In many English translations the Greek terms “hieron” (the whole “temple” in Jerusalem or specifically the outer courts open to worshippers) and “naos” (the inner “shrine” or “sanctuary”) are translated with only one word: “temple” (see also for instance “Tempel” in German [for exception see below] and “tempel” in Dutch, Danish, or Afrikaans).
Other languages make a distinction: (Click or tap here to see more)
Navajo (Dinė): “house in which worship is carried out” (for naos)
Balinese: “inner part of the Great Temple” (“the term ‘inner part’ denoting the hindmost and holiest of the two or three courts that temples on Bali usually possess”) vs. “Great Temple”
Telugu: “womb (i.e. interior)-of-the-abode” vs. “abode”
Thai: a term denoting the main audience hall of a Buddhist temple compound vs. “environs-of-the-main-audience-hall”
Kituba: “place of holiness of house-God Lord” vs. “house-God Lord”
Shipibo-Conibo: “deep in God’s house” vs. “God’s house” (source: Reiling / Swellengrebel)
Germandas Buch translation by Roland Werner (publ. 2009-2022): “inner court of the temple” (Tempelinnenhof) vs. “temple”
Languages that, like English, German, Dutch, Danish, or Afrikaans, don’t make that distinction include:
Toraja-Sa’dan: “house that is looked upon as holy, that is sacred, that is taboo and where one may not set foot” (lit. “house where-the-belly-gets-swollen” — because taboo is violated — using a term that is also applied to a Muslim mosque) (source for this and the three above: Reiling / Swellengrebel)
Aguaruna: “the house for talking to God” (source for this and above: M. Larson / B. Moore in Notes on Translation February 1970, p. 1-125.)
Guhu-Samane: “festival longhouse of God” (“The biiri, ‘festival longhouse’, being the religious and social center of the community, is a possible term for ‘temple’. It is not the ‘poro house’ as such. That would be too closely identified with the cult of poro. The physical features of the building, huge and sub-divided, lend it further favor for this consideration. By qualifying it as ‘God’s biiri’ the term has become meaningful and appropriate in the context of the Scriptures.”) (Source: Ernest Richert in The Bible Translator, 1965, p. 81ff. )
Enga: “God’s restricted access house” (source: Adam Boyd on his blog )
Another distinction that tends to be overlooked in translations is that between hieron (“temple” in English) and sunagógé (“synagogue” in English). Euan Fry (in The Bible Translator 1987, p. 213ff. ) reports on this:
“Many older translations have simply used transliterations of ‘temple’ and ‘synagogue’ rather than trying to find equivalent terms or meaningful expressions in their own languages. This approach does keep the two terms separate; but it makes the readers depend on explanations given by pastors or teachers for their understanding of the text.
“Translators who have tried to find meaningful equivalents, for the two terms ‘temple’ and ‘synagogue’ have usually made a distinction between them in one of two ways (which focus on the contrasting components of meaning). One way takes the size and importance of the Temple to make a contrast, so that expressions such as ‘sacred meeting/ worship house of the Jews’ and ‘big sacred meeting/worship house of the Jews’ are used. The other way focuses on the different nature of the religious activity at each of the places, so that expressions such as ‘meeting/worship house of the Jews’ and ‘sacrifice/ceremony place of the Jews’ are used.
“It is not my purpose in this article to discuss how to arrive at the most precise equivalent to cover all the components of meaning of ‘temple’. That is something that each translator really has to work through for himself in the light of the present usage and possibilities in his own language. My chief concern here is that the basic term or terms chosen for ‘temple’ should give the reader of a translation a clear and correct picture of the location referred to in each passage. And I am afraid that in many cases where an equivalent like ‘house of God’ or ‘worship house’ has been chosen, the readers have quite the wrong picture of what going to the Temple or being in the Temple means. (This may be the case for the word ‘temple’ in English too, for many readers.)”
Here are some examples:
Bambara: “house of God” (or: “big house of worship”) vs. “worship house” (or: “small houses of worship”)
Toraja-Sa’dan: “house where-the-belly-gets-swollen” (see above) vs. “meeting house for discussing matters concerning religious customs” (and “church” is “house where one meets on Sunday”)
Navajo (Dinė): “house in which worship is carried out” vs. “house of gathering” (source for all above: Bratcher / Nida)
Click or tap here to see a short video clip about Herod’s temple (source: Bible Lands 2012)Click or tap here to see a short video clip showing synagogues in New Testament times (source: Bible Lands 2012)
Following are a number of back-translations of Matthew 5:3:
Uma: “‘Blessed are the people who know how pitiful are their lives in the sight of God, for they are the ones who will be the God’s people/subjects, and God will be their King.” (Source: Uma Back Translation)
Yakan: “‘Better off (lit. better yet) are the people who know, that God is not pleased with them, if they do not trust in him, because God is ruling over them.” (Source: Yakan Back Translation)
Western Bukidnon Manobo: “He said, ‘Much better off are those who know they can’t do good if God doesn’t help them, because God will take good care of them when he rules.” (Source: Western Bukidnon Manobo Back Translation)
Kankanaey: “‘Fortunate are the people who know that they are poor in ability in the sight of God, because they are the ones who are included in his ruling.” (Source: Kankanaey Back Translation)
Tagbanwa: “‘The people can be happy who regard themselves as really having no ability of their own to rely on but only on God, because they will be able to be included in his kingdom.” (Source: Tagbanwa Back Translation)
Tenango Otomi: “‘The good fortune will be met by the people who are as though poor, because they find in their hearts that they lack what is good. Because these are the people who will enter the hand of God who is in heaven.” (Source: Tenango Otomi Back Translation)
German New Testament translation by Berger / Nord (publ. 1999): “Blessed are the poor people who are tormented, for they will be free when God is king.”
Enga: “God blesses those who set their hearts upon Him alone … ” (source: Adam Boyd on his blog)
Following are a number of back-translations of Matthew 5:48:
Uma: “We (incl.) must have good behavior with no faults [lit., no scales-scales], like the behavior of God our (incl.) Father who is in heaven.” (Source: Uma Back Translation)
Yakan: “Therefore you shall be good like your Father in heaven is good.'” (Source: Yakan Back Translation)
Western Bukidnon Manobo: “It is necessary that your treating everybody well is drawn tight, because our Father in heaven, His treating mankind well is drawn very tight.” (Source: Western Bukidnon Manobo Back Translation)
Kankanaey: “Therefore it is necessary that you have no faults/lacks, like our Father in heaven who has no faults/lacks.'” (Source: Kankanaey Back Translation)
Tagbanwa: “Therefore it’s necessary that you be like your Father who is in heaven, the quality of whose actions having no lack.'” (Source: Tagbanwa Back Translation)
Tenango Otomi: “Your Father who is in heaven supremely does good in what he does. Be like that then, want that you supremely do good in what you do.” (Source: Tenango Otomi Back Translation)
Enga: “Your Father who stands on top of the sky lives in such a way that he does not neglect any of the straight ways, but rather he holds to them; therefore live in such a way that you are doing the same.” (Source: Adam Boyd; click here for an explanation of this translation.)
The idea is that God is complete in the sense that he does not neglect any good thing that he should do. He is complete in doing all that he should do. Therefore, we should behave in the same way, not neglecting to do all that we should do. It doesn’t mean that we are commanded never to make a mistake, but it does mean that we commanded not to be incomplete in how we carry out the commandments of God. To be sure, God does not make any mistakes, but the heart of Jesus’s command is for us to strive to be complete in our love.
Following are a number of back-translations of Luke 2:5:
Noongar: “He and his wife Mary, the two went to Bethlehem to write their names. Mary’s people had given Mary to Joseph to marry. Mary was pregnant.” (Source: Warda-Kwabba Luke-Ang)
Uma: “So also Yusuf left from Nazaret town, accompanied by Maria his fiancee, who was at the time pregnant. They left from Galilea land, climbed going to Yudea land, towards Betlehem town, the birth town of King Daud long ago. Yusuf had to request that his name be written there, because he was a descendant of King Daud.” (Source: Uma Back Translation)
Yakan: “He went together with his fiancé Mariyam to register. Mariyam was pregnant.” (Source: Yakan Back Translation)
Western Bukidnon Manobo: “And Joseph took along with him, Mary, the woman that was promised to him, because they would register themselves. Now Mary at that time was pregnant.” (Source: Western Bukidnon Manobo Back Translation)
Kankanaey: “Maria also went-along to go register, because it was arranged that they were to be married. Maria’s fetus was already full-term,” (Source: Kankanaey Back Translation)
Tagbanwa: “Maria also went with him, whom he had married, although they were not yet living together (implies sexual relations). Maria’s pregnancy was then about-full-term.” (Source: Tagbanwa Back Translation)
Enga: “That Maria [who was just mentioned], Josepe said he would take her as [his] woman, and he stood wooing her; because of that, while she sat, child in utero, they two went together, saying {we shall set [our] names}.” (Source: Adam Boyd on his blog)
Central Tunebo: (verses 3-5) “Everyone went to his own city to be counted. Joseph also went to be counted. Joseph was from the land of Galilee. He was from the city of Nazareth. Joseph’s grandfather is David. He is David’s relative. As a result he went to David’s city to be counted. He went to Bethlehem to be counted. In the city of Bethlehem. He went with Mary. Joseph would soon marry Mary. Mary was pregnant. They went together, with Mary.” (“The typical narrative text in Tunebo introduces 3 or 4 information bits in the first sentence. This includes the predicate and subject and, where appropriate, the object. A locative element is quite often introduced, too. From there, new information bearing on the stage or opening event is introduced, usually at the rate of one new bit per sentence, keeping the main verb constant.” Source: Edna Headland in Notes on Translation, 58/1975, pp. 2ff.)
