Jerusalem

The name that is transliterated as “Jerusalem” in English is signed in French Sign Language with a sign that depicts worshiping at the Western Wall in Jerusalem:


“Jerusalem” in French Sign Language (source: La Bible en langue des signes française )

While a similar sign is also used in British Sign Language, another, more neutral sign that combines the sign “J” and the signs for “place” is used as well. (Source: Anna Smith)


“Jerusalem” in British Sign Language (source: Christian BSL, used with permission)

Translation commentary on 1 Esdras 5:44 - 5:45

For verses 44-45 compare the parallel passages of Ezra 2.68-69 and Neh 7.70-72.

Some of the heads of families, when they came to the temple of God which is in Jerusalem …: A paragraph break may be inserted here (so Revised Standard Version, Good News Bible). Verse 44 begins with a Greek conjunction, which is literally “And.” A possible model for beginning this verse is “When the Jews arrived in Jerusalem, some of the family leaders [or, leaders of clans] ….” The temple of God refers to the hill where the Temple had once stood before the Babylonians destroyed it. Unless this is made clear, any translation is apt to be confusing. We may say “the place where the old Temple had been.”

Vowed that they would erect the house on its site, to the best of their ability means these leaders made a solemn promise to pay for rebuilding God’s Temple in the same place where it had been. Payment rather than construction work is involved in the idea of to the best of their ability. They were not builders, but they had the resources to pay for the work.

And that they would give to the sacred treasury for the work a thousand minas of gold, five thousand minas of silver, and one hundred priests’ garments: The sacred treasury for the work refers to the special fund set aside for rebuilding the Temple. Translators may begin verse 45 simply with “They promised to give….” The mina was a weight equivalent to between 454 grams (1 pound) and 570 grams (1.25 pounds). A thousand minas would be approximately 455-570 kilograms (1,000-1,250 pounds), and five thousand minas would be approximately 2,270-2,850 kilograms (5,000-6,250 pounds). Here Good News Bible has “1,000 pounds of gold” and “5,000 pounds of silver.” Contemporary English Version has “1,200 pounds of silver” and “6,000 pounds of silver.” No one can say which is more accurate. For the priests’ garments, see Exo 28.2-5 (see also 1 Esd 4.54).

An alternative model for verses 44-45 is:

• 44 When the people arrived in Jerusalem, some of the family leaders [or, leaders of clans] made a solemn promise that they would pay to rebuild God’s Temple in the same place where the old Temple had been. 45 They promised to give 455 kilograms [or, 1,000 pounds] of gold and 2,270 kilograms [or, 5,000 pounds] of silver, and to provide 100 garments for the priests.

Quoted with permission from Bullard, Roger A. and Hatton, Howard A. A Handbook on 1-2 Esdras. (UBS Helps for Translators). Miami: UBS, 2019. For this and other handbooks for translators see here.