2 Meqabyan (also known as 2 Ethiopian Maccabees and 2 Ethiopic Maccabees) is canonical scripture for the Ethiopian Orthodox Tewahedo Church and Eritrean Orthodox Tewahedo Church. While «Meqabyan» is the Ge’ez equivalent of «Maccabees,» the content is completely different from 2 Maccabees. The only complete copies of 2 Meqabyan are available in Ge’ez (Classical Ethiopic), here used with permission by the Bible Society of Ethiopia.
The translation into English was provided by Haileyesus Woldemariam (UBS).
The Hebrew, Latin, Ge’ez, and Greek that is translated as «orphan» in English is translated in Enlhet as «those who are gone past» (source: Jacob Loewen in The Bible Translator 1969, p. 24ff. ) and in Newari as «ones not having mother-father» (source: Newari Back Translation).
E.L. Greenstein (2019, p. 108) notes that, particularly in reference to Job 24:9 where the child is being nursed, that the Hebrew term «has the narrower meaning of «fatherless.»
The Greek, Latin, Ge’ez, and Hebrew that is translated as «naked» in English is translated in Enlhet with a figure of speech: «(one’s) smoothness.» (Source: Jacob Loewen in The Bible Translator 1969, p. 24ff. )
In Elhomwe the word for «naked» is «shameful to use, and would never be used by a preacher in church.» Therefore «without clothes» is used. (Source: project-specific translation notes in Paratext)
In Cherokee it is translated as «being in a bodily state.» (source: Bender / Belt 2025, p. 30)
In the Catholic Mandarin ChineseSigao version and the Protestant Union Version, historical Chinese idioms are used: chìshēn lòutǐ (赤身露體 / 赤身露体) or chìshēn luǒtǐ (赤身裸體 / 赤身裸体): «bare and uncovered body.» (Source: Toshikazu S. Foley in Hong Kong Journal of Catholic Studies, 2011, p. 45ff.)
The Hebrew, Ge’ez, 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).
In Cherokee the term is gender neutral and translates to «one who has lost someone.» (Source: Bender / Belt 2025, p. 100)
The etymological meaning of the Hebrewalmanah (אַלְמָנָה) is likely “pain, ache,” the Greekchéra (χήρα) is likely “to leave behind,» «abandon,” and the Englishwidow (as well as related terms in languages such as Dutch, German, Sanskrit, Welsh, or Persian) is «to separate,» «divide» (source: Wiktionary).
Kölsch translation (Boch 2017): nix zo Käue han or «have nothing to chew on» and singe Mage hät geknottert wie ne Hungk or «his stomach growled like a dog» (source: Jost Zetzsche)
German New Testament translation by Berger / Nord (publ. 1999): Hunger überfiel ihn or «Hunger overtook (lit.: «attacked») him» (in Matthew 4:2)
Kupsabiny: «hunger ate him» (source: Kupsabiny Back Translation)
Mairasi: «feeling tuber pains» (tubers are the main staple) (source Enggavoter 2004)
