Language-specific Insights

uncircumcised in heart and ears

The phrase in Acts 7:51 that is translated into English as “uncircumcised in heart and ears” is translated into Afar as “You are people who have hearts that refuse God, and ears closed saying we didn’t hear God’s message.” (Source: Loren Bliese)

Other translations for “uncircumcised in heart and ears” include:

  • Rincón Zapotec: “it doesn’t enter your hearts or your ears. You are like those who don’t even believe”
  • Eastern Highland Otomi: “hard are your hearts and not a little bit open are your ears”
  • Morelos Nahuatl: “you have your heart as unbelievers, you do not want to hear God’s word”
  • Highland Popoluca: “you never wanted to do God’s will, never truly believed”
  • Teutila Cuicatec: “you are just the same as those who do not believe God’s word because you do not obey”
  • Huichol: “you have not been marked with God’s sign in your hearts or in your ears” (or: “you are unruly and unsubmissive like an untamed, unbranded bronco”)
  • Ojitlán Chinantec: “you do not have the word-sign in your hearts. Your ears are clogged”
  • Copainalá Zoque: “you just don’t understand”
  • Isthmus Mixe: “your hearts and minds are not open” (source for this and above: Viola Waterhouse in Notes on Translation August 1966, p. 86ff.)
  • Kaqchikel: “with your hearts unprepared” (source: Nida 1964, p. 220)
  • Elhomwe: “like people who do not know God” (source: project-specific translation notes in Paratext)
  • Chichewa (interconfessional translation) “hard-headed.” (Source: Wendland 1987, p. 130)
  • Bariai: “You aren’t able to receive knowledge, certainly not. You shut your ears always to Deo’s talk.” (Source: Bariai Back Translation)
  • Low German 1975 translation by Rudolf Muuß: “Your hearts and ears are no better than those of the heathen”
  • Uma: “No kidding your stubbornness! No kidding your making yourselves deaf to hearing the Word of the Lord God!” (Source: Uma Back Translation)
  • Yakan: “Your livers are livers not obeying/following God. And how deaf are your ears. You do not listen-to/heed God’s word/message.” (Source: Yakan Back Translation)

See also uncircumcised and stiff-necked.

son of encouragement

The Greek in Acts 4:36 that is translated as “son of encouragement” in English is translated as

  • “one who makes people receive a helpful word” in Ojitlán Chinantec
  • “the person who makes our hearts be at peace” in Lalana Chinantec
  • “he will encourage us” in Isthmus Mixe
  • “one who enlarges (encourages) hearts” in Chichimeca-Jonaz
  • “one who comforts” in San Mateo del Mar Huave
  • “one who consoles people” in Tzotzil
  • “gives gladness to those who weep” in Desano (source for this and above: Viola Waterhouse in Notes on Translation August 1966, p. 86ff.)
  • “The man who strengthens people’s interiors” in Bariai (source: Bariai Back Translation)
  • “Child Who Turns Livers Good” in Mairasi (source: Enggavoter 2004)
  • “owner of encouraging heart” in Hausa (source: Hausa Common Language Bible Back Translation)

See also Barnabas and encourage / comfort.

Peace be with you

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The Greek that is typically translated as “Peace be with you” in English is translated in Ojitlán Chinantec as “Have peaceful happy hearts,” in Huehuetla Tepehua as “Don’t be sad in your hearts,” in Aguaruna as “Be content,” in Shipibo-Conibo as “Think very good,” in Isthmus Mixe as “Don’t worry,” and in Xicotepec De Juárez Totonac as “May it go well with you.” (Source: M. Larson / B. Moore in Notes on Translation February 1970, p. 1-125.)

In Uma it is “Goodness come to you,” in Yakan it is “May there be peace in your liver,” in Tagbanwa “Protection of your inner-being will now be yours” (source: Uma, Yakan, and Tagbanwa Back Translation respectively), and in Mairasi “Good Peace be to you guys!” (source: Enggavoter 2004).

See also be cheered.

it is finished

For the Greek in John 19:30 that is translated with an equivalent of “It is finished (or: completed)” in most English Bible translations a perfect tense is used that has no direct equivalent in English. It expresses that an event has happened at a specific point in the past but that that event has ongoing results. The English “Expanded Translation” by Kenneth S. Wuest (publ. 1961) attempted to recreate that by translating “It has been finished and stands complete.”

Irish uses yet a different system of tenses, resulting in these translations:

  • Atá sé ar na chríochnughadh (Bedell An Biobla Naomhtha, publ. early 17th century): “It is upon its completion”
  • Tá críoch curtha air (Ó Cuinn Tiomna Nua, publ. 1970): “Completion is put on it”
  • Tá sé curtha i gcrích (An Bíobla Naofa, publ. 1981): “It is put in completion”

Source for the Irish: Kevin Scannell

In Ojitlán Chinantec it is translated as “My work is finished,” in Aguaruna as “It is completely accomplished,” and in Mezquital Otomi as “Now all is finished which I was commanded to do.” (Source for this and above: M. Larson / B. Moore in Notes on Translation February 1970, p. 1-125.)

In Cherokee an immediate past form of the verb alsgwada (ᎠᎵᏍᏆᏓ) is used. This indicates that “the action is concurrently effected.” (Source: Bender / Belt 2025, p. 56)

In Mandarin Chinese, it is translated as chéng le (成了) which means both “it is completed” and “it is finished” (source: Zetzsche), in Ebira it is translated as Ma sị mẹ ta or “I have finally completed/finished it” (source: Scholz /Scholz 2015, p. 98), and in both German and Dutch major translations it is translated as vollbracht and volbracht respectively, which means “finished” but comes from “to bring (or: deliver) completely.”

The following is a contemporary stained glass window in the Catholic Church of the Resurrection in Bryanston, New Zealand:

Photo by Catholic Church of the Resurrection in Bryanston

The Window of the Saviour: Jesus said, “It is accomplished,” and bowing His head He gave up His spirit (John 19:30). This window with its powerful colours of sorrow and mourning yet glory and new life shows the Saviour at the moment of His supreme sacrifice of Himself for love of all humanity. (Source: Catholic Church of the Resurrection in Bryanston )

Stained glass is not just highly decorative, it’s a medium which has been used to express important religious messages for centuries. Literacy was not widespread in the medieval and Renaissance periods and the Church used stained glass and other artworks to teach the central beliefs of Christianity. In Gothic churches, the windows were filled with extensive narrative scenes in stained glass — like huge and colorful picture storybooks — in which worshipers could ‘read’ the stories of Christ and the saints and learn what was required for their religious salvation. (Source: Victoria and Albert Museum .

See also this devotion on YouVersion .

for the grace of God has appeared bringing salvation to all

The Greek in Titus 2:11 that is translated as “for the grace of God has appeared, bringing salvation to all” or similar in English is translated in Wahgi as “God saying like this, ‘I desire to save without reward all people,’ sent Christ.” Like many languages, Wahgi not allow for verbal nominalization where a verb can be turned into a noun.

In Ojitlán Chinantec it is translated as “for God has shown people how his heart is good to all people, so that He saves people.” (Source: John Beekman & Harwood Hess in Notes on Translation, March 1963, p. 1ff.)

See also grace.

and their knowledge of the truth that is in accordance with godliness

The Greek that is translated in English as “and their knowledge of the truth that is in accordance with godliness” or similar is translated in:

  • Tabasco Chontal: “He sent me to teach them the truth so that they might thoroughly do what God wants”
  • Isthmus Mixe: “and that they should know that which is true so that they might completely worship God”
  • Ojitlán Chinantec: “It is truth, and by it people may know how to worship God”
  • Tenango Otomi: “and will know that our faith is true” (source for this and above: John Beekman & Harwood Hess in Notes on Translation, March 1963, p. 1ff.)

figures of speech

The Greek that is translated as “figures of speech” or similar in English is translated in Ojitlán Chinantec as “telling words a little bit covered,” in Tenango Otomi as “comparisons,” in Navajo (Dinė): “stories that teach,” and in Mezquital Otomi as “like a story” (source: M. Larson / B. Moore in Notes on Translation February 1970, p. 1-125.).

In the German New Testament translation by Berger / Nord (publ. 1999) it is translated as vieldeutige Worte or “ambiguous word (or: “words with many meanings”)” and in the translation by Fridolin Stier (1989) as “hidden (or: shrouded) speech” (Hüllrede).

See also parable and image.

Grace and peace from God the Father and Christ Jesus our Savior

The Greek that is translated as “Grace and peace from God the Father and Christ Jesus our Savior” in English is translated in:

  • Tabasco Chontal: “I want that the mind of our (incl) Father God be good with you (grace). I want that the mind of our (incl) Lord Jesus Christ, our Savior, be good with you. I want that they have mercy for you. I want that they give you your good (health).”
  • Isthmus Mixe: “God the Father and our Lord Jesus Christ, the Savior, should do you a favor, should pity you, should give you health and well-being.”
  • Ojitlán Chinantec: “May God our Father and our Lord Jesus Christ, person who saved us, make their hearts good to you and may they see you needy (mercy), and may they make your heart peaceful.”
  • Sayula Popoluca: “may God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ who saves us give you favor, may they pity you, may they give you peace.” (source for this and above: John Beekman & Harwood Hess in Notes on Translation, March 1963, p. 1ff.)