Palantla Chinantec

does not dwell in houses made with hands

The Greek that is translated as “does not dwell in houses made with hands” in English is translated in does not dwell in Palantla Chinantec as “it isn’t as though men are capable of building a house where he will live,” in Tenango Otomi as “doesn’t reside in churches made by people,” in Lalana Chinantec as “it isn’t a house that people made where God lives. He lives up in heaven,” in Morelos Nahuatl as “does not really live in churches that we made with our hands,” and in Teutila Cuicatec as “it is not necessary for God….to live inside churches that people build.” (Source: Viola Waterhouse in Notes on Translation August 1966, p. 86ff.)

See also dwell (Japanese honorifics) and dwell.

Most High

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The Hebrew, Aramaic, Latin, or Greek that is translated as “(God) the Most High” or “Most High God” in English is translated in various way:

Eastern Highland Otomi: “he the completely glorified God”
San Mateo del Mar Huave: “Father God who is high in heaven”
Teutila Cuicatec: “God who has such tremendous authority”
Chichimeca-Jonaz: “he who is the native of the highest place”
Palantla Chinantec “the Big God Himself”
Xicotepec De Juárez Totonac: “God who has authority over all”
Estado de México Otomi: “most exalted God”
Isthmus Mixe: “God who is in heaven”
Teutila Cuicatec: “God who has a great rule” (source for this and above: Viola Waterhouse in Notes on Translation August 1966, p. 86ff.)
Sa’a: “God, the Surpassing One” (source: Carl Gross)

very religious

The Greek that is often translated as “very religious” in English is translated in San Mateo del Mar Huave as “”greatly honor the gods,” in Teutila Cuicatec as “strongly believe in your gods,” in Highland Popoluca as “very much worshipping your gods,” and in Palantla Chinantec “very much remember your gods.” (Source: Viola Waterhouse in Notes on Translation August 1966, p. 86ff.)

unknown god

The Greek that is translated “(to an) unknown god” is translated as “the god we don’t know about” in Palantla Chinantec and “there is probably a god we don’t know. This altar is for him” in Isthmus Mixe. (Source: Viola Waterhouse in Notes on Translation August 1966, p. 86ff.)

the head of John the baptizer

The Greek that is translated in English as “the head of John the baptizer” or similar is translated in Palantla Chinantec: “the head of John the baptizer without his body.” (Source: B. Moore / G. Turner in Notes on Translation 1967, p. 1ff.)

they will pick up snakes (in their hands)

The Greek that is translated as “they will pick up snakes (in their hands)” or similar in English is translated in Southern Puebla Mixtec as “if by chance they pick up any poisonous snake” and in Palantla Chinantec as “if they should take hold of a snake accidentally.” (Source: B. Moore / G. Turner in Notes on Translation 1967, p. 1ff.)

fear (of God)

The Hebrew and Greek that are translated as “fear (of God)” (or: “honor,” “worship,” or “respect”) is translated as “to have respect/reverence for” (Southern Subanen, Western Highland Purepecha, Navajo, Javanese, Tboli), “to make great before oneself” (Ngäbere), “fear-devotion” (Kannada — currently used as a description of the life of piety), “those-with-whom he-is-holy” (those who fear God) (Western Apache) (source for this and above: Reiling / Swellengrebel), “revere God” Lalana Chinantec, “worship God” (Palantla Chinantec) (source for this and one above: Viola Waterhouse in Notes on Translation August 1966, p. 86ff.), “obey” (Chichewa) (source: Ernst Wendland), or with a term that communicates awe (rather than fear of an evil source) (Chol) (source: Robert Bascom).

Bullard / Hatton (2008, p. 8) say the following about this concept: “As the writer of Proverbs states in 1:7, ‘The fear of the LORD is the beginning of knowledge.’ (…) ‘The fear of the Lord,’ that is, human fear of God, is an exceptionally difficult concept to express, at least in English. Other languages may have more appropriate terms. The idea probably is rooted in the most ancient days when people were indeed afraid of any deity. But in Israel the concept of fearing God was transformed by God’s revelation into a much fuller idea. Basically, as used in the Bible, the fear of God refers to the proper attitude of reverence and awe before the Holy One. To fear God is to recognize one’s own place as a mere mortal before the Creator, one’s place as a sinner before the Judge, one’s place as a child before the Father, one’s place as the recipient of God’s love. It thus involves submission, repentance, trust, and grateful love toward the One who is fearsome in holiness, in justice, in power that both protects and punishes, and in love. Using the word “fear” is sometimes as good as we can do, but often we will alternate that word with terms like ‘reverence’ or ‘awe.’”

parable

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The Greek that is usually translated as “parable” in English is translated in other languages in a number of ways:

Piro: “picture with words”
Pamona: “message in the manner of a comparison”
Highland Totonac and South Bolivian Quechua: “comparison word”
Tzeltal: “picture story”
Yucateco and Central Tarahumara: “likeness word”
Cashibo-Cacataibo: “story which says like that”
Chicahuaxtla Triqui and Wayuu: “story told for teaching”
Navajo: “story from which understanding comes”
Western Kanjobal: “notice from which comes teaching” (source for this and all above: Bratcher / Nida)
North Alaskan Inupiatun: “story with a meaning”
Kekchí: “changed, or, turned-about word” (source for this and one above: Reiling / Swellengrebel)
Palantla Chinantec: “double talk” (source: B. Moore / G. Turner in Notes on Translation 1967, p. 1ff.)
Mairasi: “example” (source: Enggavoter 2004)
Low German: “picture” (translation by Johannes Jessen, publ. 1933, republ. 2006).
Mandarin Chinese: bǐyù (比喻), lit. “comparison explanation” (source: Zetzsche)

In British Sign Language it is translated with a sign that combines the signs for “tell-a-story” and “compare.” (Source: Anna Smith)

“Parable” in British Sign Language (source: Christian BSL, used with permission)

Scot McKnight (in The Second Testament, publ. 2023) translates it into English as analogy because “the Greek word has the sense of tossing down something alongside something else. Hence an analogy.”

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