cubit

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).

Translation commentary on The Prayer of Azariah and the Song of the Three Young Men 1:24

If integrated into the book of Daniel: 3.47

The flame streamed out … forty-nine cubits: Forty-nine cubits is equivalent to about 23 meters or 75 feet. The real significance is not the exact height of the flame but the symbolic significance of the number. Since the number seven symbolizes completeness, the number forty-nine (7 times 7 equals 49) symbolizes something really complete, really extreme. Anyone translating into the metric system is advised to translate this as “twenty-five meters” since it is more readily recognized as a round number; “twenty-three meters” would raise questions about why such a peculiar height. Another approach is to express the effect of the number forty-nine: “the flames blazed up to an enormous height.”

Good News Translation omits above the furnace, apparently thinking it is redundant. However, it should be included since the writer is saying how far above the furnace itself the flames reached. For furnace see what has been done at Dan 3.6.

Quoted with permission from Bullard, Roger A. and Hatton, Howard A. A Handbook on The Shorter Books of the Deuterocanon. (UBS Helps for Translators). New York: UBS, 2006. For this and other handbooks for translators see here.