Language-specific Insights

complete verse (Ruth 2:1)

Following are a number of back-translations of Ruth 2:1:

  • Noongar: “Now, a relative of Naomi, he was named Boaz. He was a relative of Naomi’s husband, famous in the tribe of Elimelech.” (Source: Bardip Ruth-Ang 2020)
  • Eastern Bru: “Naomi had a person from the clan of her husband Elimelech. That person was named Boaz, and he was a person who had great authority, and he was also rich.” (Source: Bru Back Translation)
  • Hiligaynon: (verses 1-3) “One day, Ruth said to Noemi, ‘Allow me to go to the field to glean the heads-of-grain of a man who will-allow me to do it.’ Noemi said to her, ‘Okay child, you(sg) go.’ So Ruth went-out and gleaned the heads-of-grain that were-left-behind by the harvesters. And it-so-happened that she gleaned there at the field of Boaz the relative of Elimelec. Boaz was a wealthy and famous man.” (Source: Hiligaynon Back Translation)
  • English: “There was a man in Bethlehem who belonged to the clan of Naomi’s dead husband, Elimelech. He was rich and well-known/influential. His name was Boaz.” (Source: Translation for Translators)

complete verse (Ruth 2:2 - 2:5)

Following are a number of back-translations of Ruth 2:2-2:5:

  • Noongar: “Ruth of Moab said to Naomi, ‘Let me go to the wheat-field and gather seed. I can go behind people who are kind to me.’ Naomi said to her, ‘Go, my daughter.’ So Ruth went to the wheat-fields and gathered wheat behind the wheat workers. Now, Boaz owned this wheat-field. He was Elimelech’s relative. Just then, Boaz arrived from Bethlehem. He said to the wheat workers, ‘God stays with you!’. They replied, ‘God bless you!’ Then Boaz asked the boss of the wheat workers, ‘This woman, who are her people?’” (Source: Bardip Ruth-Ang 2020)
  • Eastern Bru: “Ruth, the Moabite, said to Naomi: ‘Let me go glean in the fields. If the owner of the field is pleased with me, then I will glean in that field..’ And Naomi answered: ‘All right, child. Go, go.’ So Ruth went to glean in the fields following those who were harvesting. She did not know she had come to the field of Boaz. Boaz was from the clan of Elimelech. So Boaz came from Bethlehem, and he said to his harvesters: ‘God be with you.’ They answered: ‘Yes. And God give to you blessings also.’ Then Boaz asked the person who oversaw the people who harvested for him: ‘That young woman is whose child?’ (Source: Bru Back Translation)
  • Hiligaynon: (verses 4-5) “Now, Boaz arrived from Betlehem and he greeted the harvesters, ‘May the LORD help you(pl)!’ The harvesters replied, ‘May the LORD bless you(sg)!’ Then Boaz asked the servant whom he entrusted to supervise the harvesters, ‘Who is that young lady/woman?’” (Source: Hiligaynon Back Translation)
  • English: “One day Ruth said to Naomi, ‘Let me go to the fields and pick up the grain left behind by the workers.’ Naomi replied, ‘Go ahead, my daughter.’ So Ruth went to the fields and began to pick up some of the left-over grain. And it happened that she was working in a field that belonged to Boaz, the man from the clan of her dead father-in-law, Elimelech! Just then, Boaz arrived from Bethlehem. He greeted the men who were harvesting the grain, saying, ‘I want Yahweh to bless you!’ They replied, ‘We want Yahweh to bless you, too!’ Then Boaz saw Ruth, and asked the foreman/man in charge of the other workmen, ‘Whose daughter is that young woman?’” (Source: Translation for Translators)

complete verse (Ruth 2:6 - 2:9)

Following are a number of back-translations of Ruth 2:6-2:9:

  • Noongar: “The boss of the wheat workers replied, ‘This one is from Moab. She returned with Naomi from Moab. The woman said, ‘Let me gather my wheat behind the wheat workers’, and she has worked here from sunrise and not stopped.’ Then Boaz said to Ruth, ‘Listen, my daughter, don’t go to another wheat field, don’t go away but stay close to my young women. Watch the wheat field and stay close to the wheat workers. I have told my young men not to bother you. If you must drink water, take the water my young men have brought.’” (Source: Bardip Ruth-Ang 2020)
  • Eastern Bru: “And the person who worked for him answered: ‘She is a Moabite. She came from the country of Moab with Naomi to come to this place. The young woman asked me to allow her to glean following those who are harvesting the grain. She asked to follow and pick up the grain from the bundles. She came very early. She has been working until now. She rested only briefly in that shelter.’ After that Boaz said to Ruth: ‘Young woman. Listen to what I say. Don’t go and glean in other fields, and don’t go far from this place. But you stay with the women who work for me. And you watch what field these women are harvesting. Then you follow them and go to that field also. I have told the men who work for me not to do anything to you. If you are thirsty, you can drink from the gourds that the men have drawn.'” (Source: Bru Back Translation)
  • Hiligaynon: “The servant replied, ‘She is the Moabnon who came-together with Noemi when she returned from Moab. She asked me to allow her to glean some of the remaining heads-of-grain of the harvesters. She really works steadily from (this) morning until now. She just rested for-a-short-time in the roofed-shelter.’ Boaz said to Ruth, ‘Day (an address to a young lady), you(sg) do- not -go anymore to another field to glean heads-of-grain. You(pl) just glean here with my female servant. Watch where my men are-harvesting and you(pl) follow-along-after the female servant. I have- already -told my men that they will- not -harm you(sg). And when you(sg) are thirsty, just drink from the jars that my men have-filled-with-water.’” (Source: Hiligaynon Back Translation)
  • English: “The foreman replied, ‘She is the woman from Moab who returned from there with her mother-in-law Naomi. She said to me, ‘Please let me walk behind the men who are harvesting the grain and pick up some of the grain they leave behind.’ I gave her permission, and she went into the field, and she has been working from this morning until now. The only time she did not work was when she rested for a short time in the shelter.’ So Boaz went over to Ruth and said to her, ‘Young lady, listen to me. Don’t go and pick up grain in another field. Do not go away from here. Stay here with my servant girls. Watch where the men are harvesting, and follow along behind the servant girls. I will tell the men who are working not to touch/molest you. And whenever you are thirsty, go and get some water to drink from the jars that the men have filled.’” (Source: Translation for Translators)

complete verse (Ruth 3:16 - 3:18)

Following are a number of back-translations of Ruth 3:16-18:

  • Noongar: “When Ruth came to her mother-in-law, Naomi asked her, ‘How did everything turn out, my daughter?’ Then Ruth told Naomi all that Boaz had done for her. She said, ‘Boaz gave me six baskets of wheat because he said, ‘Don’t go back to your mother-in-law holding nothing in your hands.’ ‘ Naomi replied, ‘Wait, my daughter, until you know what happens, because this man will not lie down this day, only when these things happen.’” (Source: Bardip Ruth-Ang 2020)
  • Eastern Bru: “Ruth went home to her mother in law, and her mother in law asked her: ‘How is it, child?’ And Ruth told her mother in law everything that Boaz had done. And Ruth said: ‘Here are six measures of grain he gave me to bring home to you. And he told me: ‘Don’t go home empty handed to your mother in law.’‘ Then Naomi answered: ‘ Child! Now we will wait until we know what will happen about this. Boaz is thinking about what to say to his kinsmen. But surely today he will finish this.’” (Source: Bru Back Translation)
  • Hiligaynon: “When Ruth arrived to her mother-in-law, she was-asked, ‘How-are-you(sg), child?’ Then Ruth told her everything Boaz had-done to/for her. And Ruth also said, ‘Boaz does- not -want me to go-home to you empty-handed/[lit. without nothing to bring], so he gave me these approximately/roughly six kilos of barley.’ Noemi said, ‘You(sg) just wait, child, until you(sg) will-know what really will-happen, for Boaz will- not [emphasis marker] -stop until he can facilitate this very day what you(sg) had-asked-for from him.’” (Source: Hiligaynon Back Translation)
  • English: “When Ruth arrived home, her mother-in-law asked her, ‘My daughter, how did things go/Boaz act toward you?’ Then Ruth told her everything that Boaz had done for her and said to her. She also said to Naomi, ‘He gave me all this barley, saying ‘I do not want you to return to your mother-in-law empty-handed.’’ Then Naomi said, ‘My daughter, just wait until we see what happens. I am sure that Boaz will take care of the matter of your marriage today.’” (Source: Translation for Translators)

complete verse (Ruth 4:13)

Following are a number of back-translations of Ruth 4:13:

  • Noongar: “So, Boaz took Ruth and Ruth became his wife. They lay together and God blessed Ruth. She became pregnant and bore their son.” (Source: Bardip Ruth-Ang 2020)
  • Eastern Bru: “Then Boaz took Ruth to be his wife. They lived together. And God gave Ruth a son.” (Source: Bru Back Translation)
  • Hiligaynon: “So Boaz married Ruth, and the LORD willed that Ruth became-pregnant. Some time-later Ruth gave-birth to a son.” (Source: Hiligaynon Back Translation)
  • English: “So Boaz took Ruth home, and she became his wife. He slept with/had sexual relations with her and Yahweh enabled her to become pregnant, and she gave birth to a son.” (Source: Translation for Translators)

vindicate

The Hebrew that is translated in English as “vindicate (me)” or “judge (me favorably)” is translated in these ways:

  • Kupsabiny: “declare me righteous” (source: Kupsabiny Back Translation)
  • Newari: “show everyone that I have no guilt” (source: Newari Back Translation)
  • Hiligaynon: “prove that I do not have sin” (source: Hiligaynon Back Translation)
  • Eastern Bru: “request you say for other people to know I don’t have any sin” (source: Bru Back Translation)
  • Laarim: “say that I am blameless” (source: Laarim Back Translation)
  • Hausa: “show that I am lacking fault” (source: Hausa Common Language Bible Back Translation)
  • Mandarin Chinese / German: “give me justice” (Source: Zetzsche)
  • English Translation for Translators: “show that I am innocent/have not done what is wrong” / Easy English Bible: “show that I am not guilty of wrong things”

See also vindicated.

bless(ed)

The Greek, Hebrew, Latin, and Aramaic that is translated into English as “(to) bless” or “blessed” is translated into a wide variety of possibilities.

The Hebrew term barak (and the Aramaic term berak) also (and originally) means “kneel” (a meaning which the word has retained — see Gen. 24:11) and can be used for God blessing people (or things), people blessing each other, or people blessing God. While English Bible translators have not seen a stumbling block in always using the same term (“bless” in its various forms), other languages need to make distinctions (see below).

In Bari, spoken in South Sudan, the connection between blessing and knees/legs is still apparent. For Genesis 30:30 (in English: “the Lord has blessed you wherever I turned”), Bari uses a common expression that says (much like the Hebrew), ‘… blessed you to my feet.'” (Source: P. Guillebaud in The Bible Translator 1965, p. 189ff. .)

Other examples for the translation of “bless” when God is the one who blesses include (click or tap here to see the rest of this insight):

  • “think well of” (San Blas Kuna)
  • “speak good to” (Amganad Ifugao)
  • “make happy” (Pohnpeian)
  • “cause-to-live-as-a-chief” (Zulu)
  • “sprinkle with a propitious (lit. cool) face” (a poetic expression occurring in the priests’ language) (Toraja Sa’dan) (source for this and above: Reiling / Swellengrebel)
  • “give good things” (Mairasi) (source: Enggavoter 2004)
  • “ask good” (Yakan) (source: Yakan Back Translation)
  • “praise, say good things” (Central Yupik) (source: Robert Bascom)
  • “greatly love” (Candoshi-Shapra) (source: John C. Tuggy)
  • “showing a good heart” (Kutu) (source: Pioneer Bible Translators, project-specific translation notes in Paratext)
  • “good luck — have — good fortune — have” (verbatim) ꓶꓼ ꓙꓳ ꓫꓱꓹ ꓙꓳ — ɯa dzho shes zho (Lisu). This construction follows a traditional four-couplet construct in oral Lisu poetry that is usually in the form ABAC or ABCB. (Source: Arrington 2020, p. 58)
  • wodala — denoting a person who is considered fortunate because he/she has something good that the majority of people do not have. It also acknowledges someone as a causative agent behind “being blessed.” (Chichewa) (Source: Mawu a Mulungu mu Chichewa Chalero Back Translation)

In Tagbanwa a phrase is used for both the blessing done by people and God that back-translates to “caused to be pierced by words causing grace/favor” (source: Tagbanwa Back Translation) and in Benabena a term denoted “good spell” or “good magic” (source: Renck 1990, p. 112).

Ixcatlán Mazatec had to select a separate term when relating “to people ‘blessing’ God” (or things of God): “praise(d)” or “give thanks for” (in 1 Cor. 10:16) (“as it is humans doing the ‘blessing’ and people do not bless the things of God or God himself the way God blesses people” — source: Robert Bascom). Eastern Bru and Kui also use “praise” for this a God-directed blessing (source: Bru back translation and Helen Evans in The Bible Translator 1954, p. 40ff. ) and Uma uses “appropriate/worthy to be worshipped” (source: Uma back translation).

When related to someone who is blessing someone else, it is translated into Tsou as “speak good hopes for.” In Waiwai it is translated as “may God be good and kind to you now.” (Sources: Peng Kuo-Wei for Tsou and Robert Hawkins in The Bible Translator 1962, pp. 164ff. for Waiwai.)

Some languages associate an expression that originally means “spitting” or “saliva” with blessing. The Bantu language Koonzime, for instance, uses that expression for “blessing” in their translation coming from either God or man. Traditionally, the term was used in an application of blessing by an aged superior upon a younger inferior, often in relation to a desire for fertility, or in a ritualistic, but not actually performed spitting past the back of the hand. The spitting of saliva has the effect of giving that person “tenderness of face,” which can be translated as “blessedness.” (Source: Keith Beavon)

Martin Ehrensvärd, one of the translators for the Danish Bibelen 2020, comments on the translation of this term: “As for ‘blessing’, in the end we in most instances actually kept the word, after initially preferring the expression ‘giving life strength’. The backlash against dropping the word blessing was too hard. But we would often add a few words to help the reader understand what the word means in a given context — people often understand it to refer more to a spiritual connection with God, but in the Hebrew texts, it usually has to do with material things or good health or many children. So when e.g. in Isaiah 19:25 the Hebrew text says ‘God bless them’, we say ‘God bless them’ and we add: ‘and give them strength’. ‘And give them strength’ is not found in the overt Hebrew text, but we are again making explicit what we believe is the meaning so as to avoid misunderstanding.” (Source: Ehrensvärd in HIPHIL Novum 8/2023, p. 81ff. )

See also bless (food and drink), blessed (Christ in Mark 11:9), and I will bless those who bless you, and the one who curses you I will curse.

See also “Blessed by ‘The Blessing’ in the World’s Indigenous Languages” and Multilingual version of “The Blessing” based on Numbers 6:24-26 .

complete verse (Psalm 1:2)

Following are a number of back-translations as well as a sample translation for translators of Psalm 1:2:

  • Chichewa Mawu a Mulungu mu Chichewa Chalero translation, 2002/2016:
    “But his delight is in the laws of Jehovah
    and in his laws he meditates day and night.” (Source: Chichewa Back Translation)
  • Newari:
    “But he rejoices in the law of the Lord.
    Night and day he meditates on His law.” (Source: Newari Back Translation)
  • Hiligaynon:
    “Instead, he (is) happy in following the teachings that (come) from the Lord,
    and he meditates on these day-(and)-night.” (Source: Hiligaynon Back Translation)
  • Eastern Bru:
    “But that person, he is very happy/delighted with the law of God only.
    And he spends time thinking about the book of that law all night and all day.” (Source: Bru Back Translation)
  • Laarim:
    “But, he will rejoice in the Law of Lord,
    and he thinks the Law of Lord day and night.” (Source: Laarim Back Translation)
  • West African language:
    If you want to be truly happy, let your belly be sweet on God’s command words.
    Let your mind eat them day and night.” (Source: Jacob Loewen in The Bible Translator 1983, p. 420ff. )
  • Nyakyusa-Ngonde (back-translation into Swahili):
    “Bali sheria za Bwana ndizo ambazo zinampendeza,
    anaziwaza mchana na usiku.” (Source: Nyakyusa Back Translation)
  • English:
    “Those whom God is pleased with delight in doing the things that he has instructed/taught us to do.
    They read and think about Yahweh’s requirements, day and night.” (Source: Translation for Translators)