The Hebrew and Greek that is translated as “remember” in English is translated in Mairasi as “it is (or: place it) in your liver’s crack” (source: Enggavoter 2004) and in Noongar as barrang-dwangka, literally “ear-hold” (source: Portions of the Holy Bible in the Nyunga language of Australia, 2018).
The Hebrew that is translated as “cucumber” in English was translated in the 1900 Kalaallisut (Greenlandic) translation (a newer version was published in 2000) as naussorssuit or “big plant.” “The word for ‘cucumbers,’ naussorssuit (modern naasorsuit), the plural of naussorssuaĸ (modern naasorsuaq), is based on the root naussoĸ (modern naasoq), meaning ‘something that grows,’ with a suffix –ssuaĸ (modern –suaq) ‘big,’ meaning ‘big plant.’”
In the 1895 Northern Sami translation (a new translation was published in 2019) the translation was njalgga šaddoid (modern njálgga šattuid) or “sweet plants.” (Source: Lily Kahn & Riitta-Liisa Valijärvi in The Bible Translator 2019, p. 125ff.)
The Hebrew that is translated as “melon” in English was translated in the 1900 Kalaallisut (Greenlandic) translation (a newer version was published in 2000) as putdlagaussat neĸaussartôrssuit or “something big with a lot of meat that will swell up in the future.” “The term for ‘melons,’ putdlagaussat neĸaussartôrssuit (modern pullagassat neqassartoorsuit), is based on the root putdlâ- (modern pullaa-), meaning ‘swell’ with the future suffix –ssaĸ (modern –ssaq) followed by neĸe (modern neqi) ‘meat, food’ with the same future suffix –ssaĸ (modern –ssaq), the suffix –tôĸ (modern –tooq) ‘very,’ and the suffix –ssuaĸ (modern –suaq) ‘big,’ with the entire phrase literally meaning something like ‘something big with a lot of meat that will swell up in the future.’ ” (Source: Lily Kahn & Riitta-Liisa Valijärvi in The Bible Translator 2019, p. 125ff.)
New Revised Standard Version, updated edition renders the Hebrew words qishshu’ah and miqshah as “cucumber.” Zohary (Plants of the Bible. Cambridge University Press, 1982) argues forcefully that these words refer to the Muskmelon Cucumis melo or cantaloupe, and that “garden cucumbers did not exist in Egypt in biblical times” (page 86). Hepper (Baker Encyclopedia of Bible Plants: Flowers and Trees, Fruits and Vegetables, Ecology. Baker Book House, 1992) concurs with this.
Cultivated muskmelons started out in and around Persia (now Iran) before moving into northern India, Kashmir, and Afghanistan. Although truly wild forms of Cucumis melo have not been found in those regions, several related wild species have been noted.
A picture of offerings presented at a funeral in Egypt around 2400 B.C. contains fruit that some experts take to be muskmelons. The Greeks appear to have known the fruit in the third century B.C., and in the first century after Christ it was definitely described by the Roman philosopher Pliny, who said it was something new in Campania in Italy. The Greek physician Galen, in the second century A.D., wrote of its medicinal qualities, and Roman writers of the third century gave directions for growing it and preparing it with spices for eating. The Chinese apparently did not know the muskmelon until it was introduced to their country around the beginning of the Christian Era from the regions west of the Himalayas.
The muskmelon vine has round leaves and tendrils and creeps along the ground like a pumpkin or cucumber. It has tendrils and yellow flowers that develop into a fruit 10-40 centimeters (4-16 inches) in diameter. The fruit becomes yellowish or light green when ripe. The muskmelon is so named because of the distinctive smell of its ripe fruits. “Musk” is a Persian word for a kind of perfume; “melon” is a French word, from the Latin melopepo, meaning “apple-shaped melon.” Latin took words of similar meaning from Greek.
According to Numbers 11:5, the wandering Israelites remembered muskmelons and other tasty food that they had enjoyed in Egypt and complained to Moses. Isaiah 1:8 uses the melon patch (after harvest) as a picture of abandonment, dereliction, and desolation.
Many varieties of muskmelon are known around the world in warm countries. If it is not known, it may be translated contextually. Numbers 11:5 is non-rhetorical, and a transliteration from a major language is recommended (for example, French cantaloupe, Spanish and Portuguese cantalupo, Arabic abd el lawi). However, the reference to the temporary shelter in the melon patch in Isa 1.8 is metaphorical, so a cultural equivalent representing a lonely or abandoned place could be considered. In this verse translators should keep in mind its parallel images, which are “a booth in a vineyard” and “a besieged city.”
Most scholars believe the Hebrew word ’avattiach refers to the common watermelon Citrullus vulgaris/lanatus, and it should be so identified since there are other types of melons, such as the muskmelon, with which it should not be confused. In fact, until recently, some botanists thought that this word referred to the muskmelon. Watermelons probably originated in Africa (possibly in the Kalahari) and were probably domesticated in the Neolithic Period. They have been cultivated in Egypt since prehistoric times and are used for food, drink, and medicine. Even the seeds are eaten. The Arabic cognate batekh/batikh is used for both the muskmelon and the watermelon.
The watermelon plant is a vine like a pumpkin or a squash. The fruits vary widely in size, shape and color, some being striped, others being plain colored (mostly dark or light green).
According to Numbers 11:5, watermelons were among the fruits that the wandering Israelites remembered from Egypt when they complained to Moses.
By now watermelons are a fairly common sight in the cities of the world. Where the fruit is marketed, there will be a name for it, often based on a major language (for example French pastèque; Spanish sandía; Portuguese melancia; Arabic batekh, batikh; and Swahili tikiti).
Many languages distinguish between inclusive and exclusive first-person plural pronouns (“we”). (Click or tap here to see more details)
The inclusive “we” specifically includes the addressee (“you and I and possibly others”), while the exclusive “we” specifically excludes the addressee (“he/she/they and I, but not you”). This grammatical distinction is called “clusivity.” While Semitic languages such as Hebrew or most Indo-European languages such as Greek or English do not make that distinction, translators of languages with that distinction have to make a choice every time they encounter “we” or a form thereof (in English: “we,” “our,” or “us”).
For this verse, the Jarai translation uses the exclusive pronoun. The Adamawa Fulfulde translation uses the inclusive pronoun, including everyone.
Following are a number of back-translations as well as a sample translation for translators of Numbers 11:5:
Kupsabiny: “When we were in Egypt we ate fish for free/nothing. We are thinking also of the onions and the onions called garlic and vegetables and different kinds of fruits.” (Source: Kupsabiny Back Translation)
Newari: “We still remember the meat of fish we ate in Egypt without having to pay [any] money. We remember the cucumbers, water mellons, leeks, onions, garlics.” (Source: Newari Back Translation)
Hiligaynon: “When we (incl.) were there in Egipto, we (incl.) can-eat fish for free and cucumbers, melons, onions, and garlics for free.” (Source: Hiligaynon Back Translation)
English: “They said, ‘We wish we had some meat!” (Source: Translation for Translators)
We remember the fish we ate in Egypt for nothing …: The people claim they had plenty of various foods to eat in Egypt, which is unlikely since they were slaves there.
The cucumbers, the melons, the leeks, the onions, and the garlic: The Hebrew word for cucumbers probably refers to “muskmelons”. The Hebrew word for melons is more precisely rendered “watermelons” (Good News Translation). For leeks, onions and garlic. For all these food items, the closest equivalents in the target language should be used.
Quoted with permission from de Regt, Lénart J. and Wendland, Ernst R. A Handbook on Numbers. (UBS Helps for Translators). Miami: UBS, 2016. For this and other handbooks for translators see here .
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