12and they shall take all the utensils of the service that are used in the sanctuary and put them in a blue cloth and cover them with a covering of fine leather and put them on the carrying frame.
The Hebrew that is translated as “fine leather” or “badger/porpoise skin” in English is translated in Kutu as ng’hwembe ya mhala or “skins of bushbuck” (for bushbuck, see here ). (Source: Pioneer Bible Translators, project-specific translation notes in Paratext)
In Yao, it is translated as “soft leather of a big sea animal” (source: UBS, project-specific translation notes in Paratext), in Newari as “dolphin skin” (source: Newari Back Translation), in Kupsabiny as “hides of a hippo” (source: Kupsabiny Back Translation), and in Opo as “soft skins” (source: Opo Back Translation).
The English Jewish Orthodox ArtScroll Tanach translation (publ. 2011) transliterates it as tachash-hide. (Source: Zetzsche)
The Hebrew and Greek that is translated with “clothes” or similar in English is translated in Enlhet as “crawling-in-stuff” (source: Jacob Loewen in The Bible Translator 1971, p. 169ff. ) and in Noongar as bwoka or “Kangaroo skin” (source: Warda-Kwabba Luke-Ang).
This animal is only mentioned in Scripture with regard to the leather made from its skin. It is clear that its hide made very good leather. The King James Version’s “badger” and Revised Standard Version’s “goat” are almost certainly mistranslations. New English Bible’s “porpoise” has more support since an Arabic word very similar to the Hebrew refers to the porpoise or dolphin. However catching sufficient porpoises to make a covering for the tabernacle would have been problematic for the Israelites since these animals live entirely in the sea while the Israelites were not a seagoing nation.
However, some local Bedouin tribes that live near the sea have for centuries made sandals and other articles from the skins of an animal called dugong and many modern scholars interpret tachash as referring to this animal. New International Version and New English Bible (margin) have “sea cow”. The dugong, which swims slowly and feeds on underwater weeds near the shore, is fairly easy to catch in nets.
The Dugong (Dugong dugong) is a large animal about 3 meters (10 feet) long, which lives in the sea, usually in small herds of twelve to fifteen animals. They swim slowly and feed in fairly shallow water on underwater weeds near mouths of rivers. They sometimes even move a short distance up the river. They need to come to the surface every few minutes to breathe, and they sometimes come out of the water to lie on rocks or sandbanks.
Although they have flippers rather than legs and a tail that looks like that of a large fish dugongs are mammals. They have soft fur. They do not lay eggs but give birth to babies and feed them on milk from their breasts. They are found in fairly large numbers even today in the Gulf of Aqaba and the Red Sea and are also found along the tropical coasts of East Africa, South Asia, Madagascar, Malaysia, Indonesia, Papua New Guinea, Australia and the Solomon Islands. They have also been reported in Taiwan.
Dugongs are distantly related to seals. They are pale gray in color and the male has small tusks in its upper jaw. They are harmless and unsuspicious animals and are easy to catch. Dugong skins are fairly thick soft and long-wearing and make high quality leather. The fur is usually left on the leather.
Three very similar animals are the Senegal Manatee Trichechus senegalensis, which is found in West Africa, the Caribbean Manatee Trichechus manatus, which is found on the coasts and in the lagoons of the Caribbean islands and Florida, and the South American Manatee Trichechus inunguis, which is found in the Amazon and Orinoco rivers.
Where dugongs and manatees are known, the best choice will be the word for one of the three mentioned in the previous paragraph. In areas where they are not known, the word for the seal can be used. Where seals are also not known, a more general expression such as “good soft leather” or “furs” is better than trying to name the animal. It is the skin rather than the animal that is in focus in all cases.
The Hebrew, Greek and Latin that is translated as “sanctuary” in English is translated in the Contemporary Chichewa translation (2002/2016) with opatulika or “separated place.” This is understood in a religious setup as a place designated for worship. (Source: Mawu a Mulungu mu Chichewa Chalero Back Translation)
Following are a number of back-translations as well as a sample translation for translators of Numbers 4:12:
Kupsabiny: “They shall take all the utensils that used for the work in the Tent of God and tie (them) in a blue cloth, and cover (them) with a softened hippo skin and place (them) on a stretcher they can carry (them) on.” (Source: Kupsabiny Back Translation)
Newari: “All the items that are used in the Holy Tent, having been bundled up in blue cloth, must be covered by dolphin skin leather and tied to the carrying pole. ” (Source: Newari Back Translation)
Hiligaynon: “The remaining things which are-used-to-serve (in) the Tent, (must) be also wrap in a blue cloth and the good/fine kind of leather and tied-(it) to the poles which are-used-for-carrying.” (Source: Hiligaynon Back Translation)
English: “‘hey must take all the other items that are inside the Sacred Tent and wrap them in a blue cloth, cover that with a nice covering made from the skins of goats, and place all that on a frame for carrying it.” (Source: Translation for Translators)
And they shall take all the vessels of the service which are used in the sanctuary: The connector and introduces another set of sacred items, so this connector may not be a good way to introduce this verse. It is probably more helpful to set off each new sacred item (or set of items) as a new paragraph (so Contemporary English Version, New International Version). All the vessels of the service which are used in the sanctuary is literally “all the vessels of the service with which they [Aaron and his sons] serve in the holy place.” New Jewish Publication Society’s Tanakh says “all the service vessels with which the service in the sanctuary is performed.” These vessels (“utensils” in Good News Translation) were not just used with the incense altar but in all the worship conducted in the Tabernacle (see 3.31). So these vessels are not just connected with the incense altar in verse 11. To indicate this, Good News Translation should have started a new paragraph in verse 12 (and not only in verse 11). Similarly, Revised Standard Version and New Revised Standard Version should have started verse 12 with a new sentence (so New Jewish Publication Society’s Tanakh). For sanctuary, which renders the Hebrew word qodesh, see the comments on 3.28. Sanctuary and “Holy Place” (Good News Translation) are quite literal renderings of qodesh. If needed, translators may use the chosen term for “tent of meeting” at 1.1.
And put them in a cloth of blue: See verse 6.
And cover them with a covering of goatskin: See verse 6.
And put them on the carrying frame is better rendered “and place them on a carrying frame” (Good News Translation). See the comments on verse 10.
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 .
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