Following are a number of back-translations as well as a sample translation for translators of Leviticus 26:11:
Kupsabiny: “I shall live with you and never turn my back on you.” (Source: Kupsabiny Back Translation)
Newari: “I will come to live in your midst in my holy tabernacle, and it will not be the case that I will not love you.” (Source: Newari Back Translation)
Hiligaynon: “I will-live/stay/dwell together-with you (plur.) and I will- not -reject you (plur.).” (Source: Hiligaynon Back Translation)
English: “I will live among you in my Sacred Tent, and I will never reject you.” (Source: Translation for Translators)
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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 first person singular and plural pronoun (“I” and “we” and its various forms) as shown here in the widely-used Japanese Shinkaiyaku (新改訳) Bible of 2017. The most commonly used watashi/watakushi (私) is typically used when the speaker is humble and asking for help. In these verses, where God / Jesus is referring to himself, watashi is also used but instead of the kanji writing system (私) the syllabary hiragana (わたし) is used to distinguish God from others.
Click or tap here to see the rest of this insight.
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).
Make my abode among you: the word translated abode here is the same as rendered “tabernacle” in 8.10; 15.31; and 17.4. In fact, New English Bible translates here “establish my Tabernacle,” and Good News Translation has “sacred Tent,” but most versions have “dwelling (place)” or “abode.” The meaning is that God will take up residence among the people of Israel. Moffatt approaches this idea with “I will pitch my tent among you.” But one may also consider “I will make my home with you” or “I will come to live with you.”
My soul: this is simply an idiomatic way of saying I or “I myself” that is very common in Hebrew poetry and some types of prose. A literal rendering of the word soul is surely misleading in many languages, but the use of this term does sometimes connote deep feelings and is stronger than a simple pronoun. See 4.2.
Abhor you: the verb here gives the idea “despise,” “reject,” or “treat with contempt.” But a negative statement like “I won’t hate you” is at best weak in many languages. Consequently it may be more appropriate to make a positive statement such as “I will always be with you” or “I will accept you (completely).”
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 .
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