complete verse (Deuteronomy 13:7)

Following are a number of back-translations as well as a sample translation for translators of Deuteronomy 13:7:

  • Kupsabiny: “(He/they) may even tell you to worship idols of communities who are your neighbors or who come from faraway countries.” (Source: Kupsabiny Back Translation)
  • Newari: “may whether they be gods of a neighboring people or gods of a distant people or gods of people from one corner or the other corner of the land,” (Source: Newari Back Translation)
  • Hiligaynon: “gods that the people around you (plur.) or the people in the far place are-worshipping),” (Source: Hiligaynon Back Translation)
  • English: “Some of them may encourage you to worship gods that people-groups that live near you worship, or gods that groups who live far away worship.” (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 Deuteronomy 13:7

This verse continues the description of the pagan gods referred to in verse 6.

From one end of the earth to the other: all pagan gods are included. Good News Translation does not formally represent these words, which simply emphasize gods of the peoples that are … far off from you. Instead of earth some translations have “from one end of the land…” (Revised English Bible, Traduction œcuménique de la Bible, New International Version); but it seems that “earth” is to be preferred (Revised Standard Version, New Jerusalem Bible, New Jewish Publication Society’s Tanakh, and others). It means “anywhere on earth.”

Quoted with permission from Bratcher, Robert G. and Hatton, Howard A. A Handbook on Deuteronomy. (UBS Helps for Translators). New York: UBS, 2000. For this and other handbooks for translators see here .