complete verse (Exodus 12:37)

Following are a number of back-translations as well as a sample translation for translators of Exodus 12:37:

  • Kupsabiny: “The Israelites left the city of Rameses and went to Succoth. All men in this journey were six hundred thousand (600,000) without counting women and children.” (Source: Kupsabiny Back Translation)
  • Newari: “The Israelites walked from Rameses to Succoth. There were about six lakh men besides women and children.” (Source: Newari Back Translation)
  • Hiligaynon: “The Israelinhon traveled/journeyed from Rameses toward Sucot. (There were) about 600,000 men in-all, not including/counting the women and children.” (Source: Hiligaynon Back Translation)
  • Bariai: “It came about that the Israel people left Rameses village, and then walked and went to Sukot village. The crowd which walked, the number of the males alone amounted to six hundred thousand (600,000). But they didn’t count women and children.” (Source: Bariai Back Translation)
  • Opo: “And people of Israel arose from Ramses, went Succoth. Men who went, they be 600,000 alone. And women and children, they not them count amongst them.” (Source: Opo Back Translation)
  • English: “The Israeli people traveled from Rameses city to Succoth town. There were about 600,000 men who went, in addition to the women and children.” (Source: Translation for Translators)

large numbers in Angguruk Yali

Many languages use a “body part tally system” where body parts function as numerals (see body part tally systems with a description). One such language is Angguruk Yali which uses a system that ends at the number 27. To circumvent this limitation, the Angguruk Yali translators adopted a strategy where a large number is first indicated with an approximation via the traditional system, followed by the exact number according to Arabic numerals. For example, where in 2 Samuel 6:1 it says “thirty thousand” in the English translation, the Angguruk Yali says teng-teng angge 30.000 or “so many rounds [following the body part tally system] 30,000,” likewise, in Acts 27:37 where the number “two hundred seventy-six” is used, the Angguruk Yali translation says teng-teng angge 276 or “so many rounds 276,” or in John 6:10 teng-teng angge 5.000 for “five thousand.”

This strategy is used in all the verses referenced here.

Source: Lourens de Vries in The Bible Translator 1998, p. 409ff.

See also numbers in Ngalum and numbers in Kombai.