The Paschal Lamb

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

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complete verse (Exodus 12:6)

Following are a number of back-translations as well as a sample translation for translators of Exodus 12:6:

  • Kupsabiny: “Keep those animals, and/but when the day is getting late on the fourteenth day of that month, let each household in Israel slaughter (its/his) animal/goat/lamb.” (Source: Kupsabiny Back Translation)
  • Newari: “You are to take good care of the animal until the fourteenth day of the month. On that very day at twilight all the community of Israel must slaughter the animals.” (Source: Newari Back Translation)
  • Hiligaynon: “You (plur.) should-take-care of it until the twilight/dusk of the 14th day of the month which is the time that the whole community of Israel is-to-butcher/slaughter these animals.” (Source: Hiligaynon Back Translation)
  • Bariai: “‘You (pl.) will watch over them well until this month’s fourteenth day. In the afternoon twilight on that day, you all will butcher them.” (Source: Bariai Back Translation)
  • Opo: “That sheep/goat, you keep it for days four. On that14of day, when eye goes to black, family of people of Israel all, let them slaughter animal their.” (Source: Opo Back Translation)
  • English: “You must take special care of these animals until the 14th day of the month. On that day, all the Israeli people must slaughter the lambs or goats in the evening.” (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 Exod 12:6

And you shall keep it refers to the lamb or kid, which was to be given special care by each family. Good News Translation unfortunately omits this phrase, but the Hebrew literally says “and it shall be to you [plural] for guarding.” Revised English Bible expresses it well: “Have it in safe keeping.” Contemporary English Version has “Each family must take care of its animal.” Until the fourteenth day of this month refers to the 14th of Abib, the day when future celebrations of the Passover were to begin. (See Lev 23.5.)

The whole assembly of the congregation of Israel seems quite wordy. The Hebrew is literally “all the qahal of the ʿedah of Israel.” The two terms mean almost the same thing and are often used interchangeably. New Revised Standard Version also translates both terms with “the whole assembled community of Israel,” and Revised English Bible has “all the assembled community of Israel.” It is not clear, however, whether the killing of all the animals was to be done in one place, or whether the Israelites were now living together in one community. For this first observance of the Passover, it is better to assume that the animals were killed at each home, for the blood had to be placed on the door frames of the houses (verse 7). Good News Translation simply has “the whole community of Israel,” so it is probably best to think in terms of “all the people of Israel” rather than suggesting there was some kind of meeting or convocation.

Shall kill their lambs is literally “and they shall slaughter it” (so New Revised Standard Version), but obviously the singular “it” refers to each family’s animal. In the evening is literally “between the two evenings,” as the Revised Standard Version footnote explains. Orthodox Jews have interpreted this to mean any time in the afternoon before sunset. However, for this first observance, the expression probably meant the time between sunset and darkness, or “twilight” (New Revised Standard Version, New Jewish Publication Society’s Tanakh, New International Version). Revised English Bible has “between dusk and dark.” Good News Translation‘s “evening” should be understood in the same way. Other ways to render this phrase are “at sunset on the fourteenth day” or “as the sun is setting on the fourteenth day.”

An alternative translation model for this verse is:

• Each family must take care of its animal until sunset on the fourteenth day of this month. Then all the Israelites will kill their animals.

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 .