complete verse (Jeremiah 16:2)

Following are a number of back-translations as well as a sample translation for translators of Jeremiah 16:2:

  • Kupsabiny: “Do not marry in this place and produce children in this kind of land.” (Source: Kupsabiny Back Translation)
  • Hiligaynon: “‘You(g)never take-a-wife or have-children in this place.” (Source: Hiligaynon Back Translation)
  • English: “‘Do not get married and have children in this land,” (Source: Translation for Translators)

Translation commentary on Jeremiah 16:2

You shall not take a wife is rendered “Do not marry” by Good News Translation and “You must not marry” by Die Bibel im heutigen Deutsch. Note that shall in Revised Standard Version expresses a command, not a simple future.

Hebrew does not have a word that means “children,” which is the reason for saying nor shall you have sons or daughters. Both Good News Translation and Die Bibel im heutigen Deutsch have “Do not … have children.” It is also possible to render this verse “Do not marry or have a family….”

In this place means “in this land.” Some translations have “here.” Perhaps to show that Jeremiah is not to have a family because the land is polluted or doomed, Good News Translation has “in a place like this.” This does not seem necessary, however.

Quoted with permission from Newman, Barclay M. and Stine, Philip C. A Handbook on Jeremiah. (UBS Helps for Translators). New York: UBS, 2003. For this and other handbooks for translators see here .