complete verse (Jeremiah 48:27)

Following are a number of back-translations as well as a sample translation for translators of Jeremiah 48:27:

  • Kupsabiny: “You (sing.) Moab should think/remember how you insulted/mocked Israel.
    You took/considered them like thieves that are caught
    (you are) shaking your head scorning (them)
    when you speak of that land of Israel.” (Source: Kupsabiny Back Translation)
  • Hiligaynon: “You residents of Moab, is (it) not so (that) you (plur.) mocked Israel? Why, was- she -caught in stealing? So, why are- you (plur.) really -shaking-your-head in mocking her?” (Source: Hiligaynon Back Translation)
  • English: “You people of Moab ridiculed the people of Israel.
    You treated them as though they were thieves.
    You shook your head at them scornfully and despised them.” (Source: Translation for Translators)

2nd person pronoun with low register (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 second person pronoun (“you” and its various forms) as shown here in the widely-used Japanese Shinkaiyaku (新改訳) Bible of 2017. The most commonly used anata (あなた) is typically used when the speaker is humbly addressing another person.

In these verses, however, omae (おまえ) is used, a cruder second person pronoun, that Jesus for instance chooses when chiding his disciples. (Source: S. E. Doi, see also S. E. Doi in Journal of Translation, 18/2022, p. 37ff. )

See also first person pronoun with low register and third person pronoun with low register.

Translation commentary on Jeremiah 48:27

Was not Israel a derision to you?; that is, “Didn’t you used to make fun of Israel?” or “You used to make fun of Israel, didn’t you?” In order to connect this verse with the previous one, Good News Translation makes it clear that this verse is addressed to Moab: “Moab, remember how you made fun of the people of Israel?” Die Bibel im heutigen Deutsch resolves the difficulty by placing verses 26-27 together so that the last line of verse 26 serves as a conclusion to the two verses.

Was he found among thieves?: This may be expressed as “Was he found to be a thief?” or “You never found Israel to be a thief, isn’t that so?”

There is a problem regarding the two questions, inasmuch as the first question expects the answer “Yes,” while the second expects the answer “No”: Yes, the Moabites did make fun of Israel, but No, Israel was not a thief caught in a trap. It is easier for some translators to express these both as statements: “You used to make fun of Israel. But even though you never found him to be a thief, whenever you talked about him, you shook your head.”

Wagged your head: The significance of this action, which expresses disgust or scorn, may be completely missed in some cultures (compare 18.16). Good News Translation has replaced the metaphor: “You treated them as though….” Translators can also say “You shook your head in scorn.”

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 .