I have split my translation of Numbers 21:9 into two parts. This is the First Part
This one focusses on the symbolism, whilst the Second Part will go deeper into the Linguistics.
Both will include the whole verse at the very end.
Part 1:
KJV: And Moses made a serpent of brass, and put it upon a pole
NJB: Moses made a serpent out of bronze and raised it as a standard
Yidiñ: Maybaaŋ balgaal budyiliñ wurru dyarraal wiraa wurruu,
Moses made = Maybaaŋ balgaal
Maybaaŋ is the Locative Case Declension of Mayba, which is the Yidiñ form of the Proper Noun Moses.
Please read my analysis of Numbers 21:5 in order to find out how I created it.
balgaal is the Past Tense Conjugation of the Verb balga, which means make or build.
put it upon a pole = dyarraal wiraa wurruu
dyarraal is the Past Tense Conjugation of the Verb dyarral, which means put standing.
wiraa is the Locative Case Declension of the Noun wira, which means moveable object, functioning herein as a Noun Classifier.
wurruu is the equivalent Declension of the Noun wurru.
As mentioned in my translation of Numbers 21:8, wurru means both spear handle and snake.
serpent of brass = budyiliñ wurru
My word for serpent is wurru, which refers principally to a small snake that is the colour of slate.
I could not find a word for brass, bronze or even metal.
At this point, my knowledge of Biblical symbolism concerning various metals is nil.
So what does budyiliñ mean?
Similar to its southern neighbour Dyirbal, Yidiñ possesses a “Mother-in-law” avoidance language, known as Dyalŋuy.
We won’t go into it here, but a Dyalŋuy typically has fewer words than the everyday language. You use it when talking to your opposite sex parent-in-law (plus a more variable selection of similar relatives).
budyiliñ belongs to this class of words. With all other words in my translation of Numbers 21:4-9, I have used words that belong to the Everyday style.
In any case, it means sword or Johnson hardwood tree.
Just as we departed from God’s Will by eating from the Fruit of the Tree of the Knowledge of Good and Evil, so too will the idol worship of this snake lead to another departure from the selfsame Will.
In my analysis of Numbers 21:4 I translated the Suph (which is Hebrew for reed) in Sea of Suph as dyirgarr, which means blady grass.
Back then, I hinted that blady refers back to the blades wielded by the heart-hardened Egyptians.
The sword budyiliñ is a reference to the grass the dyirgarr and their former enslavers. Anyone who knows the story knows that many amongst the Israelites want to return to Egypt, wistful for the days when they were fed and had a Life’s purpose provided to them.
Here ends Part the First.
Numbers 21:9
KJV: And Moses made a serpent of brass, and put it upon a pole, and it came to pass, that if a serpent had bitten any man, when he beheld the serpent of brass, he lived.
NJB: Moses then made a serpent out of bronze and raised it as a standard, and anyone who was bitten by a serpent and looked at a bronze serpent survived.
Yidiñ: Maybaaŋ balgaal budyiliñ wurru dyarraal wiraa wurruu, yiñdyuuñ wuruuŋ badyaalñum, yiñdyuuŋ budyiliñ wawaalñunda, yiŋu dyilibugabi dyanaañ.
If you are a Bible Symbolism Enjoyer, I enjoin you to read this post from Brother Alexander, who I know reads my work, and whose work I myself read.
This post also discusses Numbers 21:4-9
This is a fun eclectic series. I’ve just got up to date. This is deep text with many layers. So I can see translating this is a minefield. 👍🏽