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 2:35)

Following are a number of back-translations as well as a sample translation for translators of Deuteronomy 2:35:

  • Kupsabiny: “We only plundered the cows and everything that we found in the cities.” (Source: Kupsabiny Back Translation)
  • Newari: “As for the goods and cattle that we snatched from the cities that we took possession of, we took [them] for ourselves.” (Source: Newari Back Translation)
  • Hiligaynon: “We (incl.) brought their animals/livestock and possessions which we (incl.) plundered from their towns.” (Source: Hiligaynon Back Translation)
  • English: “We took the valuable things that were in the cities that we captured and also their cattle.” (Source: Translation for Translators)

Translation commentary on Deuteronomy 2:35

The two terms spoil and booty are the appropriate words to use of enemy possessions that are seized by victorious troops after a battle. The animals were taken from the fields, and all the valuable articles in the houses were seized. In English the two words in this kind of context are exact synonyms, like “pillage” and “plunder.” Only indicates that this is an exception to the general statement in the previous verse. Whatever could not be carried away was usually destroyed, so that nothing was left.

Cattle or “livestock” (Good News Translation, Contemporary English Version) probably refers to not only cows and bulls (oxen), but sheep and goats (see also Exo 9.2-3). In cultures where cattle are unknown, we may employ a descriptive phrase such as “all domesticated animals.” It will also be helpful to include an illustration of these animals.

We took: some other verb may be more appropriate for taking the cattle; something like “we drove away the cattle” will be better in some languages.

With the booty of the cities may be expressed as “everything else of value in the towns that we captured.”

A possible alternative model is:

• We took all the domesticated animals and everything else of value in the towns we captured.

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 .