50Rather, you shall appoint the Levites over the tabernacle of the covenant and over all its equipment and over all that belongs to it; they are to carry the tabernacle and all its equipment, and they shall tend it and shall camp around the tabernacle.
The Hebrew, Ge’ez, and Greek that is translated as “tabernacle” in English is translated in San Blas Kuna as “house of prayer that can be carried.” (Source: Ronald Ross)
In Bandi it is translated as “holy sitting place.” The “sitting place for the Bandi is where you live.” Therefore the tabernacle is the place where God lived. (Source: Becky Grossmann in this newsletter )
In Vidunda it is translated as “God’s tent” (source: Pioneer Bible Translators, project-specific translation notes in Paratext) and in Tibetan as gur mchog (གུར་མཆོག) or “perfect tent” (source: gSungrab website )
In American Sign Language it is translated with with a sign for “tent” combined with a sign referring to the outer court surrounding the tent (see Exodus 27:9 and following). (Source: Ruth Anna Spooner, Ron Lawer)
“Tabernacle” in American Sign Language, source: Deaf Harbor
The Greek, Hebrew, Aramaic and Latin that is transliterated “Levites” in English (only the Contemporary English Version translates it as “temple helpers”) is translated in Ojitlán Chinantec as “temple caretakers,” Yatzachi Zapotec as “people born in the family line of Levi, people whose responsibility it was to do the work in the important church of the Israelites,” in Alekano as “servants in the sacrifice house from Jerusalem place,” and in Tenango Otomi as “helpers of priests.” (Source: M. Larson / B. Moore in Notes on Translation February 1970, p. 1-125.)
In American Sign Language with a sign that combines “temple” + “servant.” (Source: Ruth Anna Spooner, Ron Lawer)
“Levite” in American Sign Language, source: Deaf Harbor
Following are a number of back-translations as well as a sample translation for translators of Numbers 1:50:
Kupsabiny: “But take that clan of Levi to be in charge or my Tent, the utensils and everything that is in that Tent. They are to carry that Tent and its things. They shall be working there and shall be spreading/setting up their tents around my Tent.” (Source: Kupsabiny Back Translation)
Newari: “Instead of that, give the Levites responsibility for the tent of testimony and all the items in it as well. When you move from place to place they must carry the holy tabernacle and all [its] items. They must care for it well and having set up the holy tabernacle, [they] must stay near the tent.” (Source: Newari Back Translation)
Hiligaynon: “Instead, give to them the responsibility to be-in-charge of the Meeting-Together-Place Tent where the Law was-put/placed, and all its equipment. They (are) to-carry/bring the Tent and all its equipment, and they must take-care of it and they will-camp around it.” (Source: Hiligaynon Back Translation)
English: “Appoint the male descendants of Levi to take care of the Sacred Tent and the chest inside it that contains the tablets on which are written the Ten Commandments. They must also take care of the other things that are inside the tent. When you travel, they are the ones who must carry the tent and all the things that are inside it, and they must take care of it and set up their tents around it.” (Source: Translation for Translators)
In Revised Standard Version the sentence of verse 49 is continued in verse 50 by means of a semicolon. Another semicolon is used within verse 50. In most languages this results in a sentence that is much too long and hard to follow. It can also be difficult to enunciate with the proper intonation when reading the text aloud. In such cases the Good News Translation model should be followed. This comment applies throughout the book of Numbers: watch out for the semicolon; in many cases a new sentence is needed!
But appoint the Levites over the tabernacle of the testimony …: The conjunctions but (literally “and you”) and “Instead” (Good News Translation) mark the shift from a strong negative in verse 49 to a strong positive assertion here. The Hebrew imperative verb rendered appoint is in the singular. God is still addressing only Moses. Good News Translation translates the tabernacle of the testimony as “the Tent of my [the LORD’s] presence,” which is the same expression it uses in verse 1, and this certainly avoids confusion. Good News Translation‘s rendering shows that the tabernacle of the testimony is the same as “the tent of meeting” in verse 1. But the Hebrew expression here (mishkan haʿedut) is different from the one in verse 1 which is ʾohel moʿed. It would be good to distinguish these expressions in a translation, as long as it is pointed out (in an introduction, initial footnote, or glossary entry) that in general they refer to the same place where the LORD resides in the midst of his people and communicates with them there. The Hebrew word for tabernacle is mishkan, which means “dwelling-place.” This word may be rendered “tent” or “holy tent” because it corresponds with the tent, a temporary shelter, in verse 1. The testimony (haʿedut in Hebrew) does not refer to the LORD’s presence directly, but more indirectly to the verbal text of the covenant, the Ten Commandments, written on the two stone tablets, which were kept in the ark (the covenant chest) as a testimony and solemn reminder of God’s faithfulness to his people. As an alternative to Good News Translation, we encourage translators to render mishkan haʿedut more precisely, for example, “the [sacred] place of the testimony,” “the [holy] tent of the testimony,” “the tent where the covenant text is kept” (similarly Bible en français courant), or “the tent of the sacred covenant.” New Jewish Publication Society’s Tanakh has “the Tabernacle of the Pact,” which may also be expressed as “the tent of the treaty” or even “the tent containing the [sacred] agreement.” In contexts where the expression is repeated, an abbreviation may be sufficient, such as “the tent.”
And over all its furnishings, and over all that belongs to it: The Hebrew word for furnishings is a general term for utensils, equipment, and vessels. This whole expression may be rendered simply “and over all that belongs to it.”
They are to carry the tabernacle and all its furnishings, and they shall tend it: In the Hebrew text the verbs for carry and tend are each reinforced by the presence of the independent pronoun rendered they. This pronoun stresses that only the Levites are allowed near the sacred tent.
And shall encamp around the tabernacle: As verses 51 and 53 show as well, only the Levites can make camp near the Tabernacle and come near it. They must form the inner circle around it. The verb encamp and the related noun “camp” may not exist in some languages. If so, encamp may be rendered “set up their tents [or, temporary dwellings/shelters],” and “camp” may be translated “place of tents [or, temporary shelters].”
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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