Aaron

The name that is transliterated as “Aaron” in English means “light,” “a mountain of strength” “to be high.” (Source: Cornwall / Smith 1997 )

In Catalan Sign Language and Spanish Sign Language it is translated as “stones on chest plate” (according to Exodus 28:15-30) (Source: John Elwode in The Bible Translator 2008, p. 78ff. )


“Aaron” in Spanish Sign Language, source: Sociedad Bíblica de España

In Colombian Sign Language, Honduras Sign Language, and American Sign Language, the chest plate is outlined (in ASL it is outlined using the letter “A”):


“Aaron” in ASL (source )

For more information on translations of proper names with sign language see Sign Language Bible Translations Have Something to Say to Hearing Christians .

See also Moses, more information on Aaron , and this lectionary in The Christian Century .

complete verse (Leviticus 8:31)

Following are a number of back-translations as well as a sample translation for translators of Leviticus 8:31:

  • Kupsabiny: “Then Moses said to Aaron and his sons, ‘Cook the meat near the entrance of the Tent of God. Eat the meat with the bread that is in the basket of sacrifices for the anointing. Do like that as I was told, ‘Let Aaron and his sons eat it.’” (Source: Kupsabiny Back Translation)
  • Newari: “Then Moses said to Aaron and his sons– "Inside the courtyard, near the entrance to the Tent of Meeting prepare the meat and with the bread in the basket from the Ordination Sacrifice stay there and eat.” (Source: Newari Back Translation)
  • Hiligaynon: “Moises then said to Aaron and his children, ‘[You (sing.)] cook the meat at the entrance of the Meeting-together-place Tent, and according-to what- I -commanded you (plur.) [you (plur.)] eat this here with the bread from the basket which-was offered for the ordination.” (Source: Hiligaynon Back Translation)
  • English: “Then Moses/I said to Aaron and his sons, ‘Boil the meat of the second ram at the entrance of the Sacred Tent, and eat it there with the bread that is in the basket, like I told you to do.” (Source: Translation for Translators)

Moses

The name that is transliterated as “Moses” in English means “taken out of the water,” “saved out of the water,” “a son.” (Source: Cornwall / Smith 1997 )

It is translated in Spanish Sign Language and Polish Sign Language with a sign in accordance with the depiction of Moses in the famous statue by Michelangelo (see here ). (Source: John Elwode in The Bible Translator 2008, p. 78ff. )


“Moses” in Spanish Sign Language, source: Sociedad Bíblica de España

American Sign Language also uses the sign depicting the horns but also has a number of alternative signs (see here ).

In French Sign Language, a similar sign is used, but it is interpreted as “radiance” (see below) and it culminates in a sign for “10,” signifying the 10 commandments:


“Moses” in French Sign Language (source )

The horns that are visible in Michelangelo’s statue are based on a passage in the Latin Vulgate translation (and many Catholic Bible translations that were translated through the 1950ies with that version as the source text). Jerome, the translator, had worked from a Hebrew text without the niqquds, the diacritical marks that signify the vowels in Hebrew and had interpreted the term קרו (k-r-n) in Exodus 34:29 as קֶ֫רֶן — keren “horned,” rather than קָרַו — karan “radiance” (describing the radiance of Moses’ head as he descends from Mount Sinai).

In Swiss-German Sign Language (and Hungarian Sign Language) it is translated with a sign depicting holding a staff. This refers to a number of times where Moses’s staff is used in the context of miracles, including the parting of the sea (see Exodus 14:16), striking of the rock for water (see Exodus 17:5 and following), or the battle with Amalek (see Exodus 17:9 and following).


“Moses” in Swiss-German Sign Language, source: DSGS-Lexikon biblischer Begriffe , © CGG Schweiz

In Vietnamese (Hanoi) Sign Language it is translated with the sign that depicts the eye make up he would have worn as the adopted son of an Egyptian princess. (Source: The Vietnamese Sign Language translation team, VSLBT)


“Moses” in Vietnamese Sign Language, source: SooSL

In Korean Sign Language it is translated with the sign that depicts the arms held up by Moses to assure the Israelites victory over the Amalekites (see Exodus 17:11).


“Moses” in Korean Sign Language, source: Korean Sign Language Bible House

In Estonian Sign Language Moses is depicted with a big beard. (Source: Liina Paales in Folklore 47, 2011, p. 43ff. )


“Moses” in Estonian Sign Language, source: Glossary of the EKNK Toompea kogudus

For more information on translations of proper names with sign language see Sign Language Bible Translations Have Something to Say to Hearing Christians .

Learn more on Bible Odyssey: Moses .

Translation commentary on Leviticus 8:31

And: some versions leave the transition implicit here (Good News Translation, New English Bible). Both New International Version and New Jerusalem Bible have “then.” Moffatt has “Moses further said….” But since this is considered the last in a long series of events, the most imaginative transition is found in New American Bible, “Finally….” This solution may well commend itself to those working in other languages.

Boil: this verb has a causative sense here, and some translators may prefer to say something like “Make (or, Cause) the meat to boil (in water)….” In some languages logic may require that the meat be taken to the entrance of the Tent before mentioning the boiling (Good News Translation). The Hebrew verb is a general term for “cooking” and does not actually indicate whether it is boiled, roasted, or fried. However, in most cases it is associated with some kind of container which would suggest boiling, and the majority of versions interpret it in this way. But it is also possible in some languages to use a more general term meaning simply “prepare for eating.”

The flesh: this refers to the meat of the second ram (verse 22). In some cases it may be wise to make this information explicit in the receptor language, as in Bible en français courant “the meat of the second ram.”

As I commanded …: the following direct quotation (‘Aaron and his sons shall eat it’) seems to emphasize the exclusiveness of the order. However, in many languages this emphasis may be better conveyed by means other than a direct quotation within another direct quotation. One may say, for example, “you alone are to eat it there….”

The use of the first person pronoun, as in 6.17 and 7.34, may be confusing in many languages. In most cases it is clearer to revert to “as the LORD commanded.”

Some scholars have proposed that the text may be understood in a passive sense, “I have been commanded” (as in verse 35 below), but this is rejected by HOTTP.

Quoted with permission from Péter-Contesse, René and Ellington, John. A Handbook on Leviticus. (UBS Helps for Translators). New York: UBS, 1990. For this and other handbooks for translators see here .