years (age)

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).

See also advanced in years.

David

The name that is transliterated as “David” in English is translated in Spanish Sign Language with the sign signifying king and a sling (referring to 1 Samuel 17:49 and 2 Samuel 5:4). (Source: John Elwode in The Bible Translator 2008, p. 78ff. )


“Elizabeth” in Spanish Sign Language, source: Sociedad Bíblica de España

In German Sign Language it is only the sling. (See here ).


“David” in German Sign Language (source )

The (Protestant) Mandarin Chinese transliteration of “David” is 大卫 (衛) / Dàwèi which carries an additional meaning of “Great Protector.”

Click or tap here to see a short video clip about David (source: Bible Lands 2012)

Learn more on Bible Odyssey: David .

Translation commentary on 2 Samuel 5:4

This is the usual formula for describing the reign of a king in Israel. It occurs more than thirty times in the Old Testament. Here the reference is to David’s total reign, including the seven years in Judah and the subsequent years over all Israel. This is made clear in the following verse. Compare 2.10 and 1 Sam 13.1.

Although this is not done by Revised Standard Version or Good News Translation, a new paragraph should probably begin here, since the account of the capture of Zion breaks the continuity of the story, which is continued in verse 17. Such a break is made in New Jewish Publication Society’s Tanakh, New Jerusalem Bible, Revised English Bible, and Anchor Bible.

The words began to reign are intended to mark the time when David first became king.

The number forty is often used in the Old Testament as a round number to indicate a long period of time rather than a precise length of time. Israel wandered in the wilderness for forty years (Deut 2.7; Josh 5.6). Othniel (Judges 3.11), Gideon (Judges 8.28), Samuel (1 Sam 4.18), Saul (Acts 13.21), David, Solomon (1 Kgs 11.42), and Joash (2 Kgs 12.1) ruled for forty years (see also Judges 5.31). The Philistines ruled Israel for forty years (Judges 13.1), and God promised to punish Egypt for forty years (Ezek 29.11-13). Translators should keep the number forty in the text, but they may wish to state in a footnote that this may be a round number in Hebrew, indicating a long period of time.

Quoted with permission from Omanson, Roger L. and Ellington, John E. A Handbook on the First and Second Books of Samuel, Volume 2. (UBS Helps for Translators). New York: UBS, 2001. For this and other handbooks for translators see here .