“Sheep are known throughout most of the world, even though, as in Central Africa, they are a far cry from the fleecy wool-producing animals of colder climates. Where such animals are known, even by seemingly strange names, e.g. ‘cotton deer’ (Yucateco) or ‘woolly goat’ (Inupiaq), such names should be used. In some instances, one may wish to borrow a name and use a classifier, e.g. ‘an animal called sheep.’ In still other instances translators have used ‘animal which produces wool’, for though people are not acquainted with the animals they are familiar with wool.” (Source: Bratcher / Nida)
In Dëne Súline, it is usually translated as “an evil little caribou.” To avoid the negative connotation, a loan word from the neighboring South Slavey was used. (Source: NCEM, p. 70)
Note that the often-alleged Inuktitut translation of “sheep” with “seal” is an urban myth (source Nida 1947, p. 136).
Photo by NateBergin, hosted by Wikimedia Commons under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International license
Stained glass is not just highly decorative, it’s a medium which has been used to express important religious messages for centuries. Literacy was not widespread in the medieval and Renaissance periods and the Church used stained glass and other artworks to teach the central beliefs of Christianity. In Gothic churches, the windows were filled with extensive narrative scenes in stained glass — like huge and colorful picture storybooks — in which worshipers could ‘read’ the stories of Christ and the saints and learn what was required for their religious salvation. (Source: Victoria and Albert Museum )
Following are a number of back-translations of John 10:13:
Uma: “That person who is salaried runs away, because he only works to be salaried. He does not care for / pay attention to his shepherded-things.” (Source: Uma Back Translation)
Yakan: “The reason he flees is because he is only hired. He has no love for the sheep.” (Source: Yakan Back Translation)
Western Bukidnon Manobo: “The reason the hired person runs away is because he is not the true person who cares. He has no breath for the sheep.” (Source: Western Bukidnon Manobo Back Translation)
Kankanaey: “And this is the reason that salaried-one will run-away, because he is merely salaried and he doesn’t value the sheep.” (Source: Kankanaey Back Translation)
Tagbanwa: “The hired one runs away because the sheep aren’t his own, therefore he doesn’t value them.” (Source: Tagbanwa Back Translation)
Tenango Otomi: “That man runs away because he is just a hired hand. It doesn’t make him sad about what happens to the sheep.” (Source: Tenango Otomi Back Translation)
Before the time of Abraham at least five breeds of sheep had already been developed in Mesopotamia. From mummified remains (that is, preserved dead bodies) and ancient art it is also known that at least two different breeds had reached Egypt by about 2000 B.C. Thus it is likely that the sheep mentioned in the Bible were of more than one breed.
The Hebrew word kar seems to be used of imported foreign sheep and may refer to a special breed but some scholars think it refers to a wether (castrated ram), since this word is never used in the context of sacrifice. This word is also used for a battering ram, that is, a heavy pole suspended on a rope, used in war for breaking down walls. ’Ayil is the word for a ram or adult male sheep, rachel is a breeding ewe or female sheep, and taleh is a very young lamb, probably still unweaned. The remaining Hebrew words refer to sheep in general.
The Greek word probaton is the general word for sheep, or flocks that may include goats. Krios is the Greek word for a ram or male sheep. Pascha is a technical name for the Passover lamb exclusively, and the remaining Greek words all mean lamb. Ovis is the Latin word for sheep.
Click or tap here for the rest of this entry in United Bible Societies’ All Creatures Great and Small: Living things in the Bible.
The early Hebrews were nomadic shepherds to whom sheep were the most important domestic animal. While goats eat almost any vegetation, sheep are much more selective about the grasses and plants they eat. This meant that suitable grazing for them was not always easy to find, and shepherds had to keep moving their flocks from place to place. This led to a nomadic lifestyle, with movable tents rather than houses being the normal household shelter. It was not until the occupation of Canaan after the Exodus that the lifestyle of the Israelites changed, and they became settled village-dwelling farmers and fruit growers.
However, even then, most households owned sheep, and some family members would function as shepherds, often living away from home for fairly long periods.
Sheep in the Bible were a source of meat, milk, wool, hides, and horns, and it seems likely that various strains were bred selectively to enhance production of these commodities. Wool is mentioned in the Bible as early as the Mosaic Law, which forbade the weaving of cloth containing both wool and plant fibers. The shearing of sheep is mentioned even earlier, in Genesis 31:19. Wool was in fact the most common and available fiber known to the people of Israel.
There was a very extensive wool trade in biblical times, stretching from Egypt to China. In the Middle East wool was cheaper than cotton or linen, which were the other common fibers. (Silk was known by the time of Solomon, but it was extremely expensive as it was produced in China and handled by numerous traders on its way west.) It would be a mistake to think of all wool at that time as being white, as Genesis 30 indicates quite clearly that there were also dark colored sheep and sheep that had dark and light patches, probably varying combinations of black, white, and brown.
We can be fairly sure that one breed of sheep known to the Israelites was the Fat-tailed Sheep Ovis laticaudata and that its fatty tail is referred to in Exodus 29:22, Leviticus 3:9 et al.
Rams’ horns had a variety of uses. Whole ram horns were used as drinking vessels, jars, and trumpets. But pieces of horn were used as handles for knives and other household implements, and for jewelry such as bracelets and beads. Needles too, and probably also arrow heads, were made from horn, as well as from bone and later from bronze and iron.
Sheep were also very important in Israelite religion. They were a very important element in the sacrificial system and in the traditional religious feasts, especially the Feast of Passover.
Sheep and goats belong to the same general family. They differ in that sheep produce wool, which is a special type of soft hair, among the ordinary hairs on their bodies. A ram’s horns too differ in shape from a goat’s horns, those of a ram curling down in a tight spiral beside its face, with those of a goat curving more gently back towards its shoulders. The sheep of biblical times produced much shorter wool than is common with wool-bearing breeds of today.
The fat-tailed or broad-tailed sheep is a smallish breed usually brown and white with a very broad tail. Like most other breeds of sheep in the Middle East it has large floppy ears.
Sheep are generally fairly timid animals, lacking the self-confidence and adaptability of goats. While goats will spread out in their search for food and then regroup without much difficulty, sheep become very insecure when they are separated from other sheep and tend to stay bunched together. They thus require a lot of shepherding. In the Middle East the method of shepherding involves training the dominant ram to follow the shepherd. The remaining sheep then follow this dominant ram, which often wears a wooden clapper or a bell. As they feed, the sheep usually keep within earshot of this sound. It is likely that this method is centuries old.
In most modern breeds only male sheep have horns, but in most ancient breeds female sheep had short horns too. This made separating sheep from goats in a single flock more difficult than it is today.
Of all animals the sheep was the most important for the Israelite nation. It had great religious, social, and economic importance.
The metaphor of a lamb is used in the New Testament to refer to Christ, with an emphasis on his being a sacrifice for the sin of the world. This is especially the case in John’s gospel and Revelation. In the latter book the metaphor is introduced in a very striking way. In Revelation 5:5 as the writer is mourning the fact that no one can be found to open the scroll, he is comforted by one of the elders who tells him that “the Lion of the tribe of Judah” has triumphed and can thus open the scroll. Then the writer, expecting to see the Lion, sees instead a Lamb that looks as if it has been killed for sacrifice. The remainder of the book is then concerned with describing the triumph of this Lamb over the forces of evil.
In the gospels Jesus also refers to his disciples as “sheep” and “lambs” (Matthew 10:17; John 10:1 et al.).
The metaphor of the shepherd is extended to God himself who is the ultimate “Shepherd of Israel” (Psalms 23:1; 80:1). Then those who are responsible for the nurture, guidance, ruling, and protection of Israel, be it kings, prophets, or priests, are also likened to shepherds (Isaiah 56:11; Jeremiah 23:4; 49:19; Ezekiel 34:2; Zechariah 10:2).
The Messiah is also called a shepherd (Isaiah 40:11), and Jesus refers to himself as “the good shepherd” (John 10:11). In Hebrews 13:20 he is referred to as “the great shepherd of the sheep” and in 1 Peter 2:25 he is called “the Shepherd and Guardian of your lives”.
In languages that have a word for sheep, it is advisable to translate according to the meanings given above. If possible, the feminine forms should be translated as “female lamb” or “female sheep”. In languages in which sheep are not known, a word has usually been coined or borrowed by the time Bible translation begins, and this word should be used. It is not advisable to substitute another locally well-known animal in this case, since doing so negates the ritual and symbolic importance that sheep had for the biblical cultures.
In translating Psalms 23:1 it is extremely important to make sure that the phrase “my shepherd” preserves the relationship intended by the writer and reflects the psalmist’s theme that Yahweh is his benefactor, protector, and guide. There are really two metaphors involved in the opening verse-the caring shepherd (God) and by clear implication, the dependent sheep (the psalmist). In many languages the literal phrase “my shepherd” depicts a wrong relationship, meaning something like “the one who looks after my sheep” or “the one I employ to watch my sheep.” In many African languages unwary translators have produced a rendering that means “The Chief is (nothing more than) my herdsman.” It is often necessary to restructure the whole verse as something like “I am a sheep, and the lord is my shepherd.”
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®).
In Greek this verse is literally “because he is a hired man and does not care about the sheep.” If one puts a full stop at the end of verse 12, as most translations do, some information must be introduced at the beginning of verse 13. Revised Standard Version begins this verse by “He flees because…”; New English Bible “The man runs away because…”; Jerusalem Bible “this is because…”; and New American Bible “That is because….” The purpose of this information is to make it clear to the reader that the because clause refers back to the first half, not to the second half, of verse 12. Otherwise, the second half of verse 12 and the first part of verse 13 would read “so the wolf snatches the sheep and scatters them, because he is a hired man and does not care for the sheep.” Good News Translation (also Jerusalem Bible) introduces the adverb only (because he is only a hired man), thus conveying more clearly the intent of the Greek.
Does not care about the sheep must be translated in some languages “has no love for the sheep.” More is intended than mere failure to provide for the sheep. The meaning may be expressed in some languages as “he is not concerned for the sheep” or “the sheep make no difference to him” or “it’s all the same to him, no matter what happens to the sheep.”
Quoted with permission from Newman, Barclay M. and Nida, Eugene A. A Handbook on the Gospel of John. (UBS Handbook Series). New York: UBS, 1980. For this and other handbooks for translators see here .
The man runs away because he is a hired servant and is unconcerned for the sheep: The Greek text is more literally “because he is a hired hand and does not care about the sheep.” The word because introduces the reason why the hired man runs away (flees) (10:12a–b). So the Berean Standard Bible begins a new sentence here and supplies the words The man runs away. In many languages it may be natural to supply a similar clause. In the following examples the words that were supplied are underlined:
He flees because he is a hired hand and cares nothing for the sheep. (English Standard Version)
-or-
The man runs away because he is a hired man and cares nothing for the sheep. (Revised English Bible)
-or-
The hired hand runs away because he’s working only for the money and doesn’t really care about the sheep. (New Living Translation (2004))
because he is a hired servant and is unconcerned for the sheep: The word because introduces the reason the man ran away: he does not care about protecting the sheep. He is not concerned about their safety. He only took care of the sheep because he wanted his wages. You may want to make this implied information explicit. For example:
The hired hand is concerned about what he’s going to get paid and not about the sheep. (God’s Word)
is unconcerned for the sheep: The English phrase is unconcerned for is confusing here because it has more than one possible sense. In some contexts it would mean that the hired man did not feed or look after the sheep. But that was his job, and that is not what the Greek phrase means. What the Greek means is that the hired man was not concerned about the sheep. They were not important to him, so when danger came he abandoned them. Here are other ways to translate this phrase:
cares nothing for the sheep (New International Version)
-or-
is not concerned about the sheep (NET Bible Bible)
-or-
the sheep do not really matter to him
-or-
the sheep are not important to him
General Comment on 10:13a–b
In some languages it may be natural to reverse the order of 10:13a–b. For example:
Because he is a hired hand and is not concerned about the sheep, he runs away. (NET Bible Bible)
General Comment on 10:12–13
Jesus was talking about hired workers in general. So in some languages it may be natural to use plural forms, as the Contemporary English Version has done. The Contemporary English Version translation also provides a model for how to break up this long sentence into several shorter sentences:
Hired workers are not like the shepherd. They don’t own the sheep, and when they see a wolf coming, they run off and leave the sheep. Then the wolf attacks and scatters the flock. Hired workers run away because they don’t care about the sheep. (Contemporary English Version)
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