complete verse (Deuteronomy 21:17)

Following are a number of back-translations as well as a sample translation for translators of Deuteronomy 21:17:

  • Kupsabiny: “That man must agree that the son of the woman he does not love is the firstborn and he is to give that son the big share. That son is fitting to receive the big portion because he is the firstborn.” (Source: Kupsabiny Back Translation)
  • Newari: “Even though he is not from the wife that is loved, he must give double the share of his property to the first-born son. Every man must acknowledge that whoever was born first is his first-born son. The first-born son is the first sign of his father’s strength. And the rights of the first-born son are certainly his.” (Source: Newari Back Translation)
  • Hiligaynon: “He must acknowledge as his the first-born child the child of the woman whom he does not love. And he should give to him the double portion/share of his possessions/properties for he is his first-born child and he has the right to receive his portion/share as a first-born child.” (Source: Hiligaynon Back Translation)
  • English: “He must give to the older son, the son of the wife whom he does not like, twice as much of his possessions. That son is his firstborn son, and he must be given the share that he should receive because of his being that man’s firstborn son.’” (Source: Translation for Translators)

Translation commentary on Deuteronomy 21:17

He shall acknowledge the first-born: in Hebrew this is the main clause. To keep the meaning of the whole verse clear, Good News Translation has reordered the clauses and made them into separate sentences. In this context acknowledge means to show that the son of the wife who is not his favorite is indeed the first-born, and his rights will be respected.

By giving him a double portion of all that he has: the oldest son was given twice the amount of his father’s property, compared to what was given to each of his younger brothers (or, brother).

He is the first issue of his strength: there may be some cultures in which there is an appropriate way to express this (as in the Hebrew culture), but this is not the case in those cultures whose language is English. All English language translations are artificial and awkward: New International Version “That son is the first sign of his father’s strength”; Revised English Bible “the firstfruits of his manhood”; New Jerusalem Bible, New Jewish Publication Society’s Tanakh “the first fruits of his vigor.” Both Good News Translation and Contemporary English Version omit this clause as too repetitive, and other translators should do this, unless their language has an idiom similar to the Hebrew.

An alternative translation model combining verses 16 and 17 is the following:

• Later, when the man divides the property among his sons, he must give a double share to his first-born son, even though he is not the son of his favorite wife.

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 .