lamb

The term that is translated as “lamb” in English is typically translated as “offspring of a sheep” in Ixcatlán Mazatec since there is no specific word for “lamb.” Since this could distract readers with thoughts of God being the sheep when the “lamb” refers to Jesus the translation into Ixcatlán Mazatec chose “little (individual) sheep” for those cases. (Source: Robert Bascom)

In Dëne Súline the native term for “lamb” directly translated as “the young one of an evil little caribou.” To avoid the negative connotation, a loan word from the neighboring South Slavey was used. (Source: NCEM, p. 70)

For the Kasua translation, it took a long process to find the right term. Rachel Greco (in The PNG Experience ) tells this story:

“To the Kasua people of Western Province, every four-legged animal is a pig. They call a horse a pig-horse, a cow, a pig-cow, and a sheep, a pig-sheep, because all of these animals have four legs, which is kopolo, or pig, in their language.

“When the translation team would translate the word, ‘sheep’ in the New Testament, they would translate it as ‘pig-sheep’. So when Jesus is referred to as the ‘Lamb,’ (John 1:29; Rev. 12:11; Rev. 17:14), they translated as ‘pig-sheep’ so that in John 1:29 it would read: ‘Behold, the pig-sheep of God.’

“When some members of the translation team attended the Translators Training Course, they had the opportunity to observe and study sheep for the first time. As they watched and learned more about the animals’ behavior, their understanding of these creatures—and God’s Word—rotated on its axis.

“Once during the course, Logan and Konni — the translation team’s helpers — were driving with the team to a Bible dedication when Amos, one of the team members, said passionately, ‘We can’t use the word kopolo in front of the word, ‘sheep’! Pigs know when they’re about to die and squeal and scream.’ The team had often watched villagers tie up pigs so they wouldn’t escape.

“’But,’ Amos said, ‘Jesus didn’t do that.’ The team had learned that sheep are quiet and still when death walks toward them. They had observed, as they translated the New Testament, the words of Isaiah 53 fulfilled: ‘Like a lamb led to the slaughter, he did not open his mouth.’ And now they understood what it meant. For this reason, the team decided not to put pig-sheep in the New Testament for the word ‘sheep,’ but used sheep-animal or, in their language, a:pele sipi.

“The Kasua translation team also chose to discard the word ‘pig’ before sheep because pigs are unclean animals to the Jews. The team knew that Jesus was called the ‘Lamb of God’ in the New Testament to show that he is unblemished and clean. Hopefully the Lord will open up the Kasua villagers’ eyes to these same truths about Jesus as they read of Him in their own language.”

See also The Paschal Lamb, sheep, and sheep / lamb.

The Paschal Lamb

Artwork by Sister Marie Claire , SMMI (1937–2018) from Bengaluru, India.

For more information about images by Sister Marie Claire and ways to purchase them as lithographs, see here .

For other images of Sister Marie Claire paintings in TIPs, see here.

complete verse (Exodus 12:3)

Following are a number of back-translations as well as a sample translation for translators of Exodus 12:3:

  • Kupsabiny: “Tell all the people of Israel that when the tenth day of this month has reached, let each man in/for his home get a goat/lamb, one for each (home).” (Source: Kupsabiny Back Translation)
  • Newari: “Tell all the people of Israelites that on the tenth day of this month every one of you must get a lamb for his family, one for each household.” (Source: Newari Back Translation)
  • Hiligaynon: “[You (plur.)] announce/inform/proclaim (it) to the whole community of Israel that on the tenth day of this month, each family is-to-prepare one sheep or goat.” (Source: Hiligaynon Back Translation)
  • Bariai: “And the two of you will speak to all the people of Israel as follows: On this month’s ten[th] day, each and every father of a house will choose one of their sipsips or memes.” (Source: Bariai Back Translation)
  • Opo: “Therefore, you go tell it for people of Israel all that, on tenth day on this month, a man from his family, let him go choose child of sheep/goats one.” (Source: Opo Back Translation)
  • English: “Tell all the Israeli people that in each family, the man who heads the family must select a lamb or a young goat for his household.” (Source: Translation for Translators)

Translation commentary on Exod 12:3

Tell is second person plural, meaning “You [plural] must tell.” All the congregation of Israel uses the word ʿedah, meaning “gathering” or “assembly,” so one may say “the whole community” (Good News Translation, Revised English Bible) or “all the people of Israel.” (See the comment at verse 6.) The word for that literally means “saying,” and it may introduce either direct or indirect speech. Revised Standard Version uses indirect speech, since the Israelites are referred to in the third person, they. But Good News Translation and others use direct speech, changing to second person plural, since all of the following verses up to 12.27 are Yahweh’s instructions to be given to the Israelites. So the opening words in Good News Translation are “Give these instructions to the whole community of Israel,” and what follow are the exact words of Yahweh addressed to the people.

On the tenth day of this month assumes that Yahweh is speaking to Moses and Aaron on the first day. They shall take every man means “each man is to take” (New International Version). If direct speech is used, the they will become “you” plural. But since every man refers to the head of the family, New American Bible has “every one of your families,” or one may say “the head of each family” (Contemporary English Version). Shall take may be expressed as “must choose” (Good News Translation) or “must procure” (New American Bible), for they were to select a lamb for the sacrifice.

The word for lamb is used for young goats as well as young lambs, so Good News Translation has “a lamb or a young goat” (so also Revised English Bible and Contemporary English Version). This is made clear in verse 5, so New Jerusalem Bible uses the more generic term “animal.” Others, however, place a footnote here explaining that the Hebrew word may mean either lamb or young goat (New Jewish Publication Society’s Tanakh, New International Version, New American Standard Bible, and Translator’s Old Testament). Making this clear in the text is preferable to adding a footnote. (See the comment on “sheep” and “goats” at 2.16.)

According to their fathers’ houses, literally “for a house of fathers,” is better expressed as “for each family” (New Revised Standard Version). A lamb for a household (literally, “for a house”) seems to repeat the same idea, but it defines more exactly what is meant. There may be more than one family in one household. Good News Translation therefore combines the two, using the more exact clarification “for his household.” The next verse shows that the animal is for eating. So it is possible to translate this final clause as “for his household [or, family] to eat.” An alternative translation model for this final sentence is “that on the tenth day of this month, the head of each family must choose a lamb or a young goat for his family to eat.”

Quoted with permission from Osborn, Noel D. and Hatton, Howard A. A Handbook on Exodus. (UBS Helps for Translators). New York: UBS, 1999. For this and other handbooks for translators see here .