complete verse (Deuteronomy 25:17)

Following are a number of back-translations as well as a sample translation for translators of Deuteronomy 25:17:

  • Kupsabiny: “You must think about/remember what the Amalekites did to you when you were in the journey coming from Egypt.” (Source: Kupsabiny Back Translation)
  • Newari: “Do not forget what the Amalekites did to you on the way when you were coming out of Egypt.” (Source: Newari Back Translation)
  • Hiligaynon: “‘You (plur.) remember what the Amaleknon did to you (plur.) when you (plur.) came-out of Egipto.” (Source: Hiligaynon Back Translation)
  • English: “Continue to remember what the Amalek people-group did to your ancestors when they were coming out of Egypt.” (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 25:17

With the beginning of a new section, Moses should be reintroduced as the speaker.

Amalek was a region to the south of the land of Israel, south and west of the Dead Sea. Here Amalek is not a man’s name but the name of a people; it is better to say “the Amalekites” or “the people of the Amalek region” (see 7.1).

As you came out of Egypt: see in 24.9 the remarks made about this use of the second person plural, you.

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 .