complete verse (Leviticus 13:46)

Following are a number of back-translations as well as a sample translation for translators of Leviticus 13:46:

  • Kupsabiny: “The person shall remain unclean during all the days he is sick. He must live outside the camp where no other people are.” (Source: Kupsabiny Back Translation)
  • Newari: “He/she will be unclean from the time that he/she gets the disease. He/she must live alone. He/she must live outside the camp.” (Source: Newari Back Translation)
  • Hiligaynon: “He is-to-be- considered dirty/unclean as-long-as he yet has the disease. And he must live alone/[lit. as-one] only outside the camp.” (Source: Hiligaynon Back Translation)
  • English: “He is not allowed to be with other people as long as he has the disease. He must live alone, outside the camp.’’” (Source: Translation for Translators)

Translation commentary on Leviticus 13:46

Remain unclean … is unclean: the repetition may be unnecessary in many languages.

He shall dwell alone: in many languages it will be helpful to the reader to indicate the relationship between this phrase and the one before it. Bible en français courant proposes “this is why he must live alone.” Or one may use a transition word like “therefore” or “so.” It may also be helpful to make it clearer what alone means by saying something like “apart from the rest of the community” or “away from normal (or, healthy) people.” The emphasis is not on complete separation from all others, since people with this condition were permitted to live with each other, but they had to be away from the rest of the community (see 2 Kgs 7.3-10).

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 .