temple

The Hebrew that is translated as “temple” in English is translated in Elhomwe with “side of the head.” (Source: project-specific translation notes in Paratext)

complete verse (Leviticus 19:27)

Following are a number of back-translations as well as a sample translation for translators of Leviticus 19:27:

  • Kupsabiny: “Do (plur.) not trim your heads or the beards as grieving people do.” (Source: Kupsabiny Back Translation)
  • Newari: “’you must not shave the hair on your temples. And it also must not cut your edges of beard. ” (Source: Newari Back Translation)
  • Hiligaynon: “If you (plur.) are-mourning for the dead [you (plur.)] do- not -cut your (plur.) hair around your (plur.) head or your (plur.) beard,” (Source: Hiligaynon Back Translation)
  • English: “‘o not shave the hair at the sides of your heads like pagan people do.” (Source: Translation for Translators)

formal 2nd person plural pronoun (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 formal plural suffix to the second person pronoun (“you” and its various forms) as shown here in the widely-used Japanese Shinkaiyaku (新改訳) Bible of 2017. In these verses, anata-gata (あなたがた) is used, combining the second person pronoun anata and the plural suffix -gata to create a formal plural pronoun (“you” [plural] in English).

(Source: S. E. Doi, see also S. E. Doi in Journal of Translation, 18/2022, p. 37ff. )

Translation commentary on Leviticus 19:27

You shall not round off the hair on your temples: literally “Do not round off the edge of your head.” It is usually translated something like “Do not shave your temples.” A complete understanding of this prohibition and the following one is impossible for us today. But they probably had to do with practices that were common in the pagan religions of the people around the Israelites. These practices may have been linked with mourning for the dead, as is made explicit in verse 28.

Since Good News Translation makes verses 27 and 28 a single sentence, the connection with the mourning practices in this verse is much clearer. Moffatt also combines these two verses into one sentence. Such restructuring is almost essential to a proper understanding of this passage. It is certainly erroneous to make a separate paragraph of verse 28, as in New International Version.

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 .