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 21:5)

Following are a number of back-translations as well as a sample translation for translators of Joshua 21:5:

  • Kupsabiny: “And the other people in that house of Kohath were given ten cities coming from the land of Ephraim, Dan and of the half clan of Manasse.” (Source: Kupsabiny Back Translation)
  • Newari: “The clans of the tribes of Ephraim, Dan and half of Manasseh gave ten cities to the remaining descendants of Kohath.” (Source: Newari Back Translation)
  • Hiligaynon: “Some of the descendants of Kohat were-given 10 towns/cities from the land[s] of the tribes of Efraim, Dan, and the half tribe of Manase.” (Source: Hiligaynon Back Translation)
  • English: “To the other members of the Kohath clan they allotted ten cities in the areas that had been allotted to the tribes of Ephraim, Dan, and the part of the tribe of Manasseh that lives on the west side of the Jordan River.” (Source: Translation for Translators)

Translation commentary on Joshua 21:5 - 21:8

Verses 4-8 classify the Levites according to their clans, which descended from Levi’s three sons, Kohath, Gershon, and Merari. The clans descended from Kohath are divided into two groups (verses 4-5), one of which consists of the descendants of Aaron, grandson of Kohath (Exo 6.18-20), the other one consisting of the other descendants of Kohath. Although Gershon was the oldest son (Exo 6.16; Num 3.17), Kohath is named first because of Aaron.

The Hebrew text mentions the use of the sacred lots in this initial classification of the levitical clans (see Revised Standard Version verses 4, 5, 6; strangely enough, it is not mentioned in verse 7). Good News Translation has taken these references to be anticipatory, that is, they actually refer to the choosing of the cities as such, and so the matter is mentioned specifically in verse 8, where a summary statement is made of the assignment of the cities.

It is possible, however, either to follow the pattern of the Hebrew (see Revised Standard Version), or else to introduce an initial summary statement. If this second suggestion is followed, then verse 4 and the first part of verse 5 may be restructured as follows:

• Each clan received its cities by drawing lots. The descendants of Aaron from the tribe of Kohath received their cities first. They were given thirteen cities from the territories of Judah, Simeon, and Benjamin. 5 Then the rest of the clan of Kohath….

So as to arrange verse 8 in a somewhat more chronological sequence, it may be translated:

• The LORD had commanded Moses to let the tribe of Levi draw lots to see what cities they would receive. So they drew lots, and the people of Israel gave them these cities together with the pasture lands around them.

A shift may also be made to direct discourse: “The LORD had commanded Moses, ‘The tribe of Levi will draw lots, and they will receive the cities according to the lots that they draw.’ So they drew lots….”

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 21:5

21:5a

The remaining descendants of Kohath: The phrase remaining descendants of Kohath refers to the clans of Kohath who were not descended from Aaron.

received ten cities by lot from the tribes of Ephraim: Here are some other ways to translate this part of the verse:

The other families who were descended from Kohath received ⌊their towns⌋ from the families of the clan of Ephraim
-or-
The other families of Kohath were given towns by lot from the clan of Ephraim

21:5b

Dan, and the half-tribe of Manasseh: Here are some other ways to translate this part of the verse:

from the clan of Dan, and from half of the clan of Manasseh. They received ten towns in all by lot.
-or-
from the clan of Dan, and from the half of the Manasseh clan ⌊that lived west of the Jordan River⌋ . They received ten towns.

General Comment on verse 21:5

In some languages it may be more natural to reorder the parts of this verse. For example:

The other families who were descendants of Kohath received ten towns by lot. These towns came from the clan of Ephraim, from the clan of Dan, and from half the clan of Manasseh.

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