Jerusalem

The name that is transliterated as “Jerusalem” in English is signed in French Sign Language with a sign that depicts worshiping at the Western Wall in Jerusalem:


“Jerusalem” in French Sign Language (source: La Bible en langue des signes française )

While a similar sign is also used in British Sign Language, another, more neutral sign that combines the sign “J” and the signs for “place” is used as well. (Source: Anna Smith)


“Jerusalem” in British Sign Language (source: Christian BSL, used with permission)

Learn more on Bible Odyssey: Jerusalem .

Judah, Judea

The name that is transliterated as “Judah” or “Judea” in English (referring to the son of Jacob, the tribe, and the territory) is translated in Spanish Sign Language as “lion” (referring to Genesis 49:9 and Revelation 5:5). This sign for lion is reserved for regions and kingdoms. (Source: John Elwode in The Bible Translator 2008, p. 78ff. and Steve Parkhurst)


“Judah” and “Judea” in Spanish Sign Language, source: Sociedad Bíblica de España

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 Judah, Judah (son of Jacob) , and Tribe of Judah .

complete verse (Ezekiel 21:20)

Following are a number of back-translations as well as a sample translation for translators of Ezekiel 21:20:

  • Kupsabiny: “One sign shall show the king the road that goes to the city of the Ammonites that is called Rabbah. And the other one shows the road that goes to Jerusalem in Judah, that guarded city.” (Source: Kupsabiny Back Translation)
  • Hiligaynon: “The one road going to Raba, the capital of Ammon, and the one going to Jerusalem, the stoned-wall capital of Juda.” (Source: Hiligaynon Back Translation)
  • English: “If they continue on the one road, they will attack Rabbahcity, the capital of the Ammon people-group. If they continue on the other road, they will come to Judah and to Jerusalem, a city with walls around it.” (Source: Translation for Translators)

Translation commentary on Ezekiel 21:20

Mark a way for the sword to come to Rabbah of the Ammonites and to Judah and to Jerusalem the fortified: The map that Ezekiel drew almost certainly depicted the major highways of ancient Israel. The road from Babylonia to Egypt forked at Damascus. To the left was the King’s Highway that went south through the mountainous country of Gilead, Ammon and Moab, east of the Jordan River. To the right was the Way of the Sea that passed through Canaan between the Jordan River and the Mediterranean Sea. Rabbah was the capital city of the Ammonites, who were people who lived northeast of the Dead Sea, in a country today called Jordan. The King’s Highway went through it. To go to Judah and Jerusalem, Nebuchadnezzar had to take the road to the right, that is, the Way of the Sea. As in the previous verse, the sword stands for the Babylonian king and his sword (or even his army) and may be rendered “the king with his sword.” Fortified means “protected with strong walls” (New Century Version). Instead of to Judah and to Jerusalem the fortified, Revised English Bible has “to Judah, with Jerusalem at its heart,” which follows the reading found in the Septuagint. It is best to follow the Hebrew text and the majority of the translations.

A model for this verse is:

• One road will show the king and his sword the way to the Ammonite city of Rabbah and the other will show the way to Judah and to Jerusalem with its strong walls.

Quoted with permission from Gross, Carl & Stine, Philip C. A Handbook on Ezekiel. (UBS Helps for Translators). Miami: UBS, 2016. For this and other handbooks for translators see here .