neighbor

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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).

Most High

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The Hebrew, Aramaic, Latin, Ge’ez, or Greek that is translated as “(God) the Most High” or “Most High God” in English is translated in various way:

  • Eastern Highland Otomi: “he the completely glorified God”
  • San Mateo del Mar Huave: “Father God who is high in heaven”
  • Teutila Cuicatec: “God who has such tremendous authority”
  • Chichimeca-Jonaz: “he who is the native of the highest place”
  • Palantla Chinantec: “the Big God Himself”
  • Xicotepec De Juárez Totonac: “God who has authority over all”
  • Estado de México Otomi: “most exalted God”
  • Isthmus Mixe: “God who is in heaven”
  • Teutila Cuicatec: “God who has a great rule” (source for this and above: Viola Waterhouse in Notes on Translation August 1966, p. 86ff.)
  • Sa’a: “God, the Surpassing One” (source: Carl Gross)
  • Elhomwe: Mulluku Muullupalli or “God the Great” (source: project-specific translation notes in Paratext)
  • Chichewa: Wammwambamwamba: A name of God. While this word is difficult to translate into English, its sense implies that God is highly above everything in his power and greatness. (Source: Mawu a Mulungu mu Chichewa Chalero Back Translation)

Translation commentary on Sirach 19:17 - 19:19

Question your neighbor before you threaten him: Here even more is left implied than in verses 13, 14, and 15. Here it is implied that what you have heard about a person makes you angry enough to confront him. Good News Translation includes this implied information in the conditional clause “If you hear something that makes you angry with your neighbor.” Then Good News Translation says “ask him about it before you threaten him,” which may also be rendered “don’t threaten your neighbor before you talk to him.”

And let the law of the Most High take its course: Probably the simplest way to express this is “Do what the Law of the Most High says.” The reference here is to Lev 19.17-18. The Most High is God, with reference to his supreme majesty, not to his size or height. See the comments on the Most High at 4.10.

A few manuscripts add to this line a phrase saying something like “becoming not angry.” Some versions include this phrase in a footnote, along with verses 18-19 (so Revised Standard Version, Good News Translation). The Handbook suggests that this phrase be ignored in writing the footnote suggested below. There are several translations that include verses 18-19 in a footnote, but ignore this phrase (so Luís Alonso Schökel, Traduction œcuménique de la Bible, La Bible Pléiade, Shekan). The witness to it is not as strong as to verses 18-19, the adjective used in it is highly unusual, and the whole phrase is ambiguous. We cannot tell who is supposed to not be angry, the person confronting his friend, or the Most High.

As noted above, some manuscripts add verses 18-19. They should be included in a footnote at the end of verse 17. These two verses logically belong with the following section, but placing a footnote reference at the end of verse 17 will be easier than finding a place at the beginning of verse 20 for it.

The fear of the Lord is the beginning of acceptance, and wisdom obtains his love: Acceptance refers to the Lord’s accepting the person who fears him, that is, the person who holds him in reverence and obeys him. For The fear of the Lord. Good News Translation renders verse 18 well in its footnote, but other possible models are:

• If you want the Lord to accept you, the first thing you must do is honor and obey him. If you want him to love you, you must become wise.

• When you learn to honor and obey the Lord, he will accept you. When you become wise, he will love you.

The knowledge of the Lord’s commandments is life-giving discipline: Discipline refers to applying ourselves to learning the Lord’s commandments. Good News Translation provides a good model for this line in its footnote: “Learn the Lord’s commands. It is a discipline that gives life.” But another interpretation can be given to the line. Life-giving discipline could be interpreted as “education about life, about living.” If this interpretation is followed, we could say “If we learn the Lord’s commandments, we are learning how to live.” Translators may choose either interpretation.

And those who do what is pleasing to him enjoy the fruit of the tree of immortality may be rendered “Those who do what is pleasing to him will enjoy life forever.” This is clearly written by someone other than ben Sira, who has no idea of immortality (see 17.27-28).

Quoted with permission from Bullard, Roger A. and Hatton, Howard A. A Handbook on Sirach. (UBS Helps for Translators). New York: UBS, 2008. For this and other handbooks for translators see here.