complete verse (Leviticus 26:6)

Following are a number of back-translations as well as a sample translation for translators of Leviticus 26:6:

  • Kupsabiny: “I shall give you peace in the land and you shall sleep without anxiety. I shall destroy fierce animals in the land and the enemies shall never defeat you if war comes.” (Source: Kupsabiny Back Translation)
  • Newari: “’I will give peace in your land. You will be able to sleep pleasantly. There will be no one to threaten you. I will drive the dangerous animals from the land and there will be no war in your land. ” (Source: Newari Back Translation)
  • Hiligaynon: “I will-cause-to-be-extended the peace in your (plur.) place/(land), so you (plur.) can-sleep without being-afraid-of-(anything). I will-drive-away the cruel animals in your (plur.) place/(land), and no enemies will-be-able-to-attack/invade you (plur.)” (Source: Hiligaynon Back Translation)
  • English: “‘If you obey all my laws, there will be peace in your country, and when you lie down to sleep, nothing will cause you to be afraid. I will get rid of the dangerous animals in your country, and there will no wars in your country.” (Source: Translation for Translators)

1st person pronoun referring to God (Japanese)

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 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.

(Source: S. E. Doi, see also S. E. Doi in Journal of Translation, 18/2022, p. 37ff. )

See also pronoun for “God”.

formal 2nd person plural pronoun (Japanese)

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).

(Source: S. E. Doi, see also S. E. Doi in Journal of Translation, 18/2022, p. 37ff. )

Translation commentary on Leviticus 26:6

Peace: this is the well-known Hebrew word shalom, which indicates much more than just “calm” or the absence of war. It refers to a more general situation of tranquillity and harmonious relations between people. It is a situation in which everything is as it should be, involving the total well-being of the persons in question.

Lie down: this implies “to go to sleep,” and in many languages this will have to be made explicit, as Good News Translation has done.

None: the corresponding Hebrew word may be taken either as meaning “no one” (the solution of most English versions) or more generally “nothing” (Bible en français courant). In view of the context, “nothing” may be better if it is indeed more general in meaning and would include the idea of “no one.”

I will remove evil beasts: literally “I will cause to cease … evil beasts.” The word translated evil has been variously rendered “vicious” (New Jerusalem Bible), “savage” (New International Version), “dangerous” (New English Bible, Good News Translation), “ravenous” (New American Bible), and “wild” (An American Translation, Moffatt). A word should be sought in the receptor language that refers to animals that are greatly feared and likely to cause harm or injury to people. In some languages this idea is conveyed by “catching animals.”

The sword shall not go through your land: a literal translation of this expression may be amusing if not misleading in some languages. The sword here does not mean simply a single instrument of war. Rather it represents all the dangers and problems involved in a state of war. This phrase may therefore be translated as “Your enemies will no longer make war on you” or “No one will attack your land.”

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 .