village

The Hebrew and Greek that is translated as “village” or “town” in English is translated in Noongar as karlamaya or “fire (used for “home“) + houses” (source: Warda-Kwabba Luke-Ang).

In Elhomwe it is typically translated as “place.” “Here in Malawi, villages very small, so changed to ‘places,’ since not sure whether biblical reference just to small villages or also to bigger towns. (Source: project-specific translation notes in Paratext)

family / clan / house

The Hebrew terms that are translated as “family” or “clan” or “house” or similar in English are all translated in Kwere as ng’holo or “clan.” (Source: Pioneer Bible Translators, project-specific translation notes in Paratext)

In the English translation by Goldingay (2018) it is translated as “kin-group.”

See also tribe.

complete verse (Joshua 13:28)

Following are a number of back-translations as well as a sample translation for translators of Joshua 13:28:

  • Kupsabiny: “Those were the cities and villages given to the clan of Gad.” (Source: Kupsabiny Back Translation)
  • Newari: “These cities and villages were as inheritance of the Gadites clan-by-clan.” (Source: Newari Back Translation)
  • Hiligaynon: “Those are the towns/cities and villages which were-given to the tribe of Gad, which were-divided/partitioned according-to each family.” (Source: Hiligaynon Back Translation)
  • English: “All this land, including the towns and villages, was allotted to the tribe of Gad.” (Source: Translation for Translators)

Translation commentary on Joshua 13:28

For families, see verse 15. For the translation of this verse, see comments at verse 23, where the last sentence is of the same construction.

Quoted with permission from Bratcher, Robert G. and Newman, Barclay M. A Handbook on Joshua. (UBS Helps for Translators). New York: UBS, 1983. For this and other handbooks for translators see here .

SIL Translator’s Notes on Joshua 13:28

13:28a

This was the inheritance of the clans of the Gadites: The clause This was the inheritance of the clans of the Gadites indicates that God gave the land described in the previous verses to the tribe of Gad.

of the clans: The phrase of the clans indicates that each clan or group of families in the tribe of Gad received their own portion of the land. See how you translated the words “clan” and “family” in Joshua 7:14.

13:28b

including the cities and villages: Each family or clan in the tribe of Gad received certain cities and villages as their own. This is the same wording as used in 13:23c and you should translate it the same way in both places.

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