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).
The term that is transliterated as “Goliath” in English is translated in American Sign Language with a finger pointing to the forehead (a reference to where the stone hit him) followed by the sign for “tall” referring to 1 Samuel 17:49 and 1 Samuel 17:4. (Source: Ruth Anna Spooner, Ron Lawer)
“Goliath” in American Sign Language, source: Deaf Harbor
The term that is transliterated as “Philistines” in English is translated in American Sign Language with a sign that signifies the helmet the Philistine warriors wore was decorated with feather-like objects. (Source: Ruth Anna Spooner, Ron Lawer)
“Philistines” in American Sign Language, source: Deaf Harbor
Click or tap here to see a short video clip about Philistines (source: Bible Lands 2012)
Following are a number of back-translations as well as a sample translation for translators of 1 Samuel 17:4:
Kupsabiny: “Then a certain courageous man came out from the Philistine army/soldiers. That man was about nine feet tall. And his name is Goliath. He was from the city of Gath.” (Source: Kupsabiny Back Translation)
Newari: “From the midst of the Philistine camps came top brave soldier named Goliath, who lived in Gath, to fight with the Israelites. He was about three meters tall.” (Source: Newari Back Translation)
Hiligaynon: “Now there-was man who (was) from-Gat, who fought well. His name (was) Goliat. He came-out of the camp of the Filistinhon and came-near the camp of the Israelinhon. His height (was) over nine feet.” (Source: Hiligaynon Back Translation)
English: “Then Goliath, from Gath city, came out from the Philistine camp. He was a champion warrior/soldier. He was over 9 feet/3 meters tall.” (Source: Translation for Translators)
The concepts of distance that are translated in English with “long,” “wide,” and “high/tall” are translated in Kwere with one word: utali. (Source: Pioneer Bible Translators, project-specific translation notes in Paratext)
By stating Goliath’s name at the beginning of the first sentence and breaking this verse down into two sentences, Good News Translation has restructured the order to read more naturally in English style. Similar restructuring in other languages may sound more normal.
Goliath, of Gath: it may be helpful to add a qualifier, indicating that Gath is a city (see the comments on 5.8). The Hebrew word translated champion in Revised Standard Version (and for some unknown reason left untranslated in Good News Translation) occurs only here and in verse 23 below in all the Old Testament. The word comes from a preposition meaning “in between.” It is often understood to mean a champion in the sense of one who steps out between two opposing armies to do single combat. It is questionable, however, whether the word itself means champion, though Goliath surely was. This same word appears in one of the writings from Qumran, where it means “an infantryman,” who fights between the battle lines. It is better to translate this as “an infantryman” (so Anchor Bible). See also Bible en français courant, “A Philistine soldier.”
Six cubits and a span: a cubit is about forty-five centimeters (eighteen inches). It is based of the distance from the elbow to the tip of the middle finger of an adult male. A span (the distance from the tip of the thumb to the tip of the little finger when a man’s hand is spread out) is nearly half a cubit, that is, about eight inches or about twenty-two centimeters. The height of Goliath will need to be expressed in an understandable form in the receptor language. But it need not be expressed in precise terms. Good News Translation says “over nine feet tall.” New Century Version is probably too specific: “about nine feet and four inches tall.” Where the metric system is used, the equivalent will be “nearly 3 meters” (Bible en français courant, La Bible du Semeur, and Parola Del Signore: La Bibbia in Lingua Corrente).
As the note in Good News Translation indicates, there is a textual problem in this verse. The Septuagint and a Hebrew manuscript from Qumran state that Goliath was four cubits and a span, which equals “six and a half feet tall” (New American Bible). But the failure to mention this problem in Hebrew Old Testament Text Project suggests that the Masoretic Text should be followed here.
Quoted with permission from Omanson, Roger L. and Ellington, John E. A Handbook on the First and Second Books of Samuel, Volume 1. (UBS Helps for Translators). New York: UBS, 2001. For this and other handbooks for translators see here .
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