The Hebrew, Ge’ez, and Greek that is translated as “tabernacle” in English is translated in San Blas Kuna as “house of prayer that can be carried.” (Source: Ronald Ross)
In Bandi it is translated as “holy sitting place.” The “sitting place for the Bandi is where you live.” Therefore the tabernacle is the place where God lived. (Source: Becky Grossmann in this newsletter )
In Vidunda it is translated as “God’s tent” (source: Pioneer Bible Translators, project-specific translation notes in Paratext) and in Tibetan as gur mchog (གུར་མཆོག) or “perfect tent” (source: gSungrab website )
In American Sign Language it is translated with with a sign for “tent” combined with a sign referring to the outer court surrounding the tent (see Exodus 27:9 and following). (Source: Ruth Anna Spooner, Ron Lawer)
“Tabernacle” in American Sign Language, source: Deaf Harbor
Following are a number of back-translations as well as a sample translation for translators of Exodus 26:6:
Kupsabiny: “Someone prepare fifty golden clips/hooks for joining those two big cloths together to become one so that (it) covers in this way the Tent of God on the inner side.” (Source: Kupsabiny Back Translation)
Newari: “After having made the hooks of gold join the two (large) pieces of cloth making one out of it with those hooks. In this way the two pieces of cloth will become one. para” (Source: Newari Back Translation)
Hiligaynon: “Then [you (sing.)] have-(someone)-make 50 hooks to join the loops/things-like-rings of the two connected cloth-materials. In this way the Worship-Place Tent will-be-made.” (Source: Hiligaynon Back Translation)
Bariai: “And also, make fifty gol hooks to be for the attaching of these two big cloths, in order for it to go and become like one huge cloth.” (Source: Bariai Back Translation)
Opo: “you shall pound gold red for loops which be 50, tie it inside of loops, in order that covering of Dwelling-Tent-of-God will be cloth one.” (Source: Opo Back Translation)
English: “Tell them to make 50 gold clasps/fasteners, to fasten both of the sets together. As a result, the inside of the Sacred Tent will be as though it was one piece.” (Source: Translation for Translators)
And you shall make fifty clasps of gold still uses the singular you. The word for clasps can also mean “hooks” (Good News Translation, Contemporary English Version) or “fasteners” (Revised English Bible). It is derived from the verb meaning “to bend over.” They were possibly S-shaped. And couple the curtains is literally “and you shall join the tent-fabric,” meaning the two linen sets. One to the other is identical with verse 3. With the clasps means that one clasp is intended to join a loop on one set with its corresponding loop on the other set.
That the tabernacle may be one whole is literally “and the mishkan shall be one” (repeating the term used at verse 1). This suggests that the large piece of linen material is now identified as the tabernacle itself. Durham has “thus the Tabernacle will be in one piece.” It is possible to combine verses 4-6 in the following way:
• Sew fifty loops made out of blue cloth onto the outside piece of each set of linen cloth. Then take fifty gold hooks and fasten the two sets together. In this way the tabernacle will be one piece.
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 .
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