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 (Nehemiah 4:13)

Following are a number of back-translations as well as a sample translation for translators of Nehemiah 4:13:

  • Kupsabiny: “Then, I put guards to sit/stay at the wall where it was not yet repaired. I put people to guard according to families and they had swords, spears, bows and arrows.” (Source: Kupsabiny Back Translation)
  • Hiligaynon: “Therefore I placed men to guard the lowest portions of the stone-wall which are easy to enter. I had- them -guard there in grouped to each family, and they have weapons which are swords, spears, and bows-and-arrows.” (Source: Hiligaynon Back Translation)
  • Kankanaey: “Because-of that, I set-in-position each family to guard behind the not finished fence. Swords, spears and bows-and-arrows were their weapons.” (Source: Kankanaey Back Translation)
  • English: “So I put guards at the places where the wall was not very high yet and at places where there were gaps in the wall. I put guards to protect each of their family groups. I gave the guards daggers, spears, and bows and arrows.” (Source: Translation for Translators)

Translation commentary on Nehemiah 4:13

So in the lowest parts of the space behind the wall, in open places …: Nehemiah’s response to the threat by those opposed to the rebuilding of the wall was to arm the people and place them where they could be seen from outside the wall. This showed the enemy that they were armed and ready to resist. The lowest parts refers to the lowest sections of the wall where the enemy could see over the wall from the outside. The open places were where there were gaps in the wall.

I stationed the people according to their families means that Nehemiah placed or assigned the people in family groups to the locations where they would defend themselves and the city. Good News Translation makes it clear that families does not refer to the nuclear family but to the larger social group of the clan.

With their swords, their spears, and their bows: Three weapons are cited. Swords were for hand-to-hand fighting. In some languages there may be a choice of terms for different types of swords. Here the more common straight, single-edged sword should be used. Some languages will call them “great knives.” Spears were used as a stabbing weapon in close range fighting. They were not decorative spears for ceremonial or ritual use. The bows were wooden bows with a leather string that shot iron-tipped arrows made from reeds. They shot arrows over a range of about 650 meters (710 yards), but were accurate only up to about half that distance. The Hebrew text mentions bows only, but Contemporary English Version says “bows and arrows,” which is the common English expression.

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 .