neighbor

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The Hebrew and Greek that is translated as “neighbor” in English is rendered into Babatana as “different man,” i.e. someone who is not one of your relatives. (Source: David Clark)

In North Alaskan Inupiatun, it is rendered as “a person outside of your building,” in Tzeltal as “your back and side” (implying position of the dwellings), in Indonesian and in Tae’ as “your fellow-man,” in Toraja-Sa’dan it is “your fellow earth-dweller,” in Shona (translation of 1966) as “another person like you,” in Kekchí “younger-brother-older-brother” (a compound which means all one’s neighbors in a community) (sources: Bratcher / Nida and Reiling / Swellengrebel), in Mairasi “your people” (source: Enggavoter 2004), in Mezquital Otomi as “fellow being,” in Tzeltal as “companion,” in Isthmus Zapotec as “another,” in Teutila Cuicatec as “all people” (source: Waterhouse / Parrott in Notes on Translation October 1967, p. 1ff.), and in most modern German translations as Mitmensch or “fellow human being” (lit. “with + human being”).

In Matt 19:19, Matt 22:39, Mark 12:31, Mark 12:33, Luke 10:27, Luke 10:29 it is translated into Ixcatlán Mazatec with a term that refers to a person who is socially/physically near. Ixcatlán Mazatec also has a another term for “neighbor” that means “fellow humans-outsiders” which was not chosen for these passages. (Source: Robert Bascom)

In Noongar it is translated as moorta-boordak or “people nearby” (source: Warda-Kwabba Luke-Ang).

complete verse (Leviticus 19:13)

Following are a number of back-translations as well as a sample translation for translators of Leviticus 19:13:

  • Kupsabiny: “Do not take anything by force or steal from your neighbor. Do not go away with what you ought to pay to a worker.” (Source: Kupsabiny Back Translation)
  • Newari: “’Do not take anything from your neighbors by deceiving them.
    ‘The money of those who work by taking wages you shall not keep on to their wages until morning.” (Source: Newari Back Translation)
  • Hiligaynon: “[You (plur.)] do- not -take-advantage or rob your (plur.) fellowmen. [You (plur.)] do- not -let-tomorrow-arrive (before) giving the salary of a person that you (plur.) have-caused-to-work.” (Source: Hiligaynon Back Translation)
  • English: “‘Do not cheat anyone or steal from anyone.
    ‘If you have agreed to pay your workers at the end of the day, do what you have promised; do not keep those wages until the next day.” (Source: Translation for Translators)

Translation commentary on Leviticus 19:13

Oppress: this verb, translated similarly in 6.2, carries the idea of exploitation or taking unfair advantage of another person. An American Translation translates “defraud,” while New Jerusalem Bible has “exploit.”

Neighbor: this word is used of a member of the same clan, of a fellow Israelite, or in the very general sense of any other person. In this context the most general meaning is probably intended. See 6.2 and 18.20.

Hired servant: any person who has agreed to do a particular job for a mutually acceptable price. One may wish to translate “a person you have hired for a particular job” or something similar.

Wages … shall not remain with you: a day laborer must be paid at sundown (compare Matt 20.8).

All night until the morning: since this expression is redundant, it is probably unwise to translate it literally. There are many ways in which the meaning may be conveyed; for example, “after sundown,” “overnight,” “until the next day,” or “through the night.”

The entire second sentence of this verse may be restructured to read “If you agree with a worker on a particular job, do not refuse to pay him at the end of that day” or “If someone works for you, be sure to pay him before the day is finished.”

Quoted with permission from Péter-Contesse, René and Ellington, John. A Handbook on Leviticus. (UBS Helps for Translators). New York: UBS, 1990. For this and other handbooks for translators see here .