complete verse (Deuteronomy 15:17)

Following are a number of back-translations as well as a sample translation for translators of Deuteronomy 15:17:

  • Kupsabiny: “you should make him stand by a door and pierce his ear there. After that, he becomes your slave forever.” (Source: Kupsabiny Back Translation)
  • Newari: “Take him to the door and pierce his ear lobe. Then he will be your servant as long as he lives. Also do like that to your female servant.” (Source: Newari Back Translation)
  • Hiligaynon: “take him to the door of your (sing.) house and pierce him on the ear with something-to-pierce and he will- now -become your (sing.) slave for the rest of his life. This is also what you (sing.) will-do to your (sing.) female servant.” (Source: Hiligaynon Back Translation)
  • English: “If he says that, take him to the door of your house and, while he stands against the doorway, pierce one of his earlobes with an awl/a sharp pointed tool. That will indicate that he will be your slave for the rest of his life. Do the same thing to any female slave who does not want to leave you.” (Source: Translation for Translators)

Translation commentary on Deuteronomy 15:17

An awl: the word appears only here and in Exo 21.6. It is a sharp, pointed tool, made of wood, bone, flint, or metal. Some conjecture that a metal tag was affixed to the pierced ear lobe of the slave.

Ear: the actual part referred to is the ear lobe.

Into the door: apparently the door of the master’s house (Good News Translation, Contemporary English Version). In some languages it will be necessary to make it clear that the slave must stand against or beside the door to provide a hard flat area for the owner to punch a clear hole through the ear (see a similar passage in Exo 21.6). So the first part of this verse may be expressed as follows:

• Then make him stand against [or, beside] the door of your house, and punch a hole through one of his ear lobes with an awl [or, a sharp piece of metal].

Bondman … bondwoman: better “male slave … female slave.”

Contemporary English Version combines the final two clauses in the following way: “such slaves will belong to you for life, whether they are men or women.”

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 .