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.

Asher

The Hebrew and Greek that is transliterated as “Asher” in English is translated in Spanish Sign Language with a sign for “(oak) tree” that signifies fruitfulness (referring to Genesis 49:20). (Source: Steve Parkhurst)


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

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

More information on Asher and the Tribe of Asher .

complete verse (Numbers 26:44)

Following are a number of back-translations as well as a sample translation for translators of Numbers 26:44:

  • Kupsabiny: “These are the houses of the clan of Asher: House of Immah, house of Ishvi and house of Beriah.” (Source: Kupsabiny Back Translation)
  • Newari: “The descendants of Asher according to clan are like this —
    The clan of the Imnites, from Imnah,
    the clan of the Ishvites, from Ishvi,
    the clan of the Beriites, from Beriah.” (Source: Newari Back Translation)
  • Hiligaynon: “The descendants of Asher were the families of Imna, Ishvi, and Beria.” (Source: Hiligaynon Back Translation)
  • English: “They counted 53,400 men from the tribe of Asher. They were in clans descended from Imnah, Ishvi, and Beriah, and from Beriah’s two sons—Heber and Malkiel. Asher also had a daughter named Serah.” (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 26:44 - 26:47

This paragraph is about the census of the tribe of Asher. 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 Asher descended from his sons Imnah, Ishvi and Beriah, and Beriah’s sons Heber and Malchi-el (see Gen 46.17; 1 Chr 7.30-31).

And the name of the daughter of Asher was Serah: Serah is also mentioned in Gen 46.17 and 1 Chr 7.30. In this context of a military census, this sentence seems a striking interruption; it heightens the importance of Serah and the role of women in general (so Cole, page 460). The parentheses in New International Version around this sentence are likely to suggest to some readers that its information is unimportant, so it is better not to use them.

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 .