complete verse (Exodus 36:16)

Following are a number of back-translations as well as a sample translation for translators of Exodus 36:16:

  • Kupsabiny: “Those people sewed the five clothes to become one cloth and the other six where also sewn to become one.” (Source: Kupsabiny Back Translation)
  • Newari: “They made one, joining the five clothes and another one joining the six clothes too.” (Source: Newari Back Translation)
  • Hiligaynon: “They joined-together the five clothing-material, and also the six remaining (sheets).” (Source: Hiligaynon Back Translation)
  • Bariai: “He sewed five cloths so that they went and were joined and so became like one long cloth. And he sewed the six other cloths which were remaining still, so that they went and were joined together also like that, and so they became like another long cloth yet its pieces were six.” (Source: Bariai Back Translation)
  • Opo: “They sewed the five together, and sixth other, they made it thus also.” (Source: Opo Back Translation)
  • English: “They sewed five of these pieces of cloth together to make one set, and they sewed the other six pieces of cloth together to make another set.” (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 .