lose heart

The Greek and Hebrew that is translated as “lose heart” or similar in English is translated in Elhomwe idiomatically as “grow tired” and in Makonde as “lose strength in one’s heart.” (Source: project-specific translation notes in Paratext)

enemy / foe

The Greek, Hebrew, Aramaic, Ge’ez, and Latin that is translated as “enemy” or “foe” in English is translated in the Hausa Common Language Bible as “friends of front,” i.e., the person standing opposite you in a battle. (Source: Andy Warren-Rothlin)

In North Alaskan Inupiatun it is translated with a term that implies that it’s not just someone who hates you, but one who wants to do you harm (Source: Robert Bascom), in Tarok as ukpa ìkum or “companion in war/fighting,” and in Ikwere as nye irno m or “person who hates me” (source for this and one above: Chuck and Karen Tessaro in this newsletter ).

In Cherokee it is either translated as “the one(s) who reprimand(s) you” or “the one(s) feared.” (Source: Bender / Belt 2025, p. 47)

complete verse (Deuteronomy 20:3)

Following are a number of back-translations as well as a sample translation for translators of Deuteronomy 20:3:

  • Kupsabiny: “‘Listen, people of Israel. You are now going to fight with your enemies. Do not lose hope, and do not become cowards having feared or become weak on account of the enemies.” (Source: Kupsabiny Back Translation)
  • Newari: “Oh Israelites, listen! You are about to go to war. Since it is like that, do not let your hearts be discouraged, do not be afraid, do not tremble, do not suffer panic before them. ” (Source: Newari Back Translation)
  • Hiligaynon: “‘You (plur.) listen, O people of Israel. You (plur.) do- not -be-afraid in your (plur.) fighting today. You (plur.) be-strong and you (plur.) do- not -panic.” (Source: Hiligaynon Back Translation)
  • English: “He must say to them, ‘You Israeli men, listen to me! Today you are going to fight against your enemies. Do not be timid or afraid or tremble or panic ,” (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 20:3

The priest exhorts the Israelites not to be afraid.

Hear, O Israel: as in 6.3 and 4.

To battle against your enemies: that is, “to fight your enemies” (as in verse 1).

Let not your heart faint, do not fear, or tremble, or be in dread: the exhortation is quite wordy, with four different expressions for not to be afraid. This repetition is for emphasis. Translators should not feel compelled to find four different expressions, if this turns out to be unnatural in their language; Good News Translation reduces the four expressions to three. In most languages there are good idiomatic expressions for fear and panic, and translators should make use of them; for example, “heart falls,” “heart turns over [or, flops],” or “have a swollen heart.” For be in dread of them, see 1.29.

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 .