Language-specific Insights

witness

The Hebrew, Ge’ez, and and Greek that is translated as “witness” in English is translated in these ways:

  • “truly have seen” in Highland Popoluca
  • “telling the truth regarding something” in Eastern Highland Otomi
  • “know something” in Lalana Chinantec
  • “verily know something to be the truth” in San Mateo del Mar Huave
  • “we ourselves saw this” in Desano
  • “tell the truth about something” in Eastern Highland Otomi
  • “know something is true because of seeing it” in Teutila Cuicatec (source for this and above: Viola Waterhouse in Notes on Translation August 1966, p. 86ff.)
  • “ones who will confirm that these-things that you have seen are true” in Kankanaey (source: Kankanaey Back Translation)
  • “ones who are to testify about these things, because it all happened before your eyes” in Tagbanwa (source: Tagbanwa Back Translation)

enslave and maltreat

The Greek in Acts 7:6 that is translates as “enslave (them) and maltreat (them)” or similar in English is translated in the following ways:

  • Lalana Chinantec: “they will become servants of other people, servant who don’t have any pay. The other people will mistreat them”
  • Teutila Cuicatec: “mistreat them and force them to work for them”
  • Desano: “they will help in the work like slaves and the people will scold them and beat them hard”
  • Eastern Highland Otomi: “they will be servants and have suffering”
  • Ayutla Mixtec: “will take your sons to be their property and will make them suffer”
  • Isthmus Mixe: “would be made laborers by force and be mistreated”
  • Highland Popoluca: “work them hard but not pay them” (source for this and above: Viola Waterhouse in Notes on Translation August 1966, p. 86ff.)

heaven is my throne and earth my footstool

The Greek and Hebrew that is typically translated as “heaven is my throne and earth my footstool” in English is translated in the following ways:

  • Eastern Highland Otomi: “heaven is where I have my power and earth is also where I have my power”
  • Highland Popoluca: “heaven I rule, earth I rule also”
  • Lalana Chinantec: “as a chair where kings sit is heaven where I sit. As is a low stool where my feet rest, is the earth”
  • San Mateo del Mar Huave: “if I wished, heaven could serve as my seat, and I could use the earth as a place to rest my feet if I wanted” (source for this and above: Viola Waterhouse in Notes on Translation August 1966, p. 86ff.)
  • Kankanaey: “In heaven is where I sit to rule, and the world, that’s where-I-stretch-out-my-legs.” (Source: Kankanaey Back Translation)
  • Tagbanwa: “The heavens really are my seat in kingship. The world is just the stepping-stool of my feet” (Source: Tagbanwa Back Translation)

complete verse (Acts 7:45)

Following are a number of back-translations of Acts 7:45:

  • Uma: “Some time after that, our ancestors died in that wilderness. And their children brought that worship tent into this land of Kanaan. At that time, God expelled the inhabitants of Kanaan, and Yosua lead the Israel people to win/obtain this land that we dwell in now. So, that worship tent was still in the midst of the Israel people long ago until the time of King Daud.” (Source: Uma Back Translation)
  • Yakan: “Then they left that house to their descendants for-many-generations. And our (incl.) forefathers brought it when they and Yussa’ entered into this land, after God had driven away the other nations/tribes that were living here. And that house was still here until-during the time when Da’ud was king.” (Source: Yakan Back Translation)
  • Western Bukidnon Manobo: “And a long time after that as for the children of these ancestors of ours, when they inherited that shelter where God lived, they did not abandon it in their following Joshua when they came into this our land. And they came to own this land when God drove out the previous inhabitants here. And the dwelling place of God was still here when David began to rule.” (Source: Western Bukidnon Manobo Back Translation)
  • Kankanaey: “When Moses died, Josue took-his-place to lead them in their coming to this country. And that-aforementioned Tent which they inherited, they took-it-with-them in their taking-over the land of those who originally/formerly resided here whom God drove-out. And that-aforementioned Tent, it remained in our country until the time of King David.” (Source: Kankanaey Back Translation)
  • Tagbanwa: “It was inherited by their childen who were then being led by Josue who succeeded Moises. They brought it with them when they entered this land which became theirs, when they drove out the previous inhabitants with the help of God. That really was their handed-down worship-place of God till the time of king David.” (Source: Tagbanwa Back Translation)
  • Highland Popoluca: “When Moses died, Joshua was chosen that he would lead our brothers passed-by (forefathers). And Joshua took our brothers from the desert to the land promised them by God. When they arrived there the land was occupied. But God put out these people that our forefathers should be able to go in. For a long time they the Israel people had their cloth house until David was their leader.” (Source: Viola Waterhouse in Notes on Translation August 1966, p. 86ff.)

complete verse (Acts 10:43)

Following are a number of back-translations of Acts 10:43:

  • Uma: “All the prophets long ago spoke of him, they said: whoever believes in Yesus, their sins are forgiven because of his redemption/redeeming-work.'” (Source: Uma Back Translation)
  • Yakan: “All the prophets also spoke about Isa Almasi. They said that whoever trusts in Isa, their sins will be forgiven because of what Isa has done.'” (Source: Yakan Back Translation)
  • Western Bukidnon Manobo: “Jesus Christ was prophesied by all of those whom God inspired long ago. And they said that by means of the power of his name all who trust in him, he will forgive them of their bad custom.'” (Source: Western Bukidnon Manobo Back Translation)
  • Kankanaey: “All the prophets moreover long ago, they said that by-means-of Jesus, the sins of all who believe in him will be forgiven.'” (Source: Kankanaey Back Translation)
  • Tagbanwa: “He also is the one being testified about by all the prophets of the past whose writing said, whoever will believe-in/obey and trust in him, their sins will be forgiven through the saving which he would do.'” (Source: Tagbanwa Back Translation)
  • Isthmus Mixe: “In all the books God’s speakers have written, it tells there that all of us (incl.) can be saved from our sins if we believe his words. He has the authority to save us.”
  • Highland Popoluca: “Since long ago prophets have said that there is a man coming who if we should believe, would make our hearts clean. This man that they said was the coming one, he is Jesus.” (Source for this and above: Viola Waterhouse in Notes on Translation August 1966, p. 86ff.)