Language-specific Insights

Why do the wicked renounce God

The Hebrew that is translated in English as “Why do the wicked renounce God” or similar is translated in Halbi as “How can the wicked man despise God?” “The translators became aware that the initial question (“Why does the wicked man despise God?”) could be seen by readers as a genuine content question rather than a rhetorical question.” (Source: Tim Stirtz and Mike Cahill in Watters / de Blois 2023, p. 420)

“Renounce God” is translated in Chichewa as chipongwe Mulungu. “Chipwonge” is used to refer to acts or derogatory remarks that dishonor another person. (Mulungu is the Chichewa word for “God.”) (Source: Mawu a Mulungu mu Chichewa Chalero Back Translation)

See also blaspheme / blasphemy.

I the LORD your God am a jealous God

The Hebrew that is translated in English as “I, the Lord your God, am a jealous God” or similar is translated in Toraja-Sa’dan with an established figure of speech: “I am the Lord your God who will not that His face is drawn as water is drawn” (i.e “who will not that a person treats Him without respect, or refuses to figure with Him, or dishonors Him, or in passing Him by honors others above him.”) (Source: H. van der Veen in The Bible Translator 1950, p. 21 ff. ).

In Orma, the phrase is translated as “I, the Lord your God, will not tolerate if you bow down and worship them.” George Payton explains: “When we translated Exodus in Orma, we had difficulty translating ‘jealous’ in the Ten Commandments in Exodus 20. The first commandments in vv.3-5 read, ‘You shall have no other gods before me. 4 ‘You shall not make for yourself an image in the form of anything in heaven above or on the earth beneath or in the waters below. 5 You shall not bow down to them or worship them; for I, the Lord your God, am a jealous God, punishing the children for the sin of the parents…’

“Verse 5 says ‘I, the Lord your God, am a jealous God’ The word jealous/jealousy in Orma is hinaafa. This word brings two negative connotations. One is feeling envious of someone else’s property, or of the prosperity of their livestock or the produce of their farms. In other words, envy or coveting what someone else has but you do not. The word hinaafa can also refer to a jealous husband in a bad way. When a husband is always suspicious of his wife being unfaithful, he easily flies into a rage when she does something that triggers his suspicions, even if she is innocent. Sometimes the husband attacks her or someone else and harms them because of his jealousy. Hinaafa communicates that idea of blind rage, often unreasonable or irrational. We had to choose a different way to communicate God’s attitude. God promised to punish them if they worship any gods because He will not put up with them if they do. We ended up translating vv3-5: ‘Apart from me, you shall not worship any other gods. You shall not make a statue of anything in heaven or anything on earth or anything in the waters. I, the LORD your God, will not tolerate if you bow down and worship them. If you do, I will punish even the children for the sin of their parents…'”

In Chichewa “‘jealousy’ very commonly includes a prominent sexual component” so the solution there was to translated “(a God) who does not allow competition with me” (source: Wendland 1987, p. 127) and in Chamula Tzotzil it is not appropriate to use the usual word for jealousy of humans in relation to God when translating the Hebrew term that is translated as “jealous” in English versions. Here “I get angry with those who go with others” is used (source: Robert Bascom).

crown of life

The Greek in James 1:12 that is translated in English as “crown of life” is translated in Navajo (Dinė) as “the life-way prize” (source: Nida 1964, p. 238) and in Owa as “the wage of your souls” (source: Carl Gross).

In Chichewa (interconfessional translation) translated as mphotho or “prize (of life)”. Ernst Wendland (1987, p. 120) explains: “A Chewa Chief might wear a special sea shell or bracelet as a sort of badge of office, but these would be magically endowed to give him super-natural protection against his enemies. Because of these underlying associations, such terms would not be appropriate here. Instead the word mphotho ‘prize,’ ‘reward’ (for achievement) has been used.”

See also complete verse (James 1:12) and crown of thorns.

kiss his feet

The Hebrew in Psalm 2:12 that is translated as “kiss his feet” or similar in English is translated in Elhomwe with “bow down.” “‘To embrace’ (or ‘kiss’) when defeated would not be appropriate in Llomwe culture.” (Source: project-specific translation notes in Paratext)

In the Contemporary Chichewa translation (2002/2016) it is not translated with the term for the mouth-to-mouth kiss which is done in private for people in a romantic relationship. Rather, it is kissing of either the feet or hands by someone of lower status. This kind of kiss is for expression of respect, submission, and apology. Mostly, the people whose feet or hands are kissed are those with authority such as chiefs, elders, and religious leaders. (Source: Mawu a Mulungu mu Chichewa Chalero Back Translation)

See also kissed (his feet).

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.

sorceress, witch

The translation of the Hebrew in Exodus 22:18 that is translated as “witch,” “sorceress” or alike in English is discussed in the attached paper by Robert Priest. He stipulates that in many languages, particularly in the African context, there are two categories of people that could be described with that term.

The first category would include people who offer “magico-religious” services to clients with a variety of goals, including healing, success, protection and others. Often-used anthropological English terms for these individuals include “shaman,” “diviner,” or “traditional healer.”

The other group includes people who are “thought to be the evil reasons for misfortune in the lives of others.”

He cites Hausa*, Lingala*, Mongo (Lomongo), Sango, Luba-Lulua (Tschiluba) as languages that use a term from the first category and the following languages with terms from the second category: Bambara, Southern Bobo Madaré (Bobo Madare), Chichewa (Chewa), Kanyok (Kanioka), Kikamba, Kongo, Kikuyu, Gusii (Kisii), Kisonge, Kituba, Ngbaka, Merina Malagasy, Swahili, Tetela, Tumbuka, Yoruba.

* In these languages, different versions use terms from either category.

See Bible Translation, Theology, and Witches by Robert J. Priest

your lips distill nectar (your lips drip honey)

The interconfessional Chichewa translation (publ. 1999) uses the ideophone mvee in Song of Songs 4:11 to describe the thick and rich honey dripping from the lips. Mvee is generally used for dense, viscous abundance (oozing / glistening) as well as for sensory overload (sweetness / richness / seduction. (Source: Ernst Wendland)

Ideophones are a class of sound symbolic words expressing human sensation that are used as literary devices in many African languages. (Source: Philip Noss)