mourn

The Hebrew, Latin, and Greek that is translated as “mourn” or similar in English is translated in Newari as “have one’s heart broken” or “have a bursting heart” (source: Newari Back Translation).

complete verse (Deuteronomy 21:13)

Following are a number of back-translations as well as a sample translation for translators of Deuteronomy 21:13:

  • Kupsabiny: “and then take off her clothes that she came with and put on other clothes. The woman should stay for a whole month mourning the death of her father and mother. Then that man may who brought the woman can sleep with her and take her as his wife.” (Source: Kupsabiny Back Translation)
  • Newari: “And she must be given clothes to wear other than the ones she wore when she was captured. Having stayed in your house, after mourning for her mother and father for one month, then you may marry her, and you will be her husband, and she will be your wife.” (Source: Newari Back Translation)
  • Hiligaynon: “and change the clothes that she is-wearing when she was-captured. The woman must remain/stay in his house for a period/[lit. inside] of one month while the woman mourns for her parents. After that, she can now be-married.” (Source: Hiligaynon Back Translation)
  • English: “She must take off the clothes that she was wearing when she was captured, and put on Israeli clothes. She must stay in that man’s house and mourn for a month because of leaving her parents. After that, he will be allowed to marry her.” (Source: Translation for Translators)

Translation commentary on Deuteronomy 21:13

She shall put off her captive’s garb: or “discard the clothes she had when she was captured” (Revised English Bible). Again, instead of “captured,” “taken prisoner [of war]” is better. So we may translate “She shall take off [or, get rid of] the clothes she was wearing when they took her captive.”

Shall remain in your house and bewail her father and her mother a full month: this indicates that she is unmarried. Bewail here may be understood as a ritual mourning or weeping over the death or loss of her parents.

After that you may go in to her, and be her husband, and she shall be your wife: this is a very wordy way of saying, “After the month is up, you are free to marry her.” Revised English Bible “you may have intercourse with her” is actually closer to the Hebrew text, but since the act of intercourse, in this context, assumes marriage, it is better to use the verb “to marry.” The initiative is his, and the woman’s feelings are not relevant. The Hebrew for “be her husband” is “be her baal,” which, depending on the context, can mean either “lord” or “husband” (in Hebrew society the husband was the lord).

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 .