cubit

The Hebrew, Aramaic and Greek that is translated as “cubit” or into a metric or imperial measurement in English is translated in Kutu, Kwere, and Nyamwezi as makono or “armlength.” Since a cubit is the measurement from the elbow to the tip of the middle finger, one armlength (measured from the center of the chest to the fingertips) equals two cubits or roughly 1 meter. (Source: Pioneer Bible Translators, project-specific translation notes in Paratext)

Similarly, in Akoose, the translation is “arm distance.” (Source: Joseph Nkwelle Ngome and Marlie van Rooyen & Jacobus A. Naudé in Communicatio 2009, p. 251ff.)

In Klao it is converted into “hand spans” (app. 6 inches or 12 cm) and “finger spans” (app. 1 inch or 2 cm) (source: Don Slager) and in Bariai into leoa or “fathom,” which comprises the distance from a person’s fingertip to fingertip with arms outstretched, app. 6 feet (source: Bariai Back Translation).

distance (long / wide / high)

The concepts of distance that are translated in English with “long,” “wide,” and “high/tall” are translated in Kwere with one word: utali. (Source: Pioneer Bible Translators, project-specific translation notes in Paratext)

complete verse (Exodus 36:15)

Following are a number of back-translations as well as a sample translation for translators of Exodus 36:15:

  • Kupsabiny: “All those curtains were of the same size and each one had a length of thirteen meters and width of two meters.” (Source: Kupsabiny Back Translation)
  • Newari: “Each clothes were the same size. And they made it thirty cubits long and four cubits wide.” (Source: Newari Back Translation)
  • Hiligaynon: “Each clothing-material has 45 feet long and has six feet wide.” (Source: Hiligaynon Back Translation)
  • Bariai: “Those eleven cloths turned out just the same. Their length amounted to seven and a half fathoms. And their width amounted to one fathom.” (Source: Bariai Back Translation)
  • Opo: “Cloth one, it not another be greater with length with width. Its length be joint of hand which be 30, and its width be joint of hand four.” (Source: Opo Back Translation)
  • English: “Each piece of cloth was 15 yards/13.5 meters long and 2 yards/1.8 meters wide.” (Source: Translation for Translators)

Translation commentary on Exod 36:15 - 36:16

Verses 15-16 are practically identical with 26.8-9a. Verse 15 has no verb in the Hebrew, and neither does 26.8, so the context must determine the tense of the verbs was and had in place of “shall be” and “shall have” in 26.8.

He coupled replaces “you shall couple” in 26.9, but it is better to translate “they joined” (New International Version), using the plural instead of the singular he, on the basis of verse 8. Contemporary English Version translates this as “were joined,” again using the passive voice. Good News Translation‘s “they sewed five of them together” is the correct meaning.

The last part of 26.9 is not repeated here, probably because it simply involved the folding over the excess material when the tent was erected. This was not a detail for the construction but for the final assembly.

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 .