complete verse (Ezra 2:38)

Following are a number of back-translations as well as a sample translation for translators of Ezra 2:38:

  • Kupsabiny: “those of Pashhur are 1,247,” (Source: Kupsabiny Back Translation)
  • Newari: “Descendants of Pashhur, 1,247” (Source: Newari Back Translation)
  • Hiligaynon:

    These are the descendants of the priests who returned from captivity:

    Descendants of Jedaya (from the family of Jeshua) 973
    Imer 1,052
    Pashur 1,247
    Harim 1,017

    (Source: Hiligaynon Back Translation)

  • English: “1,247 – descendants of Pashhur” (Source: Translation for Translators)

Translation commentary on Ezra 2:36 - Ezra 2:39

The next part of the list records the numbers of the priestly clans. In this list the priests are recorded after the ordinary people showing that priority is given here to the laity. This list is repeated three times in all, twice in Ezra (2.36-39 and 10.18-22) and once in Nehemiah (7.39-42).

The priests: See 1.5. Jeshua was the high priest after the exile and was already named in verse 2 above. He was of the priestly family of Jedaiah. The sons of Jedaiah, of the house of Jeshua can be understood to mean “the sons of Jedaiah, that is those from the house of Jeshua” (compare 1 Chr 24.7). The house of refers to the descendants of someone, as Good News Translation makes explicit. The number in verse 36 refers to the number of people from Jedaiah’s priestly family who returned after the exile, and translators may make this explicit as Good News Translation has done.

Quoted with permission from Noss, Philip A. and Thomas, Kenneth J. A Handbook on Ezra. (UBS Helps for Translators). New York: UBS, 2005. For this and other handbooks for translators see here .

SIL Translator’s Notes on Ezra 2:38

2:38 the descendants of Pashhur, 1,247;

one thousand, two hundred and forty-seven (1,247) ⌊priests⌋ from the clan of Pashhur,
-or-
From the family of Pashhur there were one thousand, two hundred and forty-seven ⌊sacrificers who returned⌋.
-or-
1,247 ⌊priests returned⌋ from the descendants of Pashhur.

© 2020 by SIL International®
Made available under the terms of a Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 License (CC BY-SA) creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0.
All Scripture quotations in this publication, unless otherwise indicated, are from The Holy Bible, Berean Standard Bible.
BSB is produced in cooperation with Bible Hub, Discovery Bible, OpenBible.com, and the Berean Bible Translation Committee.