complete verse (Leviticus 24:18)

Following are a number of back-translations as well as a sample translation for translators of Leviticus 24:18:

  • Kupsabiny: “And the one who has killed an animal of another person, is to compensate (for it). The law is life for a life.” (Source: Kupsabiny Back Translation)
  • Newari: “If one [lit.: any] person kills the animal of another [lit. of any] person, the one who did the killing must give the owner of the animal a replacement.” (Source: Newari Back Translation)
  • Hiligaynon: “And the person who kills the animal of another he must replace/[lit. exchange] this with a living (one) because/for that/(it) (was) alive when he killed (it).” (Source: Hiligaynon Back Translation)
  • English: “And anyone who kills another person’s animal must give that person a live animal to replace the one that he killed.” (Source: Translation for Translators)

Translation commentary on Leviticus 24:18

Shall make it good: the Hebrew verb used here means “make restitution” (New Jerusalem Bible, New American Bible, New Jerusalem Bible) or “make amends.” Specifically, the person who killed another person’s animal had to replace it with a similar live animal.

Life for life: this may have to be translated more explicitly in some languages. Possible models in this context are “Only a life can replace another life” or “Only a live animal can replace the one whose life was taken away.”

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 .