mule

The Greek and Hebrew that is translated with “mule” in English is translated in Swahili with nyumbu which also is a homonym for “wildebeest,” potentially causing confusion.

In Kutu it is translated with “big donkey” because there is no other adequate term in Kutu. (Source: Pioneer Bible Translators, project-specific translation notes in Paratext)

In the Hausa Common Language Bible it is translated jakin-doki or “donkey-horse,” since mules are also not known in Nigeria. (Source: Andy Warren-Rothlin)

 

The word pirdah refers to the female mule while pered can refer to either the male or the female. In biblical times mules were used for riding and as pack animals while horses were mainly used to pull military chariots. They appear to have been introduced into Canaan much later than horses. Mules are not mentioned in the Bible until the time of David while horses are mentioned in the Joseph story and in Deuteronomy 17:16 where the king is forbidden to acquire them. Technically the owning of mules was not prohibited although the breeding of them would have fallen under the prohibition of Leviticus 19:19, which forbade the cross-breeding of animals. The Israelites thus seem to have relied on mules imported from neighboring countries.

The mule is not an animal found naturally anywhere, but is the result of people breeding male donkeys with female horses. It is also possible to breed male horses with female donkeys, but the offspring, technically called “hinnies”, not “mules”, are usually smaller than mules. Mules are bigger and stronger than donkeys and are much more resistant to disease than either horses or donkeys. They are usually dark brown with bigger ears than the parent horse.

Although there are male and female mules they are infertile and not able to breed. This makes the stronger males much easier to handle than stallions.

Although the mule in English is associated with stubbornness this is not usually the case in other cultures since mules are very easy to handle if treated properly. In Psalms 32:9 the mule is linked to the horse as both being animals that lack sufficient understanding and need to be guided in the right direction.

Even in languages of societies that know mules, they are often referred to as “horse-donkeys”, or “donkey-horses”. This seems to be a good translation solution even in languages that have no word for mule.

complete verse (Ezekiel 27:14)

Following are a number of back-translations as well as a sample translation for translators of Ezekiel 27:14:

  • Kupsabiny: “People from Beth-togarmah exchanged horses that carry people, horses for chariots and donkeys that haul their things.” (Source: Kupsabiny Back Translation)
  • Hiligaynon: “What those from-Bet Togarma paid for your merchandise also were horses which are for work-purposes, horses for battle, and mules.” (Source: Hiligaynon Back Translation)
  • English: “Men from Beth-Togarmah in Armenia brought work horses, war horses, and mules to trade for things that you had.” (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 27:14

Beth-togarmah exchanged for your wares horses, war horses, and mules: The region of Beth-togarmah (compare Moffatt “Armenia”) was located to the east and north of Tubal, extending toward the Caspian Sea. Known for its horse-breeding, this region exported horses to Tyre. The Hebrew word for war horses actually means “horsemen” (King James Version, New Jewish Publication Society’s Tanakh), but most translations think it refers to different kinds of horses, for example, “chariot horses” (New Living Translation, Die Bibel im heutigen Deutsch), “cavalry [steeds]” (NJKV, Revised English Bible, New American Bible, Anchor Bible), or “chargers” (Jerusalem Bible/New Jerusalem Bible). But it is better to follow the Hebrew and assume that the riders came with the horses when they were sold to Tyre, that is, “horses and their riders.” For horses in general, see the comments on 17.15. Mules are a cross between a male donkey and a female horse. They are valuable as beasts of burden. In those cultures where mules are unknown, it may be necessary to use a borrowed word or a descriptive phrase, such as “animals called mules” or “animals [like horses] that carry heavy loads.” A model for this verse is:

• The people of Beth-togarmah traded horses and their riders and animals that carry heavy loads for your goods.

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 .