neighbor

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The Hebrew and Greek that is translated as “neighbor” in English is rendered into Babatana as “different man,” i.e. someone who is not one of your relatives. (Source: David Clark)

In North Alaskan Inupiatun, it is rendered as “a person outside of your building,” in Tzeltal as “your back and side” (implying position of the dwellings), in Indonesian and in Tae’ as “your fellow-man,” in Toraja-Sa’dan it is “your fellow earth-dweller,” in Shona (translation of 1966) as “another person like you,” in Kekchí “younger-brother-older-brother” (a compound which means all one’s neighbors in a community) (sources: Bratcher / Nida and Reiling / Swellengrebel), in Mairasi “your people” (source: Enggavoter 2004), in Mezquital Otomi as “fellow being,” in Tzeltal as “companion,” in Isthmus Zapotec as “another,” in Teutila Cuicatec as “all people” (source: Waterhouse / Parrott in Notes on Translation October 1967, p. 1ff.), and in most modern German translations as Mitmensch or “fellow human being” (lit. “with + human being”).

In Matt 19:19, Matt 22:39, Mark 12:31, Mark 12:33, Luke 10:27, Luke 10:29 it is translated into Ixcatlán Mazatec with a term that refers to a person who is socially/physically near. Ixcatlán Mazatec also has a another term for “neighbor” that means “fellow humans-outsiders” which was not chosen for these passages. (Source: Robert Bascom)

In Noongar it is translated as moorta-boordak or “people nearby” (source: Warda-Kwabba Luke-Ang).

witness

The Hebrew, Ge’ez, and and Greek that is translated as “witness” in English is translated in these ways:

  • “truly have seen” in Highland Popoluca
  • “telling the truth regarding something” in Eastern Highland Otomi
  • “know something” in Lalana Chinantec
  • “verily know something to be the truth” in San Mateo del Mar Huave
  • “we ourselves saw this” in Desano
  • “tell the truth about something” in Eastern Highland Otomi
  • “know something is true because of seeing it” in Teutila Cuicatec (source for this and above: Viola Waterhouse in Notes on Translation August 1966, p. 86ff.)
  • “ones who will confirm that these-things that you have seen are true” in Kankanaey (source: Kankanaey Back Translation)
  • “ones who are to testify about these things, because it all happened before your eyes” in Tagbanwa (source: Tagbanwa Back Translation)

complete verse (Exodus 20:16)

Following are a number of back-translations as well as a sample translation for translators of Exodus 20:16:

  • Kupsabiny: “Don’t (sing.) tie a lie on someone/accuse someone falsely.” (Source: Kupsabiny Back Translation)
  • Newari: “You shall not give false testimony against your neighbor.” (Source: Newari Back Translation)
  • Hiligaynon: “‘[You (plur.)] do- not -testify with lies against your (plur.) fellowmen.” (Source: Hiligaynon Back Translation)
  • Bariai: “‘If/when you (sing.) testify in court (lit. stand up for talk), you can’t/mustn’t lie and so accuse your fellow human with false (lit. nothing) charges.” (Source: Bariai Back Translation)
  • Opo: “Not [mouth] lie for another.” (Source: Opo Back Translation)
  • English: “Do not falsely accuse anyone of committing a crime.” (Source: Translation for Translators)

Translation commentary on Exod 20:16

Literally this commandment says “You shall not answer in [the case of] your neighbor a testimony of falsehood.” The words that are used here reflect the ancient legal system that depended upon the witness of at least two people in order to convict a person of a crime. This is not a commandment against telling a lie in general, but refers to “false evidence” (New Jerusalem Bible, Revised English Bible) that hurts the reputation of someone else. (Contemporary English Version‘s “Do not tell lies about others” is not exactly accurate.) However, one may express this as “Do not tell lies about someone when you are giving evidence” or “Do not tell lies that hurt another person’s reputation.”

The word for neighbor refers to a companion, friend, or “fellow-Israelite” (Translator’s Old Testament), so this is another commandment that reflects the need to maintain good interpersonal relationships within the Israelite community. This, of course, is true of all the commandments beginning with verse 12. But since this has implications for any society, Good News Translation summarizes: “Do not accuse anyone falsely.”

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 .