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 3:19)

Following are a number of back-translations as well as a sample translation for translators of Numbers 3:19:

  • Kupsabiny: “Kohath had sons who were leaders in their houses and they were: Amram, Izhar, Hebron and Uzziel.” (Source: Kupsabiny Back Translation)
  • Newari: “The clans descended from Kohath were named after four of his sons Amram, Izhar, Hebron and Uzziel.” (Source: Newari Back Translation)
  • Hiligaynon: “The children of Kohat were Amram, Izhar, Hebron and Uziel.” (Source: Hiligaynon Back Translation)
  • English: “Kohath had four sons: Amram, Izhar, Hebron, and Uzziel. The clans that were descended from them had the same names as those four sons.” (Source: Translation for Translators)

Translation commentary on Numbers 3:17 - 3:20

And these were … And these are …: Good News Translation renders verses 17-20 in the past tense. But Revised Standard Version is closer to the Hebrew since it has a past tense in verse 17 only. Revised Standard Version thus brings out more clearly than Good News Translation that these verses are part of a list. In languages where a change of tense from past to present as in Revised Standard Version would be awkward, La Nouvelle Bible Segond provides a good model by using only the present tense.

And these were the sons of Levi by their names: Gershon and Kohath and Merari: See Gen 46.11 and Exo 6.16.

And these are the names of the sons of Gershon by their families: Libni and Shime-i: See Exo 6.17 and 1 Chr 6.17. By their families is better rendered “by their clans,” since families translates the Hebrew word mishpachah (see the comments on 1.2). New Jewish Publication Society’s Tanakh renders by their families as “by clan,” and La Nouvelle Bible Segond has “clan by clan.”

And the sons of Kohath by their families: Amram, Izhar, Hebron, and Uzziel: See Exo 6.18; 1 Chr 6.2, 18; 23.12.

And the sons of Merari by their families: Mahli and Mushi: See Exo 6.19; 1 Chr 6.19; 23.21.

These are the families of the Levites, by their fathers’ houses: The demonstrative pronoun These refers to Levi’s grandsons. De Nieuwe Bijbelvertaling expresses clearly the difference in size between families (mishpachah in Hebrew) and fathers’ houses (see 1.2) by rendering this sentence as “These were the clans of the Levites, which in turn were divided into families.” A similar model is “These were the clans of the Levites, which consisted of families.” New Jewish Publication Society’s Tanakh makes this sentence the introduction of a new paragraph. But actually it is not just this sentence but all of verses 17-20 that together form an introduction to verses 21-37.

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 .