Jerusalem

The name that is transliterated as “Jerusalem” in English is signed in French Sign Language with a sign that depicts worshiping at the Western Wall in Jerusalem:


“Jerusalem” in French Sign Language (source: La Bible en langue des signes française )

While a similar sign is also used in British Sign Language, another, more neutral sign that combines the sign “J” and the signs for “place” is used as well. (Source: Anna Smith)


“Jerusalem” in British Sign Language (source: Christian BSL, used with permission)

Learn more on Bible Odyssey: Jerusalem .

complete verse (Nehemiah 2:11)

Following are a number of back-translations as well as a sample translation for translators of Nehemiah 2:11:

  • Kupsabiny: “When three days passed after I had arrived in Jerusalem city,” (Source: Kupsabiny Back Translation)
  • Hiligaynon: “After three days since I arrived in Jerusalem,” (Source: Hiligaynon Back Translation)
  • Kankanaey: “I went to Jerusalem and I stayed there for three days.” (Source: Kankanaey Back Translation)
  • English: “When I arrived in Jerusalem, I did not tell anyone what thoughts God had given to me about what I should do there. Three days after I arrived in Jerusalem, I went out of the city in the evening, taking a few other men with me. I was riding a donkey; we had no other animals with us.” (Source: Translation for Translators)

Translation commentary on Nehemiah 2:11

A subtitle may be used here to focus on the night ride of Nehemiah to inspect the walls of Jerusalem in order to make a plan for what needed to be done. New Revised Standard Version has “Nehemiah’s Inspection of the Walls” for verses 11-16, while Bible en français courant says “Nehemiah inspects the city walls” for the rest of the chapter.

After only a few days Nehemiah began surveying the situation of the walls. Was there three days does not mean that he stayed there only for three days, but that his next action began after three days (compare Ezra 8.32). Although this may be a symbolic number indicating a short time, it should nevertheless be translated as “three days,” or the equivalent temporal expression in the receptor language should be used. In some languages length of time is counted by nights. Here this will be “three nights.”

Quoted with permission from Noss, Philip A. and Thomas, Kenneth J. A Handbook on Nehemiah. (UBS Helps for Translators). New York: UBS, 2005. For this and other handbooks for translators see here .