Language-specific Insights

angel's voice vs. God's voice

In the translation into Kahua, it needs to be specified whose voice is mentioned in Acts 10:13 and 15. Many commentaries assume it is God’s voice but it could also be the angel mentioned in verse 3, since God is referred to in the third person in verse 15. The translators decided for God’s voice.

unstable

The Greek in 2 Peter 2:14 and 3:16 that is translated as “unstable” in English is rendered into Kahua with a simile that means “like butterflies.”

sister

The Greek 2 John 1:13 that is translated as “sister” in English is rendered “elder sister” in Kahua because the church associated with the apostle John was assumed to be senior.

See also sister (younger sister).

flattery

The term in 1 Thessalonians 2:5 that is rendered as “flattery” in English is translated with a Kahua idiom: “We did not bend our heads to please people (i.e., use flattery).” (Source: David Clark)

See also flattering lips.

dual vs. plural (Acts 7:16)

In this episode in Acts 7:16 it is ambiguous whether only Jacob and Joseph or Jacob and all of the other patriarchs were taken back to Shechem. In languages that distinguish between a dual and a plural this ambiguity has to be resolved. In the translation into Kahua only two bodies were taken back because Joseph’s body is specifically mentioned in Exodus 13:19 and Joshua 24:32.

exalted

The Greek in Philippians 2:9 that is translated as “exalted him” in English is translated in Kahua as “made his name sound big.”

sporting analogies

In the Kahua translation sporting analogies are avoided because they imply that winning involves putting other people down.