cubit

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).

complete verse (Ezekiel 48:20)

Following are a number of back-translations as well as a sample translation for translators of Ezekiel 48:20:

  • Kupsabiny: “The sides of this place that is set aside are equal/same size, including the holy place and where the city shall be built. It must have twelve and a half kilometers.” (Source: Kupsabiny Back Translation)
  • Hiligaynon: “Therefore the entire land which you will-give to the LORD as a special gift, including the holy land and the town, is twelve kilometers square.” (Source: Hiligaynon Back Translation)
  • English: “That entire special area, including the sacred lands and the city, will be a square that is 8.3 miles/13.3 km. on each side.” (Source: Translation for Translators)

formal 2nd person plural pronoun (Japanese)

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Like a number of other East Asian languages, Japanese uses a complex system of honorifics, i.e. a system where a number of different levels of politeness are expressed in language via words, word forms or grammatical constructs. These can range from addressing someone or referring to someone with contempt (very informal) to expressing the highest level of reference (as used in addressing or referring to God) or any number of levels in-between.

One way Japanese shows different degree of politeness is through the choice of a formal plural suffix to the second person pronoun (“you” and its various forms) as shown here in the widely-used Japanese Shinkaiyaku (新改訳) Bible of 2017. In these verses, anata-gata (あなたがた) is used, combining the second person pronoun anata and the plural suffix -gata to create a formal plural pronoun (“you” [plural] in English).

(Source: S. E. Doi, see also S. E. Doi in Journal of Translation, 18/2022, p. 37ff. )

Translation commentary on Ezekiel 48:20

The whole portion which you shall set apart shall be twenty-five thousand cubits square …: This verse summarizes verses 8-19. The whole portion which you shall set apart includes the holy portion, that is, the sections allocated to the priests and the Levites (see verses 9-14) and the property of the city, that is, the additional strip of land where the city will be located. The dimensions of this whole area will be twenty five thousand cubits square, that is, about 12.5 kilometers (8 miles) square. For set apart, which means dedicate to God, see verse 8 for the holy portion, see verse 10.

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 .