The Hebrew, Aramaic, Latin, and Greek that is translated in English typically as “obedience” or “obey” is translated in Tepeuxila Cuicatec as “thing hearing,” because “to hear is to obey.” (Source: Marjorie Davis in The Bible Translator 1952, p. 34ff. )
In Huba it is translated as hya nǝu nyacha: “follow (his) mouth.” (Source: David Frank in this blog post )
In Central Mazahua it is translated as “listen-obey” and in Huehuetla Tepehua as “believe-obey” (source: Waterhouse / Parrott in Notes on Translation October 1967, p. 1ff.), and in Noongar as dwangka-don, lit. “hear do” (source: Portions of the Holy Bible in the Nyunga language of Australia, 2018).
Following are a number of back-translations as well as a sample translation for translators of Jeremiah 22:21:
Kupsabiny: “I spoke to you (plur.) to be on guard when you were safe/supported but you said at that time, ‘We have not heard what you are saying.’ These were your customs from childhood you did not obey what I God am saying.” (Source: Kupsabiny Back Translation)
Hiligaynon: “I warned you (plur.) when your (plur.) situation was still well, but you (plur.) would not listen. That is already your (plur.) character when you (plur.) were still young; you (plur.) would not obey me.” (Source: Hiligaynon Back Translation)
English: “When you were prosperous, I warned you, but you replied, ‘We will not pay attention to what you say.’ You have been acting like that since you were young; you have never obeyed me.” (Source: Translation for Translators)
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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 first person singular and plural pronoun (“I” and “we” and its various forms) as shown here in the widely-used Japanese Shinkaiyaku (新改訳) Bible of 2017. The most commonly used watashi/watakushi (私) is typically used when the speaker is humble and asking for help. In these verses, where God / Jesus is referring to himself, watashi is also used but instead of the kanji writing system (私) the syllabary hiragana (わたし) is used to distinguish God from others.
I spoke to you in your prosperity is translated “I warned you when as yet no danger threatened you” by Die Bibel im heutigen Deutsch. The Hebrew word rendered prosperity means a time of ease or unconcern, as its other occurrences in the Old Testament indicate (“security” in Psa 122.7; “complacence” in Pro 1.32; “quiet” in Pro 17.1; “prosperous” in Ezek 16.49; “without warning” in Dan 8.25; 11.21, 24). This line can also be translated “I warned you when things were going well for you.”
This has been your way from your youth refers to the history of Jerusalem. In 2.2 the similar expression “the devotion of your youth” is a reference back to the period of Israel’s wandering in the wilderness. Translators usually put something such as “You’ve been like this all your life [or, since you were young].”
Not obeyed my voice: See 3.13. Voice represents the commands of the LORD; or rather, it represents the LORD himself in this context. Translators can say either “never obeyed my commands” or “never obeyed me.”
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 .
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