chariot

The Hebrew, Latin, Ge’ez, and Greek that is translated into English as “chariot” is translated into Anuak as “canoe pulled by horse.” “Canoe” is the general term for “vehicle” (source: Loren Bliese). Similarly it is translated in Lokạạ as ukwaa wạ nyanyang ntuuli or “canoe that is driven by horses.” (Source: J.A. Naudé, C.L. Miller Naudé, J.O. Obono in Acta Theologica 43/2, 2023, p. 129ff. )
Other translations include:

  • Eastern Highland Otomi: “cart pulled by horses” (source: Larson 1998, p. 98)
  • Chichicapan Zapotec: “ox cart” (in Acts 8) (ox carts are common vehicles for travel) (source: Loren Bliese)
  • Chichimeca-Jonaz, it is translated as “little house with two feet pulled by two horses” (source: Viola Waterhouse in Notes on Translation August 1966, p. 86ff.)
  • Hausa Common Language Bible as keken-doki or “cart of donkey” (source: Andy Warren-Rothlin)
  • Mairasi: “going-thing [vehicle]” (source: Enggavoter 2004)

It is illustrated for use in Bible translations in East Africa by Pioneer Bible Translators like this:

Image owned by PBT and Jonathan McDaniel and licensed with the Creative Commons Attribution 3.0 Unported License.

See also cart.

complete verse (Exodus 14:7)

Following are a number of back-translations as well as a sample translation for translators of Exodus 14:7:

  • Kupsabiny: “He prepared six hundred chariots of/for fierce/expert and powerful soldiers and again many other fierce soldiers in/from that land.” (Source: Kupsabiny Back Translation)
  • Newari: “He made ready six hundred of the best chariots along with all the other chariots of Egypt with officials over all of them.” (Source: Newari Back Translation)
  • Hiligaynon: “He brought 600 of the best chariots of Egipto and other chariots. Each chariot was managed by an official.” (Source: Hiligaynon Back Translation)
  • Bariai: “And he took his six hundred (600) good karises for fighting, together with all the people of fighting in Isip, and each one of his [subordinate] leaders were running with them.” (Source: Bariai Back Translation)
  • Opo: “And he selected chariot of horse which be 600 which be good, putting three people on one, its driver and soldier and chief. And chariot of horse of Egypt other, he took it also.” (Source: Opo Back Translation)
  • English: “Then he selected 600 of the best chariots, and in each chariot he placed a driver, a soldier, and a commander, and they left. Other chariots, with a driver and a soldier in each of them, also went along.” (Source: Translation for Translators)

large numbers in Angguruk Yali

Many languages use a “body part tally system” where body parts function as numerals (see body part tally systems with a description). One such language is Angguruk Yali which uses a system that ends at the number 27. To circumvent this limitation, the Angguruk Yali translators adopted a strategy where a large number is first indicated with an approximation via the traditional system, followed by the exact number according to Arabic numerals. For example, where in 2 Samuel 6:1 it says “thirty thousand” in the English translation, the Angguruk Yali says teng-teng angge 30.000 or “so many rounds [following the body part tally system] 30,000,” likewise, in Acts 27:37 where the number “two hundred seventy-six” is used, the Angguruk Yali translation says teng-teng angge 276 or “so many rounds 276,” or in John 6:10 teng-teng angge 5.000 for “five thousand.”

This strategy is used in all the verses referenced here.

Source: Lourens de Vries in The Bible Translator 1998, p. 409ff.

See also numbers in Ngalum and numbers in Kombai.

Translation commentary on Exod 14:6 - 14:7

So he made ready his chariot means that the Pharaoh “hooked up his chariot” (Durham), or “put horses to his chariot” (New English Bible). Since he was king, it is likely he had it done for him, so Revised English Bible has “Pharaoh had his chariot yoked.” Another way to render this is “The king had them hook horses up to his chariot.” The word for chariot is sometimes used collectively, so the plural may be intended, as in New American Bible: “So Pharaoh made his chariots ready.” The Egyptian “war chariot” (Good News Translation) had two wheels and was pulled by two horses. In many languages translators will need to use a descriptive phrase for chariot; for example, “horse-drawn war cart [or, wagon]” or “war cart pulled by two horses.” (For “horses” see 9.2-3.)

And took his army with him uses the word for “people” (American Standard Version), but it is clear from the context that these were his “men” (New Jewish Publication Society’s Tanakh), or his “soldiers” (New American Bible). New Jerusalem Bible and Revised English Bible have “troops.” Good News Translation simply has “The king got his war chariot and his army ready.” This is because the sentence continues, and the took may be saved for the next verse. In a number of languages, however, there will be one set of words for getting a chariot ready and another set of words for getting an army ready. In such cases the following model will be helpful: “He had them hook up horses to his war chariot and commanded that they get all his soldiers ready to chase after the Israelites.”

The six hundred picked chariots are distinguished from all the other chariots of Egypt because they were picked, or “the best” (New International Version, New Jerusalem Bible). New American Bible has “first-class chariots.” All the other chariots of Egypt suggests that none were left behind. With officers over all of them uses a word that means “a third man,” or “commander” (Revised English Bible), so it may be assumed that each of these chariots had three riders—the driver, the warrior, and the “third man,” who was over it as commander.

Good News Translation‘s model for verse 7 will be helpful for many translators. However, for some translators the long and complicated sentence will be difficult to reproduce. An alternative model is:

• He took all his chariots with him. Six hundred of these were his best chariots. Each chariot had an officer [or, commander] in charge of it.

Quoted with permission from Osborn, Noel D. and Hatton, Howard A. A Handbook on Exodus. (UBS Helps for Translators). New York: UBS, 1999. For this and other handbooks for translators see here .