The Greek that is translated as “lay one’s head” or similar in English is translated in Matumbi idiomatically as “rest one’s rib.” (Source: Pioneer Bible Translators, project-specific notes in Paratext)
Language-specific Insights
resurrection
The Greek, Ge’ez, and Latin that is translated as “resurrection” in English is translated in Chicahuaxtla Triqui and Pohnpeian as “live-up” (i.e. return to life) (source: Reiling / Swellengrebel) and in Iloko as panagungar: a term that stems “from the word ‘agungar,’ an agricultural term used to describe the coming back to life of a plant which was wilting but which has been watered by the farmer, or of a bulb which was apparently dead but grows again.” (Source: G. Henry Waterman in The Bible Translator 1960, p. 24ff. )
Likewise, in Matumbi yu’ya carries the meaning of “raise from the dead, resuscitate, come back from near death” and is used for dry plants that come back to life when you water them or sick children who revive after being healed. (Source: Pioneer Bible Translators, project-specific notes in Paratext)
In Estado de México Otomi, it is translated as “people will be raised from the dead,” in Teutila Cuicatec as “the dead having to come to life again,” in San Mateo del Mar Huave as “arose from the grave” (source: Viola Waterhouse in Notes on Translation August 1966, p. 86ff.), and in Kriol as gidap laibala brom dedbala or “get up alive from the dead” (source: Sam Freney in this article .)
In Kalmyk and Russia Buriat it is translated as “revival” and in Tuvan as “coming back to life, reviving again.” (Source for this and one above: Alexey Somov in The Bible Translator 2017, p. 51ff. )
See also resurrect / rise again (Jesus).
Learn more on Bible Odyssey: Resurrection .
ankle
The Greek in Acts 3:7 that is translated as “ankle(s)” in English is translated as “the round bone of feet” in Tepeuxila Cuicatec or “necks of his feet” in Ayutla Mixtec. (Source: Viola Waterhouse in Notes on Translation August 1966, p. 86ff.)
In Elhomwe it is translated as “where the feet and legs meet” (source: project-specific translation notes in Paratext) and in Manza as kpoekû or “leg bump” (source: Troy Christopher Moore, MA Thesis 1998, p. 99 ).
“Feet and ankles” are translated in Matumbi as “legs.” “Foot” and “leg” are covered by just one term in this and some other Bantu languages. (Source: Pioneer Bible Translators, project-specific notes in Paratext)
winnowing fork
The Hebrew and Greek that is translated as “winnowing fork” or similar in English is translated in Matumbi as “sifter” since that’s the tool that is used to separate chaff from grain. (Source: Pioneer Bible Translators, project-specific notes in Paratext)
In the German New Testament translation by Berger / Nord (publ. 1999) with Schaufel or “shovel,” in other German translations as Worfschaufel , an outdated term for the kind of shovel that is traditionally used in German-speaking areas to separate chaff from wheat.
anoint him
pearl
The Greek and Ge’ez that is translated as “pearl” in English is translated in Matumbi as samani ngu’lu’ or “valuable thing,” since pearls are not known. (Source: Pioneer Bible Translators, project-specific notes in Paratext)
In Cherokee it is translated as “like oysters or mussels.” (Source: Bender / Belt 2025, p. 18)
refuse to come to me
insight
The Greek in Ephesians 1:8 that is translated as “insight” or “understanding” or similar in English is translated in Matumbi as utangi, “meaning understanding — knowing what something is, or what it really means, or maybe how to do something.” (Source: Pioneer Bible Translators, project-specific notes in Paratext)