complete verse (Deuteronomy 23:4)

Following are a number of back-translations as well as a sample translation for translators of Deuteronomy 23:4:

  • Kupsabiny: “It is like that, because they refused to give you with food and water when you were on the journey coming from Egypt. And again, those people bought Balaam son of Beor from Pethor over there in Mesopotamia to come and curse you.” (Source: Kupsabiny Back Translation)
  • Newari: “When you came from Egypt, they did not welcome you by bringing bread and water. Then they summoned Balaam son of Beor, who lived in Pethor of Aram-naharim, giving him money to curse you.” (Source: Newari Back Translation)
  • Hiligaynon: “For they did- not -give you (plur.) food or water when you (plur.) journeyed from Egipto, and they even hired Balaam the child of Beor who comes-from-Petor in Aram Naharaim to curse you (plur.).” (Source: Hiligaynon Back Translation)
  • English: “One reason is that their leaders refused to give your ancestors food and water when they were traveling from Egypt to Canaan. Another reason is that they wanted to pay Balaam, the son of Beor from Pethor town in Mesopotamia, to curse you Israelis.” (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 23:4

This verse gives two reasons for excluding Moabites and Ammonites from the assembly of the LORD (see the reference to this in Neh 13.1-2): (1) They did not supply the Israelites with provisions as they were on their way from Egypt to Canaan. Nothing is said about this in the account in Num 21–22; and in Deut 2.9, 19 the Israelites are given orders not to harass the Moabites or Ammonites. (2) They hired Balaam to put a curse on the Israelites. For this story see Num 22.4–24.25.

They hired Balaam: or “they paid money to Balaam.”

Pethor of Mesopotamia: that is, the city of Pethor in the country, or region, of Mesopotamia (“between the rivers” Tigris and Euphrates).

To curse you means “to speak evil [or, hurting] words against you.” See also 11.26.

An alternative translation model for this verse is:

• This is because, when you came out of Egypt, they refused to provide you with food and water. They also hired Balaam son of Beor, from the city of Pethor in the region of Mesopotamia, to put a curse on you.

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 .