years (age)

In Aekyom, years are counted as “turtles” (ambum).

Norm Mundhenk tells this story:

“Recently I was checking some New Testament material in the Aekyom language of western Papua New Guinea. It seemed relatively clear until suddenly we came to a passage that started, ‘When Jesus had 12 turtles, …’ Surely I had misunderstood what they said.
“‘Did you say that Jesus had 12 turtles?’
“‘Let us explain! Around here there is a certain time every year when river turtles come up on the banks and lay their eggs. Because this is so regular, it can be used as a way of counting years. Someone’s age is said to be how many turtles that person has. So when we say that Jesus had 12 turtles, we mean that Jesus was 12 years old.’
“It was of course the familiar story of Jesus’ trip with his parents to Jerusalem. And certainly, as we all know, Jesus did indeed have 12 turtles at that time!”

In Tok Pisin, krismas (derived from “christmas”) is taken as the fixed annual marker, so Jesus had 12 “christmases” (Jisas i gat 12-pela krismas pinis) or Abram (in Gen. 12:4) had 75 (Abram i gat 75 krismas) (source: Norm Mundhenk). In Noongar it is biroka kadak or “summers had” (source: Warda-Kwabba Luke-Ang).

See also advanced in years.

Aaron

The name that is transliterated as “Aaron” in English means “light,” “a mountain of strength” “to be high.” (Source: Cornwall / Smith 1997 )

In Catalan Sign Language and Spanish Sign Language it is translated as “stones on chest plate” (according to Exodus 28:15-30) (Source: John Elwode in The Bible Translator 2008, p. 78ff. )


“Aaron” in Spanish Sign Language, source: Sociedad Bíblica de España

In Colombian Sign Language, Honduras Sign Language, and American Sign Language, the chest plate is outlined (in ASL it is outlined using the letter “A”):


“Aaron” in ASL (source )

For more information on translations of proper names with sign language see Sign Language Bible Translations Have Something to Say to Hearing Christians .

See also Moses, more information on Aaron , and this lectionary in The Christian Century .

complete verse (Exodus 6:20)

Following are a number of back-translations as well as a sample translation for translators of Exodus 6:20:

  • Kupsabiny: “Amram married his father’s sister called Jochebed. Jochebed bore Amram these men: Aaron and Moses. Amram died when he was one hundred and thirty seven (137) years old.” (Source: Kupsabiny Back Translation)
  • Newari: “Amram married his father’s sister Jochebed, she bore to Aaron and Moses. Amram lived 137 years.” (Source: Newari Back Translation)
  • Hiligaynon: “Amram married Jokebed who was the sibling/(sister) of his father. And their male children were-namely Aaron and Moises. Amram lived 137 years.” (Source: Hiligaynon Back Translation)
  • Bariai: “And Amram married his father’s sister Iokebet, and that woman bore Aron and Moses. And Amram was living for a duration of one hundred thirty seven (137) years, and when it was done then he died.” (Source: Bariai Back Translation)
  • Opo: “And Amram took the sister of his father who is named Jochebed for his wife, and she bore for him Aaron and Moses. When he died, Amram had years which be 137 ((one hundred thirty seven)).” (Source: Opo Back Translation)
  • English: “Amram married his father’s sister, Jochebed. She was the mother of Aaron and Moses/me. Amram was 137 years old when he died.” (Source: Translation for Translators)

Moses

The name that is transliterated as “Moses” in English means “taken out of the water,” “saved out of the water,” “a son.” (Source: Cornwall / Smith 1997 ). See also Translation commentary on Exodus 2:10.

It is translated in Spanish Sign Language and Polish Sign Language with a sign in accordance with the depiction of Moses in the famous statue by Michelangelo (see here ). (Source: John Elwode in The Bible Translator 2008, p. 78ff. )


“Moses” in Spanish Sign Language, source: Sociedad Bíblica de España

American Sign Language also uses the sign depicting the horns but also has a number of alternative signs (see here ).

In French Sign Language, a similar sign is used, but it is interpreted as “radiance” (see below) and it culminates in a sign for “10,” signifying the 10 commandments:


“Moses” in French Sign Language (source )

The horns that are visible in Michelangelo’s statue are based on a passage in the Latin Vulgate translation (and many Catholic Bible translations that were translated through the 1950ies with that version as the source text). Jerome, the translator, had worked from a Hebrew text without the niqquds, the diacritical marks that signify the vowels in Hebrew and had interpreted the term קרו (k-r-n) in Exodus 34:29 as קֶ֫רֶן — keren “horned,” rather than קָרַו — karan “radiance” (describing the radiance of Moses’ head as he descends from Mount Sinai).

In Swiss-German Sign Language (and Hungarian Sign Language) it is translated with a sign depicting holding a staff. This refers to a number of times where Moses’s staff is used in the context of miracles, including the parting of the sea (see Exodus 14:16), striking of the rock for water (see Exodus 17:5 and following), or the battle with Amalek (see Exodus 17:9 and following).


“Moses” in Swiss-German Sign Language, source: DSGS-Lexikon biblischer Begriffe , © CGG Schweiz

In Vietnamese (Hanoi) Sign Language it is translated with the sign that depicts the eye make up he would have worn as the adopted son of an Egyptian princess. (Source: The Vietnamese Sign Language translation team, VSLBT)


“Moses” in Vietnamese Sign Language, source: SooSL

In Korean Sign Language it is translated with the sign that depicts the arms held up by Moses to assure the Israelites victory over the Amalekites (see Exodus 17:11).


“Moses” in Korean Sign Language, source: Korean Sign Language Bible House

In Estonian Sign Language Moses is depicted with a big beard. (Source: Liina Paales in Folklore 47, 2011, p. 43ff. )


“Moses” in Estonian Sign Language, source: Glossary of the EKNK Toompea kogudus

For more information on translations of proper names with sign language see Sign Language Bible Translations Have Something to Say to Hearing Christians .

Learn more on Bible Odyssey: Moses .

Translation commentary on Exod 6:20

Amram was Kohath’s eldest son and the father of Aaron and Moses. Took to wife is literally “took for a wife,” which is the Hebrew way of saying “married,” and this will be a natural expression in many languages. (The same expression occurs in 2.1.) Jochebed is mentioned only here and in Num 26.59 as Amram’s wife and the mother of Aaron and Moses (and Miriam). His father’s sister is of course “his aunt” (Jerusalem Bible, New Jerusalem Bible, New American Bible), but the Hebrew is more specific than the English “aunt.” Such a marriage was later forbidden for Israelites (see Lev 18.12 and 20.19), but it was evidently culturally accepted when Moses’ parents were married.

And she bore him Aaron and Moses means that Jochebed became pregnant by Amram and gave birth to Aaron and Moses for Amram. (Him is literally “to him,” “by him,” or “for him.”) In some languages it will be more natural style to translate the clause she bore him Aaron … as “they [Amram and Jochebed] had two sons….” Aaron is listed first because he was older (see 7.7), but also because the purpose of the genealogy is to show the priestly line of descent through Aaron, as mentioned in the introductory comment to this section.

The years of the life of Amram being one hundred and thirty-seven years is the third example of this formula (see verses 16 and 18). It simply means that “Amram lived 137 years.” Contemporary English Version, as in verses 16 and 18, restructures the verse in a way that will be helpful for many translators:

• Amram lived to be one hundred thirty-seven. He married his father’s sister Jochebed, and they had two sons, Aaron and Moses.

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 .