Great Sea

The Hebrew that is translated in English as “Great Sea” or similar is translated in Khoekhoe as “Mediterranean Sea.” (Source: project-specific notes in Paratext)

complete verse (Numbers 34:6)

Following are a number of back-translations as well as a sample translation for translators of Numbers 34:6:

  • Kupsabiny: “This Mediterranean Sea is to become your border which is at the Western edge.” (Source: Kupsabiny Back Translation)
  • Newari: “’Your western boundary will go up to the shore of the Mediterranean Sea. This will be your western boundary. ” (Source: Newari Back Translation)
  • Hiligaynon: “‘The boundary in the west is the Sea of Mediteraneo.” (Source: Hiligaynon Back Translation)
  • English: “The border on the west will be the Mediterranean Sea.” (Source: Translation for Translators)

formal 2nd person plural pronoun (Japanese)

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Like a number of other East Asian languages, Japanese uses a complex system of honorifics, i.e. a system where a number of different levels of politeness are expressed in language via words, word forms or grammatical constructs. These can range from addressing someone or referring to someone with contempt (very informal) to expressing the highest level of reference (as used in addressing or referring to God) or any number of levels in-between.

One way Japanese shows different degree of politeness is through the choice of a formal plural suffix to the second person pronoun (“you” and its various forms) as shown here in the widely-used Japanese Shinkaiyaku (新改訳) Bible of 2017. In these verses, anata-gata (あなたがた) is used, combining the second person pronoun anata and the plural suffix -gata to create a formal plural pronoun (“you” [plural] in English).

(Source: S. E. Doi, see also S. E. Doi in Journal of Translation, 18/2022, p. 37ff. )

sea / lake

The various Greek, Aramaic, Ge’ez, and Latin and Hebrew terms that are translated as “sea,” “ocean,” or “lake” in English are all translated in Chichewa with one term: nyanja. Malawi, where Chichewa is spoken, has a lot of lakes but does not share a border with the ocean. (Source: Mawu a Mulungu mu Chichewa Chalero Back Translation)

Translation commentary on Numbers 34:6

For the western boundary, you shall have the Great Sea and its coast means the coast of the Mediterranean Sea will be the western boundary. The Great Sea refers to “the Mediterranean Sea” (Good News Translation).

This shall be your western boundary: Good News Translation omits this repetitive clause, which other languages may find helpful.

Even though there is only one verse for the western border, it may be helpful to set off verse 6 as a separate paragraph since it constitutes a distinct subunit within the overall description of Israel’s land (so Revised Standard Version, Good News Translation). Both Revised Standard Version and Good News Translation omit the Hebrew waw conjunction (literally “And”) at the beginning of this verse as well as in verses 7 and 10. This conjunction simply marks the start of a subunit in the discourse. Translators may omit it unless this type of connector is natural in the receptor language.

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 .