leprosy, leprous

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The Greek and Hebrew terms that are often translated as “leprosy (or: defiling/skin disease)” or “leprous (person)” in English is translated in Mairasi as “the bad sickness,” since “leprosy is very common in the Mairasi area” (source: Enggavoter 2004).

Following are various other translations:

  • Shilluk: “disease of animals”
  • San Mateo Del Mar Huave: “devil sore” (this and the above are indigenous expressions)
  • Inupiaq: “decaying sores”
  • Kaqchikel: “skin-rotting disease” (source for this and three above: Eugene Nida in The Bible Translator 1960, p. 34f. )
  • Noongar: “bad skin disease” (source: Warda-Kwabba Luke-Ang)
  • Usila Chinantec “sickness like mal de pinta” (a skin disease involving discoloration by loss of pigment) (source: B. Moore / G. Turner in Notes on Translation 1967, p. 1ff.)
  • Hiligaynon: “dangerous skin disease” (source: Hiligaynon Back Translation)
  • Kankanaey: “fearful skin disease” (source: Kankanaey Back Translation)
  • Tenango Otomi: “terrible rotting” (source: Tenango Otomi Back Translation)
  • Newari: “infectious skin disease” (source: Newari Back Translation)

Targumim (or: Targums) are translations of the Hebrew Bible into Aramaic. They were translated and used when Jewish congregations increasingly could not understand the biblical Hebrew anymore. Targum Onqelos (also: Onkelos) is the name of the Aramaic translation of the Torah (the first five books of the Hebrew Bible) probably composed in Israel/Palestine in the 1st or 2nd century CE and later edited in Babylon in the 4th or 5th century, making it reflect Jewish Babylonian Aramaic. It is the most famous Aramaic translation and was widely used throughout the Jewish communities. In Leviticus 13 and 14 it translates tzaraat as a “quarantining affliction” — focusing “on what occurs to individuals after they suffer the affliction; the person is isolated from the community.” (Source: Israel Drazin in this article ). Similarly, the English Jewish Orthodox ArtScroll Tanach translation (publ. 2011) transliterates it as tzaraat affliction.

See also stricken and leprosy healed.

Learn more on Bible Odyssey: Leprosy (Word Study) and Bible Translations Are for People .

priest

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The Hebrew, Aramaic, Ge’ez, and Greek that are typically translated as “priest” in English (itself deriving from Latin “presbyter” — “elder”) is often translated with a consideration of existing religious traditions. (Click or tap for details)

Bratcher / Nida (1961) say this:

“However, rather than borrow local names for priests, some of which have unwanted connotations, a number of translations have employed descriptive phrases based on certain functions: (1) those describing a ceremonial activity: Pamona uses tadu, the priestess who recites the litanies in which she describes her journey to the upper or under-world to fetch life-spirit for sick people, animals or plants; Batak Toba uses the Arabic malim, ‘Muslim religious teacher;’ ‘one who presents man’s sacrifice to God’ (Bambara, Eastern Maninkakan), ‘one who presents sacrifices’ (Baoulé, Navajo (Dinė)), ‘one who takes the name of the sacrifice’ (Kpelle, and ‘to make a sacrifice go out’ (Hausa); (2) those describing an intermediary function: ‘one who speaks to God’ (Shipibo-Conibo) and ‘spokesman of the people before God’ (Tabasco Chontal).”

In Obolo it is translated as ogwu ngwugwa or “the one who offers sacrifice” (source: Enene Enene), in Mairasi as agam aevar nevwerai: “religious leader” (source: Enggavoter 2004), in Ignaciano as “blesser, one who does ritual as a practice” (using a generic term rather than the otherwise common Spanish loan word sacerdote) (source: Willis Ott in Notes on Translation 88/1982, p. 18ff.), and in Noongar as yakin-kooranyi or “holy worker” (source: Warda-Kwabba Luke-Ang).

For Guhu-Samane, Ernest Richert (in The Bible Translator, 1965, p. 81ff. ) reports this: “The [local] cult of Poro used to be an all-encompassing religious system that essentially governed all areas of life. (…) For ‘priest’ the term ‘poro father’ would at first seem to be a natural choice. However, several priests of the old cult are still living. Although they no longer function primarily as priests of the old system they still have a substantial influence on the community, and there would be more than a chance that the unqualified term would (in some contexts particularly) be equated with the priest of the poro cult. We learned, then, that the poro fathers would sometimes be called ‘knife men’ in relation to their sacrificial work. The panel was pleased to apply this term to the Jewish priest, and the Christian community has adopted it fully. [Mark 1:44, for instance, now] reads: ‘You must definitely not tell any man of this. But you go show your body to the knife man and do what Moses said about a sacrifice concerning your being healed, and the cause (base of this) will be apparent.'”

For a revision of the 1968 version of the Bible in Khmer Joseph Hong (in: The Bible Translator 1996, 233ff. ) talks about a change in wording for this term:

​​Bau cha r (បូជា‌ចារ្យ) — The use of this new construction meaning “priest” is maintained to translate the Greek word hiereus. The term “mean sang (មាន សង្ឃ)” used in the old version actually means a “Buddhist monk,” and is felt to be theologically misleading. The Khmer considers the Buddhist monk as a “paddy field of merits,” a reserve of merits to be shared with other people. So a Khmer reader would find unthinkable that the mean sang in the Bible killed animals, the gravest sin for a Buddhist; and what a scandal it would be to say that a mean sang was married, had children, and drank wine.

See also idolatrous priests.

Aaron

The name that is transliterated as “Aaron” in English means “light,” “a mountain of strength” “to be high.” (Source: Cornwall / Smith 1997 )

In Catalan Sign Language and Spanish Sign Language it is translated as “stones on chest plate” (according to Exodus 28:15-30) (Source: John Elwode in The Bible Translator 2008, p. 78ff. )


“Aaron” in Spanish Sign Language, source: Sociedad Bíblica de España

In Colombian Sign Language, Honduras Sign Language, and American Sign Language, the chest plate is outlined (in ASL it is outlined using the letter “A”):


“Aaron” in ASL (source )

For more information on translations of proper names with sign language see Sign Language Bible Translations Have Something to Say to Hearing Christians .

See also Moses, more information on Aaron , and this lectionary in The Christian Century .

complete verse (Leviticus 13:2)

Following are a number of back-translations as well as a sample translation for translators of Leviticus 13:2:

  • Kupsabiny: “‘If there is a person among you who has boils or scabies or a skin rash which might make/cause him to get a serious skin disease, he must be taken to the priest Aaron or any of his sons.” (Source: Kupsabiny Back Translation)
  • Newari: “If the skin of anyone’s body is developing to have swelling of the skin, a rash or spots, that might develop into a skin disease. he must be brought to Aaron the priest or to one of his sons.” (Source: Newari Back Translation)
  • Hiligaynon: “If the skin of a man is-swelling or is-breaking-out-in-a-rash or whitening/blistering, which (is) a sign of a dangerous disease on the skin, this person should-be-brought to Aaron the priest or to one of the priests who (is) a descendant of Aaron.” (Source: Hiligaynon Back Translation)
  • English: “‘When someone has on his skin a swelling or a rash or a shiny/bright spot that may become contagious/a dreaded skin disease, he must be brought to Aaron or to one of his sons who are also priests.” (Source: Translation for Translators)

Translation commentary on Leviticus 13:1 - 13:2

Said to Moses and Aaron: this is the same expression translated in Revised Standard Version by two verbs in 10.8, where only Aaron is the object, and by one verb in 11.1 and most other occurrences. See also 4.1.

A swelling: the meaning of this word is disputed by scholars. Some insist that it cannot mean swelling (Snaith, page 70), but it is so translated by Revised Standard Version, An American Translation, New Jerusalem Bible, New International Version, and New Jerusalem Bible. On the other hand, New American Bible has “scab,” New English Bible has “discoloration,” and Good News Translation has simply “a sore.” A more general term as in Good News Translation is probably best.

An eruption: this may mean either a single eruption, as a “boil” (Good News Translation) or “pustule” (New English Bible, New American Bible), or possibly more numerous eruptions in the same general area of the skin, which would be translated “a rash” (New Jerusalem Bible, New International Version).

A spot: the Revised Standard Version rendering is too vague. The term refers to a “shining spot” (Jerusalem Bible), “a white spot” (Moffatt), or a “bright spot” (New International Version) because it is inflamed. A better rendering is therefore “an inflammation” (Good News Translation and New English Bible) or an “inflamed spot” (An American Translation).

And it turns into: this phrase indicates that the disease on that part of the skin could possibly become more serious. Hence it is translated “may develop into…” (New English Bible), “may become…,” or “could develop into…” (New Jerusalem Bible and Good News Translation).

A leprous disease: literally “a mark of leprosy.” See the discussion of the issue of “leprosy” at the beginning of this chapter. Similar to the Good News Translation rendering seen above, New English Bible has “a malignant skin disease,” and New International Version has “an infectious skin disease” in this verse. Any of these is preferable to using the receptor-language word for “leprosy.”

He shall be brought: in place of this passive construction, some languages may have to say “they [indefinite] must bring him” or “someone must take him to the priest.”

To Aaron the priest or to one of his sons the priests: see 1.5. This long expression simply means one of the priests from the family of Aaron. The wording of New English Bible may be helpful to some translators: “either to Aaron or to one of his sons.” The word translated sons may also be understood to mean “descendants.”

Quoted with permission from Péter-Contesse, René and Ellington, John. A Handbook on Leviticus. (UBS Helps for Translators). New York: UBS, 1990. For this and other handbooks for translators see here .