The Hebrew and Greek that is translated as “remember” in English is translated in Mairasi as “it is (or: place it) in your liver’s crack” (source: Enggavoter 2004) and in Noongar as barrang-dwangka, literally “ear-hold” (source: Portions of the Holy Bible in the Nyunga language of Australia, 2018).
Following are a number of back-translations as well as a sample translation for translators of Malachi 4:4:
Kupsabiny: “Think of/remember the laws and wishes that I gave my servant Moses on mount Horeb for all the people of Israel.” (Source: Kupsabiny Back Translation)
Newari: “Remember the law with statutes and ordinances that I gave to Moses my servant for all Israel on Mount Horeb and carefully obey them. ” (Source: Newari Back Translation)
Hiligaynon: “‘[You (plur.)] obey the Law of my servant Moises. Those commands and regulations I gave to him there at Mount Sinai in-order to-be-obeyed by all the people of Israel.” (Source: Hiligaynon Back Translation)
Kankanaey: “‘Be-thinking-about what Moses my servant was-teaching which are the commands and laws that I told him at Horeb so-that all the Israelita would obey (them).” (Source: Kankanaey Back Translation)
English: “Be sure to obey the laws that I gave to Moses, who served me well. Obey all the commandments and regulations that I gave him on Sinai Mountain, for all you people of Israel to obey.” (Source: Translation for Translators)
American Sign Language also uses the sign depicting the horns but also has a number of alternative signs (see here ).
In French Sign Language, a similar sign is used, but it is interpreted as “radiance” (see below) and it culminates in a sign for “10,” signifying the 10 commandments:
The horns that are visible in Michelangelo’s statue are based on a passage in the Latin Vulgate translation (and many Catholic Bible translations that were translated through the 1950ies with that version as the source text). Jerome, the translator, had worked from a Hebrew text without the niqquds, the diacritical marks that signify the vowels in Hebrew and had interpreted the term קרו (k-r-n) in Exodus 34:29 as קֶ֫רֶן — keren “horned,” rather than קָרַו — karan “radiance” (describing the radiance of Moses’ head as he descends from Mount Sinai).
In Swiss-German Sign Language (and Hungarian Sign Language) it is translated with a sign depicting holding a staff. This refers to a number of times where Moses’s staff is used in the context of miracles, including the parting of the sea (see Exodus 14:16), striking of the rock for water (see Exodus 17:5 and following), or the battle with Amalek (see Exodus 17:9 and following).
In Vietnamese (Hanoi) Sign Language it is translated with the sign that depicts the eye make up he would have worn as the adopted son of an Egyptian princess. (Source: The Vietnamese Sign Language translation team, VSLBT)
“Moses” in Vietnamese Sign Language, source: SooSL
In Korean Sign Language it is translated with the sign that depicts the arms held up by Moses to assure the Israelites victory over the Amalekites (see Exodus 17:11).
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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.
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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).
In translations that choose to insert a heading at this point, it will be helpful to follow the example of Die Bibel im heutigen Deutsch and add an indication that the speaker continues to be the LORD. “The LORD says” is quite adequate. Even if there is no heading, this may still be desirable.
In this verse there are several words and phrases that are shared with the book of Deuteronomy. These include Remember (compare Deut 7.18; 8.18; 16.3), my servant Moses (compare Deut 34.5), statutes and ordinances (compare Deut 4.1, 8, 14), Horeb (the common name in Deuteronomy for the mountain usually called “Sinai” in Exodus; see Deut 1.2, 6, 19), and all Israel (compare Deut 1.1; 5.1).
Remember the law of my servant Moses: The meaning of Remember includes not just recollection but also obedience (compare Psa 103.18; 119.55). Although the law is singular in Hebrew, the reference is general, and may be translated as a plural, such as “teachings” (Good News Translation, Parola Del Signore: La Bibbia in Lingua Corrente), “laws” (Contemporary English Version), or “instructions” (Beck, New Living Translation). Moses is referred to as the LORD’s servant in such passages as Exo 14.31; Josh 8.31 and 18.7. In cultures where servants are not known, it may be necessary to say “my follower” or even “my worshiper.” For the law … of Moses, compare Josh 23.6; 1 Kgs 2.3; Neh 8.1; Dan 9.11 and 13. In some languages it will be helpful to say something like “the law I gave to my servant Moses.”
The words translated statutes and ordinances are often put together. It is not easy to define the difference between them, if indeed there is a clear distinction. Often these and sometimes other terms as well (see for instance Deut 4.45; 6.1, 17, 20) have a total meaning that is cumulative rather than individual. In other languages it may not always be necessary for translators to use the same number of terms as there are in Hebrew; for instance, Contemporary English Version has here just “laws and teachings” to cover law, statutes, and ordinances. This is especially true for cultures where there is no extensive vocabulary of legal terms. In the present case, there is no special focus on the exact meaning of statutes and ordinances. The two terms relate to law above, and simply expand the concept in a general way. Translators may say “the law … [that is] the rules and regulations…” (Moffatt) or something similar. Terms used in other English versions include “precepts” (New English Bible/Revised English Bible), “commands” (Good News Translation), “decrees” (New International Version, New Jerusalem Bible), “instructions” (Beck), and “rulings” (New Jerusalem Bible).
That I commanded him: In some languages it may be good style to repeat a verb based on the same root as one of the terms used to render law, statutes, or ordinances. In other languages (including English) this would sound awkward. Translators should be sensitive to such a point of style, as it may affect the readers’ overall reaction to the text even if it does not hinder their understanding of a particular sentence. Possible alternatives are “that I commanded him to follow” and even “that I gave to all the people of Israel through my servant Moses.”
At Horeb: Since this mountain is better known as “Sinai” (compare Sirach 48.7), it may be preferable to say “Sinai,” as Good News Translation has. In some languages it will also be helpful to say “Mount Sinai,” as do Good News Translation, Contemporary English Version, and New Living Translation. If this is done, it is good to add a footnote, as in Contemporary English Version and New Living Translation, explaining that the Hebrew contains a different name for the same place.
For all Israel means “for all the people of Israel” (Good News Translation).
A possible translation model for the whole verse is found in Good News Translation. Another possibility is:
• Remember the laws, rules, and commands that I gave to all the people of Israel through my servant Moses at Mount Sinai.
Quoted with permission from Clark, David J. & Hatton, Howard A. A Handbook on Malachi. (UBS Helps for Translators). New York: UBS, 2002. For this and other handbooks for translators see here .
The LORD continued to speak here. Since this verse begins a new paragraph, it may be helpful in some languages to repeat the speech clause from 4:3d. Check what you did in the similar situation at 3:6 and do the same here, if it is appropriate.
the law of My servant Moses: This means the law which the LORD gave to Moses to give to the people. This is made explicit in 4:4b. In some languages it may be more natural to make it explicit here.
My servant Moses: Moses is called the LORD’s servant because he consistently obeyed and submitted himself to the LORD. In some languages a word like “servant” may imply wrong meanings. If that is true in your language, try to express the idea of loyalty and obedience in a natural way. For example:
Moses, who faithfully obeyed me -or-
Moses, my faithful worker.
4:4b
statutes: The Hebrew word hoq which the Berean Standard Bible translates statutes refers to the laws which the LORD gave to the people of Israel.
ordinances: The Hebrew word mišpaṭ which the Berean Standard Bible translates as ordinances refers to the decisions the LORD made when he judged people. He decided what was right to do in particular cases, and those decisions continued to apply for all future cases of that type. This has been translated in various ways by English versions. For example:
precepts (Revised English Bible)
regulations (New Living Translation (2004))
commands (Good News Translation)
all Israel: This refers to all the people of Israel.
Horeb: This is an alternative name for Mount Sinai, where the LORD gave his law to Moses.
General Comment on 4:4b
Although the terms “statutes” and “ordinances” are not always exact synonyms, here they do function as synonyms. They both refer to the laws the LORD gave to Moses. In some languages it may be necessary to translate these two terms with only one expression. For example:
When I gave these commands to him at Mount Sinai, I ordered all the people of Israel ⌊to obey them⌋.
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