“Remove not the ancient landmark”: In present-day English “Remove” in this context would mean “take away completely,” but that is not the correct sense here. The usual sense of the Hebrew verb is “move back” or just “move”; most modern English translations have “move.” A “landmark” refers to a stone or pile of stones marking the boundary line between the land belonging to two individuals or clans. “Ancient” means that it had been there “for a long time” or “since long ago.” The best way to translate this line will depend on how land boundaries are marked and how they are spoken about in the translator’s culture. In some parts of the world people use trees or natural features of the landscape to mark boundaries, and these are not as easily moved as stones. In English a number of versions say something like “Do not move an ancient boundary stone” (New International Version) or “. . . boundary line” (Scott). Contemporary English Version refers to “a boundary marker,” and Good News Translation “an old property line.”

“Which your fathers have set”: This expands the meaning of “ancient” in the previous line. “Your fathers” refers to the ancestors of the tribe; the fact that the ancestors had established the land boundaries made them especially sacred in Israel. Since the writer or collector of the Proverbs intended them to be read by people of his own nation, it will be more natural in some languages to say “which our [inclusive] ancestors put in place.” The Hebrew word translated “set” is the common verb meaning “make” or “do.” A translation that brings out the underlying element of stealing is “Do not steal your neighbor’s property by moving the ancient boundary markers set up by your ancestors” (New Living Translation).

Quoted with permission from Reyburn, William D. and Fry, Euan McG. A Handbook on Proverbs. (UBS Helps for Translators). New York: UBS, 2000. For this and other handbooks for translators see here .