plaster

The Hebrew in Deuteronomy 27:4 that is translated as “plaster” or similar in English is translated in Elhomwe with “plastered stones,” because “plaster did not make much sense.” (Source: project-specific translation notes in Paratext)

complete verse (Deuteronomy 27:4)

Following are a number of back-translations as well as a sample translation for translators of Deuteronomy 27:4:

  • Kupsabiny: “When you have crossed the river of Jordan and have arrived in that land which your God has promised that he would give to you, a country that flows with milk and honey and you have settled in the country, set up big stones at the mountain of Ebal and smear them with whitish soil. Then write all these laws on top of those stones.” (Source: Kupsabiny Back Translation)
  • Newari: “When you reach the other side of the Jordan, erect these stones on Mount Ebal as I have said, and coat them with plaster.” (Source: Newari Back Translation)
  • Hiligaynon: “When you (plur.) can- now -cross Jordan, set-up these stones on Mount Ebal, as I commanded you (plur.) today, and coat- them with lime -around.” (Source: Hiligaynon Back Translation)
  • English: “Soon you will cross the Jordan River and enter the land that Yahweh, the God whom our ancestors worshiped, promised to give to you. There, in that very fertile land on the west side of the Jordan River, set up some large stones on Ebal Mountain, and cover them with plaster. Then write on those stones all these laws and teachings/instructions.” (Source: Translation for Translators)

Jordan

The Hebrew, Greek and Ge’ez that is translated as “Jordan” means “descending (rapidly),” “flowing down.” (Source: Cornwall / Smith 1997 )

In Hungarian Sign Language it is translated with the sign for the river bordering Jordan and Israel, along with the general sign for river. (Source: Jenjelvi Biblia and HSL Bible Translation Group)


“Jordan river” in Hungarian Sign Language (source )

Learn more on Bible Odyssey: Jordan River .

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 27:4

When you have passed over the Jordan: as in verses 2 and 3.

This day: as in verse 1.

Mount Ebal: in the hill country of Israel, some forty-eight kilometers (thirty miles) north of Jerusalem, near the city of Shechem. This verse appears to say that the people are to plaster the stones after setting them up on Mount Ebal. Since it would take several days for them to get to Mount Ebal, this verse does not agree with verse 1, in which the Israelites are told to set up the stones the day they cross the Jordan. Two different traditions have been brought together in this narrative.

Instead of Ebal Hebrew Old Testament Text Project prefers “Gerizim,” citing as justification the factor which it calls “interpretive modifications.” The Samaritan text has “Mount Gerizim,” which was the holy mountain of the Samaritans after the split between Samaritans and Jews in the fourth century B.C. Hebrew Old Testament Text Project gives its decision only a {D} rating, and the argument can go either way: it could be that the Samaritan text made the change, or the Masoretic text (the Hebrew text that has come down to us) may have made the change in the interests of the Jews. While several English translations have “Gerizim” in their footnotes, none of the most commonly used versions have it in the text. It is recommended that translators follow the Hebrew (Masoretic) Text.

The repetition in verses 2-4 will be unnatural in a number of languages. In such cases it will be better to combine these verses in a way similar to the following:

• Soon you will cross the Jordan River and enter the land that the LORD your God has promised to give you. He is the God your ancestors worshiped. It is a land full of cattle and crops [or, produce]. As soon as you enter the land, go to Mount Ebal. Set up some large stones there and cover them with lime [or plaster]. Then write on them all these laws and teachings.

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 .