desert / wilderness

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The Greek, Hebrew, Ge’ez, and Latin that is translated as “desert” or “wilderness” in English is translated in a number of ways:

  • Mairasi: “a place where noisiness is cut off (or: stops)” (source: Enggavoter 2004)
  • Muna: pandaso bhalano pr “big barren-field” (source: René van den Berg)
  • Balinese: “barren field” (source: J.L. Swellengrebel in The Bible Translator 1950, p. 75ff. )
  • Wantoat: “uninhabited place” (source: Holzhausen 1991, p. 38)
  • Umiray Dumaget Agta: “where no people dwell” (source: Larson 1998, p. 98)
  • Shipibo-Conibo: “where no house is” (source: James Lauriault in The Bible Translator 1951, p. 32ff. )
  • Amri Karbi: “waterless region/place” (source: Philippova 2021, p. 368)
  • Ocotlán Zapotec: “large empty place” (source: B. Moore / G. Turner in Notes on Translation 1967, p. 1ff.)
  • Pa’o Karen: “jungle” (denoting a place without any towns, villages and tilled fields) (source: Gordon Luce in The Bible Translator 1950, p. 153f. )
  • Low German translation by Johannes Jessen, publ. 1933, republ. 2006: “steppe”
  • Yakan: “the lonely place” (source: Yakan Back Translation)
  • Western Bukidnon Manobo: “a land where no people lived” (source: Western Bukidnon Manobo Back Translation)
  • Kankanaey: “the place with no inhabitants” (source: Kankanaey Back Translation)
  • Matumbi uses various term: lubele (desert, sandy place without water) — used in John 11:54, lupu’ngu’ti (a place where no people live, can be a scrub land, a forest, or a savanna) — used in Mark 1:3 et al.), and mwitu (a forest, a place where wild animals live) — used in Mark 1:13 et al.) (Source: Pioneer Bible Translators, project-specific notes in Paratext)
  • Chichewa Contemporary translation (2002/2016): chipululu: a place uninhabited by people with thick forest and bush (source: Mawu a Mulungu mu Chichewa Chalero Back Translation)

Note that in Luke 15:4, usually a term is used that denotes pastoral land, such as “eating/grazing-place,” in Tagbanwa (source: Tagbanwa Back Translation).

See also wilderness and desolate wilderness.

tabernacle (noun)

The Hebrew, Ge’ez, and Greek that is translated as “tabernacle” in English is translated in San Blas Kuna as “house of prayer that can be carried.” (Source: Ronald Ross)

In Bandi it is translated as “holy sitting place.” The “sitting place for the Bandi is where you live.” Therefore the tabernacle is the place where God lived. (Source: Becky Grossmann in this newsletter )

In Vidunda it is translated as “God’s tent” (source: Pioneer Bible Translators, project-specific translation notes in Paratext) and in Tibetan as gur mchog (གུར་​མཆོག) or “perfect tent” (source: gSungrab website )

In American Sign Language it is translated with with a sign for “tent” combined with a sign referring to the outer court surrounding the tent (see Exodus 27:9 and following). (Source: Ruth Anna Spooner, Ron Lawer)


“Tabernacle” in American Sign Language, source: Deaf Harbor

See also tabernacle (verb) / dwell, festival of Tabernacles and ark of the covenant.

complete verse (Numbers 3:36)

Following are a number of back-translations as well as a sample translation for translators of Numbers 3:36:

  • Kupsabiny: “It was given to them to be in charge of the work of frames of the Tent of God, the horizontal poles, the vertical posts, the things that the posts stand on and everything which was used to construct the Tent.” (Source: Kupsabiny Back Translation)
  • Newari: “[EAH: And the Merarites were given responsibility for the wooden planks of the Holy Tent, its crossbars, the pillars, the bases and all its equipment,” (Source: Newari Back Translation)
  • Hiligaynon: “They were-entrusted to take-care of the frames of the walls of the Tent, the braces/crossbars of it, the posts and the bases. They were responsible of all the work/doings which are related/connected to these things/items.” (Source: Hiligaynon Back Translation)
  • English: “The work of the men of those two clans was to take care of the frames that held up the tent, the crossbars, the pillars, and the bases. They also did all the work that was connected with those items.” (Source: Translation for Translators)

Translation commentary on Numbers 3:36 - 3:37

Verses 36-37 form one sentence in the Hebrew. Good News Translation has broken it up into three sentences, which other languages may find helpful.

And the appointed charge of the sons of Merari was to be …: The Hebrew word for charge is mishmeret, which is the same word that occurs in verses 25 and 31 (see the comments there). However, this time it is preceded by another Hebrew word that is similar in meaning, one that means “appointment” or “responsibility.” These two words may be rendered “assigned duties” (New Jewish Publication Society’s Tanakh). The sons of Merari is better rendered “the descendants of Merari” or simply “the Merarites” (New Jewish Publication Society’s Tanakh). As in verse 25, the verb was to be is not the Hebrew, but added by Revised Standard Version.

The frames of the tabernacle were the “planks” (New Jewish Publication Society’s Tanakh) that formed the wooden framework of the Tabernacle. They stood in a vertical, upright position (see Exo 26.15-25; 36.20-30). For tabernacle, which renders the Hebrew word mishkan, see 1.50.

The bars were the horizontal wooden “crossbars” (New International Version) that kept the frames together (see Exo 26.26-29; 36.31-34).

The pillars were the upright “posts” (Good News Translation) from which were hung the curtain before the Most Holy Place and the curtain at the entrance of the Tabernacle (see Exo 26.32, 37; 36.36, 38).

The bases were the metal stands or sockets in which the frames and posts were set up (see Exo 26.19, 21, 25, 32, 37; 36.24, 26, 30, 36, 38).

And all their accessories: Instead of the pronoun their, the Hebrew has “its” (New International Version, New Jewish Publication Society’s Tanakh), which refers to the Tabernacle. In any case, the accessories of all the items in this verse are in view. In this context accessories may be rendered “fittings” or “equipment” (New International Version).

All the service pertaining to these: See the comments on verses 26 and 31. As in those verses, Contemporary English Version actually explains what this service meant, saying “The Merari clans were responsible for setting these things up and taking them down.” It is also helpful that Contemporary English Version puts this sentence at the very end of verses 36-37, that is, after the list of items.

The pillars of the court round about were the posts that held up the curtains surrounding the courtyard of the Tabernacle, including the curtain covering the courtyard’s entrance (see Exo 27.9-18; 38.9-19).

With their bases and pegs and cords: The pronoun their refers to the posts that held up the courtyard curtains. The bases were the metal stands in which these posts were set up (see Exo 27.9-18; 38.9-19). The pegs and cords were the tent pegs and ropes used to hold the posts in place (see Exo 27.19; 38.20). Translators may need to specify that the pegs were “metal,” so that readers do not assume that they were wooden.

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 .

Translation commentary on Numbers 33:6

The Hebrew text of verse 6 is virtually the same as Exo 13.20.

And they set out from Succoth, and encamped at Etham: An idiomatic way of reporting this long journey account should be sought in translation. Often this will mean the elimination of the Hebrew waw conjunctions rendered And (so Good News Bible), or perhaps their replacement by natural conjunctions in the target language. Some languages will have a corresponding verb for set out (see verse 3), such as “set out on a journey” (Chewa), while others will need to use a more general verb, such as “traveled” (NET) or “left” (New Living Translation). If it is more natural, another option is to reduce the repetition somewhat; for example, Good News Bible begins this verse with “Their next camp was at Etham….” The location of Etham is also unknown.

Which is on the edge of the wilderness may be rendered “near the border of the desert” (similarly Bible en français courant, Biblia Dios Habla Hoy, NTV). For the Hebrew word rendered wilderness (midbar), see 1.1. The wilderness refers to the desert of the Sinai Peninsula.

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 .