prostitute oneself / play the prostitute

The Hebrew that is translated as “prostitute oneself” or “play the prostitute” in English is translated in Vidunda as “(practice) sexual immorality.” (Source: Pioneer Bible Translators, project-specific translation notes in Paratext)

prostitute

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The Greek, Latin, and Hebrew that is typically translated as “prostitute” in English (in some, mostly earlier translation also as “harlot” or “whore”) is translated in the 2024 revision of the inter-confessional Latvian Jauna Pārstrādāta latviešu Bībele as netikle or “hussy.” This replaced the previous translation mauka or “whore.” Nikita Andrejevs, editor of the Bible explains the previous and current translations: “The translators at the time felt that this strong word best described the thought contained in the main text. Many had objections, as it seemed that this word would not be the most appropriate for public reading in church.” (Source: Updated Bible published in Latvia ).

Other translations include:

  • Bariai: “a woman of the road” (source: Bariai Back Translation)
  • Hiligaynon: “a woman who sells her body” (source: Hiligaynon Back Translation)
  • Uma: “a woman whose behavior is not appropriate” or “a loose woman” (source: Uma Back Translation)
  • Yakan: “a bad woman” (source: Yakan Back Translation)
  • Western Bukidnon Manobo: “a woman who make money through their reputation” (source: Western Bukidnon Manobo Back Translation)
  • Tagbanwa: “a woman who makes money with her body” (source: Tagbanwa Back Translation)
  • Kankanaey: “a woman whose womanhood is repeatedly-bought” (source: Kankanaey Back Translation)

See also Translation commentary on Genesis 34:31, Rahab, and prostitute oneself / play the prostitute.

Learn more on Bible Odyssey: Prostitution in the Bible .

complete verse (Exodus 34:16)

Following are a number of back-translations as well as a sample translation for translators of Exodus 34:16:

  • Kupsabiny: “Your sons might marry the daughters of those foreigners and from there those women might deviate your sons to kneel/worship the things they worship.” (Source: Kupsabiny Back Translation)
  • Newari: “And bringing the brides from their tribes they will lead your sons to do the same in the time of worshiping their gods.” (Source: Newari Back Translation)
  • Hiligaynon: “And your children/(sons) might marry their children, that will-lead them to worship other gods.” (Source: Hiligaynon Back Translation)
  • Bariai: “And if you cause your male children to marry their female children, then they will lift up the names of their gods in their practice of sexual immorality, and so make your male children to follow them also.” (Source: Bariai Back Translation)
  • Opo: “and you will marry female children their, and they will marry female children your, and female children their will seek god their, so that male children your will seek god their also.” (Source: Opo Back Translation)
  • English: “If you take some of their women to be wives for your sons, and these women worship their own gods, they will persuade your sons also to worship their gods.” (Source: Translation for Translators)

Translation commentary on Exod 34:16

And you take of their daughters for your sons is literally “and you [singular] will take from his daughters for your sons.” In Revised Standard Version this continues the long sentence beginning with verse 14. In other words Revised Standard Version considers all of verses 15-16 as the possible result of making any treaty with the ethnic groups mentioned in verse 12. Good News Translation makes this verse into a new sentence but still shows the influence of the word “lest” in verse 15, “Your sons might marry those foreign women.” However, in cultures where marriage is always arranged by the parents, one may follow the Hebrew and say, for example, “You might arrange for their daughters to marry your sons.”

And their daughters is literally “and his daughters,” but the singular pronoun should be understood as still referring to “the inhabitant” in verse 12. (See the comment there.) Play the harlot after their gods is the same expression discussed at verse 15. And make your sons … is literally “and they will cause your sons.” As in verse 15, Good News Translation interprets this as a figure of speech for pagan worship and translates “who would lead them to be unfaithful to me and to worship their pagan gods.” One may also say “and they [the daughters] would lead them to be unfaithful.”

An alternative translation model for this verse is:

• You will even arrange for their daughters to marry your sons, and these women will cause them to be unfaithful to me and worship their gods.

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 .