In Aekyom, years are counted as “turtles” (ambum).
Norm Mundhenk tells this story:
“Recently I was checking some New Testament material in the Aekyom language of western Papua New Guinea. It seemed relatively clear until suddenly we came to a passage that started, ‘When Jesus had 12 turtles, …’ Surely I had misunderstood what they said.
“‘Did you say that Jesus had 12 turtles?’
“‘Let us explain! Around here there is a certain time every year when river turtles come up on the banks and lay their eggs. Because this is so regular, it can be used as a way of counting years. Someone’s age is said to be how many turtles that person has. So when we say that Jesus had 12 turtles, we mean that Jesus was 12 years old.’
“It was of course the familiar story of Jesus’ trip with his parents to Jerusalem. And certainly, as we all know, Jesus did indeed have 12 turtles at that time!”
In Tok Pisin, krismas (derived from “christmas”) is taken as the fixed annual marker, so Jesus had 12 “christmases” (Jisas i gat 12-pela krismas pinis) or Abram (in Gen. 12:4) had 75 (Abram i gat 75 krismas) (source: Norm Mundhenk). In Noongar it is biroka kadak or “summers had” (source: Warda-Kwabba Luke-Ang).
Following are a number of back-translations as well as a sample translation for translators of Numbers 1:3:
Kupsabiny: “who have twenty years and those above that and who are fit to become soldiers. It is you and Aaron who are to arrange the people according to their houses/families.” (Source: Kupsabiny Back Translation)
Newari: “You and Aaron count the men, according to groups, 20 years old or older, who can go to war,” (Source: Newari Back Translation)
Hiligaynon: “who are- 20 years -of-age above who (are) able to-be-a-soldier. You (plur.) (and) Aaron (are) to lead/direct the census.” (Source: Hiligaynon Back Translation)
English: “‘I want you and Aaron to determine how many Israeli men are able to fight in battles. Write down the names of all the men who are at least 20 years old, and write down the names of their clans and families.” (Source: Translation for Translators)
Take a census of all the congregation of the people of Israel …: The Hebrew imperative verb rendered Take is plural. God is not telling only Moses to number the Israelites. This is clear from verse 3, where he says you and Aaron shall number them, so Good News Translation begins verse 2 with “You and Aaron are to take a census….” According to 1.17, it is indeed Moses and Aaron who carry out the instructions that are given here. So in languages that lack a plural imperative form or in which a plural imperative on its own would be awkward or overly ambiguous, Good News Translation is a good model to follow. The English word census refers to the “value, total amount, sum” of items to be counted. The Hebrew expression for Take a census is literally “Lift up the head.” Some languages say “Count the heads.” Chewa has “Count up.” The Hebrew word for congregation (ʿedah) is better rendered “community” (New Jewish Publication Society’s Tanakh). Good News Translation omits ʿedah, perhaps because it considered this term repetitive in combination with the word for people in the same sentence. However, this is not a good solution, if it can be avoided. The word ʿedah refers to the entire national, legal and cultic society of Israel. The people that are numbered in the census are not only a potential army but a worshiping community, people who are organized around the LORD’s Tent of Meeting (so Sherwood, page 141). The word used for “congregation/church” in the New Testament may not be satisfactory here, since it would normally refer to a much smaller group. In Chewa the vernacular word for “congregation” would also suggest wrongly in this context that a meeting for worship is taking place.
By families, by fathers’ houses: The Hebrew expressions for families and fathers’ houses (literally “house of their fathers”) are not synonymous. Families renders the Hebrew word mishpachah. This word refers to a clan, which is composed of several houses or families. Good News Translation says “by clans and families,” which brings out this difference in size between “clan” and “house” more clearly, beginning with the larger unit (compare Josh 7.14). (Even in cultures where the term “clan” is sometimes used in the context of feuds between families or factions in society, probably the nature of the subject of this chapter with reference to Israel will still allow for the term “clan” to be used without causing confusion over this.) The Hebrew word for “house” in this context refers to an extended family, which includes three or four generations. If translators can keep houses or a similar metaphorical term, then fathers’ can be understood as “ancestral” (compare New Revised Standard Version [New Revised Standard Version] with “in their clans, by ancestral houses”). The Israelite kinship system was clearly based on patriarchal lines of descent, not matriarchal. Many languages do not have separate words for families, clans, and tribes. Thus “clans” may have to be expressed as “family groups,” and “tribes” (see verse 4) as “large groups of families.”
According to the number of names, every male, head by head: The point of the phrase head by head is that no man should be left out (compare New International Version “one by one”).
From twenty years old and upward, all in Israel who are able to go forth to war: These two phrases are not to be read separately but form one requirement; once a young man was twenty he was considered mature enough to take part in military activities. This point should be clear in the translation.
You and Aaron shall number them: Number renders the Hebrew verb paqad (literally “visit”). This verb is better translated “enroll” (New Revised Standard Version), “record” (New Jewish Publication Society’s Tanakh), or “muster.”
Company by company is literally “by their troops.” The Hebrew term here, which Good News Translation omits, shows that the census was primarily a military one. Only the men fit for military service were counted. The Israelites were arranged into a well-organized army in preparation for their march to take possession of the land of Canaan.
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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