widow

The Hebrew and Greek that is translated as “widow” in English is translated in West Kewa as ona wasa or “woman shadow” (source: Karl J. Franklin in Notes on Translation 70/1978, pp. 13ff.) and in Newari as “husband already died ones” or “ones who have no husband” (source: Newari Back Translation).

The etymological meaning of the Hebrew almanah (אַלְמָנָה) is likely “pain, ache,” the Greek chéra (χήρα) is likely “to leave behind,” “abandon,” and the English widow (as well as related terms in languages such as Dutch, German, Sanskrit, Welsh, or Persian) is “to separate,” “divide” (source: Wiktionary).

See also widows.

complete verse (Ezekiel 22:7)

Following are a number of back-translations as well as a sample translation for translators of Ezekiel 22:7:

  • Kupsabiny: “Parents are not honored in Jerusalem. Foreigners are cheated and widows and orphaned children are mistreated.” (Source: Kupsabiny Back Translation)
  • Hiligaynon: “There in you the parents are no-longer respected. The non Israelites who live in you are-being-extorted/take-money-(illegally), and the parentless and widowed woman are- not -being-treated well.” (Source: Hiligaynon Back Translation)
  • English: “Your people do not respect/honor their parents; they have oppressed foreigners; they mistreat orphans and widows.” (Source: Translation for Translators)

2nd person pronoun with low register (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 second person pronoun (“you” and its various forms) as shown here in the widely-used Japanese Shinkaiyaku (新改訳) Bible of 2017. The most commonly used anata (あなた) is typically used when the speaker is humbly addressing another person.

In these verses, however, omae (おまえ) is used, a cruder second person pronoun, that Jesus for instance chooses when chiding his disciples. (Source: S. E. Doi, see also S. E. Doi in Journal of Translation, 18/2022, p. 37ff. )

See also first person pronoun with low register and third person pronoun with low register.

Translation commentary on Ezekiel 22:7

Social injustice was also widespread in the city. The people were mistreating three groups of people that the Law of Moses singled out as deserving special care and attention: Father and mother, sojourner, and fatherless and widow.

Father and mother are treated with contempt in you: Against the commandment in Exo 20.12, the people did not honor their parents. This clause is a passive construction that many translators will turn into an active one, such as “Inside your walls people despise their parents [or, show no respect for their parents].”

The sojourner suffers extortion in your midst: Instead of treating the sojourner, that is, foreigners who were living in Jerusalem, fairly (see Exo 22.21), the people were taking advantage of them and cheating them. For sojourner see 14.7. The Hebrew word for extortion refers to illegally and unfairly holding something that belongs to someone else (for example, not paying wages when they are due; see 18.18). This clause may be rendered “people cheat foreigners who are living within your walls.” Good News Translation and Contemporary English Version have simply “You cheat foreigners.”

The fatherless and the widow are wronged in you: The Law of Moses protected orphans and widows (see Exo 22.22), but the people of Jerusalem mistreated them. The fatherless refers to orphans since in Hebrew culture children whose fathers had died were considered orphans even if their mothers were still alive. Wronged refers to the ways rich and powerful people mistreated the defenseless orphans and widows. Many translators will use an active construction instead of the passive verb are wronged; for example, this clause may be rendered “your people mistreat orphans and widows.” The repetition of in you and in your midst stresses that the people were doing these sins inside the holy city of Jerusalem.

A model for this verse is:

• In you, Jerusalem, people do not respect and honor their parents. In you, people cheat foreigners. In you, people mistreat [or, do not look after] orphans and widows.

Quoted with permission from Gross, Carl & Stine, Philip C. A Handbook on Ezekiel. (UBS Helps for Translators). Miami: UBS, 2016. For this and other handbooks for translators see here .