obedience / obey

The Hebrew, Aramaic, Latin, and Greek that is translated in English typically as “obedience” or “obey” is translated in Tepeuxila Cuicatec as “thing hearing,” because “to hear is to obey.” (Source: Marjorie Davis in The Bible Translator 1952, p. 34ff. )

In Huba it is translated as hya nǝu nyacha: “follow (his) mouth.” (Source: David Frank in this blog post )

In Central Mazahua it is translated as “listen-obey” and in Huehuetla Tepehua as “believe-obey” (source: Waterhouse / Parrott in Notes on Translation October 1967, p. 1ff.), and in Noongar as dwangka-don, lit. “hear do” (source: Portions of the Holy Bible in the Nyunga language of Australia, 2018).

See also disobedience.

Translation commentary on Sirach 30:12

Ben Sira is continuing in this verse his comparison of a child to a horse (verse 8).

Bow down his neck in his youth: This line is almost identical to 7.23b. It is better translated in Good News Translation here: “make him respect your authority.”

And beat his sides while he is young: We do not ordinarily think of a parent punishing a child by striking him on the side of the body. But this is where a rider whips a horse, and this is the comparison. The reference to his sides may be misleading; Good News Translation therefore translates simply “Whip him while he is still a child.” Note that Good News Translation reverses the first two lines of this verse.

Lest he become stubborn and disobey you: Stubborn is again a reference to the horse of verse 8. Good News Translation combines this line with the next one.

And you have sorrow of soul from him: Revised Standard Version gives a reasonably close literal translation here. Good News Translation is helpful, but New Jerusalem Bible is also good with “and hurt you very deeply.”

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.