abomination

The Hebrew that is translated as “abomination” or similar in English is translated in Vidunda as “hated thing” and in Kwere as zitibusa which means “evil” but also something that causes horror or disgust and revolts people. (Source for both: Pioneer Bible Translators, project-specific translation notes in Paratext)

in Ngambay it is nékɔb or “taboo.” (Source: Andy Warren-Rothlin)

See also detestable in the sight of God and holy.

complete verse (Deuteronomy 7:26)

Following are a number of back-translations as well as a sample translation for translators of Deuteronomy 7:26:

  • Kupsabiny: “Do not bring any objectionable things to go/come into to your houses. These things must be destroyed. But if you actually bring them to come into your houses, you will also be destroyed.” (Source: Kupsabiny Back Translation)
  • Newari: “You are not to bring anything repulsive into your house, otherwise like it, you will also be devoted for destruction. Seeing any such thing you ought to be repulsed, for it has been devoted for destruction.” (Source: Newari Back Translation)
  • Hiligaynon: “You (plur.) do- not -bring to your (plur.) house these detestable things, so-that you (plur.) will- not -be- also -destroyed with them. You (plur.) should surely abhor/detest them, for these things should be-destroyed completely.” (Source: Hiligaynon Back Translation)
  • English: “You must not bring any of those disgusting idols into your houses, because if you do that, God will curse you like he curses them. You must hate and despise those idols, because they are things that Yahweh has cursed.’” (Source: Translation for Translators)

Translation commentary on Deuteronomy 7:26

An abominable thing: this is the same word as “abomination” in verse 25. Here it has the particular meaning of a pagan idol. Good News Translation has “Do not bring any of these idols into your homes”; but it is also possible to express this as “Do not bring any of these disgusting things into….”

Become accursed like it: the verb here is the same one used in 2.34, and means to come under God’s “curse,” that is, God’s condemnation and punishment. A person who comes into contact with an object devoted to destruction will suffer the same punishment (see Josh 6.18; 7.12). In languages that do not use the passive voice, we may say, for example, “Because God will destroy you as he destroyed….”

Utterly detest and abhor: these terms have the same meaning; the structure of the Hebrew is very emphatic, using each verb twice in two different forms. Revised Standard Version tries to represent this by using the adverb utterly. The verb for abhor is the same verb root used for the noun abomination (verse 25). Good News Translation has “You must hate and despise these idols.”

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 .