Following are a number of back-translations of Hebrews 8:4:
Uma: “If for example Yesus were still on this earth, he would not be a priest, for there are already priests who offer worship-gifts to God according to the Law of the Lord that Musa wrote.” (Source: Uma Back Translation)
Yakan: “If he were still here in the world, he certainly would not be a priest, because since former times there are already priests and as is commanded in the Yahudi law they pass on the gifts of the people to God.” (Source: Yakan Back Translation)
Western Bukidnon Manobo: “But while He was still here on the earth it was not possible that He be a priest, for beginning with a long time ago until now, there are priests who offer sacrifices according to what was commanded them in the Law left behind by Moses.” (Source: Western Bukidnon Manobo Back Translation)
Kankanaey: “But this earth is not where-he-serves, because if he were still on this earth, he couldn’t be a priest, because there are already priests who offer what the law commands.” (Source: Kankanaey Back Translation)
Tagbanwa: “If it’s just here in the world it’s not possible for him to be a priest because, as for him, he was not of the clan of the descendants of Levi, only they being acceptable to make/do the things with which to worship which were said by the laws of Moises.” (Source: Tagbanwa Back Translation)
Tenango Otomi: “But it isn’t here on earth where Jesus is. If he were here, then he couldn’t be said to be high priest then. Because the high priests here on earth go on doing the sacrifices which the law written by Moses commands.” (Source: Tenango Otomi Back Translation)
The Greek, Hebrew, and Ge’ez that is translated in English as “Law” or “law” is translated in Mairasi as oro nasinggiei or “prohibited things” (source: Enggavoter 2004) and in Noongar with a capitalized form of the term for “words” (Warrinya) (source: Warda-Kwabba Luke-Ang).
In Yucateco the phrase that is used for “law” is “ordered-word” (for “commandment,” it is “spoken-word”) (source: Nida 1947, p. 198) and in Central Tarahumara it is “writing-command.” (Source: Waterhouse / Parrott in Notes on Translation October 1967, p. 1ff.)
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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 usage of an honorific construction where the morpheme rare (られ) is affixed on the verb as shown here in the widely-used Japanese Shinkaiyaku (新改訳) Bible of 2017. This is particularly done with verbs that have God as the agent to show a deep sense of reverence. Here, o-rare-ru (おられる) or “is/be present” is used.
Click or tap here to see the rest of this insight.
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 third person singular and plural pronoun (“he,” “she,” “it” and their various forms) as shown here in the widely-used Japanese Shinkaiyaku (新改訳) Bible of 2017. While it’s not uncommon to avoid pronouns altogether in Japanese, there are is a range of third person pronouns that can be used. In these verses a number of them are used that pay particularly much respect to the referred person (or, in fact, God, as in Exodus 15:2), including kono kata (この方), sono kata (その方), and ano kata (あの方), meaning “this person,” “that person,” and “that person over there.”
The contrast between the heavenly and earthly priesthood is complete. As already stated in 7.14, Jesus is not qualified to be a member of the earthly, Old Testament priesthood. The emphatic negative not … at all (similarly Bijbel in Gewone Taal, Jerusalem Bible, Phillips, Barclay, Translator’s New Testament) is the probable meaning. Another possible meaning is “not even” (Bible en français courant, New English Bible, Traduction œcuménique de la Bible), which implies “not a high priest, and not even a priest.” The first meaning is more likely, since the writer seldom contrasts “priest” and “high priest.”
In some languages it is difficult, if not impossible, to imply a condition contrary to fact, such as If he were on earth, he would not be a priest at all. The closest equivalent may be a contrast between the earthly and the heavenly conditions: “He is a priest in heaven, but if he is on earth he is not a priest.” Or it may combine causal relations and the matter of location: “Because he is in heaven he is a priest, but on earth he is not a priest.”
The verb required may be expressed as a type of necessity. For example, the gifts required by the Jewish Law may be rendered as “the gifts which the priests must offer because of the laws which the Jews must follow.”
Jewish is implied; compare Law of Moses in 7.19, 28. Strictly speaking, “Jewish” should not be used for the period before the end of the Babylonian Exile (586 B.C.), and the phrase “the Jewish Law” is not found in the New Testament (Rom 2.17 is not a real exception). The Jewish Law may be rendered as “the laws which the Jews follow” or “the laws which the Jews must obey.”
Quoted with permission from Ellingworth, Paul and Nida, Eugene A. A Handbook on The Letter of the Hebrews. (UBS Handbook Series). New York: UBS, 1983. For this and other handbooks for translators see here .
Living Water is produced for the Bible translation movement in association with Lutheran Bible Translators. Lyrics derived from the ESV® Bible (The Holy Bible, English Standard Version®).
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