complete verse (Deuteronomy 1:44)

Following are a number of back-translations as well as a sample translation for translators of Deuteronomy 1:44:

  • Kupsabiny: “And then, the Amorites who lived in that land of hills came down and fought those people. The Amorites came as a swarm of bees and then they chased those people from the hills of Seir to Hormah.” (Source: Kupsabiny Back Translation)
  • Newari: “Then the Amorites who lived in the mountain came out to fight with you. Like bees they came and pursued you, and they defeated you from Seir to Hormah.” (Source: Newari Back Translation)
  • Hiligaynon: “Then the Amornon who were-living there fought-against you (plur.) (plur.), and they (were) like killer-bees who chased and defeated you (plur.) (plur.) from Seir up-to Horma.” (Source: Hiligaynon Back Translation)
  • English: “Then the men of the Amor people-group who lived in that region came out of their towns and attacked those soldiers. They pursued your ancestors’ soldiers like a swarm of bees pursues people, and they pursued them south from the Edom area and defeated them at Hormah city.” (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 1:44

The Amorites who lived in that hill country: the name Amorites stands here as a general term for the inhabitants of the land of Canaan; in Num 14.43, 45 these people are identified as Amalekites and Canaanites. See also 1.4, 7.

Came out against you and chased you as bees do: this figure is used also in Psa 118.12; Isa 7.18. It portrays not only the speed of the attack but also its persistence and fury; once bees start after someone, they do not turn back. Came out against you means “attacked you.” Bees are found in most areas of the world. However, in a culture where bees are unknown, we may say, for example, “flying insects that sting” or “stinging insects that fly.” The stress here is not on the type of insect, but on its speed and viciousness, and also its ability to attack in swarms.

Beat you down in Seir as far as Hormah: the verb means to strike, hit, or beat, and consequently to defeat, destroy, and even kill. The geographical note is oddly stated in Revised Standard Version and will not be understood by readers who cannot identify Seir or Hormah. Seir is Edom, the region occupied by the descendants of Esau, and Hormah is a city southeast of Beersheba. The meaning is that the Amorites chased the Israelites into Edom, and at the town of Hormah they defeated them.

An alternative translation model for the final part of the verse may be:

• They chased your soldiers [or, fighting men] into the land of Edom and defeated them at the city of Hormah.

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 .