The Greek and Hebrew that are translated as “consecration” or “consecrate” in English is translated in Poqomchi’ as “set apart” (when applying to a ritual not to a moral status). (Source: Robert Bascom)
In Newari it is translated as “make holy” (source: Newari Back Translation) and in Kwere as “put to holy work” when it refers to making someone or something suitable for priestly duties, when it refers to individual consecration outside of the priestly duty, “offer (yourselves) for my sake” is also used. (Pioneer Bible Translators, project-specific translation notes in Paratext)
The Hebrew and Greek that is translated with “clothes” or similar in English is translated in Enlhet as “crawling-in-stuff” (source: Jacob Loewen in The Bible Translator 1971, p. 169ff. ) and in Noongar as bwoka or “Kangaroo skin” (source: Warda-Kwabba Luke-Ang).
Ixcatlán Mazatec: “with your best/biggest thinking” (source: Robert Bascom)
Noongar: dwangka-boola, lit. “ear much” (source: Portions of the Holy Bible in the Nyunga language of Australia, 2018 — see also remember)
Kwere “to know how to live well” (source: Pioneer Bible Translators, project-specific translation notes in Paratext)
Dobel: “their ear holes are long-lasting” (in Acts 6:3) (source: Jock Hughes)
Gbaya: iŋa-mgbara-mɔ or “knowing-about-things” (note that in comparison to that, “knowledge” is translated as iŋa-mɔ or “knowing things”) (source: Philip Noss in The Bible Translator 2001, p. 114ff. )
Chichewa: nzeru, meaning both “knowledge” and “wisdom” (source: Mawu a Mulungu mu Chichewa Chalero Back Translation)
Highland Popoluca: “understand what God wants” (Source for this and five above: Viola Waterhouse in Notes on Translation August 1966, p. 86ff.)
In Hungarian Sign Language it is translated with a hand gesture referring to God to indicate a human quality to communicate that wisdom does not originate from man but is linked to and connected with the fear of God (source: Jenjelvi Biblia and HSL Bible Translation Group):
Following are a number of back-translations as well as a sample translation for translators of Exodus 28:3:
Kupsabiny: “All the people whom I gave wisdom of tailoring should be invited and you (sing.) tell them to make clothes for Aaron so that he is set apart for me as a priest.” (Source: Kupsabiny Back Translation)
Newari: “Summon all that I have given wisdom to do this kind of work. Command them to sew garments for Aaron. Then Aaron will serve me as priest.” (Source: Newari Back Translation)
Hiligaynon: “Tell all the good seamstresses/tailors to whom I have-given ability to sew, that they will-sew garments/clothing for Aaron that will-separate him from the people in-order-to serve me as a priest.” (Source: Hiligaynon Back Translation)
Bariai: “I gave knowledge to some people for doing artwork with good cloths. And so you (sing.) will speak to them in order that they make decorations of offerings for Aron. And so Aron will put on those decorations on the day in which I put a mark of ownership on him for doing my work of offerings.” (Source: Bariai Back Translation)
Opo: “Therefore, they who be wise for sewing of clothes, who I put spirit of skill in body, let them sew clothing of Aaron, in order that they might consecrate him as head of my priests.” (Source: Opo Back Translation)
English: “Talk to all the skilled workmen, those to whom I have given special ability. Tell them to make clothes for Aaron, for him to wear when he is set apart/dedicated to become a priest to serve me.” (Source: Translation for Translators)
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Like a number of other East Asian languages, Japanese uses a complex system of honorifics, i.e. a system where a number of different levels of politeness are expressed in language via words, word forms or grammatical constructs. These can range from addressing someone or referring to someone with contempt (very informal) to expressing the highest level of reference (as used in addressing or referring to God) or any number of levels in-between.
One way Japanese shows different degree of politeness is through the choice of a first person singular and plural pronoun (“I” and “we” and its various forms) as shown here in the widely-used Japanese Shinkaiyaku (新改訳) Bible of 2017. The most commonly used watashi/watakushi (私) is typically used when the speaker is humble and asking for help. In these verses, where God / Jesus is referring to himself, watashi is also used but instead of the kanji writing system (私) the syllabary hiragana (わたし) is used to distinguish God from others.
And you shall speak uses the emphatic you as in verse 1. This must be understood along with the words that they make, which give the meaning of “tell them to make” (Good News Translation). To all who have ability is literally “unto all [who are] wise of heart.” The heart was considered to be the seat of intelligence and skill. This probably refers to “skilled men” (New International Version), or “expert workmen” (New American Bible). The Hebrew, however, does not specify men to the exclusion of women. So Good News Translation‘s revised edition has “all the skilled workers” in place of the original “all the craftsmen.” Whom I have endowed with an able mind is literally “whom I have filled with a spirit of wisdom.” This means, of course, “to whom I have given ability” (Good News Translation), “whom I have endowed with skill” (New Revised Standard Version), or “persons who possess skills that I have given them” (Contemporary English Version).
That they may make Aaron’s garments, literally “and they will make the clothes of Aaron,” uses the same word for garments as verse 2. To consecrate him for my priesthood is literally “to make him holy for him to priest to [or, for] me.” This is the same verb form of the word for “priest” used in verse 1. (See the comment there.) The word for consecrate also means “to set apart” or “dedicate.” (See the comment on consecrate at 13.1-2.) It seems that Moses was the one to dedicate Aaron. So in some languages one may say “so that you may dedicate him as high priest” or “so that they may set him apart to me as high priest.”
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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