desert / wilderness

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The Greek, Hebrew and Latin that is translated as “desert” or “wilderness” in English is translated in a number of ways:

  • Mairasi: “a place where noisiness is cut off (or: stops)” (source: Enggavoter 2004)
  • Muna: pandaso bhalano pr “big barren-field” (source: René van den Berg)
  • Balinese: “barren field” (source: J.L. Swellengrebel in The Bible Translator 1950, p. 75ff. )
  • Wantoat: “uninhabited place” (source: Holzhausen 1991, p. 38)
  • Umiray Dumaget Agta: “where no people dwell” (source: Larson 1998, p. 98)
  • Shipibo-Conibo: “where no house is” (source: James Lauriault in The Bible Translator 1951, p. 32ff. )
  • Amri Karbi: “waterless region/place” (source: Philippova 2021, p. 368)
  • Ocotlán Zapotec: “large empty place” (source: B. Moore / G. Turner in Notes on Translation 1967, p. 1ff.)
  • Pa’o Karen: “jungle” (denoting a place without any towns, villages and tilled fields) (source: Gordon Luce in The Bible Translator 1950, p. 153f. )
  • Low German translation by Johannes Jessen, publ. 1933, republ. 2006: “steppe”
  • Yakan: “the lonely place” (source: Yakan Back Translation)
  • Western Bukidnon Manobo: “a land where no people lived” (source: Western Bukidnon Manobo Back Translation)
  • Kankanaey: “the place with no inhabitants” (source: Kankanaey Back Translation)
  • Matumbi uses various term: lubele (desert, sandy place without water) — used in John 11:54, lupu’ngu’ti (a place where no people live, can be a scrub land, a forest, or a savanna) — used in Mark 1:3 et al.), and mwitu (a forest, a place where wild animals live) — used in Mark 1:13 et al.) (Source: Pioneer Bible Translators, project-specific notes in Paratext)
  • Chichewa Contemporary translation (2002/2016): chipululu: a place uninhabited by people with thick forest and bush (source: Mawu a Mulungu mu Chichewa Chalero Back Translation)

Note that in Luke 15:4, usually a term is used that denotes pastoral land, such as “eating/grazing-place” in Tagbanwa (source: Tagbanwa Back Translation).

See also wilderness and desolate wilderness.

complete verse (Numbers 33:36)

Following are a number of back-translations as well as a sample translation for translators of Numbers 33:36:

  • Kupsabiny: “They left Ezion-geber and went to set up their tents at Kadesh in the wilderness of Zin.” (Source: Kupsabiny Back Translation)
  • Newari: “From Ezion-geber they went and camped in Kadesh, which was in the wilderness of Zin.” (Source: Newari Back Translation)
  • Hiligaynon: “These are still the places where they camped when they traveled from the desert of Sinai towards Kadesh, in the desert of Zin: Kibrot Hataava, Hazerot, Ritma, Rimon Perez, Libna, Risa, Kehelata, Mount Shefer, Harada, Makhelot, Tahat, Tera, Mitca, Hasmona, Moserot, Bene Jaakan, Hor Hagidgad, Jotbata, Abrona, Ezion Geber, and till they reached Kadesh in the desert of Zin.” (Source: Hiligaynon Back Translation)
  • English: “Then they/we left Ezion-Geber and went to Zin Desert and set up their/our tents at Kadesh there.” (Source: Translation for Translators)

Translation commentary on Numbers 33:15 - 33:37

There are different translation models available for both expressing all the places mentioned in verses 15-37 and for formatting the text. Some languages will prefer a more condensed manner of expression as in Good News Translation, and others may like the list format of the New Living Translation. New Living Translation helpfully visualizes the rhythmic repetition that characterizes this listing of movements and campsites (similarly Revised English Bible), which is undoubtedly a literary feature that orally distinguishes the nature and significance of this extensive travel narrative. Translators should therefore carefully research and test each option first, rather than arbitrarily choosing one or the other.

It is likely that this section of the itinerary blends together the journey from Sinai to Kadesh with the wandering in the wilderness (so Ashley, page 630).

The wilderness of Sinai (verses 15-16): See 1.1. This stage of the journey is also mentioned in Exo 19.2. Good News Translation says “the Sinai Desert,” which shows that Sinai is the name of a whole area, not just of a mountain.

The name Kibroth-hattaavah (verses 16-17) recalls the incident recorded in chapter 11. Good News Translation adds this name’s meaning “Graves of Craving,” as in 11.34 (see the comments there). It is important to maintain consistency of wording.

For Hazeroth (verses 17-18), see 11.35.

Rithmah (verses 18-19), Rimmon-perez (verses 19-20), Libnah (verses 20-21), Rissah (verses 21-22), Kehelathah (verses 22-23), Mount Sepher (verses 23-24), Haradah (verses 24-25), Makheloth (verses 25-26), Tahath (verses 26-27), Terah (verses 27-28), Mithkah (verse 28-29), and Hashmonah (verses 29-30) are places not mentioned elsewhere in the Bible; they were probably located in the general area of the wilderness of Paran (see 10.12; 12.16). The name Haradah means “terror,” so it does not sound like a conventional place name but appears to refer to some event that occurred there (even though the name or event is not mentioned elsewhere).

Moseroth (verses 30-31) probably refers to the same place as “Moserah” in Deut 10.6, where it is mentioned that Aaron died there. Ashley (page 630) suggests that “Mount Hor” (verse 38) and Moseroth may be alternative names for the same site, or sites in the same vicinity.

Bene-jaakan (verses 31-32) is literally “the children of Jaakan” (compare Deut 10.6).

Hor-haggidgad (verses 32-33) probably refers to the same place as “Gudgodah” in Deut 10.7.

Jotbathah (verses 33-34) is mentioned in Deut 10.7.

Abronah (verses 34-35) is not mentioned elsewhere.

Ezion-geber (verses 35-36) was a port city located at the north end of the Gulf of Aqaba (see also Deut 2.8; 1 Kgs 9.26).

The wilderness of Zin (that is, Kadesh): As noted at verse 11 and 13.21 (see the comments there), the wilderness of Zin (verse 36) is not to be confused with “the wilderness of Sin,” which was apparently located somewhere to the south of the region of Zin. For the town of Kadesh, see 13.26 and the introductory comments on 20.1–21.35. New Living Translation translates this whole phrase as “at Kadesh in the wilderness of Zin” (similarly Bible en français courant, Die Bibel im heutigen Deutsch, Nueva Traducción Viviente), which will be more natural in a number of languages. Here in verse 36 and in 20.1, Kadesh is referred to as a place in the wilderness of Zin. However, in 13.26 it is connected with the wilderness of Paran. The fact that Kadesh is located in both wildernesses may well indicate that it was on the border of those areas. The Septuagint includes an extra sentence in verse 36, which reads “And they set out from Eziongeber and encamped in the wilderness of Zin. And they set out from the wilderness of Zin and encamped in the wilderness of Paran, that is, Kadesh” (so Wevers, page 561). But since this extra sentence is not part of the Hebrew text, it should not be added.

For Mount Hor (verse 37), see 20.22-23. In view of the important historical notes that follow in verses 38-39, it may be helpful to group verses 37-39 together as a distinct paragraph unit (so New Century Version).

On the edge of the land of Edom may be rendered “on the border of Edom” (New International Version, Bible en français courant, SPCL, Nueva Traducción Viviente). For Edom see 20.14.

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 .