complete verse (Exodus 37:5)

Following are a number of back-translations as well as a sample translation for translators of Exodus 37:5:

  • Kupsabiny: “(He) entered one pole into (the) rings for this side and the other (pole) (he) entered into (the) rings for the other side of the Box.” (Source: Kupsabiny Back Translation)
  • Newari: “He inserted the carrying poles into the rings of both sides to carry the ark.” (Source: Newari Back Translation)
  • Hiligaynon: “They put-through/inserted the poles on each side of the Box so the Box can-be-lifted by-means-of the poles.” (Source: Hiligaynon Back Translation)
  • Bariai: “And when it was done, then he inserted the two poles into the ring-handles of the box. He inserted one pole on one side, and the other pole on the other side, to be for carrying the box.” (Source: Bariai Back Translation)
  • Opo: “put it through at the place where [it] be bored hole, in order that they might carry it.” (Source: Opo Back Translation)
  • English: “He put the poles into the rings on the sides of the chest, in order that the chest could be carried by means of the poles.” (Source: Translation for Translators)

Translation commentary on Exod 37:4 - 37:5

Verses 4-5 are identical with 25.13-14 with the exception of the verbs he made, he overlaid, and he put, which show the work was done by Bezalel exactly as Yahweh had specified to Moses. One other minor difference is that 25.14 has “to carry the ark by them,” whereas here it is simply to carry the ark. Good News Translation puts “carrying poles” at the beginning of the verse, whereas Contemporary English Version has the idea of “carried” in the final sentence, “so the chest could be carried by the poles.” In languages that do not use the passive, one may say, for example, “so that they could use the poles to carry the chest.”

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 .