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 9:22)

Following are a number of back-translations as well as a sample translation for translators of Numbers 9:22:

  • Kupsabiny: “or two days ,or a month, or for a long time. The Israelites also stayed like that all the time. And if/when the cloud got up, the people would get up/leave following that cloud.” (Source: Kupsabiny Back Translation)
  • Newari: “Whatever happened, whether the cloud remained above the Holy Tent for two days, for a month, for a year or more than that, as long as the cloud stayed [there] they did not move on. As soon as the cloud moved away, they moved on.” (Source: Newari Back Translation)
  • Hiligaynon: “Whether the cloud stayed on/above the Tent for two days or about a month or about a year, the Israelinhon stayed also in their camp. But as soon as the cloud goes-up/lifted/ascend, they moved/[lit. walked]/moved on also.” (Source: Hiligaynon Back Translation)
  • English: “If the cloud stayed over the Sacred Tent for two days, or for a month, or for a year, during that time we/they stayed where we/they were. But when the cloud rose up into the sky, we/they started to travel.” (Source: Translation for Translators)

Translation commentary on Numbers 9:22

Whether it was two days, or a month, or a longer time: Instead of a longer time (literally “days”), Good News Translation has “a year, or longer,” which does more justice to the idiomatic Hebrew expression here. This whole phrase marks progression from a short time to a long time. New Jewish Publication Society’s Tanakh expresses this rhetorical progression very clearly, saying “Whether it was two days or a month or a year.”

That the cloud continued over the tabernacle, abiding there is literally “when the cloud was long over the Tabernacle to dwell over it.” A possible model for this clause and the previous phrase is “Whether it was two days or a month or a year—however long the cloud stayed over the Tabernacle” (similarly New Jewish Publication Society’s Tanakh).

The people of Israel remained in camp and did not set out: See verse 17.

But when it was taken up they set out: See verse 17.

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 .