bronze

The Hebrew, Latin, and Greek that is translated as “bronze” in English is translated in Newari as “bell-metal,” since bells are made of bronze in Nepal (source: Newari Back Translation).

See also bronze vessel.

complete verse (Exodus 38:10)

Following are a number of back-translations as well as a sample translation for translators of Exodus 38:10:

  • Kupsabiny: “(He) tied those curtains onto twenty bronze pillars and (they) stood on twenty things made of bronze, and had clips/hooks and horizontal poles made of silver.” (Source: Kupsabiny Back Translation)
  • Newari: “They made twenty bases of bronze for it and twenty bronze pillars as well. But hooks and ropes of pillars were silver.” (Source: Newari Back Translation)
  • Hiligaynon: “They connected/hung this curtain to-the 20 bronze posts which is also inserted to-the 20 bronze bases. The thing- they -used-to-connect/hung the curtain was-the silver hooks which is-attached to-the silver rods on the posts.” (Source: Hiligaynon Back Translation)
  • Bariai: “And they made the long side of that fence with its twenty posts. And they made twenty bras post-bases also to be for the standing-up of the posts. And on each of the posts, they made silva hooks and silva cross-pieces also.” (Source: Bariai Back Translation)
  • Opo: “They pound metal red which be 20 for its hanging wood, with metal red which be 20 other for its planting-hole. They pound gold white, made crooks head, seal it on hanging-wood, and they pound gold white for its beams.” (Source: Opo Back Translation)
  • English: “To hang the curtain, they made 20 bronze posts and 20 bronze bases, one for under each post. To fasten the curtains to the posts, they made silver hooks, and they made metal rods covered with silver.” (Source: Translation for Translators)

Translation commentary on Exodus 38:9-11

These verses should be translated following the pattern of 27.9-11. (See the comments there.) The following differences should be noted: And he made the court changes the verb to show completed action, and the court should be understood to refer to “the court of the tabernacle.” The word for court, however, as in 27.9, actually refers to the open space around the tabernacle, which Bezalel of course could not make. But it is used here for the hangings of the court, which were the curtains that would mark off the “enclosure” (Good News Translation).

In verse 10 the Hebrew here actually has their pillars instead of “its pillars,” so the textual problem in 27.10 does not occur here. This is also true for their bases. The problem of the dangling phrase of bronze, however, is identical with that in 27.10. Note that New Revised Standard Version revises the structure of Revised Standard Version to make it clear that the pillars were also made of bronze: “its twenty pillars and their twenty bases were of bronze.” Others interpret the phrase to refer only to the bases (New International Version, Revised English Bible). Good News Translation again has “twenty bronze posts in twenty bronze bases,” and Contemporary English Version has “He used twenty bronze posts on bronze stands.” Translators are urged to follow this interpretation. (But see also 26.32, where it is clearly stated that the pillars for holding up the veil of the Most Holy Place were actually of acacia wood and overlaid with gold.)

Verse 11 repeats for the north side what has already been said about the south side, almost word for word. Good News Translation, as in 27.11, has therefore condensed this verse out of consideration for the intended audience. Nothing has been lost except the repetition, which may be important in some languages.

Quoted with permission from Osborn, Noel D. and Hatton, Howard A. A Handbook on Exodus. (UBS Helps for Translators). New York: UBS, 1999. For this and other handbooks for translators see here .