18Moses went back to his father-in-law Jethro and said to him, “Please let me go back to my own people in Egypt and see whether they are still living.” And Jethro said to Moses, “Go in peace.”
The Hebrew, Ge’ez, and Greek that is translated as “go in peace” into English is an idiomatic expression of farewell which is translatable in other languages as an idiomatic expression as well:
The Hebrew, Ge’ez, and Greek that is usually translated into English as “peace,” when referring to one’s inner peace, is (back-) translated with a variety of idioms and phrases:
“rest the heart” (Central Mazahua) / “rest within” (Lacandon) (source: Nida 1952, p. 40 and 128ff.) / “wait well in your heart” (Yatzachi Zapotec) (source: Viola Waterhouse in Notes on Translation August 1966, p. 86ff.)
Following are a number of back-translations as well as a sample translation for translators of Exodus 4:18:
Kupsabiny: “Then, Moses went to Jethro, his father-in-law, and told him that, ‘Let me go to the land of Egypt to see whether my people/family are still alive.’ Jethro said that, ‘Go, and I wish you well.’” (Source: Kupsabiny Back Translation)
Newari: “Then Moses went back to his father-in-law Jethro and said, "Please grant me this request: let me go back to Egypt to see if my in Egypt living siblings are still alive (emph.) or not." Jethro said, "Yes, and may it go well with you."” (Source: Newari Back Translation)
Hiligaynon: “Moises went-back to Jetro his father-in-law and said to him, ‘Let/Allow me to go-back to my blood-(relatives) in Egipto to see/check if they (are) still alive.’ Jetro said, ‘Okay/go-on, and have a good trip/[lit. just be-well in going].’” (Source: Hiligaynon Back Translation)
Bariai: “Moses heard God’s talk and it was done, and then he returned back to his father-in-law Ietro and said to him, ‘I want you to consent to me in order that I return back to Isip, to my people, in order that I see them and know, today how are they living.’ And then Ietro said, ‘All right. Be at peace (lit. have a smooth interior) and so go.’” (Source: Bariai Back Translation)
Opo: “And Moses returned place of Jethro who be father of his wife, said to him «Leave for me it that I might go Egypt that I might go see my tribe, maybe they live, or not.» And Jethro answered for him it «go with peace!»” (Source: Opo Back Translation)
English: “Moses/I returned to his/my father-in-law Jethro and said to him, ‘Please let me go back to Egypt, to see my fellow Israelis there. I want to know if they are still alive.’ Jethro said to Moses/me, ‘Go, and may God give you inner peace.’” (Source: Translation for Translators)
American Sign Language also uses the sign depicting the horns but also has a number of alternative signs (see here ).
In French Sign Language, a similar sign is used, but it is interpreted as “radiance” (see below) and it culminates in a sign for “10,” signifying the 10 commandments:
The horns that are visible in Michelangelo’s statue are based on a passage in the Latin Vulgate translation (and many Catholic Bible translations that were translated through the 1950ies with that version as the source text). Jerome, the translator, had worked from a Hebrew text without the niqquds, the diacritical marks that signify the vowels in Hebrew and had interpreted the term קרו (k-r-n) in Exodus 34:29 as קֶ֫רֶן — keren “horned,” rather than קָרַו — karan “radiance” (describing the radiance of Moses’ head as he descends from Mount Sinai).
In Swiss-German Sign Language it is translated with a sign depicting holding a staff. This refers to a number of times where Moses’s staff is used in the context of miracles, including the parting of the sea (see Exodus 14:16), striking of the rock for water (see Exodus 17:5 and following), or the battle with Amalek (see Exodus 17:9 and following).
In Vietnamese (Hanoi) Sign Language it is translated with the sign that depicts the eye make up he would have worn as the adopted son of an Egyptian princess. (Source: The Vietnamese Sign Language translation team, VSLBT)
“Moses” in Vietnamese Sign Language, source: SooSL
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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 to do this is through the usage (or a lack) of an honorific prefix as shown here in the widely-used Japanese Shinkaiyaku (新改訳) Bible of 2017. When the referent is God, the “divine” honorific prefix mi- (御 or み) can be used, as in mi-kao (御顔) or “face (of God)” in the referenced verses.
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