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 36:38)

Following are a number of back-translations as well as a sample translation for translators of Exodus 36:38:

  • Kupsabiny: “(They) also made for this curtain five pillars of acacia wood and coated (them) with gold and made for it golden clips and after that, (they) prepared/made five things from bronze for those pillars to stand on.” (Source: Kupsabiny Back Translation)
  • Newari: “They made five pillars of acacia wood for this curtain. They overlaid them with gold. Their hooks were gold. Then they set five pillars on the five bronze bases.” (Source: Newari Back Translation)
  • Hiligaynon: “They also made five post with hooks, and they cause-to-hang the curtain. These posts were covered with gold including their heads/tips and rods, and set-inside/(inserted) to five bronze bases.” (Source: Hiligaynon Back Translation)
  • Bariai: “And he made five posts for that cloth, and then affixed hooks onto them, and so it was for the hanging of that big cloth. And when it was done, then he took wide pieces of gol and then wrapped them on the tops (lit. heads) of the posts and the cross-pieces. And he made those five posts with their bras bases.” (Source: Bariai Back Translation)
  • Opo: “Also, they chop white-acacia five its hanging-wood, applied it with gold red. They pound gold red, made crooks head, sealed it at its body, and they pound metal red its planting-holes.” (Source: Opo Back Translation)
  • English: “To support this curtain, they also made five posts from acacia wood and fastened gold clasps/fasteners to them. They completely covered the posts with gold. They also made a bronze base for each of those posts.” (Source: Translation for Translators)

Translation commentary on Exod 36:38

This verse corresponds with 26.37, but there are differences that should be shown in translation. And its five pillars is a continuation of the previous verse and depends upon the verb “he also made.” With their hooks is literally “and their hooks,” with the pronoun their referring to the pillars. (See the comment on hooks at 26.37.)

He overlaid their capitals is literally “and he overlaid their heads,” meaning the “tops” of the “posts” (Good News Translation). This should not suggest a decorative crown at the top of the pillars like those in Solomon’s Temple. (In 1Kings 16 a different Hebrew word is used.) Although it is not stated in the Hebrew, “with gold” (Good News Translation) should be understood. Note that in 26.37 the entire posts were to be “overlaid,” but here only the “tops” are mentioned. This does not necessarily mean that the posts were not overlaid. Some consider this to be a clarification of 36.37, but it should not influence the translation there. Contemporary English Version has “They made five posts, covered them completely with gold…,” and this of course includes the tops.

And their fillets were of gold refers to either the “bands” (New Revised Standard Version) or “rods” (Good News Translation) that were similar to those for the posts used for the courtyard enclosure. The term for fillets is first used in 27.10. (See the comment there.) For these “posts,” however, they were made of gold, not of silver.

But their five bases were of bronze is literally “and their five bases bronze,” with the verb were understood. The use of but shows the contrast with the gold, although it is the common conjunction waw. So a few translations simply have “and” instead of but.

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 .