In Aekyom, years are counted as “turtles” (ambum).
Norm Mundhenk tells this story:
“Recently I was checking some New Testament material in the Aekyom language of western Papua New Guinea. It seemed relatively clear until suddenly we came to a passage that started, ‘When Jesus had 12 turtles, …’ Surely I had misunderstood what they said.
“‘Did you say that Jesus had 12 turtles?’
“‘Let us explain! Around here there is a certain time every year when river turtles come up on the banks and lay their eggs. Because this is so regular, it can be used as a way of counting years. Someone’s age is said to be how many turtles that person has. So when we say that Jesus had 12 turtles, we mean that Jesus was 12 years old.’
“It was of course the familiar story of Jesus’ trip with his parents to Jerusalem. And certainly, as we all know, Jesus did indeed have 12 turtles at that time!”
In Tok Pisin, krismas (derived from “christmas”) is taken as the fixed annual marker, so Jesus had 12 “christmases” (Jisas i gat 12-pela krismas pinis) or Abram (in Gen. 12:4) had 75 (Abram i gat 75 krismas) (source: Norm Mundhenk). In Noongar it is biroka kadak or “summers had” (source: Warda-Kwabba Luke-Ang).
The name that is transliterated as “Jerusalem” in English is signed in French Sign Language with a sign that depicts worshiping at the Western Wall in Jerusalem:
While a similar sign is also used in British Sign Language, another, more neutral sign that combines the sign “J” and the signs for “place” is used as well. (Source: Anna Smith)
“Jerusalem” in British Sign Language (source: Christian BSL, used with permission)
Following are a number of back-translations as well as a sample translation for translators of 2 Kings 18:2:
Kupsabiny: “Hezekiah had/was twenty-five years when he started rulership, and he ruled in Jerusalem for twenty-nine years. His mother was called Abi who was a daughter of man called Zechariah.” (Source: Kupsabiny Back Translation)
Newari: “He was twenty-five years old when he became king. He reigned in Jerusalem twenty-nine years. His mother’s name was Abijah, daughter of Zechariah.” (Source: Newari Back Translation)
Hiligaynon: “Hezekia was 25 years old when he became king. He lived in Jerusalem, and he reigned within the (period) of 29 years. His mother was Abia the child/(daughter) of Zacarias.” (Source: Hiligaynon Back Translation)
English: “He was 25 years old when he became the king of Judah and he ruled from Jerusalem for 29 years. His mother was Abijah, the daughter of a man whose name was Zechariah.” (Source: Translation for Translators)
This verse and the previous verse follow the customary formula for describing the beginning of the reign of the kings of Israel and Judah. The following information is provided here:
• (1) Age of the ruler at his coronation: twenty-five.
• (2) Length of his reign: twenty-nine years.
• (3) Location of his capital: Jerusalem.
• (4) His mother’s name: Abi. This name is spelled a different way in the ancient Greek version. The most common form of the name is “Abijah,” as in the parallel account in 2 Chr 29.1. It is this form of the name that is used by Good News Translation, New International Version, New Century Version and New Jerusalem Bible in this verse. It is probably better to use this longer form in both cases in order to avoid confusing the reader, who might otherwise think that two different persons are meant.
The Zechariah mentioned here is not Zechariah the late sixth-century prophet to whom the book of Zechariah is attributed, nor is it the king of Israel mentioned in chapter 15 of this book. There are, in fact, about thirty different people by this name mentioned in the Bible.
Some interpreters suggest that Abijah’s father may be the same Zechariah mentioned in Isa 8.2 since that Zechariah must have been a well-known person with influence among the people. But such an identification is only speculation. Perhaps in order to avoid giving the impression that Abijah’s father is the same as the prophet Zechariah, Parola Del Signore: La Bibbia in Lingua Corrente translates the last sentence of this verse as follows: “His mother was named Abi and was the daughter of a certain Zechariah.” The words “a certain Zechariah” do not mean “a specific person known by everyone,” but rather “someone named Zechariah.”
Quoted with permission from Omanson, Roger L. and Ellington, John E. A Handbook on 1-2 Kings, Volume 2. (UBS Helps for Translators). New York: UBS, 2008. For this and other handbooks for translators see here .
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