neighbor

The Hebrew and Greek that is translated as “neighbor” in English is rendered into Babatana as “different man,” i.e. someone who is not one of your relatives. (Source: David Clark)

In North Alaskan Inupiatun, it is rendered as “a person outside of your building,” in Tzeltal as “your back and side” (implying position of the dwellings), in Indonesian and in Tae’ as “your fellow-man,” in Toraja-Sa’dan it is “your fellow earth-dweller,” in Shona (translation of 1966) as “another person like you,” in Kekchí “younger-brother-older-brother” (a compound which means all one’s neighbors in a community) (sources: Bratcher / Nida and Reiling / Swellengrebel), in Mairasi “your people” (source: Enggavoter 2004), in Mezquital Otomi as “fellow being,” in Tzeltal as “companion,” in Isthmus Zapotec as “another,” in Teutila Cuicatec as “all people” (source: Waterhouse / Parrott in Notes on Translation October 1967, p. 1ff.), and in most modern German translations as Mitmensch or “fellow human being” (lit. “with + human being”).

In Matt 19:19, Matt 22:39, Mark 12:31, Mark 12:33, Luke 10:27, Luke 10:29 it is translated into Ixcatlán Mazatec with a term that refers to a person who is socially/physically near. Ixcatlán Mazatec also has a another term for “neighbor” that means “fellow humans-outsiders” which was not chosen for these passages. (Source: Robert Bascom)

In Noongar it is translated as moorta-boordak or “people nearby” (source: Warda-Kwabba Luke-Ang).

save

The Greek, Hebrew, Aramaic, and Latin that is translated as a form of “save” in English is translated in Shipibo-Conibo with a phrase that means literally “make to live,” which combines the meaning of “to rescue” and “to deliver from danger,” but also the concept of “to heal” or “restore to health.”

In San Blas Kuna it is rendered as “help the heart,” in Laka, it is “take by the hand” in the meaning of “rescue” or “deliver,” in Huautla Mazatec the back-translation of the employed term is “lift out on behalf of,” in Anuak, it is “have life because of,” in Central Mazahua “be healed in the heart,” in Baoulé “save one’s head” (meaning to rescue a person in the fullest sense), in Guerrero Amuzgo “come out well,” in Northwestern Dinka “be helped as to his breath” (or “life”) (source: Bratcher / Nida), in Matumbi as “rescue (from danger)” (source: Pioneer Bible Translators, project-specific notes in Paratext), and in Noongar barrang-ngandabat or “hold life” (source: Warda-Kwabba Luke-Ang).

In South Bolivian Quechua it is “make to escape” and in Highland Puebla Nahuatl, it is “cause people to come out with the aid of the hand.” (Source: Nida 1947, p. 222.)

See also salvation and save (Japanese honorifics).

neighbor - relative

The Hebrew and Greek that is translated as “neighbor” or “relative” in English is translated in the Contemporary Chichewa translation (2002/2016) and the Buku Lopatulika translation (1922/2018) with just one word: nansi. This word can also be translated as neighbors whom you share a blood relation with because in Chewa context a community is mostly comprised of people of blood relations. (Source: Mawu a Mulungu mu Chichewa Chalero Back Translation)

Translation commentary on Proverbs 6:3

In this verse Revised Standard Version has two series of commands that are separated by a reason for the commands. For clarity in the flow of thought it may be necessary to switch the first two lines of this verse. In this way verse 3 would begin with “You have come into your neighbor’s power.” See under verse 4 for an example of restructuring the whole verse. The discussion of the lines in this verse follows the Revised Standard Version order.

“Then do this, my son, and save yourself”: “Then” renders a term that marks a transition from the “if” clauses in verses 1-2 to the commands in verse 3. “Do this” may need to be restated as, for example, “This is what you should do,” “Follow these instructions,” or “Now do as I tell you.” For “my son” see 1.8. “Save yourself” means here to free yourself from your troubles, to escape or get out of your difficulty. One translation, for example, says, “Son, you must get out of this prison quickly.”

“For you have come into your neighbor’s power” is literally “You come into the palm [hand] of your neighbor,” which means “You have fallen into the control of. . .” or “Your neighbor now has control over you.” Since this situation is clearly very dangerous, some translations render the sentence “It is no good that you stay underneath this other man. So. . ..”

“Go, hasten, and importune your neighbor”: “Go” means to take immediate action. “Hasten” translates a verb whose form and meaning appear to have the sense of tread on, trample, or crush down. Although Good News Translation renders it “hurry,” it appears in this context to mean to “humble yourself.” Note the Revised Standard Version footnote. Some take it to mean mire or mud, and so it expresses the thought of getting down in the mud, an image of humbling yourself. One translation says, for example, “It doesn’t matter that you have to put yourself down and be ashamed, just go. . ..”

The word rendered “importune” is better translated “plead” or “beg.” The Hebrew text does not say what should be pleaded for. However, the context makes clear that it is a plea to be released, freed from the promise to pay the other person’s debts. Accordingly Good News Translation says, “beg him to release you.” Bible en français courant has “insist that he free you.”

Quoted with permission from Reyburn, William D. and Fry, Euan McG. A Handbook on Proverbs. (UBS Helps for Translators). New York: UBS, 2000. For this and other handbooks for translators see here .

SIL Translator’s Notes on Proverbs 6:3

6:3a

then do this, my son, to free yourself: This clause forms the transition between the situation described in 6:1–2 and the conclusion described in 6:3–5. It introduces what the teacher advises his son to do in order to release himself from the promise to pay the other person’s debts.

If the relationship between the situation and the conclusion is not clear, it may be helpful to begin 6:3 with an “if” clause that summarizes 6:1–2. For example:

My child, if this is your situation,…
-or-
My child, if you have done this (New Century Version)

Most versions repeat the vocative my son, as the Berean Standard Bible has done. However, the New Living Translation (2004) and Contemporary English Version have made this phrase implicit, perhaps because 6:3 is not the start of a new lesson. You will need to consider whether it is appropriate in your language to repeat a vocative in the middle of an exhortation.

6:3b

for you have fallen into your neighbor’s hands: This clause gives the reason for the preceding and following commands. The idiom you have fallen into your neighbor’s hands indicates here that the young man is under the control or power of the neighbor who is the borrower. That is, the young man’s legal and financial obligations will depend on whether the borrower repays his own loan.

General Comment on 6:3a–b

In some languages, it may be clearer to change the order of some of the phrases in 6:3a–b. For example:

My child, if you have done this and are under your neighbor’s control, here is how to get free. (New Century Version)

6:3c

Go: In this context, the word Go implies that the son will go to the neighbor without delay.

humble yourself: There are two ways to interpret the Hebrew word that the Berean Standard Bible translates here as humble yourself :

(1) It means “humble yourself.” For example:

humble yourself (New Jerusalem Bible)

(2) It means “hasten.” For example:

hurry to him (Good News Translation)

It is recommended that you follow interpretation (1), along with the majority of versions and scholars.

Some other ways to translate humble yourself are:

Use a negative command. For example:

Don’t be proud (New Century Version)

Use an idiom. For example:

Swallow your pride (New Living Translation (2004))

6:3d

and press your plea with your neighbor: In Hebrew, the phrase press your plea is literally “to storm at,” “to impetuously attack.” It indicates here a desperate pleading or begging that the neighbor cancel the young man’s agreement to be the guarantor for his debt. In some languages, it may be necessary to make some of this information explicit. For example:

beg for permission to call off the agreement (Contemporary English Version)
-or-
beg to be free from your promise (New Century Version)

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