complete verse (Numbers 31:24)

Following are a number of back-translations as well as a sample translation for translators of Numbers 31:24:

  • Kupsabiny: “And on the seventh day, you must wash the clothes to cleanse them. When you have done like that, you are allowed to enter into the camp.’” (Source: Kupsabiny Back Translation)
  • Newari: “On the seventh day you must wash your clothes then you will be clean. After that if you come into the camp it will be OK."” (Source: Newari Back Translation)
  • Hiligaynon: “On the seventh day, you (plur.) must wash your (plur.) clothes/garments, and then you (plur.) now be-considered clean, and you (plur.) now can-enter into the camp.’” (Source: Hiligaynon Back Translation)
  • English: “On the seventh day, wash your clothes, and then you will become acceptable to God again. After you do that, you may return to the camp.’” (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 Numbers 31:24

This verse essentially summarizes verses 19-20.

You must wash your clothes on the seventh day, and you shall be clean: It should not be implied that the soldiers had to use the water of purification, just mentioned in the previous verse, for washing their clothes. The seventh day indicates that their period of ritual confinement outside the camp lasted seven days (see verse 19).

And afterward you shall come into the camp: The Hebrew clause here expresses permission to enter the camp on the seventh day; it is not a command. So it may be rendered “and will be permitted to enter the camp” (Good News Translation), “Then you may return to the camp” (New Living Translation), or “afterward you can return within the camp” (La Nouvelle Bible Segond).

Quoted with permission from de Regt, Lénart J. and Wendland, Ernst R. A Handbook on Numbers. (UBS Helps for Translators). Miami: UBS, 2016. For this and other handbooks for translators see here .