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 26:26)

Following are a number of back-translations as well as a sample translation for translators of Numbers 26:26:

  • Kupsabiny: “These are the houses of the clan of Zebulun: House of Sered, house of Elon and house of Jahleel.” (Source: Kupsabiny Back Translation)
  • Newari: “The descendants of Zebulun’s clan were like this —
    The clan of the Seredites from Sered,
    the clan of the Elonites from Elon,
    the clan of the Jaheelites from Jahleel.” (Source: Newari Back Translation)
  • Hiligaynon: “The descendants of Zebulun were the families of Sered, Elon, and Jaleel.” (Source: Hiligaynon Back Translation)
  • English: “They counted 60,500 men from the tribe of Zebulun. They were in clans descended from Sered, Elon, and Jahleel.” (Source: Translation for Translators)

large numbers in Angguruk Yali

Many languages use a “body part tally system” where body parts function as numerals (see body part tally systems with a description). One such language is Angguruk Yali which uses a system that ends at the number 27. To circumvent this limitation, the Angguruk Yali translators adopted a strategy where a large number is first indicated with an approximation via the traditional system, followed by the exact number according to Arabic numerals. For example, where in 2 Samuel 6:1 it says “thirty thousand” in the English translation, the Angguruk Yali says teng-teng angge 30.000 or “so many rounds [following the body part tally system] 30,000,” likewise, in Acts 27:37 where the number “two hundred seventy-six” is used, the Angguruk Yali translation says teng-teng angge 276 or “so many rounds 276,” or in John 6:10 teng-teng angge 5.000 for “five thousand.”

This strategy is used in all the verses referenced here.

Source: Lourens de Vries in The Bible Translator 1998, p. 409ff.

See also numbers in Ngalum and numbers in Kombai.

Translation commentary on Numbers 26:26 - 26:27

This paragraph is about the census of the tribe of Zebulun. It runs parallel to the previous paragraphs in this chapter dealing with the census of other tribes (see the comments on verses 5-7 and 12-14). The clans of Zebulun descended from his sons Sered, Elon, and Jahleel (see Gen 46.14).

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 .