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.

complete verse (Genesis 26:34)

Following are a number of back-translations as well as a sample translation for translators of Genesis 26:34:

  • Newari: “When Esau was 40 years old, he married Judith the daughter of Beeri the Hittite and Basemath the daughter of Elon the Hittite.” (Source: Newari Back Translation)
  • Hiligaynon: “When Esau was now 40 years, he married Judit the child of Beeri the Hithanon. He also married Basemat the child of Elon [linker] a Hithanon also.” (Source: Hiligaynon Back Translation)
  • English: “When Esau was 40 years old, he married Judith, the daughter of Beeri, and Basemath, the daughter of Elon. Both of those women were descendants of Heth, not from Isaac’s clan.” (Source: Translation for Translators)

Translation commentary on Genesis 26:34

When Esau was forty years old: Esau’s age is said to be the same as Isaac’s was when he married Rebekah (25.20).

Took to wife is the same expression used in 6.2. The Hebrew form is “took wife” and is best rendered in English as “he married.”

Judith the daughter of Be-eri the Hittite: the name Judith should not be confused with the Deuterocanonical book of that name, and the name is not mentioned elsewhere. Be-eri does not occur elsewhere except as the name of the father of the prophet Hosea (Hos 1.1).

And Basemath the daughter of Elon the Hittite: Basemath‘s name is repeated five times in chapter 36. Elon‘s name occurs again in 36.2.

For some readers the term Hittite will be nothing more than a name, and the important fact that the women were of a different tribe from Isaac and his family may need to be brought out. Good News Translation gives the information in its heading “Esau’s foreign wives”; some other translations say at the beginning of this verse “Esau … married two girls who were not of his own tribe; he took Judith….”

Quoted with permission from Reyburn, William D. and Fry, Euan McG. A Handbook on Genesis. (UBS Helps for Translators). New York: UBS, 1997. For this and other handbooks for translators see here .