The Hebrew in Genesis 25:27 that is translated in English as “lived in tents” or “stayed at home” is translated in Newari as “did house work.” (Source: Newari Back Translation)
Language-specific Insights
LORD of hosts
The Hebrew that is translated as “Lord of hosts” in English (or: “Yahweh of Armies” [translation by John Goldingay, 2018], “Hashem, Master of Legions” [ArtScroll Tanach translation, 2011]) is translated in various ways:
- Kankanaey: “God the Highest Ruler” (source: Kankanaey Back Translation)
- Newari: Lord Almighty” (source: Newari Back Translation)
- Kutu: Mndewa Imulungu or “Lord with all power” (source: Pioneer Bible Translators, project-specific translation notes in Paratext)
- Mandarin Chinese: Wànjūnzhī Yēhéhuá / Shàngzhǔ (万军之耶和华 / 上主) or “Jehovah / Lord of 10,000 [=all] armies”
- Mandinka: “Yawe God of the universe” (source: Rob Koops)
- German (Luther) Bible the second part of the name is transliterated: Herr Zebaoth or “Lord Zebaoth” (Swedish, Finnish and Latvian use the same translation strategy). The Russian Orthodox Synod translation uses a transliteration of the second part of the designation as well: Господь Саваоф / Gospod’ Savaof.
- Finnish Ortodoksinen Liturginen Psalttari (2021): taivaan voimien Herra or “the Lord of the forces of heaven” (source: Seppo Sipilä in The Bible Translator 2011, p. 12ff. )
The traditional French translation of l’Eternel/Yahve/le Seigneur/Seigneur des armées (“Lord of the armies”) presents a problem when listened to, as Jean-Marc Babut explains (in The Bible Translator 1985, p. 411ff. ):
“For the hearer, the traditional translation l’Eternel/Yahvé/le Seigneur des armées can easily be taken in a bad sense: there is nothing, in fact, to prevent the listener from hearing l’Eternel désarmé, ‘the Eternal One disarmed’ or ‘stripped of his power’! (…). Thus the Bible en français courant [publ. 1997] has decided to use the expression Seigneur/Dieu de l’univers, “Lord/God of the Universe”. This formula, which has an undeniably liturgical ring, seems to have been favorably received by users.”
Other, later French Bibles who have chosen a similar strategy, include Parole de Vie (publ. 2017) with Seigneur de l’univers or Bible Segond 21 (publ. 2007) with l’Eternel, le maître de l’univers.
See also Lord of hosts, host / powers, Pantokrator, and Lord Almighty.
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.
cried out the LORD (Lord)
The Hebrew and Greek that is translated as “cried out the Lord (or: Lord)” in English is translated in Newari as “took the name of the Lord (or: Lord)” (source: Newari Back Translation).
leprosy, leprous
The Greek and Hebrew terms that are often translated as “leprosy (or: defiling/skin disease)” or “leprous (person)” in English is translated in Mairasi as “the bad sickness,” since “leprosy is very common in the Mairasi area” (source: Enggavoter 2004).
Following are various other translations:
- Shilluk: “disease of animals”
- San Mateo Del Mar Huave: “devil sore” (this and the above are indigenous expressions)
- Inupiaq: “decaying sores”
- Kaqchikel: “skin-rotting disease” (source for this and three above: Eugene Nida in The Bible Translator 1960, p. 34f. )
- Noongar: “bad skin disease” (source: Warda-Kwabba Luke-Ang)
- Usila Chinantec “sickness like mal de pinta” (a skin disease involving discoloration by loss of pigment and that also involved social isolation) (source: B. Moore / G. Turner in Notes on Translation 1967, p. 1ff.)
- Hiligaynon: “dangerous skin disease” (source: Hiligaynon Back Translation)
- Kankanaey: “fearful skin disease” (source: Kankanaey Back Translation)
- Tenango Otomi: “terrible rotting” (source: Tenango Otomi Back Translation)
- Newari: “infectious skin disease” (source: Newari Back Translation)
Targumim (or: Targums) are translations of the Hebrew Bible into Aramaic. They were translated and used when Jewish congregations increasingly could not understand the biblical Hebrew anymore. Targum Onqelos (also: Onkelos) is the name of the Aramaic translation of the Torah (the first five books of the Hebrew Bible) probably composed in Israel/Palestine in the 1st or 2nd century CE and later edited in Babylon in the 4th or 5th century, making it reflect Jewish Babylonian Aramaic. It is the most famous Aramaic translation and was widely used throughout the Jewish communities. In Leviticus 13 and 14 it translates tzaraat as a “quarantining affliction” — focusing “on what occurs to individuals after they suffer the affliction; the person is isolated from the community.” (Source: Israel Drazin in this article ). Similarly, the English Jewish Orthodox ArtScroll Tanach translation (publ. 2011) transliterates it as tzaraat affliction.
See also stricken and leprosy healed.
Learn more on Bible Odyssey: Leprosy (Word Study) and Bible Translations Are for People .
complete verse (Proverbs 15:24)
Following are a number of back-translations as well as a sample translation for translators of Proverbs 15:24:
- Kupsabiny: “(A) wise man heads for (a/the) path of life,
so that (he) may not fall headlong into the world of the dead.” (Source: Kupsabiny Back Translation) - Newari: “The road followed by those
who have wisdom
moves them upwards towards life,
and it takes [them] far away from death.” (Source: Newari Back Translation) - Hiligaynon: “A wise man follows the path that leads to life so-that he can-avoid death.” (Source: Hiligaynon Back Translation)
- Kankanaey: “The path-taken-by the wise is the path that leads to life which is not the path that leads to death.” (Source: Kankanaey Back Translation)
- English: “Wise people walk on a road that leads up to a long life;
they do not walk on a road that leads down to the place where dead people are.” (Source: Translation for Translators) - Tuvan: “The wise man, in order to avoid the lower world, will tread the heights on the road leading to life.”
- Kalmyk: “The wise man, in order to avoid death, in order to live long and happily, goes up.” (Source for this and one above: Alexey Somov in The Bible Translator 2017, p. 51ff. )
with all heart
The Greek and Hebrew that is usually translated with “with all (one’s) heart” in English is translated in Newari as “from (one’s) inmost heart” (source: Newari Back Translation)
widow
The Hebrew, Ge’ez, and Greek that is translated as “widow” in English is translated in West Kewa as ona wasa or “woman shadow” (source: Karl J. Franklin in Notes on Translation 70/1978, pp. 13ff.) and in Newari as “husband already died ones” or “ones who have no husband” (source: Newari Back Translation).
In Cherokee the term is gender neutral and translates to “one who has lost someone.” (Source: Bender / Belt 2025, p. 100)
The etymological meaning of the Hebrew almanah (אַלְמָנָה) is likely “pain, ache,” the Greek chéra (χήρα) is likely “to leave behind,” “abandon,” and the English widow (as well as related terms in languages such as Dutch, German, Sanskrit, Welsh, or Persian) is “to separate,” “divide” (source: Wiktionary).
See also widows.