orphan

The Hebrew, Latin and Greek that is translated as “orphan” in English is translated in Enlhet as “those who are gone past” (source: Jacob Loewen in The Bible Translator 1969, p. 24ff. ) and in Newari as “ones not having mother-father” (source: Newari Back Translation).

E.L. Greenstein (2019, p. 108) notes that, particularly in reference to Job 24:9 where the child is being nursed, that the Hebrew term “has the narrower meaning of “fatherless.”

See also orphaned.

widow

The Hebrew and Greek that is translated as “widow” in English is translated in West Kewa as ona wasa or “woman shadow” (source: Karl J. Franklin in Notes on Translation 70/1978, pp. 13ff.) and in Newari as “husband already died ones” or “ones who have no husband” (source: Newari Back Translation).

The etymological meaning of the Hebrew almanah (אַלְמָנָה) is likely “pain, ache,” the Greek chéra (χήρα) is likely “to leave behind,” “abandon,” and the English widow (as well as related terms in languages such as Dutch, German, Sanskrit, Welsh, or Persian) is “to separate,” “divide” (source: Wiktionary).

See also widows.

tithe

The Hebrew and Greek that is translated as “tithe” in English (which etymologically has the meaning of “the tenth”) is translated in Mokole as “(give) the tenth part.” This is the translation that most languages use that don’t use a specialized term like English does. See also complete verse (Hebrews 7:4) et al.

Source for Mokole: Hilary Deneufchâtel.

Levite

The Greek, Hebrew, Aramaic and Latin that is transliterated “Levites” in English (only the Contemporary English Version translates it as “temple helpers”) is translated in Ojitlán Chinantec as “temple caretakers,” Yatzachi Zapotec as “people born in the family line of Levi, people whose responsibility it was to do the work in the important church of the Israelites,” in Alekano as “servants in the sacrifice house from Jerusalem place,” and in Tenango Otomi as “helpers of priests.” (Source: M. Larson / B. Moore in Notes on Translation February 1970, p. 1-125.)

In American Sign Language with a sign that combines “temple” + “servant.” (Source: Ruth Anna Spooner, Ron Lawer)


“Levite” in American Sign Language, source: Deaf Harbor

For the sign in Spanish Sign Language, see Levi.

More information about Levites .

complete verse (Deuteronomy 26:12)

Following are a number of back-translations as well as a sample translation for translators of Deuteronomy 26:12:

  • Kupsabiny: “Give one out of ten of all the food/produce that you have obtained when three years have passed. That food shall belong to the Levites, the foreigners, the poor and widows so that they also get something to eat to satisfy them in your cities.” (Source: Kupsabiny Back Translation)
  • Newari: “Year after year you must give to God the tithe [lit.: one part in ten parts] of your harvest. At the end of the third year, however, give your tithe to the descendants of Levi, the foreigners, orphans, parents, needy ones, and widows [lit.: those whose husbands have died]. Then they will have enough to eat in your towns.” (Source: Newari Back Translation)
  • Hiligaynon: “‘In every third year, you (plur.) give the tenth(-portion) of your (plur.) produce/harvest to the Levites, to the non-Israelinhon, to the orphans and to the widows, so-that they have enough food.” (Source: Hiligaynon Back Translation)
  • English: “Every third year, you must bring to the descendants of Levi and to the foreigners who are living among you and the orphans and the widows a tithe/10 percent of your crops, in order that in every town they will have plenty to eat.” (Source: Translation for Translators)

Translation commentary on Deuteronomy 26:12

There must be a rearrangement of this verse to provide the needed information (see Good News Translation); Revised English Bible has “In the third year, the tithe-year, ….” And the very long sentence (verses 12-14) must be broken up as in Good News Translation. One way to do this is to begin a new sentence at verse 13, “Then say in the presence of the LORD your God….” This will require restructuring verse 12, for which Good News Translation also offers a good model.

With the beginning of a new section here, Moses should be reintroduced as the speaker.

Paying all the tithe of your produce: this is not a voluntary offering; it is required by the Law (see 14.28-29). The tithe is one-tenth of the whole amount. Bible en français courant provides a good model for retaining the technical term “tithe” and explaining it: “After you have finished paying the tithe, that is, one-tenth of your crops, ….” In some languages, however, there will not be a technical term for tithe, so we may simply say “give ten percent” or “give one part out of every ten parts.” In 14.22 the Israelites were commanded to give a tithe, or ten percent, every year to the LORD. It will therefore be helpful to make that clear here as Contemporary English Version does: “Every year you are to give ten percent of your harvest to the LORD, but every third year, this ten percent must be given to the poor….”

The third year, which is the year of tithing: every three years the Israelite farmer was obliged to give away one-tenth of all his crops to feed the poor and needy. The text does not say how the produce would be distributed.

The Levite, the sojourner, the fatherless, and the widow: see 14.29.

Eat within your towns and be filled: they may eat as much as they wish, until they are satisfied. Your towns may also be expressed as “your towns and villages” or “every community” (Good News Translation).

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 .