complete verse (Exodus 12:13)

Following are a number of back-translations as well as a sample translation for translators of Exodus 12:13:

  • Kupsabiny: “When I see the blood smeared on the door frames, I will pass over (it) so that I may not put pain on you when the people of Egypt are punished.” (Source: Kupsabiny Back Translation)
  • Newari: “The with blood smeared houses will mark the houses you live in. Seeing it I will leave you (for your benefit). When I kill people of Egypt no harm will come upon you.” (Source: Newari Back Translation)
  • Hiligaynon: “The blood which you (plur.) will-have-wiped on the doorpost of your doors will-be a sign that I would-know where the houses are in which you (plur.) live. If/When I see the blood, I will- just -pass-by your (plur.) house, and you (plur.) will- not -be-harmed when I now punish Egipto.” (Source: Hiligaynon Back Translation)
  • Bariai: “And the blood which you (pl.) rub onto the opening of your houses’ doors, this will be a sign for you. And so when I kill off the Isip people’s firstborn children, then I’m going to see that blood, and so bypass you, and then leave you so that you stay well.” (Source: Bariai Back Translation)
  • Opo: “And blood which be present door of house which you dwell there, it will be for me sign. When I will see it, I will pass by you. Therefore, on hour which I will strike Egypt, my curse not to you will arrive.” (Source: Opo Back Translation)
  • English: “The blood that you smear on the doorways will be a mark to indicate the houses in which you Israelis live. When I see the blood, I will ignore and pass by those houses, and I will not harm you Israelis who live there, when I punish the Egyptians.” (Source: Translation for Translators)

1st person pronoun referring to God (Japanese)

Click or tap here to see the rest of this insight.

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 first person singular and plural pronoun (“I” and “we” and its various forms) as shown here in the widely-used Japanese Shinkaiyaku (新改訳) Bible of 2017. The most commonly used watashi/watakushi (私) is typically used when the speaker is humble and asking for help. In these verses, where God / Jesus is referring to himself, watashi is also used but instead of the kanji writing system (私) the syllabary hiragana (わたし) is used to distinguish God from others.

(Source: S. E. Doi, see also S. E. Doi in Journal of Translation, 18/2022, p. 37ff. )

See also pronoun for “God”.

formal 2nd person plural pronoun (Japanese)

Click or tap here to see the rest of this insight.

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 Exod 12:13

The blood refers to the animal’s “blood on the doorposts” in verse 7. Another way to express this is “The animal blood that you smear on the doorposts of your houses.” Shall be a sign is the same word (ʾoth) used for the “signs and wonders” performed by Moses and Aaron in 7.3 and the plagues brought on by Yahweh. But here it carries the meaning of a distinguishing mark. (See the comment on “wonders” at 3.20.) So New American Bible has “the blood will mark the houses where you are” (similarly Jerusalem Bible). One may also translate as Contemporary English Version does, “will show me where you live.” A sign for you may seem strange, for it was to be a distinguishing mark for Yahweh to see. Good News Translation omits for you (as do New American Bible, Jerusalem Bible), but Revised English Bible uses it to begin the verse: “As for you, the blood will be a sign.” Durham interprets this to mean “for your benefit” and translates “The blood is to be for your protection.” It is recommended that translators follow Good News Translation.

Upon the houses where you are may not mean “in which you live,” for verse 4 suggests that some of the smaller families would be moving in with others to share in the meal, and verse 7 specifies that the blood is to be smeared on the houses where the people are to eat. New Jewish Publication Society’s Tanakh has “the houses where you are staying.” An alternative translation model for the first part of this verse is “The animal blood that you smear on the doorposts of your houses will show me where you are staying.”

And when I see the blood is literally “and I will see the blood.” In languages where the same word is used for “when” and “if,” one should guard against suggesting that Yahweh might overlook some houses. An alternative model is “I will see the blood and will pass over….” I will pass over you uses the verb pasach, which is similar to pesach (“passover”) in verse 11. The obvious play on words is difficult to bring out in translation, so a footnote may be helpful to the reader. (For a fuller discussion see verse 27 and the introduction to this section, 12.1-14.)

And no plague uses the word meaning “blow” or “affliction.” It does not indicate the nature of the blow or the kind of affliction. But the following words, shall fall upon you to destroy you, suggest a “destructive blow” (New American Bible). The basic meaning of destroy is to ruin or wipe out. (See verse 23.) Revised English Bible translates this as “the mortal blow will not touch you,” while Good News Translation simply has “I … will not harm you.” When I smite the land of Egypt uses the same verb as in verse 12, meaning to strike or hit. Good News Translation summarizes with “when I punish the Egyptians.” One may also translate this as “I … will not harm you when I punish the Egyptians with terrible plagues” or “I … will not harm you when I use terrible plagues to punish the Egyptians.” Or one may restructure the final part of this verse in a similar way to Contemporary English Version and say “Then you won’t be bothered by any of the terrible plagues I will bring on Egypt.” However, in languages that do not use the passive voice, it is possible to express this as “Then I [Yahweh] will not cause you harm when I severely punish the Egyptians,” or even “I will punish the Egyptians with terrible plagues, but I won’t harm you.”

Quoted with permission from Osborn, Noel D. and Hatton, Howard A. A Handbook on Exodus. (UBS Helps for Translators). New York: UBS, 1999. For this and other handbooks for translators see here .