camel

The Hebrew, Latin and Greek that is translated in English as “camel” is translated in Muna as “water buffalo.” René van den Berg explains: “Camels are unknown; the biggest known animal is the water buffalo (though now rare on Muna).”

In Bislama is is translated as buluk: “cow” / “bull” (source: Ross McKerras) and in Bahnar as aseh lăk-đa which is a combination of the Vietnamese loan word for “camel” (lăk-đa) and the Bahnar term for “horse” (aseh) to communicate that the camel is a beast of burden (source: Pham Xuan Tin in The Bible Translator 1952, p. 20ff. ).

In the 1900 Kalaallisut (Greenlandic) translation (a newer version was published in 2000) it was translated as ĸatigagtôĸ or “big-backed ones.” “Katigagtôĸ (modern qatigattooq), which has the literal meaning of ‘something with a big back.’ It comprises the noun ĸatigak (modern qatigak) ‘back’ combined with the suffix –tôĸ (modern –tooq) ‘something possessing a big X.’” (Source: Lily Kahn & Riitta-Liisa Valijärvi in The Bible Translator 2019, p. 125ff.)

In Luke 18:25, Mark 10:25, and Matthew 19:24 some versions of the Peshitta translation in Syriac Aramaic (Classical Syriac) show an ambiguity between the very similar words for “camel” and “rope.” Some translations of the Peshitta, therefore, use the “rope” interpretation, including the Classical Armenian Bible (մալխոյ for “rope”), the English translation by George Lamsa (publ. 1933) (It is easier for a rope to go through the eye of a needle), or the Dutch translation by Egbert Nierop (publ. 2020) (het voor een kabel eenvoudiger is het oog van een naald binnen te gaan).

In the above-mentioned three verses, it is translated in Noongar as “kangaroo” (source: Warda-Kwabba Luke-Ang).

 

There were two types of camel known in Bible times the most common being the Arabian Dromedary camelus dromedarius, which was indigenous to the area. The two-humped Bactrian Camel camelus bactrianus was also known and prized, but it was imported from Central Asia.

Camels belong to the same family as the South American llama, vicuna, alpaca, and guanaco, but camels are much larger and have a big fatty hump on their backs. Bactrian camels may reach a height of about two meters (6.5 feet), while dromedaries are even bigger. Dromedaries are a uniform light fawn color, while Bactrian camels are darker, especially in winter when they grow longer fur.

Camels do not have hooves but a large footpad with two broad toes ideally suited to walking on sand. In other ways too they are ideally suited to life in desert areas. They store excess food in their humps and this makes it possible for them to go a long time without eating. Special blood cells also enable them to go without water for long periods. They also have a very efficient digestive system and can extract the maximum amount of nutrition from apparently dry vegetation. This adaptation to harsh environments means that camels can make long journeys through dry areas which would be beyond the abilities of other types of pack animal such as donkeys. Camels were used for riding and for carrying heavy loads. They were also used to pull carts.

In winter the fur of camels thickens and grows longer and then when summer comes they shed their winter fur in large wads. These wads of camel hair are collected and twisted into cords and ropes or spun into thread which is then used for weaving coarse cloth. This cloth was usually used for making tents but it was sometimes used for making outer robes.

Camels’ milk was used as food and drink but their meat was considered unclean by the Israelites.

In spite of the fact that camels were considered to be unclean for food they were a symbol of wealth and commerce. People or nations with many camels were automatically viewed as commercially successful and wealthy as the possession of camels opened up the possibility of transporting goods long distances and engaging in trade.

In areas where camels are not known, the word is often transliterated from Hebrew or the dominant language of the area. However, in some languages descriptive names have been invented. In some South American languages names meaning “hump-backed llama” or “big alpaca with a hump” have been used. Elsewhere expressions such as “hump-backed horse” have been used. A fuller description should usually be included in a glossary or word list.

Source: All Creatures Great and Small: Living things in the Bible (UBS Helps for Translators)

For information on the domestication of camels, see Early camel incidents in the Hebrew Bible .

Click or tap here to see a short video clip about camels (source: Bible Lands 2012)

Scriptures Plain & Simple (Mark 1:1-8)

Barclay Newman, a translator on the teams for both the Good News Bible and the Contemporary English Version, translated passages of the New Testament into English and published them in 2014, “in a publication brief enough to be non-threatening, yet long enough to be taken seriously, and interesting enough to appeal to believers and un-believers alike.” The following is the translation of Mark 1:1-8:

This is the Best News Ever,
       and it’s about Jesus Christ, the Son of God.

It began, just as God had announced
       in the book by the prophet Isaiah:

              I’m sending my messenger
                     to prepare the way for you.
              Listen to the voice shouting in the desert,
                     “Make a straight path for the Coming One’.”

So John Dipper showed up in the desert,
shouting for everyone to hear: “It’s turn around time!
       Do this and be baptized, if you hope to be forgiven!”

From Jerusalem and all over Judea,

       multitudes swarmed around John like flies —
they openly confessed their sins,
       and he baptized them in the River Jordan.

John Dipper wore garments of camel hair
with a leather strap around his waist —
       his food was locusts and honey from the fields.

His message: “Someone more powerful will come,
       and I’m not worthy to be his lowest slave.
My baptism is merely with water —
       his baptism is with the Holy Spirit!”

Translation commentary on Mark 1:6

Exegesis:

ēn … endedumenos ‘was clothed’; this verbal phrase, consisting of the auxiliary verb eimi ‘to be’ plus the participle of the main verb enduō ‘to clothe’ does not mean, as it would in classical Greek, ‘had been clothed’; it rather denotes the habitual nature of John’s dress. ‘And John clothed himself,’ or ‘was clothed.’

enduō (6.9; 15.20) ‘clothe,’ ‘dress’: the forerunner’s dress and diet mark him as a man of the wilderness, an ascetic, a Nazirite (Lk. 1.15); his clothing is similar to that worn by Elijah (2 Kings 1.8; cf. Zech. 13.4). Such simple and hardy manner of life was characteristic of one who lived in the wilderness (Lk. 1.80) and was the object of comment by Jesus (Mt. 11.8, Lk. 7.25).

trichas kamēlou ‘hairs of a camel’ does not mean a camel’s skin. It stands for a robe, long and loose (cf. Mt. 3.4, to enduma autou ‘his garment’) woven from camel’s hair (cf. Moulton & Milligan; cf. Zürcher Bibel: Und Johannes war bekleidet, mit [einem Gewand aus] Kamelhaaren).

zōnēn dermatinēn ‘leather girdle’: a waistband, or girdle, which holds the robe at the waist, enabling it to be tucked up for rapid walking. The zōnē is not exactly a belt, such as used by modern Western men, but more in the nature of a waistband wherein money (cf. Mk. 6.8) and other things could be kept.

osphus (only here in Mark) ‘waist’: the place where a belt or girdle is fastened.

kai (ēn) ēsthōn ‘and was eating’: this verbal phrase, consisting of the imperfect of the verb eimi ‘to be’ plus the present participle of the main verb is quite common in Mark (16 instances in all – cf. Taylor, 45). ‘He (habitually) ate,’ ‘his food was….’

akris ‘locust’: to this day the locust is eaten especially by the poorer people in Arabia, Africa, and Syria.

meli agrion ‘wild honey’: there is no need to think of vegetable substances which are found on the leaves of certain trees. Natural wild honey is meant.

Translation:

The word now used to introduce this verse in the Revised Standard Version (cf. “and” in American Standard Version and King James Version), is an attempt to represent the transitional value of Greek kai, literally ‘and.’ It should not, of course, be taken in any temporal sense. In most translations it is probably best to omit any transition, though if some appropriate particle can be found to soften the abrupt transition between verses 5 and 6, such would be justified.

In parts of the world in which camels are not known, one is immediately confronted with the problem of what to do with the name of this strange animal. Some people have thought that Eskimos would want to say ‘cloth made of polar bear fur’ and people from the South Pacific would understand most satisfactorily if one used ‘rough cloth made from palm fiber.’ These types of adaptations can be meaningful, but they do not solve the real problems. In the first place, even the most isolated peoples after the introduction of reading, soon become familiar with many areas of the world around them, and very quickly they learn that people in other parts of the world are quite different. Even a very rudimentary education soon teaches them that the life of the Middle East is not similar to their own. Accordingly, they tend to react to such artificially adapted translations as being paternalistic, since they seem to imply that the native people would never learn about the differences in the outside world. On the other hand, it is not very meaningful simply to borrow the word camel in transliterated form and give the people no idea what sort of creature this is. One way to solve this problem is to employ certain descriptive classifiers, which may be used in initial translations and then discarded as the level of education in an area rises. For example, one may say ‘hair of an animal called camel,’ which helps to identify the transliterated form as a name and specifies the class of objects involved. In some of the Quechua dialects of South America translators have used ‘hair of a llama-like animal called camel,’ a somewhat fuller descriptive classifier. In general, however, it is preferable to use the shortest possible expression which will provide the basis for correct, even though partial, understanding.

Since many different peoples in the world eat one or more varieties of locusts or grasshoppers, this verse does not seem to them so strange as it does to us. However, it is important that in obtaining a word for locusts one be sure an edible variety is specified. In some languages, for example, there must be as many as ten different words for such insects, and only certain classes are regarded as edible.

In regions where such insects are not known, one can likewise use a descriptive device, e.g. ‘insects called locusts’ or simply a generic term ‘a kind of insect.’

‘Wild honey’ is most often translated ‘honey from the forest’ (cf. Indonesian ‘wood-honey’). In Copainalá Zoque it is actually called ‘gentle honey,’ since it is made by wild bees in the forest, which, however, are stingless.

Quoted with permission from Bratcher, Robert G. and Nida, Eugene A. A Handbook on the Gospel of Mark. (UBS Handbook Series). New York: UBS, 1961. For this and other handbooks for translators see here .

SIL Translator's Notes on Mark 1:6

1:6a

John was clothed in camel’s hair: John probably wore a long, loose robe made with a rough kind of cloth that was woven from the hair of a camel. It was not made from camel skin with the hair still on it. Clothing made from camel’s hair was commonly worn by poor people and by prophets.

In some languages, it may sound like John had expensive fur clothes. If that is true in your language, it may be necessary to add a word such as “only” or “simple” to indicate that John did not wear fancy clothes. For example:

John’s clothes were only made from woven camel hair
-or-
John wore a simple robe made from woven camel hair
-or-
John was dressed in a rough coat of camel’s hair (Revised English Bible)

See the General Comment on 1:6a–b at the end of the notes for 1:6b for another suggestion.

was clothed in camel’s hair: The phrase was clothed in camel’s hair is passive. In some languages it may be more natural to use an active phrase. For example, the CSB says:

wore a camel-hair garment (CSB)

camel: If a camel is an unknown animal in your language, consider using one of the following options:

• Use a loan word plus a general term. For example:

an animal called camel

• Use a general word such as “animal.” For example:

clothes made of animal hair

• Omit the reference to an animal or camel and just translate the significance of this kind of clothing. For example:

simple clothes/robe like a prophet

Avoid using a phrase that describes the appearance or usefulness of a camel. That may distract your readers from the actual significance of the clothing.

1:6b

with a leather belt around his waist: This belt was probably a piece of animal skin that John tied around his robe at the waist. It was not like the leather belts that can be bought in a store.

Here are some other ways to translate this:

strip of rawhide
-or-
belt made of animal skin

In some languages the word belt may already imply that it is worn around the waist. In such languages, you may not need to translate the words “around the waist” explicitly.

General Comment on 1:6a–b

It may be helpful to include a footnote with information about the clothes and belt in 1:6a–b. For example:

This kind of clothing/robe was worn by poor people and by prophets. The prophet Elijah also wore a leather belt (2 Kings 1:8).

1:6c

In Greek this sentence begins with a common conjunction that is often translated as “and” (see the New International Version). This conjunction connects 1:6c to 1:6a–b. 1:6a–b describes John’s clothing and 1:6c describes John’s food. Connect these facts in a natural way in your language.

His food was locusts and wild honey: The Greek verb that the Berean Standard Bible translates as His food was indicates that John ate locusts and wild honey as his regular food. In some languages, a word like food is not used with things such as honey. If your language is like this, you will need to use a different word that fits with the word “honey.” For example:

His food was locusts and his drink was wild honey.

locusts: The word locusts refers to insects that resemble very large grasshoppers. If you have a word for “locust” or “grasshopper,” be sure that it refers to a type that people can eat. If locusts or grasshoppers are not known in the language area, you may use one of the following options:

• Use a general term plus a loan word. For example:

insects called locusts

• Use a general term. For example:

insects/bugs

• Use a phrase that describes the significance of this kind of food. For example:

simple food that he could find in the wilderness

If you use this option, the description will include “wild honey.” You may want to add a footnote to describe both foods.

It may be helpful to include a footnote that explains the significance of these foods. For example:

In Palestine, people who wandered from place to place with their flocks often ate locusts and wild honey. People who lived in cities or towns did not usually eat these kinds of food.

wild honey: The words wild honey refer to honey that wild bees make. It contrasts with honey that people get by keeping bees to produce honey for them. If people do not keep bees in your culture, the word “wild” may not be necessary. Use a natural expression in your language. For example:

water of wild-bees
-or-
honey that he found

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