complete verse (Deuteronomy 20:5)

Following are a number of back-translations as well as a sample translation for translators of Deuteronomy 20:5:

  • Kupsabiny: “And after that, the leaders of the soldiers are to stand up and speak to the soldiers saying, ‘Is there a man who has built his house but has not entered into it? If he is present, let him return home, do not let that man die in battle and then another man just enters into that house.” (Source: Kupsabiny Back Translation)
  • Newari: “Then the captains must speak to the troops like this — "If there is anyone here who, even though he has built a house, has not had the chance to dedicate it, he may go back to his home. If it happens that he dies in battle, another person will live in his house.” (Source: Newari Back Translation)
  • Hiligaynon: “‘Then the officials will-say to the soldiers, ‘If there is one among you (plur.) that has- just -built his house and he has- not -dedicated it yet to the LORD, let- him -go-home for he might die in the battle and other people will-dedicate his house.” (Source: Hiligaynon Back Translation)
  • English: “Then the army officers must say to the troops, ‘If anyone among you has just built a new house and has not dedicated it to God, he should go home and dedicate the house. If he does not do that, if he dies in the battle, someone else will dedicate the house and live in it.” (Source: Translation for Translators)

Translation commentary on Deuteronomy 20:5

Then the officers shall speak to the people: these are the officers in charge of all the troops; they are not the same as the “commanders” in verse 9. For officers see 1.15; 16.18, where the meaning seems to be “overseers.”

What man is there that…? There is a series of questions in verses 5-8 which all begin the same way. This beginning can be translated in a number of ways: New Jewish Publication Society’s Tanakh has “Is there anyone who…?” and Good News Translation “Is there any man here”; however, New Revised Standard Version “Has anyone…?” is a bit too vague. Here it is all right to use the masculine “man” and not a more general “anyone,” because only men were enlisted to fight. Instead of a question, a statement can be used, “Any man who…” (Revised English Bible), or a conditional, “If any man [or, any of you].”

Has not dedicated it: this is the only Old Testament reference to the dedication of a private house; nothing is known about what would have been done. But the word dedicated (used of the Temple, 1 Kgs 8.63) indicates a religious ceremony, requesting God’s protection and blessing, and promising God that he will be honored and obeyed by those who live in the house. It is not enough simply to say “and has not begun to live in it,” as some translations do. In some languages it will be necessary to make clear who is the one to whom the house is dedicated; for example, “has not yet dedicated it to God.”

Let him go back … lest he die in battle and another man …: the second part of the officers’ statement is similar in all four instances, and a translation should reflect this. It may be better to modify this part of the verse somewhat: “If there is, you may go back home, because you may die in battle and another man will dedicate your house.” Good News Translation and Revised English Bible “Otherwise” is a fairly high-level construction in English which translators may not be able to use in other languages. Possible alternatives are “It is possible that” or “It may happen that.”

An alternative translation model for this verse is:

• Then the officers will say to the fighting men, “If any man has built a new house, but hasn’t yet dedicated it to God, he may go home. It is possible that he may die in battle and someone else will dedicate his house.”

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 .