tithe

The Hebrew and Greek that is translated as “tithe” in English (which etymologically has the meaning of “the tenth”) is translated in Mokole as “(give) the tenth part.” This is the translation that most languages use that don’t use a specialized term like English does. See also complete verse (Hebrews 7:4) et al.

Source for Mokole: Hilary Deneufchâtel.

Levite

The Greek, Hebrew, Aramaic and Latin that is transliterated “Levites” in English (only the Contemporary English Version translates it as “temple helpers”) is translated in Ojitlán Chinantec as “temple caretakers,” Yatzachi Zapotec as “people born in the family line of Levi, people whose responsibility it was to do the work in the important church of the Israelites,” in Alekano as “servants in the sacrifice house from Jerusalem place,” and in Tenango Otomi as “helpers of priests.” (Source: M. Larson / B. Moore in Notes on Translation February 1970, p. 1-125.)

In American Sign Language with a sign that combines “temple” + “servant.” (Source: Ruth Anna Spooner, Ron Lawer)


“Levite” in American Sign Language, source: Deaf Harbor

For the sign in Spanish Sign Language, see Levi.

More information about Levites .

complete verse (Numbers 18:21)

Following are a number of back-translations as well as a sample translation for translators of Numbers 18:21:

  • Kupsabiny: “God said that, ‘I have given to the Levites to be theirs one out of ten of the gifts that the people of Israel give to me. This is what they shall be paid for the work that they do in my Tent.” (Source: Kupsabiny Back Translation)
  • Newari: “Because the descendants of Levi care for the Tent of Meeting I have given them, as their inheritance, the tithe that the Israelites bring to my place.” (Source: Newari Back Translation)
  • Hiligaynon: “‘If concerning the Levites, I will-pay them for their service at the Tent. I will-give to them all the tenths which the Israelinhon give as their portion/share.” (Source: Hiligaynon Back Translation)
  • English: “‘hen the Israeli people bring to me a tenth of all the crops and of their newborn animals, I will give that to you descendants of Levi. That will be your payment for the work you do at the Sacred Tent.” (Source: Translation for Translators)

1st person pronoun referring to God (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 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”.

Translation commentary on Numbers 18:21

To the Levites I have given every tithe in Israel for an inheritance: The Hebrew phrase for To the Levites begins this verse to mark the change of topic from priests to Levites. De Nieuwe Bijbelvertaling starts with “Concerning the Levites, them….” Good News Translation inserts the quote frame “The LORD said” to indicate that he is still speaking after the section heading. I have given (literally “behold I have given”) renders a Hebrew performative construction that not only includes a verb, but also the word hinneh, drawing attention to the LORD and what he does (compare verse 6). The very speech act here carries out the content of what he says. New Jewish Publication Society’s Tanakh expresses well the performative sense of the Hebrew verb here by saying “I hereby give.” In a language like English this performative sense is expressed by a present tense. Other languages may use a continuative or customary verbal aspect for this purpose. Possible models for beginning this verse are “Listen, I hereby give to the Levites…” or even “Concerning the Levites, listen, I hereby give them….” The tithe refers to that part of what the soil produced (one tenth of the total) that the Israelites dedicated to the LORD as a sign of their gratitude to him for allowing the earth to produce. It provided the basic revenue for the Levites serving God in the Tabernacle. In some languages the idea of tithe may have to be translated “one part for every ten parts harvested.”

In return for their service which they serve, their service in the tent of meeting: See the comments on verse 6. The Hebrew verb for serve (ʿabad) and the two occurrences of the noun for service (ʿabodah) come from the same root (see 3.7). This verb plus cognate noun construction emphasizes the activity of service. In the tent of meeting is better rendered “at the Tent of Meeting” (New International Version).

In some languages it will be better to divide this verse into two sentences (so Good News Translation) as follows:

• “Listen, I hereby give to the Levites every tithe that the Israelites present to me. This is in payment for their service in taking care of the Tent of Meeting.

Quoted with permission from de Regt, Lénart J. and Wendland, Ernst R. A Handbook on Numbers. (UBS Helps for Translators). Miami: UBS, 2016. For this and other handbooks for translators see here .