cattle, livestock

The Hebrew that is translated in English as “livestock” (or “cattle”) is translated in Newari as “living beings brought up in a house” or “living beings cared for in a house” (source: Newari Back Translation). Specifically “cattle” is “cows and oxen.”

In Kwere it is “animals that are being kept.” (Source: Pioneer Bible Translators, project-specific translation notes in Paratext)

complete verse (Deuteronomy 11:15)

Following are a number of back-translations as well as a sample translation for translators of Deuteronomy 11:15:

  • Kupsabiny: “God will make grass grow in your fields for your cows so that you are able to eat and be satisfied.” (Source: Kupsabiny Back Translation)
  • Newari: “I will cause the grass in the fields to sprout for your cattle. You will eat until your stomachs are full and you will be satisfied.” (Source: Newari Back Translation)
  • Hiligaynon: “He will-give grazing-field for your (plur.) animals, and you (plur.) yourself have abundant food.” (Source: Hiligaynon Back Translation)
  • English: “And he will cause grass to grow in your fields for your livestock to eat. You will have all the food that you want.” (Source: Translation for Translators)

1st person pronoun referring to God (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 first person singular and plural pronoun (“I” and “we” and its various forms) as shown here in the widely-used Japanese Shinkaiyaku (新改訳) Bible of 2017. The most commonly used watashi/watakushi (私) is typically used when the speaker is humble and asking for help. In these verses, where God / Jesus is referring to himself, watashi is also used but instead of the kanji writing system (私) the syllabary hiragana (わたし) is used to distinguish God from others.

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

See also pronoun for “God”.

Translation commentary on Deuteronomy 11:15

Grass in your fields for your cattle: the animals include cows, goats, and sheep. See 2.35.

You shall eat and be full: they will always have enough, and more than enough, to eat. They will never go hungry.

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 .