blaspheme, blasphemy

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The Hebrew, Aramaic, Greek, Ge’ez, and Latin that is translated as “blasphemy” or “blaspheme” is translated in various forms:

complete verse (Leviticus 24:14)

Following are a number of back-translations as well as a sample translation for translators of Leviticus 24:14:

  • Kupsabiny: “‘Bring that man outside the camp. And every person who heard the man abuse, he is to place his hands on the head of the man. Then all the people who have gathered there are to throw stones until the man dies.” (Source: Kupsabiny Back Translation)
  • Newari: “Take the one who uttered the curse outside the camp and all who heard what he said must put their hands on his head, and then the whole assembly must kill him by stoning. ” (Source: Newari Back Translation)
  • Hiligaynon: “‘Take that man who blasphemed me outside the camp. All (those) who heard his blaspheming are-to-place their hands on his head to testify that he is-to-answer/is-accountable (for this), and then he is-to-be-stoned by the whole community of Israel.” (Source: Hiligaynon Back Translation)
  • English: “‘Tie up and take outside the camp the man who has cursed me. There all those who heard what he said must put their hands on his head to indicate that he is guilty, and then all the people must kill him by throwing stones at him.” (Source: Translation for Translators)

Translation commentary on Leviticus 24:13 - 24:14

And the LORD said to Moses: see 4.1. But in the context of this story, it may be better to say “Then the LORD said…,” in order to highlight the continuation of the story.

Him who cursed: this refers to the man whose father was Egyptian and whose mother was Israelite. He may be referred to in many different ways, depending on the habits of the receptor language, but it is important that the idea of cursing be maintained somewhere in this verse. Good News Translation refers to him simply as “that man” but includes the crucial idea later in the verse with “who heard him curse.” The Jewish law forbids blasphemy (see Exo 22.28, where “revile” translates the same word). This verse makes clear that the law applies to a half-Israelite as well as to full-blooded Israelites.

Lay their hands upon his head: see 16.21. In the Old Testament the laying on of hands usually indicates the transmission of holiness or of sin. Here it probably means that the man is responsible for his own death, and that those who stone him do not share in the responsibility simply because they heard the curse. They had become impure by hearing the curse, but the laying on of hands transmitted the sin back to the person who caused it. The Good News Translation rendering, “to testify that he is guilty,” should probably be understood in the sense “to show that he [and not they] is the person who committed the sin.”

All the congregation: that is, all those members of the Israelite community who were present at the time.

Stone him: or “kill him by throwing stones at him.” See 20.2.

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 .