mourn

The Hebrew, Latin, and Greek that is translated as “mourn” or similar in English is translated in Newari as “have one’s heart broken” or “have a bursting heart” (source: Newari Back Translation).

In Cherokee it is translated as “going around feeling badly” (source: Bender / Belt 2025, p. 16).

Aaron

The name that is transliterated as “Aaron” in English means “light,” “a mountain of strength” “to be high.” (Source: Cornwall / Smith 1997 )

In Catalan Sign Language and Spanish Sign Language it is translated 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 )

For more information on translations of proper names with sign language see Sign Language Bible Translations Have Something to Say to Hearing Christians .

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

complete verse (Numbers 20:29)

Following are a number of back-translations as well as a sample translation for translators of Numbers 20:29:

  • Kupsabiny: “When the whole community of Israel had seen that Aaron has died, they mourned for thirty days.” (Source: Kupsabiny Back Translation)
  • Newari: “The whole community learned that Aaron had died, and for thirty days all the Israelites were in mourning.” (Source: Newari Back Translation)
  • Hiligaynon: “And when the whole community knew that Aaron is now dead, they mourned for him for a period/[lit. inside] of 30 days.” (Source: Hiligaynon Back Translation)
  • English: “When the Israeli people realized that Aaron had died, they all mourned for him for 30 days.” (Source: Translation for Translators)

Translation commentary on Numbers 20:29

And when all the congregation saw that Aaron was dead: Good News Translation says “The whole community learned that Aaron had died.” However, a more literal rendering would be more accurate here, for example, “The whole community saw that Aaron had died.” They saw it since only Moses and Eleazar, wearing Aaron’s priestly robes, came down from Mount Hor.

All the house of Israel wept for Aaron thirty days: Here the Israelites are referred to as one extended family with the phrase all the house of Israel (see 1.2 for the word house). Good News Translation says simply “they all,” but it is better to translate “the entire nation of Israel” (New International Readers Version) to keep the emphasis of the Hebrew text. The most natural expression for public mourning at a funeral should be used for the verb wept, for example, “cried a crying” (Chewa). Thirty days was the same period of mourning observed later for Moses’ death (Deut 34.8).

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 .