cardinal directions

The cardinal directions “east” and “west” are easy to translate into Maan here since the language uses “where the sun comes up” and “where the sun goes down.” For “north” the translator had “facing toward the sun rising to the left,” and for “south” she had “facing toward the sun rising to the right.” So the listener had to think hard before knowing what direction was in view when translating “to the north and south, to the east and west.” So, in case all four directions are mentioned, it was shortened by saying simply “all directions.” (Source: Don Slager) Likewise, Yakan has “from the four corners of the earth” (source: Yakan back-translation) or Western Bukidnon Manobo “from the four directions here on the earth” (source: Western Bukidnon Manobo back-translation).

Kankanaey is “from the coming-out and the going-away of the sun and the north and the south” (source: Kankanaey back-translation), Northern Emberá “from where the sun comes up, from where it falls, from the looking [left] hand, from the real [right] hand” (source: Charles Mortensen), Amele “from the direction of the sun going up, from the direction of the sun going down, from the north and from the south” (source: John Roberts), Ejamat “look up to see the side where the sun comes from, and the side where it sets, and look on your right side, and on your left” (source: David Frank in this blog post ).

In Lamba, only umutulesuŵa, “where the sun rises” and imbonsi, “where the sun sets” were available as cardinal directions that were not tied to the local area of language speakers (“north” is kumausi — “to the Aushi country” — and “south” kumalenje — “to the Lenje country”). So “north” and “south” were introduced as loanwords, nofu and saufu respectively. The whole phrase is kunofu nakusaufu nakumutulesuŵa nakumbonsi. (Source C. M. Doke in The Bible Translator 1958, p. 57ff. )

“West” is translated in Tzeltal as “where the sun pours-out” and in Kele as “down-river” (source: Reiling / Swellengrebel).

In Morelos Nahuatl, “north” is translated as “from above” and “south” as “from below.” (Source: Viola Waterhouse in Notes on Translation August 1966, p. 86ff.)

In Matumbi cardinal directions are defined as in relation to another place. “East” for instance typically is “toward the beach” since the coast is in the eastern direction in Matumbi-speaking areas. “North” and “south” can be defined as above or below another place. (Source: Pioneer Bible Translators, project-specific notes in Paratext)

The Hebrew text that gives instructions where to place items in the tabernacle with the help of cardinal directions (north and south) had to be approached in the Bambam translation specific to spacial concepts of that culture.

Phil Campbell explains: “There are no words in Bambam for north and south. In Exodus 26:35, God instructs that the table is to be placed on the north side and the lamp on the south side inside the tabernacle. The team wants to use right and left to tell where the lamp and table are located. In many languages we would say that the table is on the right and the lampstand is on the left based on the view of someone entering the tabernacle. However, that is not how Bambam people view it. They view the placement of things and rooms in a building according to the orientation of someone standing inside the building facing the front of the building. So that means the table is on the left side and the lampstand is on the right side.”

See also cardinal directions / left and right.

cubit

The Hebrew, Aramaic and Greek that is translated as “cubit” or into a metric or imperial measurement in English is translated in Kutu, Kwere, and Nyamwezi as makono or “armlength.” Since a cubit is the measurement from the elbow to the tip of the middle finger, one armlength (measured from the center of the chest to the fingertips) equals two cubits or roughly 1 meter. (Source: Pioneer Bible Translators, project-specific translation notes in Paratext)

Similarly, in Akoose, the translation is “arm distance.” (Source: Joseph Nkwelle Ngome and Marlie van Rooyen & Jacobus A. Naudé in Communicatio 2009, p. 251ff.)

In Klao it is converted into “hand spans” (app. 6 inches or 12 cm) and “finger spans” (app. 1 inch or 2 cm) (source: Don Slager) and in Bariai into leoa or “fathom,” which comprises the distance from a person’s fingertip to fingertip with arms outstretched, app. 6 feet (source: Bariai Back Translation).

complete verse (Ezekiel 43:17)

Following are a number of back-translations as well as a sample translation for translators of Ezekiel 43:17:

  • Kupsabiny: “The middle section also had sides of the same size. Each place was twenty-four feet, and the ring that surrounded it outside was ten inches. On the East side of the altar was made/arranged a ladder/staircase.” (Source: Kupsabiny Back Translation)
  • Hiligaynon: “The altar had three stories. The lowest story was 27 feet square, and three feet high. The middle story was 24 feet square, and seven feet high. It had somewhat-like-a-canal around which was 20 inches deep and had a hangings/border around which was ten inches high. The upper story was 20 feet square, and seven feet high, and here the offerings were-being-burned. The four corners of it were-as-if-like horns of an animal. There were stairs going-up to the altar at the east side of it.’” (Source: Hiligaynon Back Translation)
  • English: “The upper ledge is also a square, 24-1/2 feet/7.4 meters on each side. There is a 21 in./53 cm. gutter at the bottom of the altar, and a 10.5 in./26.6 cm. rim all around it. There are steps up to the east side of the altar.’” (Source: Translation for Translators)

Translation commentary on Ezekiel 43:17

The ledge also shall be square, fourteen cubits long by fourteen broad: The ledge most likely refers to the top ledge of the altar, which was at the same level as the fire place, although some translations think it refers to the middle section (so Good News Translation, Contemporary English Version, New International Reader’s Version). This ledge was also square. It was fourteen cubits long by fourteen broad, that is, 7 meters long and 7 meters wide, (24 feet by 24 feet). Good News Translation says “24 feet on each side.” This measurement means that there was a ledge 50 centimeters wide all around the fire place.

With a rim around it half a cubit broad: This ledge had a rim around the outside of it. This rim was half a cubit broad, that is, 25 centimeters (10 inches) wide.

And its base one cubit round about: Instead of base, which follows the Septuagint, the Hebrew text has “gutter” (Good News Translation, New International Version, New Living Translation). The top ledge’s gutter was one cubit, that is, 50 centimeters (20 inches). This measurement of the gutter must refer to its depth, not its width. If it referred to its width, the total width of the top ledge’s gutter and rim combined would be 75 centimeters, which would be too wide to fit between the 6 meters of the fire place and the 7 meters of the ledge. An alternative interpretation is that the rim and gutter combined were only one cubit (50 centimeters) wide, with the rim being half a cubit (25 centimeters) high, as was the rim in verse 13. If so, there is no way of knowing how wide or deep the gutter was, or how wide the rim was. Translators may choose either of these interpretations.

The steps of the altar shall face east means there were “steps going up the east side of the altar” (New Living Translation). These steps were necessary because the top of the altar where the sacrifices were burned was at least 5 meters high, but Ezekiel does not say whether the steps led right up to the top or only part way up the side of the top section. Since there is no mention of a platform around the side of the top section, on which the priests could stand, it is most likely that the steps led right to the top and the priests completed their duties from the ledge on the top level.

A model for verses 13-17 with Ezekiel as the speaker is:

• 13 Now this is what the altar looked like and how big it was. There was a gutter 50 centimeters wide and 50 centimeters deep around the base of the altar and a 25 centimeter rim on the outside edge. Now, with respect to the height of the altar [or, This was the base of the altar]: 14 from the gutter in the ground up to the first [or, lowest] ledge was one meter. The ledge was 50 centimeters wide. From the first ledge to the second [or, middle] ledge was 2 meters. This ledge was also 50 centimeters wide. 15 The fire place [where the sacrifices were burned] was 2 meters higher, and sticking upward from the fire place were four posts that looked like the horns of a bull. 16 The fire place was 6 meters long and 6 meters wide; its four sides made up a perfect square. 17 The top ledge [where the fire place was] was 7 meters long and 7 meters wide; it too was a square. Around it was a 25 centimeter rim, and a gutter 50 centimeters deep. The altar had steps on the east side.

A model for these verses with God as the speaker is:

• 13 This is what the altar will look like and how big it will be. There will be a gutter 50 centimeters wide and 50 centimeters deep around the base of the altar and a 25 centimeter rim on the outside edge. Now, with respect to the height of the altar [or, This will be the base of the altar]: 14 from the gutter in the ground up to the first [or, lowest] ledge will be one meter. The ledge will be 50 centimeters wide. From the first ledge to the second [or, middle] ledge will be 2 meters. This ledge will also be 50 centimeters wide. 15 The fire place [where the sacrifices are burned] will be 2 meters higher, and sticking upward from the fire place will be four posts that look like the horns of a bull. 16 The fire place will be 6 meters long and 6 meters wide; its four sides will make up a perfect square. 17 The top ledge [where the fire place is] will be 7 meters long and 7 meters wide; it too will be a square. Around it will be a 25 centimeter rim, and a gutter 50 centimeters deep. The altar will have steps on the east side.

Quoted with permission from Gross, Carl & Stine, Philip C. A Handbook on Ezekiel. (UBS Helps for Translators). Miami: UBS, 2016. For this and other handbooks for translators see here .