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 35:14)

Following are a number of back-translations as well as a sample translation for translators of Numbers 35:14:

  • Kupsabiny: “Let three stay/sit on one side of Jordan and the other three on one (the other) side.” (Source: Kupsabiny Back Translation)
  • Newari: “Provide [lit.: give] three cities on the east side of the Jordan [and] three cities in the land of Canaan as the cities to give refuge.” (Source: Newari Back Translation)
  • Hiligaynon: “These six towns will-be your (plur.) towns of refuge. The three towns you (plur.) will-place in the east of Jordan and three in Canaan.” (Source: Hiligaynon Back Translation)
  • English: “There must be three of those cities on the east side of the Jordan River and three that will be on the west side, in the Canaan region.” (Source: Translation for Translators)

Translation commentary on Numbers 35:13 - 35:14

Verses 13-14 deal with the number and location of the cities of refuge. These cities are named in Josh 20.7-8. A city of refuge had to be within feasible reach everywhere in the country.

And the cities which you give shall be your six cities of refuge: In languages where the verb give is unnatural or cannot stand without an indirect object, this sentence may be rendered “Of the cities which you will appoint, six will be cities of refuge for you” (La Nouvelle Bible Segond; similarly Traduction œcuménique de la Bible, Reina-Valera revisida, De Nieuwe Bijbelvertaling) or “Of the cities that you give to the Levites, six will be cities of refuge” (Reina-Valera Contemporánea). These renderings are closer to the meaning of the Hebrew here than the one in Good News Translation, which has simply “Choose six cities.” The six cities of refuge stand in contrast to the other forty-two cities in verse 6.

You shall give three cities beyond the Jordan, and three cities in the land of Canaan, to be cities of refuge: Beyond the Jordan refers to “east of the Jordan River” (New International Readers Version), where the tribes of Reuben and Gad and the half tribe of Manasseh settled. A possible model for this sentence is “Assign three on this side of the Jordan and three in Canaan as cities of refuge” (similarly TNIV).

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 .