’erez probably refers to the Phoenician juniper tree, since that was the only cedar-like tree in the Sinai Desert.
Cedar trees can reach 30 meters (100 feet) high with a trunk more than 2 meters (7 feet) in diameter. The leaves of true cedars are not flat like those of most trees, but consist of tufts of dark green, shiny spines. (The cedars in North America have a flatter type of spine than the biblical cedar.) The wood is fragrant and resistant to insects. Cedars bear cones and can live to be two or three thousand years old.
The cedar of Lebanon is famous for its large size (see Isaiah 2:13 et al.), and for the fragrance of its wood. Psalm 92:12 links the cedar to righteousness, that is, presumably, to its straightness and height above other trees. The cedar is the national emblem of Lebanon.
Cedrus species are found in the mountains of North Africa, in the Himalayas, in India, and in North America. Translators in these places, should, of course, use the local name in nonfigurative references. In sub Saharan Africa, translators can transliterate from Hebrew (’erez), Greek (kedar), English (sedar), or another major language, or they can take a generic solution such as “large, beautiful tree.” In poetic passages (wisdom literature and prophecy), some translators may wish to use a cultural equivalent with these traits. In Africa, according to Burkhill (The Useful Plants of West Tropical Africa, volume 4. Kew: Royal Botanic Gardens, 1985), the Pink Mahogany Guarea cedrata is also called the pink African cedar because of the cedar-like scent of its timber. Likewise, some people in India and Australia use “cedar” to refer to the toon because of its reddish wood. I do not recommend such substitutes in historical passages, since the ’erez is not related to these trees. In some figurative passages, however, the substitution could be effective, since all are large trees with reddish wood. However, each passage has to be evaluated to determine the intended effect of the image.
He built the structure against the whole house, each story five cubits high: As noted above in verse 5, since Good News Translation understands that the structure and the “annex” are the same thing, it has moved forward there the information from this verse that each story of the annex was seven and a half feet (five cubits) high. In order for readers to have a clearer understanding of this structure, Good News Translation may serve as a good model for other languages.
The Hebrew says literally that the annex was five cubits high (so Bible de Jérusalem). In terms of the metric system, the equivalent of five cubits would be “two and a half meters” (Bible en français courant). Since it is hard to imagine a three-storied annex only seven and a half feet tall, Revised Standard Version and Good News Translation add the words “each story [of the annex].” If translators follow the Hebrew in saying that the annex was five cubits high, they may wish to add a note like the one in Nouvelle Bible Segond, which says “five cubits per story, so fifteen cubits in all” (similarly Traduction œcuménique de la Bible).
However, it should be recalled from the discussion on verse 5 that it is not certain that the structure is to be identified with the three-storied annex. The Masoretic Text says only that the structure was five cubits high. If the structure refers to a platform or terrace on which the three-storied annex was built, then it is certainly reasonable that this platform was only five cubits high. For the whole verse Gray (similarly De Vries) says:
• And he built the platform all round against the Temple, its height being five cubits, and it was bonded to the Temple by cedar beams.
Compare also Revised English Bible, which combines verses 9 and 10:
• So Solomon built the house and finished it, having constructed the terrace five cubits high against the whole building, braced the house with struts of cedar, and roofed it with beams and coffering of cedar.
It was joined to the house with timbers of cedar: The Hebrew verb translated joined is the same as the verb rendered “inserted” in verse 6. Its meaning here is not clear, so there are several interpretations possible for this whole clause: (1) The timbers of cedar may have been the means by which the structure was attached to the Temple (Revised Standard Version/New Revised Standard Version, New American Bible, New Jerusalem Bible). (2) The Hebrew verb here may be related to an Akkadian word meaning “to cover” an object. If this is the intended meaning, then the structure attached to the Temple was covered with cedar panels. (3) New Jewish Publication Society’s Tanakh says “it [the three-storied structure] encased the House with timbers of cedar,” which means the structure was made of cedar. The first interpretation is the most commonly accepted one.
Quoted with permission from Omanson, Roger L. and Ellington, John E. A Handbook on 1-2 Kings, Volume 1. (UBS Helps for Translators). New York: UBS, 2008. For this and other handbooks for translators see here .
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