complete verse (Deuteronomy 1:17)

Following are a number of back-translations as well as a sample translation for translators of Deuteronomy 1:17:

  • Kupsabiny: “Do not be partial to a person when you decide a matter/case. Listen to people such that there is no partiality. Let no person threaten you because, those decisions belong to God. But if a matter becomes too difficult for you when you judge, take it to come to where I am for me to listen to it.’” (Source: Kupsabiny Back Translation)
  • Newari: “Do not make judgments by looking at the face. Both small and great alike. Do not take sides with anyone, do not be afraid of anyone, for rendering judgment is God’s work. Bring me [any] legal case that is too difficult for you, I will hear it.” (Source: Newari Back Translation)
  • Hiligaynon: “You (plur.) must not show-partiality/favoritism in your (plur.) judging; [you (plur.)] listen both to the poor and the rich. Do- not -be-afraid of any one, for your (plur.) judging has-come from God. If the case is too hard/difficult for you (plur.) (plur.), bring that to me for I will-take-care-of the judging of that.’” (Source: Hiligaynon Back Translation)
  • English: “You must be impartial/not favor one person more than another; you must treat poor people and important people equally. You must not worry about what anyone will think about how you decide matters, because you will decide matters as God wants you to. If any quarrel/dispute is very difficult and you are unable to decide it, bring it to me, and I will decide.’” (Source: Translation for Translators)

formal 2nd person plural pronoun (Japanese)

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Like a number of other East Asian languages, Japanese uses a complex system of honorifics, i.e. a system where a number of different levels of politeness are expressed in language via words, word forms or grammatical constructs. These can range from addressing someone or referring to someone with contempt (very informal) to expressing the highest level of reference (as used in addressing or referring to God) or any number of levels in-between.

One way Japanese shows different degree of politeness is through the choice of a formal plural suffix to the second person pronoun (“you” and its various forms) as shown here in the widely-used Japanese Shinkaiyaku (新改訳) Bible of 2017. In these verses, anata-gata (あなたがた) is used, combining the second person pronoun anata and the plural suffix -gata to create a formal plural pronoun (“you” [plural] in English).

(Source: S. E. Doi, see also S. E. Doi in Journal of Translation, 18/2022, p. 37ff. )

Translation commentary on Deuteronomy 1:17

This verse includes three separate instructions:
(1) You shall not be partial in judgment; you shall hear the small and the great alike. New Revised Standard Version rightly places a colon instead of a semicolon after “judgment,” since what follows is a further elaboration of the first item. By small and great is meant the lowly, poor, powerless people, as opposed to the important, wealthy, influential members of the community. It is possible to reverse the order of these two clauses: “It doesn’t matter if one person is poor [or, helpless] and the other is powerful [or, wealthy], you must judge impartially.”
(2) You shall not be afraid of the face of man, for the judgment is God’s. Again, New Revised Standard Version is much clearer in English: “You shall not be intimidated by anyone”; this is more simply “Don’t be afraid of anyone” (Contemporary English Version). And the reason for this instruction is that judgment is given in God’s name and with God’s authority. In this community in which God’s laws ruled the people, any enforcement of the law was an application of God’s will. So Good News Translation has “for the decision you make comes from God.” Another way to express this is “For God will help you to make the right [or, correct] decision.”
(3) And the case that is too hard for you, you shall bring it to me, and I will hear it. The meaning here is quite clear; Moses will hear—that is, decide, settle, judge—any dispute that is too difficult for the appointed judge to handle. The clause you shall bring it to me can be taken to mean “bring the people to me” (Contemporary English Version), as it is two people who are having a dispute. And this final sentence may thus be expressed as “If any dispute is too difficult for you to decide, bring the people who are involved to me and I will make the decision.”

Quoted with permission from Bratcher, Robert G. and Hatton, Howard A. A Handbook on Deuteronomy. (UBS Helps for Translators). New York: UBS, 2000. For this and other handbooks for translators see here .