The Hebrew and Greek that is typically translated in English as “hardened” or “stubborn” is translated in the HausaCommon Language Bible idiomatically as taurin kai or “tough head.”
Other languages spoken in Nigeria translate similarly: Abua uses oḅom ẹmhu or “strong head,” Bura-Pabirkəra ɓəɓal or “hard head,” Gokanaagẹ̀ togó or “hard/strong head,” Igedeegbeju-ọngịrị or “hard head,” Deragɨddɨng koi or “strong head,” Resheɾiʃitə ɾigbaŋgba or “strong head,” and in Chadian Arabicraas gawi (رَاسْكُو قَوِي) or “hard head” (source: Andy Warren-Rothlin)
Other translation approaches include Western Bukidnon Manobo with “breath is very hard” (source: Western Bukidnon Manobo Back Translation) or Ixil with “callous heart” (source: Holzhausen / Riderer 2010, p. 40).
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).
Following are a number of back-translations as well as a sample translation for translators of Deuteronomy 21:18:
Kupsabiny: “A man may have a son who is rebellious and does not listen to words and again that son does not respect/obey his father and mother when they discipline/advise (him).” (Source: Kupsabiny Back Translation)
Newari: “If some rebellious and ill-behaved son does not listen to the words of his father and mother even if he is disciplined,” (Source: Newari Back Translation)
Hiligaynon: “‘For-example a man has a male child who is hard headed and rebellious, and does not obey his parents even though they discipline him.” (Source: Hiligaynon Back Translation)
English: “‘Suppose there is a boy who is very stubborn and always rebelling against/disobeying his parents, and who will not heed what they say to him. And suppose that they punish him but he still does not pay attention to what they tell him.” (Source: Translation for Translators)
With the beginning of a new section, translators should reintroduce Moses as the speaker.
A man: this is what the Hebrew says. Good News Translation “someone” is not good, since in this context the father is in focus. So translators may use either man or “father.”
A stubborn and rebellious son: so Revised Standard Version, Good News Translation, Contemporary English Version, New Revised Standard Version, New English Bible (see verse 26; Psa 78.8; Jer 5.23). This is the best way to translate the two adjectives. New Jewish Publication Society’s Tanakh has “wayward and defiant.” For stubborn see 9.6, and for rebellious see 9.7.
Who will not obey the voice of his father or the voice of his mother: this represents the rather wordy Hebrew text, which is reinforced by the last clause, will not give heed to them. Good News Translation has simply “who will not obey his parents.”
They chastise him: this most likely involves physical punishment (see 22.18; Pro 13.24; 22.14; 23.13-14; 29.15), although the verb may mean simply “to discipline” or “punish” (see 8.5).
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 .
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