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 (Joshua 3:4)

Following are a number of back-translations as well as a sample translation for translators of Joshua 3:4:

  • Kupsabiny: “Do (plur.) like that so that they can lead the way for you because you are still foreigners in this land. But do not come near that Box of the Covenant. Leave a space of one kilometer.’” (Source: Kupsabiny Back Translation)
  • Newari: “Then you will learn the route you need to take, for you have not gone on that route before. But without getting close to that ark, you are to stay about a kilometer behind it."” (Source: Newari Back Translation)
  • Hiligaynon: “so-that you (plur.) will-know where you (plur.) are-going-to-pass-by, for you (plur.) have- not ever -passed-by here from past-time/before. But [you (plur.)] just do- not -come-near to the Box of the Agreement; [you (plur.)] keep-a-distance of about one kilometer.’” (Source: Hiligaynon Back Translation)
  • English: “You have not been here/along this road before, so you must follow the priests. But do not walk close to the chest. Stay 1,000 yards/900 meters from the chest. The chest is sacred, so God will punish you/you will be punished if you come close to it.’” (Source: Translation for Translators)

formal 2nd person plural pronoun (Japanese)

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Like a number of other East Asian languages, Japanese uses a complex system of honorifics, i.e. a system where a number of different levels of politeness are expressed in language via words, word forms or grammatical constructs. These can range from addressing someone or referring to someone with contempt (very informal) to expressing the highest level of reference (as used in addressing or referring to God) or any number of levels in-between.

One way Japanese shows different degree of politeness is through the choice of a formal plural suffix to the second person pronoun (“you” and its various forms) as shown here in the widely-used Japanese Shinkaiyaku (新改訳) Bible of 2017. In these verses, anata-gata (あなたがた) is used, combining the second person pronoun anata and the plural suffix -gata to create a formal plural pronoun (“you” [plural] in English).

(Source: S. E. Doi, see also S. E. Doi in Journal of Translation, 18/2022, p. 37ff. )

Translation commentary on Joshua 3:4

Verse 4 in Hebrew gives first the instruction for the people to stay a certain distance away from the Covenant Box, after which comes the explanation of why they were to follow the Box. For clarity and ease of understanding, Good News Translation and Revised Standard Version have reversed the order. The priests carrying the Covenant Box would lead the way, and the people were to follow at a distance of 2,000 cubits, about 3,000 feet (a little more than half a mile) or 914 meters (almost one kilometer). This care was needed because of the holiness of the Box; it was dangerous for ordinary people to be exposed to its holiness (see 2 Sam 6.6-7).

It may make a more natural arrangement if the two clauses in the first sentence of this verse are inverted. For example, “3 … and follow them. 4 They will show you the way to go, since you have never been here before.” Show you the way to go may be translated, “lead you where you are to go,” since show you might imply that the priests are standing along the road and pointing the way.

About half a mile may be rendered “about a kilometer” or even “about a thousand steps.” Many languages have idiomatic ways of expressing distance (for example, “the distance that one can walk in the time it takes a pot of bananas to boil”), and the translator should look for a term that is neither a modern term not appropriate for that time, nor a term outside the cultural expectations of the readers.

Quoted with permission from Bratcher, Robert G. and Newman, Barclay M. A Handbook on Joshua. (UBS Helps for Translators). New York: UBS, 1983. For this and other handbooks for translators see here .