complete verse (Leviticus 19:9)

Following are a number of back-translations as well as a sample translation for translators of Leviticus 19:9:

  • Kupsabiny: “When/If you (plur.) harvest food from/in the field, what is at the edge of the fields is not to be harvested and do not gather that which remains lying in the field.” (Source: Kupsabiny Back Translation)
  • Newari: “’When you reap your harvest, do not reap to the edge of the field. And do not gather the grain that falls in the field. ” (Source: Newari Back Translation)
  • Hiligaynon: “When you (plur.) harvest [you (plur.)] do- not -finish harvesting at the edges/side of your (plur.) field, and [you (plur.)] do- not -return and finish-up-totally what remains[pl].” (Source: Hiligaynon Back Translation)
  • English: “‘Then you harvest your grain, leave the grain at the very edge of the field, and do not pick up the grain that has fallen on the ground.” (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 19:9

In verses 9 and following the Hebrew shifts back and forth between the second person plural and the second person singular (compare King James Version “ye … thou…”). There is no obvious reason for these shifts, so the plural should probably be used throughout in the receptor-language translation of this section.

When you reap the harvest …: this refers to a later time when Israel would be settled in the land of Canaan and have fields planted. If it is thought to be necessary, the translation may read “When you start to harvest what you have planted…,” or even “When you have settled in the land and begin harvesting your crops (or, grain)….”

You shall not reap … border: literally “do not finish reaping the edge (or, corner) of your field.” This refers to the practice of being so meticulous that even the grain ordinarily overlooked is sought.

Gather the gleanings …: this can be rendered “go back over to pick up all that is left over.” The two expressions together may be translated “you shall not be so careful that you reap absolutely everything” or “you must not take away every bit of the grain by harvesting carefully around the edges or by going over the whole field a second time.”

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 .