years (age)

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).

See also advanced in years.

desert, wilderness

The Greek that is translated as “desert” or “wilderness” in English is translated in a number of ways:

  • Mairasi: “a place where noisiness is cut off (or: stops)” (source: Enggavoter 2004)
  • Muna: pandaso bhalano pr “big barren-field” (source: René van den Berg)
  • Balinese: “barren field” (source: J.L. Swellengrebel in The Bible Translator 1950, p. 75ff. )
  • Wantoat: “uninhabited place” (source: Holzhausen 1991, p. 38)
  • Umiray Dumaget Agta: “where no people dwell” (source: Larson 1998, p. 98)
  • Shipibo-Conibo: “where no house is” (source: James Lauriault in The Bible Translator 1951, p. 32ff. )
  • Ocotlán Zapotec: “large empty place” (source: B. Moore / G. Turner in Notes on Translation 1967, p. 1ff.)
  • Pa’o Karen: “jungle” (denoting a place without any towns, villages and tilled fields) (source: Gordon Luce in The Bible Translator 1950, p. 153f. )
  • Yakan: “the lonely place” (source: Yakan Back Translation)
  • Western Bukidnon Manobo: “a land where no people lived” (source: Western Bukidnon Manobo Back Translation)
  • Kankanaey: “the place with no inhabitants” (source: Kankanaey Back Translation)
  • Matumbi uses various term: lubele (desert, sandy place without water) — used in John 11:54, lupu’ngu’ti (a place where no people live, can be a scrub land, a forest, or a savanna) — used in Mark 1:3 et al.), and mwitu (a forest, a place where wild animals live) — used in Mark 1:13 et al.) (Source: Pioneer Bible Translators, project-specific notes in Paratext)

Note that in Luke 15:4, usually a term is used that denotes pastoral land, such as “eating/grazing-place” in Tagbanwa (source: Tagbanwa Back Translation).

See also wilderness and desolate wilderness.

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)

See also tribe.

inclusive vs. exclusive pronoun (Num 14:2)

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 and the Adamawa Fulfulde translation both use the exclusive pronoun, excluding Moses.

Aaron

The name that is transliterated as “Aaron” in English is translated in Catalan Sign Language and Spanish Sign Language as “stones on chest plate” (according to Exodus 28:15-30) (Source: John Elwode in The Bible Translator 2008, p. 78ff. )


“Aaron” in Spanish Sign Language, source: Sociedad Bíblica de España

In Colombian Sign Language, Honduras Sign Language, and American Sign Language, the chest plate is outlined (in ASL it is outlined using the letter “A”):


“Aaron” in ASL (source )

See also Moses, more information on Aaron , and this lectionary in The Christian Century .

Moses

The name that is transliterated as “Moses” in English is signed in Spanish Sign Language and Polish Sign Language in accordance with the depiction of Moses in the famous statue by Michelangelo (see here ). (Source: John Elwode in The Bible Translator 2008, p. 78ff. )


“Moses” in Spanish Sign Language, source: Sociedad Bíblica de España

American Sign Language also uses the sign depicting the horns but also has a number of alternative signs (see here).

In French Sign Language, a similar sign is used, but it is interpreted as “radiance” (see below) and it culminates in a sign for “10,” signifying the 10 commandments:


“Moses” in French Sign Language (source )

The horns that are visible in Michelangelo’s statue are based on a passage in the Latin Vulgate translation (and many Catholic Bible translations that were translated through the 1950ies with that version as the source text). Jerome, the translator, had worked from a Hebrew text without the niqquds, the diacritical marks that signify the vowels in Hebrew and had interpreted the term קרו (k-r-n) in Exodus 34:29 as קֶ֫רֶן — keren “horned,” rather than קָרַו — karan “radiance” (describing the radiance of Moses’ head as he descends from Mount Sinai).

Even at the time of his translation, Jerome likely was not the only one making that decision as this article alludes to (see also Moses as Pharaoh’s Equal — Horns and All ).

In Swiss-German Sign Language it is translated with a sign depicting holding a staff. This refers to a number of times where Moses’s staff is used in the context of miracles, including the parting of the sea (see Exodus 14:16), striking of the rock for water (see Exodus 17:5 and following), or the battle with Amalek (see Exodus 17:9 and following).


“Moses” in Swiss-German Sign Language, source: DSGS-Lexikon biblischer Begriffe , © CGG Schweiz

In Vietnamese (Hanoi) Sign Language it is translated with the sign that depicts the eye make up he would have worn as the adopted son of an Egyptian princess. (Source: The Vietnamese Sign Language translation team, VSLBT)


“Moses” in Vietnamese Sign Language, source: SooSL

In Estonian Sign Language Moses is depicted with a big beard. (Source: Liina Paales in Folklore 47, 2011, p. 43ff. )


“Moses” in Estonian Sign Language, source: Glossary of the EKNK Toompea kogudus

See also Moses and Elijah during the Transfiguration.

Learn more on Bible Odyssey: Moses .

Translation commentary on Numbers 1:20 - 1:46

The people of Reuben, Israel’s first-born: It should be made clear that Israel refers to Reuben’s father Jacob, who was renamed Israel, and not to the people of Israel. It is probably for this reason that Good News Translation has actually replaced Israel with “Jacob.” However, the Hebrew brings out that the people and their common ancestor share the same name. So a better way to avoid confusion between the ancestor and the people named after him is to keep the name Israel by beginning verse 20 with “The people of Reuben, the firstborn of Israel’s sons” or “The people of Reuben, the firstborn of the ancestor Israel.”

Various formulaic expressions recur throughout verses 20-43 and are the same for the census of every Israelite tribe. In translation these expressions should be rendered consistently in terms of wording and order of occurrence. If a language requires that the various expressions are put in a different order, this should be done consistently for every tribe as well. The recurring expressions are as follows:

1. Their generations refers to the descendants of a particular ancestor through an unspecified number of generations. So a rendering such as “their descendants” (Bijbel: Vertaling in opdracht van het Nederlandsch Bijbelgenootschap) or even “their successors” is more accurate and probably less puzzling than their generations. Compare also New Revised Standard Version with “their lineage.”
2. By their families, by their fathers’ houses: See verse 2. The Hebrew kinship terminology here is better rendered “according to clan and family” (Good News Translation) or “by clans and families.”
3. According to the number of names: See verse 2. In verse 22, which introduces the census of the tribe of Simeon, the following phrase precedes this one: those of them that were numbered. This phrase is absent elsewhere in verses 20-43. Good News Translation omits this phrase, but the Hebrew Old Testament Text Project (Hebrew Old Testament Text) recommends keeping it. Were numbered renders the same Hebrew verb translated “number” in verse 3 (see the comments there).
4. Head by head: See verse 2.
5. Every male from twenty years old and upward: See verses 2-3.
6. Who were able to go forth to war means “who were fit for military service” (Good News Translation; see verse 3). Good News Translation moves this clause closer to the beginning of the sentence. This is helpful since it makes it clear from the start that only those fit for military service were included. Except for the beginning of verse 20, there is no past tense verb form in the Hebrew of verses 20-43. This clause is the same as in verse 3 and may not need a past tense in translation by saying “those able to go forth to war.” However, the Hebrew past tense form at the beginning of verse 20 makes it clear that the list of verses 20-43 as a whole does refer to the past. This past tense is expressed in NET Bible, which begins verse 20 with “And they were as follows: The descendants of Reuben….”
7. The number of the tribe of …: The Hebrew word for number renders the verb paqad translated “number” in verse 3 (see the comments there). New Revised Standard Version and New Jewish Publication Society’s Tanakh translate this phrase as “those enrolled of/from the tribe of….”

Of the people of Joseph, namely, of the people of Ephraim … Of the people of Manasseh…(verses 32-35): Ephraim and Manasseh were sons of Joseph, a son of Jacob (see verse 10). These two tribes are combined here under the name of their ancestor Joseph. Good News Translation has omitted this connection between Ephraim and Manasseh. But even in a list layout, this problem can be solved by inserting “Joseph’s sons” in the list (so New Afrikaans Version) or by listing “tribe of Ephraim, son of Joseph” and “tribe of Manasseh, son of Joseph” (so Bible en français courant).

Of the people of Naphtali (verse 42): Strictly speaking, the preposition corresponding to Of is lacking in the Hebrew text. The reason for this may be to mark the fact that the people of Naphtali are mentioned last in this list (so Rendsburg). Ancient translations have treated this phrase in the same way as with the other tribes.

These are those who were numbered, whom Moses and Aaron numbered with the help of the leaders of Israel, twelve men, each representing his fathers’ house (verse 44): The Hebrew verb rendered were numbered and numbered is paqad (see verse 3, where it is translated “number”). New Revised Standard Version is better with “were enrolled” and “enrolled.” For leaders (nasiʾ in Hebrew), see the comments on verse 16. The leaders of Israel, twelve men are the tribal representatives listed in verses 5b-15.

So the whole number of the people of Israel (verse 45) is literally “And they were all those enrolled of the people of Israel.” The connector So is not in the Hebrew, but such a conjunction is helpful to indicate that verses 45-46 are a conclusion for verses 17-44. Number renders the Hebrew verb paqad again (see verse 3), so it is better translated “enrolled” (New Jewish Publication Society’s Tanakh).

Their whole number was (verse 46) is literally “and all those who were enrolled were.” Once again, New Jewish Publication Society’s Tanakh translates the Hebrew term paqad for number more accurately by rendering this phrase as “all who were enrolled came to.”

Thousand: The surprisingly high numbers in verses 20-46 have been the subject of much discussion among scholars. There is one point that has sometimes been made which, if valid, would affect translation. The Hebrew word for thousand is ʾelef, which is the same word rendered clans in verse 16 (see the comments there). The word ʾelef is not necessarily a precise number and can also mean “division” or “contingent.” So if we read the numbers in this way (that is, ʾelef meaning “contingent”), then the number forty-six thousand five hundred for the tribe of Reuben in verse 21 should be rendered “46 contingents that together numbered 500 men.” With this interpretation of ʾelef, the tribes together would consist of 598 (that is, 46 + 59 + 45 + 74 + 54 + 57 + 40 + 32 + 35 + 62 + 41 + 53) contingents, and the total number of men would only be 5,550 (that is, 500 + 300 + 650 + 600 + 400 + 400 + 500 + 200 + 400 + 700 + 500 + 400). The number of men in one contingent would have to vary between 5 (in the tribe of Simeon) and 15 (in the tribe of Gad). According to this view, the thousands were only treated as part of the actual numbers at a later stage in the transmission of the Hebrew text. And only this led to the addition of the total number of 603,550 in verse 46. So this alternative meaning of ʾelef might explain what lies behind the text. But there are many problems with this view, especially in relation to other parts of this book (see, for example, 11.21) and in other books as well (see, for example, Exo 38.26, where the same number 603,550 occurs, and Exo 1.7, 9, where it is implied that the Egyptians were afraid because there were too many Israelites). And even if it were to be a valid point of view, the total number in verse 46 still shows that the text itself treats the thousands as part of the actual numbers. (The same applies to 26.51 in the context of chapter 26, the second census of the Israelites.) The word ʾelef in the census lists of Numbers must surely mean “thousand,” because every time it alternates with “hundred” and other numbers. Thus, as in the case of similar issues of this nature (where we lack the necessary explanatory or background information), it is the actual text with its high numbers that should be translated. The text may reflect an epic tradition that attributed great numbers to the Israelites in the wilderness, conveying a sense of the grandeur of the LORD’s army (so Davies, page 17; Levine, page 139; Milgrom, page 339); God promised many descendants to Abraham. The large numbers imply that there is no ground for Israel’s fear of other nations.

Good News Translation has severely reduced verses 20-46, and it has completely omitted verse 44. But Good News Translation‘s list layout in itself is helpful, not least because the Hebrew in verses 20-43 seems like a list: many of its sentences are not grammatically complete. Bible en français courant has a list layout as well but in a more convincing way: it combines only verses 20-43, while its rendering of verses 44-46 is set off as distinct, not part of the list as such. (Bible en français courant is also different from Good News Translation in that the list layout in Bible en français courant is without headings. Instead, every line in the list in Bible en français courant begins with “tribe of….”) Alternatively, for each tribe the verses about it can be put in a separate paragraph (so New International Version). The numbers can be printed in figures in any case, not only to make the translation easier to read but also because figures are probably more fitting in a list of this kind. Finally, even a translation similar to Revised Standard Version but with fewer or no verbs (so Revised English Bible, De Nieuwe Bijbelvertaling) would bring out the list character of verses 20-43 more clearly.

Quoted with permission from de Regt, Lénart J. and Wendland, Ernst R. A Handbook on Exodus. (UBS Helps for Translators). Miami: UBS, 2016. For this and other handbooks for translators see here .