Canaan

The term that is transliterated as “Canaan” in English is translated in American Sign Language with the sign loosely referencing the act of hiding/covering one’s face in shame. The association of “shame” with the name “Canaan” comes from Genesis 9, specifically verse 9:25. This sign was adapted from a similar sign in Kenyan Sign Language (see here). (Source: Ruth Anna Spooner, Ron Lawer)


“Canaan” in American Sign Language, source: Deaf Harbor

Click or tap here to see a short video clip about Canaan in biblical times (source: Bible Lands 2012)

complete verse (Numbers 26:19)

Following are a number of back-translations as well as a sample translation for translators of Numbers 26:19:

  • Kupsabiny: “Judah had two sons. Er and Onan. Those sons died in the land of Canaan.” (Source: Kupsabiny Back Translation)
  • Newari: “Judah’s two sons were Er and Onan. But they died while they were still in Canaan.” (Source: Newari Back Translation)
  • Hiligaynon: “Juda had two male children/[son] who were Er and Onan, who died in the land of Canaan. But Juda had descendants still who were the family of Shela, Perez, and Zera.” (Source: Hiligaynon Back Translation)
  • English: “They counted 76,500 men from the tribe of Judah. They were in clans descended from Shelah, Perez, Zerah, Hezron, and Hamul. Judah’s other two sons, Er and Onan, died in Canaan without having had any 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.

Translation commentary on Numbers 26:19 - 26:22

This paragraph is about the census of the tribe of Judah. It runs parallel to the previous paragraphs of verses 5-7, 12-14, and 15-18 (see the comments there). However, it also includes additional material in verses 19 and 21.

The sons of Judah were Er and Onan; and Er and Onan died in the land of Canaan: The first two sons of Judah were Er and Onan (see Gen 38.3-4). Since Er and Onan died in the land of Canaan (compare Gen 46.12), no clans descended from them. They died without offspring (see Gen 38.7-10). They died before Jacob and his extended family moved to Egypt (so Plaut, page 1076). Good News Translation places these clauses after the list of Judah’s clans to express their idea clearly, saying “Two of Judah’s sons, Er and Onan, had died in the land of Canaan” (similarly Contemporary English Version, Bible en français courant, Parole de Vie, Die Bibel im heutigen Deutsch, Bijbel in Gewone Taal). This may be a helpful model in other languages. Good News Translation puts this historical comment in parentheses, which diminishes its significance. However, its position in the Hebrew text indicates that this is a very important point. Although it is not stated explicitly, the death of Er and Onan served as a second “warning” to the new generation of Israelites: Just as the LORD does not tolerate political rebellion in the ranks (verse 10), so also he does not allow cases of disobedient behavior.

The clans of Judah descended from his sons Shelah, Perez and Zerah, and Perez’s sons Hezron and Hamul (see Gen 46.12; 1 Chr 2.3-4). With its list of Judah’s clans Good News Translation seems to suggest that Hezron and Hamul were sons of Judah, but it should be clear that Perez was their father. The Hezronites and the Hamulites were “subclans” (New Living Translation) under the clan of the Perezites. King David was a descendant of Perez and Hezron (Ruth 4.18-22). This may be the reason why the text makes a point of mentioning them here.

These are the families of Judah according to their number, seventy-six thousand five hundred: Judah was the largest tribe in this census and in the first one (see 1.27). For according to their number, see verse 18.

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 .