San Mateo Del Mar Huave

cares of the world, worries of this age

The Greek that is translated as “worries (or: cares) of the world (or: this age)” in English is (back-) translated in a number of ways:

Kekchí: “they think very much about these days now”
Farefare: “they begin to worry about this world-things”
Tzeltal: “their hearts are gone doing what they do when they pass through world” (where the last phrase is an idiomatic equivalent for “this life”
Mitla Zapotec and San Mateo del Mar Huave: “they think intensely about things in this world”
Eastern Highland Otomi and Pamona: “the longing for this world”
Tzotzil: “they are very occupied about things in the world”
Central Tarahumara: “they are very much afraid about what will happen in the world”
Shilluk: “the heavy talk about things in the world”

census

The Greek and Hebrew that is typically translated as “census” in English is translated in these ways:

Teutila Cuicatec: “registration”
Eastern Highland Otomi: “counting of the people”
Lalana Chinantec: “writing down all the people”
Isthmus Mixe: “writing how many people there are”
San Mateo del Mar Huave: “when the names are given”
Chichimeca-Jonaz: “recording of the names” (source for this and above: Viola Waterhouse in Notes on Translation August 1966, p. 86ff.)
Uma: counting of the people” (Source: Uma Back Translation)

council

The Greek that is translated as “council” or “Council” in English is (back-) translated in a variety of ways:

Tzeltal: “officials who gather together”
Copainalá Zoque: “those who think together”
Amaganad Ifugao: “those who take charge of the affairs” (source for this and all above: Bratcher / Nida)
Ekari: “place for speech-making/discussion”
Tae’: “great assembly”
Sranan Tongo, Javanese: “(high) tribunal”
Marathi: “assembly of their Judgement-court” (source for this and three above: Reiling / Swellengrebel)
Lalana Chinantec: “the people who judge”
Chichimeca-Jonaz: “the elders who give them advice”
Morelos Nahuatl: “junta”
Isthmus Mixe: “church judges”
San Mateo del Mar Huave: “big meeting”
Ayutla Mixtec: “council” (source for this and five above: Viola Waterhouse in Notes on Translation August 1966, p. 86ff.)

serve tables, wait at tables

The Greek that is often translated as “serve tables” or “wait at tables is translated in the following ways:

Desano: “feed the people”
Lalana Chinantec: “distribute what (the widows) will eat”
San Mateo del Mar Huave: “distribute food”
Ayutla Mixtec: “arrange that which we eat”
Morelos Nahuatl: “feed our brothers”
Tepeuxila Cuicatec: “give that they eat”
Eastern Highland Otomi: “give what to eat to the people”
Chichimeca-Jonaz: “watch over the tables”
Garifuna: “attend to these things” (Source for this and above: Viola Waterhouse in Notes on Translation August 1966, p. 86ff.)

Most High

The Greek that is translated as “(God) the Most High” in English is translated in Sa’a as “God, the Surpassing One.” (Source: Carl Gross)

In Eastern Highland Otomi it is “he the completely glorified God-” in San Mateo del Mar Huave it is “Father God who is high in heaven” in Teutila Cuicatec “God who has such tremendous authority,” in Chichimeca-Jonaz “he who is the native of the highest place,” and in Palantla Chinantec it is “the Big God Himself.” (Source: Viola Waterhouse in Notes on Translation August 1966, p. 86ff.)

full of grace

The Greek that is typically translated as “full of grace” in English is translated in the following ways:

Chichimeca-Jonaz: “his heart was full of God’s love”
San Mateo del Mar Huave: “he found much favor with God”
Lalana Chinantec: “God helped Stephen”
Desano: “God was in him”
Ayutla Mixtec: “full of the goodness of God”
Isthmus Mixe: “God favored Stephen”
Teutila Cuicatec: “God loved him greatly”
Desano: “God was in him” (source for this and above: Viola Waterhouse in Notes on Translation August 1966, p. 86ff.)

Kingdom (of God / heaven)

(To view the different translations of this term in a simplified graphical form on a new page, click or tap here.)

The German Good News Bible (Die Bibel im heutigen Deutsch) (1st edition: 1968, 2nd edition: 1982, 3rd edition: 1997) says this about the translation of the Greek expressions that in English are often translated as “kingdom of God” or “kingdom of heaven” respectively:

“An example for how a term evolved is the rendering of ‘heavenly kingdom’ or ‘kingdom of God.’ A verbatim translation will be misunderstood by most readers today: as if it talks about a kingdom that is located in heaven, when in reality it refers in the Bible to God being the ruler, to that area in which that rule has been realized and everything that human beings can expect because of that. Dependent on the context, the term is therefore translated differently in this present version: When it focuses on the presence of God’s kingdom it is rendered as ‘God establishes his rule’ (Gott richtet seine Herrschaft auf), when the focus is on the future it is translated as ‘Once God finalizes his creation (or ‘work’) . . . ‘ (Wenn Gott sein Werk vollendet . . .), and when the focus is on that finished creation it is ‘God’s new world’ (Gottes neue Welt).” (p. 299)

The respective translation choice in that German translation:

Likewise in the Gurung translation the term was also, depending on context, rendered in four different ways:

God’s power at work in the world,
the personal response to God, in obedience and receiving blessing,
God’s future open ruling of the world,
the ultimate blessings of God’s rule in heaven.

(Source: Warren Glover in The Bible Translator 1978, p. 231ff. — here you can also find a comprehensive list of examples where which translation was applied.)

Following is a list of (back-) translations from other languages:

Tzeltal: “persons like these will reach God’s government” (as in Mark 10:14 and Luke 18:16: “the Kingdom of God belongs to those”) or “the jurisdiction of God” (in the sense of where God has the authority)
Copainalá Zoque: “like God to rule over”
San Miguel El Grande Mixtec: “agree to God reigning over”
Kekchí: “power (or authority) of God”
Laka: “God’s commanding”
Javanese: “the rule of God”
Huave: “where God rules”
Huastec: “God as ruler”
San Blas Kuna: “God’s government”
Navajo: “what God has charge of”
Sayula Popoluca: “to have God rule over”
Tzotzil: “to have God as chief”
Highland Puebla Nahuatl: “the leadership of God”
Wayuu: “where God is chief” (this and examples above in Bratcher / Nida)
Fuyug “God’s clan”
Mono: “sana lala’aha nang” – “area of chiefly rule”
Martu Wangka: “The Father looks after his own relatives” (source for this and the two preceding: Carl Gross)
Caribbean Javanese: Kratoné Allah (“God’s seat (of a king)”)
Sranan Tongo: Tiri fur Gado (“the Ruling of God”) or Kownukondre fur Gado (“King’s land of God”)
Eastern Maroon Creole: A Nyun Tii fu Massa Gadu / Saramaccan: Di Njunjun Tii u Gadu (both: “the New ruling of God”) (source for this and 2 above: Jabini 2015)
Umiray Dumaget Agta: “protectorate of God” (source: M. Larson / B. Moore in Notes on Translation February 1970, p. 1-125.)
Lalana Chinantec: “how God is the boss of people’s hearts”
Chuj: “everything which is in God’s hand” (source for this and one above: Viola Waterhouse in Notes on Translation August 1966, p. 86ff.)

In Mairasi, a language “where people would rather say something in a new way than in an old way,” there are a number of translations, including “Great Above One’s (=God) rule,” “His power,” “His control,” or “His place of authority/power.” (Source: Enggavoter 2004)

In Q’anjob’al, the translators stumbled on an additional difficulty. Newberry and Kittie Cox (in The Bible Translator 1950, p. 91ff.) explain: “‘The kingdom of God’ may be translated ‘where God supervises’ (or literally ‘guards’). However, in Mark 10:15 and Luke 18:17 it is not possible to speak of ‘receiving the kingdom of God,’ for this would imply that one simply takes over the responsibility for guarding God’s country while He rests. Accordingly, the translation is adapted to meet the cultural and linguistic requirements of the language by the form ‘receive God as king.’

righteous (person)

The Greek that is translated “righteous” in this verse is rendered as “did what he should” (Eastern Highland Otomi), “walked straight” (Sayula Popoluca), “was a man with a good heart” (Huichol), “his life was straight” (Southern Bobo Madaré), “was completely good” (San Mateo del Mar Huave) (the translation into San Mateo del Mar Huave does not imply sinless perfection) (source for this and above: Bratcher / Nida), “those who say, ‘I don’t do evil’” (Navajo) (source: Reiling / Swellengrebel).

For other translations of this term see righteous / righteousness.

living oracles, living words

The Greek that is translated as “living oracles” or “living words” or similar in English is translated in the following ways:

Eastern Highland Otomi: “word of God that will never finish”
Copainalá Zoque: “word that told us how to live”
Isthmus Mixe: “good words for us that we might obtain the good life”
Ayutla Mixtec: “words of life”
San Mateo del Mar Huave: “word of God”
Rincón Zapotec: “the law which spoke of life” (source for this and above: Viola Waterhouse in Notes on Translation August 1966, p. 86ff.)
Western Bukidnon Manobo: “the indestructible words of God” (source: Western Bukidnon Manobo Back Translation)

third hour

The Greek that is translated as “third hour (of the day)” or “nine in the morning” in English is translated in Mende as “the morning sun is only just getting strong.” (Source: John Ellington)

It is translated as “still early” in Desano, as “up-sun (9 a.m.)” in Chuj, as “still not really high sun at all” in Chichimeca-Jonaz, and as “the sun is barely gone half way to the top” in San Mateo del Mar Huave. (Source: Viola Waterhouse in Notes on Translation August 1966, p. 86ff.)

tent of testimony

The Greek that is translated as “tent of testimony” or similar in English is translated as “a leather house which they could pack up again, where they remembered God” in Lalana Chinantec, as “cloth house where they worshipped God” in Eastern Highland Otomi, as “cloth house where God spoke to the people” in Chichimeca-Jonaz, as “house of God where they kept the stones on which were written the commandments of God” in Morelos Nahuatl, as “small holy house which was of the skins of animals, in it were the stones which contained the ten commandments” in San Mateo del Mar Huave, and “inside this church the slates on which God’s law was written were kept” Teutila Cuicatec. (Source: Viola Waterhouse in Notes on Translation August 1966, p. 86ff.)

vision

The Hebrew, Aramaic and Greek that is translated as “vision” in English is translated in a variety in the following languages:

Chol: “as if in a dream” (source: Robert Bascom)
Obolo: ilaak ọkpọchieen̄ or “dreaming awake” (source: Enene Enene)
Eastern Highland Otomi: “a showing like dreams”
Desano: “see in a dream what God will send”
Rincón Zapotec: “see what God shows”
Mayo: “see things from God as in a dream”
Lalana Chinantec: “dream how it is going to be”
Chuj: “like dreaming they see”
San Mateo del Mar Huave: “understand what they see as if in a dream”
Ayutla Mixtec: “see that which will happen” (source for this and seven above: Viola Waterhouse in Notes on Translation August 1966, p. 86ff.)

The Greek in the books of Revelation and Acts is translated as obq-rmwible: “look-dream” in Natügu. Brenda Boerger (in Beerle-Moor / Voinov, p. 162ff.) tells the story of that translation: “In the book of Revelation, the author, John, talks about having visions. Mr. Simon [the native language translator] and I discussed what this meant and he invented the compound verb obq-rmwible ‘look-dream’ to express it. Interestingly, during village testing no one ever had to ask what this neologism meant.”