perversion / depravity

The Hebrew that is translated as “perversion,” “depravity” or something alike in English is translated in Kwere as chilozo, meaning “that which is not wanted,” which means that which is unusual or out of the norm. (Source: Pioneer Bible Translators, project-specific translation notes in Paratext)

See also perverted.

complete verse (Leviticus 20:14)

Following are a number of back-translations as well as a sample translation for translators of Leviticus 20:14:

  • Kupsabiny: “If a man marries a daughter and here mother, that is evil. The man and both women are to be destroyed so that evil can end/be finished from you (plur.).” (Source: Kupsabiny Back Translation)
  • Newari: “’If anyone keeps both a mother and daughter as wives, it is despicable. The three of them must be burned in the fire. There must not be such despicable deeds among you. ” (Source: Newari Back Translation)
  • Hiligaynon: “If a man has-(intimate)-relations-together with (both) a-woman-and-her-daughter, the three of them must be-burnt, for what they have-done (is) evil. This evil/wickedness must not remain among you.” (Source: Hiligaynon Back Translation)
  • English: “‘If a man marries both a woman and her mother, that is a wicked thing. All three of them must be burned to death, in order that such a wicked practice will not continue to be done among you.” (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 20:14

Takes: this is probably to be understood as meaning “marries” (New International Version and New Jerusalem Bible as well as Good News Translation) or “takes as his wife.” Wenham, however, suggests “cohabits with.” See 18.17, 18.

Wickedness: see 18.17.

Burned with fire: the redundancy may be reduced by omitting with fire. It may also be important in some languages to indicate clearly that the purpose of the burning is to put the guilty person to death (Good News Translation “burned to death”). One should not give the impression that this is merely a painful means of corporal punishment. Some may prefer to say “they shall burn them alive” or “they shall kill them with fire.” See 6.30.

They … both he and they: the pronouns here ultimately refer to all three parties involved in the affair: the man, his wife, and his mother-in-law.

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 .