OLAC Record oai:sil.org:56085

Metadata
Title:		Biblical Measures and their Translation: Notes on Translating Biblical Units of Length, Area, Capacity, Weight, Money and Time
Abstract:		This paper presents an overview of all units of measurement in both the Old and New Testaments. And, as a help for translators, it specifically provides the modern equivalent for each measure. Special attention is also given to the differences between the short and the long cubit, as well as a discussion about the sizes of the ephah and the bath. In addition, this paper argues that the acknowledged differences between pre- and postexilic units of measurement should be taken into consideration in any translation, even if precise definitions may not be possible. Furthermore, it proposes that measures of capacity should be rendered as certain measures of weight, if this is more acceptable in the host culture. Lastly, while the usage of metric equivalents is seen as fitting in certain situations, this approach may also raise unique problems, and these are addressed. Some of these problems include dealing with symbolic numbers and verses which, in the original text, explain one measurement term by using another, and thus function as a kind of footnote. Other issues of translation are also touched upon as well; however, what is not included is a discussion of those discrepancies that seem to exist between some passages of I & II Chronicles on the one side, and their parallel texts in I & II Kings on the other.
Contributor (author):		Schmidt, Peter
Date (W3CDTF):		2014
Description (URI):		http://www.sil.org/resources/archives/56085
Extent:		63 pages
Identifier (URI):		http://www.sil.org/resources/archives/56085
		http://www.sil.org/resources/publications/entry/56085
Is Part Of:		SIL Electronic Working Papers 2014-003
Language:		English
Language (ISO639):		eng
Publisher:		SIL International
Subject:		Ancient Greek (to 1453) language
		Ancient Hebrew language
		area; bath; calendar; capacity; coin; cubit; daric; day; denarius; distance; drachma; ephah; hour; length; measurement; measures; money; month; shekel; time; translation; volume; weight; year
Subject (ISO639):		grc
		hbo
Type (DCMI):		Text
OLAC Info
Archive:		SIL Language and Culture Archives
Description:		http://www.language-archives.org/archive/sil.org
GetRecord:		OAI-PMH request for OLAC format
GetRecord:		Pre-generated XML file
OAI Info
OaiIdentifier:		oai:sil.org:56085
DateStamp:		2013-04-27
GetRecord:		OAI-PMH request for simple DC format
Search Info
Citation:		Schmidt, Peter. 2014. SIL Electronic Working Papers 2014-003.
Terms:		area_Asia area_Europe country_GB country_GR country_IL dcmi_Text iso639_eng iso639_grc iso639_hbo
Inferred Metadata
Country:		GreeceIsrael
Area:		AsiaEurope