5Another section, twenty-five thousand cubits long and ten thousand cubits wide, shall be for the Levites who minister at the temple, as their holding for cities to live in.
The Hebrew, Aramaic and Greek that is translated as “cubit” or into a metric or imperial measurement in English is translated in Kutu, Kwere, and Nyamwezi as makono or “armlength.” Since a cubit is the measurement from the elbow to the tip of the middle finger, one armlength (measured from the center of the chest to the fingertips) equals two cubits or roughly 1 meter. (Source: Pioneer Bible Translators, project-specific translation notes in Paratext)
Similarly, in Akoose, the translation is “arm distance.” (Source: Joseph Nkwelle Ngome and Marlie van Rooyen & Jacobus A. Naudé in Communicatio 2009, p. 251ff.)
In Klao it is converted into “hand spans” (app. 6 inches or 12 cm) and “finger spans” (app. 1 inch or 2 cm) (source: Don Slager) and in Bariai into leoa or “fathom,” which comprises the distance from a person’s fingertip to fingertip with arms outstretched, app. 6 feet (source: Bariai Back Translation).
The Greek, Hebrew, Aramaic and Latin that is transliterated “Levites” in English (only the Contemporary English Version translates it as “temple helpers”) is translated in Ojitlán Chinantec as “temple caretakers,” Yatzachi Zapotec as “people born in the family line of Levi, people whose responsibility it was to do the work in the important church of the Israelites,” in Alekano as “servants in the sacrifice house from Jerusalem place,” and in Tenango Otomi as “helpers of priests.” (Source: M. Larson / B. Moore in Notes on Translation February 1970, p. 1-125.)
In American Sign Language with a sign that combines “temple” + “servant.” (Source: Ruth Anna Spooner, Ron Lawer)
“Levite” in American Sign Language, source: Deaf Harbor
The concepts of distance that are translated in English with “long,” “wide,” and “high/tall” are translated in Kwere with one word: utali. (Source: Pioneer Bible Translators, project-specific translation notes in Paratext)
Following are a number of back-translations as well as a sample translation for translators of Ezekiel 45:5:
Kupsabiny: “And/But the other half/portion shall belong to the clan of Levi who (plur.) do (the) work in the Homestead of God. They will build there their houses that they live in.” (Source: Kupsabiny Back Translation)
Hiligaynon: “The half still of this land, which is twelve kilometers long and five kilometers wide, belongs to the Levites. They will-possess it, so-that they have towns where [they] will-live.” (Source: Hiligaynon Back Translation)
English: “An area 8.3 miles/13.3 km. long and 3.5 miles/5.3 km. wide will be for the descendants of Levi who work in the temple. That area will belong to them, and they will be permitted to build cities there to live in.” (Source: Translation for Translators)
Another section … shall be for the Levites who minister at the temple as their possession: The other half of the sacred area mentioned in verse 1 will belong to the Levites. Good News Translation says “The other half of the area is to be set aside as the possession of the Levites, who do the work in the Temple” (similarly Contemporary English Version), and New Living Translation has “The strip of sacred land next to it … will be a living area for the Levites. It will be their possession.” This area will be the same size as that of the priests’, namely, twenty-five thousand cubits long and ten thousand cubits broad (see Ezek 45.3). For who minister at the temple, see 44.11.
For cities to live in means the area will be a place where the Levites will live. This reading follows the Septuagint, instead of the Hebrew text, which reads literally “twenty chambers” (King James Version / New King James Version, New Jewish Publication Society’s Tanakh; similarly Complete Jewish Bible). The Hebrew makes little sense in this context, but with a few small changes to the Hebrew text it is easy to see where the reading reflected in the Septuagint came from. Most translations make the change, and Hebrew Old Testament Text Project supports the reading also.
A model for this verse is:
• The other half of the area (also 12.5 kilometers long and 5 kilometers wide) will belong to the Levites who serve in the Temple, so they can build towns there to live in.
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 .
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