enemy / foe

The Greek, Hebrew, Aramaic, Ge’ez, and Latin that is translated as “enemy” or “foe” in English is translated in the Hausa Common Language Bible as “friends of front,” i.e., the person standing opposite you in a battle. (Source: Andy Warren-Rothlin)

In North Alaskan Inupiatun it is translated with a term that implies that it’s not just someone who hates you, but one who wants to do you harm (Source: Robert Bascom), in Tarok as ukpa ìkum or “companion in war/fighting,” and in Ikwere as nye irno m or “person who hates me” (source for this and one above: Chuck and Karen Tessaro in this newsletter ).

In Cherokee it is either translated as “the one(s) who reprimand(s) you” or “the one(s) feared.” (Source: Bender / Belt 2025, p. 47)

complete verse (Leviticus 26:37)

Following are a number of back-translations as well as a sample translation for translators of Leviticus 26:37:

  • Kupsabiny: “You shall trap one another as if you are fleeing a sword even though no one is chasing you and you have no strength in which to fight your enemies.” (Source: Kupsabiny Back Translation)
  • Newari: “Even if no one is pursuing, [just] seeing a sword [you] will fall, shoving one another just like those who run away in fear. So, you will not be able to stand before your enemies.” (Source: Newari Back Translation)
  • Hiligaynon: “You (plur.) who (are) the-(ones) left alive from war, who were-brought by your (plur.) enemies to their place, I will-cause-to-be- very -afraid. Actually, even just the rustling of leaves that are-blown by the wind you (plur.) will-flee as-if/just-like you (plur.) are-being-chased to-be- killed even (when) no one is-chasing you (plur.). And while you (plur.) are-fleeing you (plur.) will-stumble-over-each-other/knock-each-other and will-fall. So you (plur.) will- not -be-able-to-fight-against your (plur.) enemies.” (Source: Hiligaynon Back Translation)
  • English: “You will stumble over each other. So you will not be able to stand and fight your enemies.” (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 26:37

This continues the image of the people of Israel, who will be so frightened that they panic and cause injury to each other even though no one is chasing them.

You: the Hebrew shifts suddenly back to the second person plural (see verse 36). But in most languages it will be better to use the second person plural pronoun consistently throughout this passage, as has been done by Good News Translation. If this suggestion has been followed, then the abrupt shift of pronoun here will cause no problem for the receptor language.

No power to stand before your enemies: the verb used here continues the image of a people unable to maintain their footing (compare “fall” in verse 36 and stumble earlier in this verse). Another way of saying this is “you will be helpless to stand up to your enemies.”

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 .