complete verse (Deuteronomy 24:16)

Following are a number of back-translations as well as a sample translation for translators of Deuteronomy 24:16:

  • Kupsabiny: “Parents must not be killed for the sins of their children and children must not be killed for the sins of their parents. A person is to be killed only for his own sin.” (Source: Kupsabiny Back Translation)
  • Newari: “parents are not to be killed for their children and children are not to be killed for their parents. Each person must only die for his own sins.” (Source: Newari Back Translation)
  • Hiligaynon: “‘The parents should not be-put-to-death because of the sin of their children, or the children because of the sin of their parents; each one shall be-put-to-death because of his/her own sin.” (Source: Hiligaynon Back Translation)
  • English: “‘Parents must not be executed for crimes that their children have committed, and children must not be executed for crimes that their parents have committed. People should be executed only for the crimes that they themselves have committed.” (Source: Translation for Translators)

Translation commentary on Deuteronomy 24:16

The fathers shall not be …: instead of fathers the language used should include both sexes (see Good News Translation). New Revised Standard Version has at the end “only for their own crimes may persons be put to death.” In languages that do not use the passive voice, we may say, for example, “You must not put parents to death for crimes that their children have committed, and you must not put children to death for crimes that….”

In this context sin has the sense of some crime that calls for the death penalty. So we may say “Don’t put anyone to death for someone else’s crime” (Contemporary English Version; similarly Good News Translation).

scv 24:17

Pervert the justice due: see 16.19. Here the sense is “deprive of their rights,” or “deny justice.” The command may also be stated in a positive manner: “Make sure they get their rights,” or “… they are treated fairly” (Contemporary English Version).

Sojourner: see 1.16.

In to the sojourner or to the fatherless, the Masoretic form of the Hebrew text has no “and” before the second noun. Hebrew Old Testament Text Project recommends “the fatherless sojourner”; but this is a very strange phrase and occurs nowhere else in the Old Testament. New Jerusalem Bible and Traduction œcuménique de la Bible have “the sojourner or the fatherless,” stating that instead of the Hebrew text they are following ancient versions. New Jewish Publication Society’s Tanakh has a note, and all other major translations consulted (New International Version, New Revised Standard Version, Revised English Bible, Biblia Dios Habla Hoy, Nova Tradução na Linguagem de Hoje, BÍBLIA para todos Edição Comum, Bible en français courant) follow the same text, but without a footnote. This will make the verse agree with the following verses, where the three categories “foreigners, orphans, and widows” are mentioned in that order in each verse. Translators are urged to do the same. For orphans see 10.18.

Take a widow’s garment in pledge: as in the parallel case in verse 6. She needs her clothes.

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 .