wisdom

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The Hebrew, Aramaic, and Greek that is translated as “wisdom” in English is rendered in Amganad Ifugao and Tabasco Chontal as “(big) mind,” in Bulu and Yamba as “heart-thinking,” in Tae’ as “cleverness of heart” (source for this and all above: Reiling / Swellengrebel), in Palauan as “bright spirit (innermost)” (source: Bratcher / Hatton), in Ixcatlán Mazatec as “with your best/biggest thinking” (source: Robert Bascom), in Noongar as dwangka-boola, lit. “ear much” (source: Portions of the Holy Bible in the Nyunga language of Australia, 2018 — see also remember), and in Dobel, it is translated with the idiom “their ear holes are long-lasting” (in Acts 6:3) (source: Jock Hughes).

See also wisdom (Proverbs).

Translation commentary on Exod 35:25 - 35:26

And all the women who had ability, literally “And every woman wise of heart,” means “All the skilled women” (Good News Translation), or “The women who were good at weaving cloth” (Contemporary English Version). The same expression is used in 28.3 without specifying either men or women. (See the comment there.) Spun with their hands, literally “by her hands they spun,” refers to the ancient skill of spinning thread or yarn from animal or vegetable fibers. In some modern cultures spinning is still done by hand, so spun with their hands should be retained. But since the spinning was obviously done with their hands, some translations omit these words (Revised English Bible, Translator’s Old Testament). Good News Translation even omits the word spun and assumes it is understood with the word “made.” So and brought what they had spun may be understood as “they brought the thread [or, yarn] which they had made.”

In blue and purple and scarlet stuff is the same formula first used in 25.4. (See the comment there.) And fine twined linen is simply “and the linen,” which probably refers to the “fine linen thread” (Good News Translation) before it was woven into cloth.

All the women whose hearts were moved with ability is literally “and all the women who their heart lifted them up in wisdom.” This may be another way of referring to the same women as in verse 25, but it may also refer to women who specialized in spinning goats’ hair, assuming it took special skill. Good News Translation takes the former view and simply has “They” in reference to those mentioned in verse 25. But New Revised Standard Version has “all the women whose hearts moved them to use their skill,” and New Jewish Publication Society’s Tanakh has “all the women who excelled in that skill.” Goats’ hair is literally “goats,” but the hair is understood. (See the comment at 25.4.)

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 .