bronze

The Hebrew, Latin, Ge’ez, and Greek that is translated as “bronze” in English is translated in Newari as “bell-metal,” since bells are made of bronze in Nepal (source: Newari Back Translation).

See also bronze vessel.

complete verse (Exodus 27:10)

Following are a number of back-translations as well as a sample translation for translators of Exodus 27:10:

  • Kupsabiny: “Those curtains should be tied to twenty pillars of bronze and standing on twenty things of bronze, and having clips/hooks and/with silver runners.” (Source: Kupsabiny Back Translation)
  • Newari: “There must be twenty pillars set in the twenty bases of bronze. But the hooks and the ropes to attach to the pillars must be of silver.” (Source: Newari Back Translation)
  • Hiligaynon: “Connect this curtain to the 20 bronze posts which are-inserted into the 20 bronze bases. The things-used-to-hang the curtains are the silver hooks which are-connected to the silver rods on the posts.” (Source: Hiligaynon Back Translation)
  • Bariai: “And you (pl.) must make this long side of the fence with its twenty posts. And make twenty bras post bases also to be for the standing up of the posts. And on each of the posts, make silva hooks and silva cross-pieces also.” (Source: Bariai Back Translation)
  • Opo: “you shall pound metal red which be 20 for its hanging wood, and metal red which be 20 other for planting-hole. you shall pound gold white, made crooks head, seal it on its hanging wood, and you shall pound gold white for its beams.” (Source: Opo Back Translation)
  • English: “To support/hang the curtain, tell them to make twenty bronze posts, and one bronze base for each post. To fasten the curtains to the posts, they must make silver hooks, and metal rods covered with silver to fasten the curtains to the hooks.” (Source: Translation for Translators)

Translation commentary on Exod 27:10

Their pillars shall be twenty is literally “and its pillars twenty.” The pronoun their follows the Septuagint and refers to the “hangings” in verse 9. New Revised Standard Version has changed the pronoun to “its,” which refers to “the court.” The word for pillars is the same as in 26.32. The material for the pillars is not indicated, but probably they were also made from acacia wood. And their bases twenty refers to the bases of the pillars. The word for bases is the same word used in 26.19 and 32.

Of bronze seems to be dangling, and it is not clear whether this refers to the pillars as well as the bases. A number of translations follow the word order of the Hebrew and retain its ambiguity. New International Version and Revised English Bible identify only the bases as being made of bronze. But Good News Translation includes the pillars: “supported by twenty bronze posts in twenty bronze bases” (similarly New Revised Standard Version, Translator’s Old Testament, and Contemporary English Version). They were probably acacia “posts” overlaid with bronze, since the posts inside the tabernacle were acacia overlaid with gold (26.32).

But the hooks of the pillars uses the same word for hooks as 26.32. They were evidently attached to the pillars. And their fillets refers to some kind of narrow “bands” (New Revised Standard Version) or “rods” (Good News Translation) that were attached to the pillars. The idea of “bands” suggests that each of the pillars had its own band, or fillet, that encircled it at the top; the idea of “rods” suggests that the pillars were connected together by these rods, or fillets. (See also verse 17 and the suggested models there.) The pronoun their probably refers to the pillars rather than to the hooks, but this is not clear. The word for fillets seems to have the root meaning of “attached to.” Shall be of silver refers to both the hooks and the fillets. According to 38.19, however, the fillets may have been made out of a stronger metal and then overlaid with silver.

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 .