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 (Numbers 18:31)

Following are a number of back-translations as well as a sample translation for translators of Numbers 18:31:

  • Kupsabiny: “You and your people may eat these foods anywhere because they are things which are given to you for the work you are doing in the Tent of God.” (Source: Kupsabiny Back Translation)
  • Newari: “You and your household can eat the rest of it anywhere, for these are your wages for the work you do in the Tent of Meeting.” (Source: Newari Back Translation)
  • Hiligaynon: “You (plur.) can eat with your (plur.) family your (plur.) share/portion in any place, for that is your (plur.) wages in your (plur.) serving at the Meeting-Together-Place Tent.” (Source: Hiligaynon Back Translation)
  • English: “You descendants of Levi and your families are permitted to eat the rest of that food, and you may eat it wherever you want to, because it is your payment for the work that you do at the Sacred Tent.” (Source: Translation for Translators)

formal 2nd person plural pronoun (Japanese)

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Like a number of other East Asian languages, Japanese uses a complex system of honorifics, i.e. a system where a number of different levels of politeness are expressed in language via words, word forms or grammatical constructs. These can range from addressing someone or referring to someone with contempt (very informal) to expressing the highest level of reference (as used in addressing or referring to God) or any number of levels in-between.

One way Japanese shows different degree of politeness is through the choice of a formal plural suffix to the second person pronoun (“you” and its various forms) as shown here in the widely-used Japanese Shinkaiyaku (新改訳) Bible of 2017. In these verses, anata-gata (あなたがた) is used, combining the second person pronoun anata and the plural suffix -gata to create a formal plural pronoun (“you” [plural] in English).

(Source: S. E. Doi, see also S. E. Doi in Journal of Translation, 18/2022, p. 37ff. )

Translation commentary on Numbers 18:31

And you may eat it in any place, you and your households: A new sentence should begin here, not only due to length, but also because of the new instructions for the Levites in this verse (so Good News Translation). The Hebrew pronouns for you and your are plural, referring to the Levites. The pronoun it can only refer to the rest of the food tithed by the Israelites, which the Levites are allowed to keep for themselves. Your households, which is literally “your [plural] house,” may be rendered “your families” (see 1.2).

For it is your reward in return for your service in the tent of meeting: The Hebrew particle ki rendered for introduces the reason why the Levites may eat the remaining food tithed by the Israelites. It is because of their service at the Tabernacle. The Hebrew word for reward (sakar) often refers to “wages,” so New Revised Standard Version says “payment,” and New Living Translation has “compensation.” For in return for your service in the tent of meeting, see verses 6 and 21. This phrase may be rendered simply “for your work at the Tent of Meeting” (New International Readers Version).

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 .