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).

abomination

The Hebrew that is translated as “abomination” or similar in English is translated in Vidunda as “hated thing” and in Kwere as zitibusa which means “evil” but also something that causes horror or disgust and revolts people. (Source for both: Pioneer Bible Translators, project-specific translation notes in Paratext)

in Ngambay it is nékɔb or “taboo.” (Source: Andy Warren-Rothlin)

See also detestable in the sight of God and holy.

complete verse (Ezekiel 33:26)

Following are a number of back-translations as well as a sample translation for translators of Ezekiel 33:26:

  • Kupsabiny: “You boast of your swords and your habits smell bad and you indulge in adultery. Is it then truly good for you to live in that land?’” (Source: Kupsabiny Back Translation)
  • Hiligaynon: “You rely on your sword, you do detestable things, and commit-adultery-with-a-woman, and now you think that you can-possess the land?” (Source: Hiligaynon Back Translation)
  • English: “You rely on using your swords to obtain things that you want. You do many detestable things. Each of you has sex with other men’s wives. So why should you continue to possess the land of Israel?/you should not continue to possess this land! ’” (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 Ezekiel 33:26

You resort to the sword, you commit abominations and each of you defiles his neighbor’s wife: Here are three more sins that the people in Israel continued to do. You resort to the sword refers to lives of violence and murder and illustrates the lawlessness in the land. Some translations have “You live by your swords” (Anchor Bible) or “You rely on your weapons,” but others make murder explicit by saying “You commit murder” or “You shed the blood of other people.” You commit abominations refers to doing disgusting things that God hates as they worship pagan idols (see the comments on 5.9). Good News Translation says “Your actions are disgusting,” and New Century Version has “You … do terrible things which I hate.” Each of you defiles his neighbor’s wife means each man has sex with a woman who is the wife of another man in the community (see 18.6). Good News Translation says “Everyone commits adultery.” However, this rendering is too general. New Century Version is a more accurate with “Each of you has sexual relations with his neighbor’s wife.”

Shall you then possess the land?: The verse ends with the same rhetorical question as the previous verse (see the comments there) to stress that the people will not possess the land. It may be rendered “Do you really think the land is yours?” or “No, you will not possess the land.”

Quoted with permission from Gross, Carl & Stine, Philip C. A Handbook on Ezekiel. (UBS Helps for Translators). Miami: UBS, 2016. For this and other handbooks for translators see here .