Following are a number of back-translations of Mark 1:23:
Uma: “At that time, there was a person who was possessed [lit., ridden] by an evil spirit, he also entered into that prayer house, and he shouted:” (Source: Uma Back Translation)
Yakan: “So-then a person/man entered the prayer-house who was demon possessed.” (Source: Yakan Back Translation)
Western Bukidnon Manobo: “And while Jesus was still teaching, suddenly there came into the church a man afflicted by a demon.” (Source: Western Bukidnon Manobo Back Translation)
Kankanaey: “There was a man there whom an evil-spirit had possessed (lit. fastened/adhered-to, same in all references).” (Source: Kankanaey Back Translation)
Tagbanwa: “Suddenly/unexpectedly there was a person who was possessed by an evil spirit who shouted out in that worship-place.” (Source: Tagbanwa Back Translation)
Shipibo-Conibo: “Just then too a certain man was in their small house to praise God in, a ruinous demon possessor. Thereupon he screamed. (Source: James Lauriault in The Bible Translator 1951, p. 32ff. )
“beg” or “ask,” (full expression: “ask with one’s heart coming out,” which leaves out selfish praying, for asking with the heart out leaves no place for self to hide) (Tzotzil)
“raise up one’s words to God” (implying an element of worship, as well as communication) (Miskito, Lacandon) (source of this and all above: Bratcher / Nida)
“speak to God” (Shilluk) (source: Nida 1964, p. 237)
“talk together with Great Above One (=God)” (Mairasi) (source: Enggavoter, 2004)
“beg” (waan) (Ik). Terrill Schrock (in Wycliffe Bible Translators 2016, p. 93) explains (click or tap here to read more):
What do begging and praying have to do with each other? Do you beg when you pray? Do I?
“The Ik word for ‘visitor’ is waanam, which means ‘begging person.’ Do you beg when you go visiting? The Ik do. Maybe you don’t beg, but maybe when you visit someone, you are looking for something. Maybe it’s just a listening ear.
When the Ik hear that [my wife] Amber and I are planning trip to this or that place for a certain amount of time, the letters and lists start coming. As the days dwindle before our departure, the little stack of guests grows. ‘Please, sir, remember me for the allowing: shoes, jacket (rainproof), watch, box, trousers, pens, and money for the children. Thank you, sir, for your assistance.’
“A few people come by just to greet us or spend bit of time with us. Another precious few will occasionally confide in us about their problems without asking for anything more than a listening ear. I love that.
“The other day I was in our spare bedroom praying my list of requests to God — a nice list covering most areas of my life, certainly all the points of anxiety. Then it hit me: Does God want my list, or does he want my relationship?
“I decided to try something. Instead of reading off my list of requests to God, I just talk to him about my issues without any expectation of how he should respond. I make it more about our relationship than my list, because if our personhood is like God’s personhood, then maybe God prefers our confidence and time to our lists, letters, and enumerations.”
In Luang it is translated with different shades of meaning (click or tap here to read more):
For Acts 1:14, 20:36, 21:5: kola ttieru-yawur nehla — “hold the waist and hug the neck.” (“This is the more general term for prayer and often refers to worship in prayer as opposed to petition. The Luang people spend the majority of their prayers worshiping rather than petitioning, which explains why this term often is used generically for prayer.”)
For Acts 28:9: sumbiani — “pray.” (“This term is also used generically for ‘prayer’. When praying is referred to several times in close proximity, it serves as a variation for kola ttieru-yawur nehla, in keeping with Luang discourse style. It is also used when a prayer is made up of many requests.”)
For Acts 8:15, 12:5: polu-waka — “call-ask.” (“This is a term for petition that is used especially when the need is very intense.”)
Source: Kathy Taber in Notes on Translation 1/1999, p. 9-16.
Following are a number of back-translations of Mark 1:2:
Uma: “The story begins from the arrival of Yohanes the Baptizer. The arrival of Yohanes was already foretold in the letter of the prophet Yesaya. With the lips of the prophet(s), God said to his Child like this: ‘This one is my messenger, I send him ahead of you (sing.), in order to prepare your (sing.) road.'” (Source: Uma Back Translation)
Yakan: “The beginning of this good news was written by Nabi Isaya in the holy-book. He said, ‘God says, ‘I will send my messenger ahead of you so-that/and he will prepare your way.'” (Source: Yakan Back Translation)
Western Bukidnon Manobo: “Isaiah, the former prophet of God long ago, wrote what God said to his Son, and that was the beginning of the good news about Jesus Christ, Son of God. God said, ‘There will be in the future a person whom I will cause to go ahead of you, and I will cause to announce that you will soon arrive.” (Source: Western Bukidnon Manobo Back Translation)
Kankanaey: “There is that which God said to his Child long-ago that he caused-Isaias -to-write who was a prophet. He said, ‘You (sing.) listen, I will send someone to precede you (sing.) to prepare where-you-(sing.)-will-walk.” (Source: Kankanaey Back Translation)
Tagbanwa: “This began when what had been written by the prophets of the past was fulfilled, which said, ‘It’s true, there is one whom I will send who will go ahead of you (sing.), for he will prepare where you will go.'” (Source: Tagbanwa Back Translation)
Shipibo-Conibo: “Thus it is written in the book of Isaiah, a teller of God’s word. Look! The taker of my word I send before you, to arrange your path before you.” (Source: James Lauriault in The Bible Translator 1951, p. 32ff. )
Balinese: “It says in the book of the prophet Jesaja, as follows: Father sends a messenger in front of you. my child who shall put aright your way;” (Source: J.L. Swellengrebel in The Bible Translator 1950, p. 75ff. )
English translation by Michael Pakaluk (2019): “Exactly as is written in Isaiah the prophet (Behold, I am sending my messenger before you, who will prepare your way… .”
Following are a number of back-translations of Mark 1:34:
Uma: “There were many people whom he healed of their many kinds of sicknesses. Also many demons that were possessing people he expelled. But he did not permit the demons to speak, because they knew that he was the Child of God.” (Source: Uma Back Translation)
Yakan: “Many people who had all kinds of sickness were healed by Isa and also many demons were cast-out (lit. caused-to-get-out) by him. He commanded the demons not to speak for they really knew as to who Isa was.” (Source: Yakan Back Translation)
Western Bukidnon Manobo: “Jesus healed many who were sick with many kinds of diseases. There were also many demons he caused to go away from people. And those demons, Jesus would not allow them to speak, because they knew who Jesus really was.” (Source: Western Bukidnon Manobo Back Translation)
Kankanaey: “And he healed the many who were sick of many-kinds of sicknesses. He also caused-the many evil-spirits -to-leave while-simultaneously making-them-be-quiet, because they knew who he was.” (Source: Kankanaey Back Translation)
Tagbanwa: “Many who were sick were healed by Jesus, no matter what kind of illness they were asking help for. Many also were the evil spirits he drove out. He did not allow the evil spirits to speak because they were well-aware of who he really was.” (Source: Tagbanwa Back Translation)
Shipibo-Conibo: “Then he arranged many sick ones, those with mixed sicknesses. Thereupon he expelled many demons. He did not permit the demons to speak, since they knew him.” (Source: James Lauriault in The Bible Translator 1951, p. 32ff. )
Balinese: “Many were healed by Him. who were ill by various sicknesses, moreover many demons were expelled. and they were not allowed to speak. because they knew Him already.” (Source: J.L. Swellengrebel in The Bible Translator 1950, p. 75ff. )
English translation by Michael Pakaluk (2019): “So he healed the many townspeople who were sick –suffering from diseases of every description. He cast out many devils. He did not permit the devils to say anything, because they knew him.”
Following are a number of back-translations of Mark 1:13:
Uma: “Forty days he was there. While he was in that field, the King of Evil-ones tempted him. Wild animals were with him, and angels took care of him.” (Source: Uma Back Translation)
Yakan: “Forty days (and nights) he was tempted there by the leader of demons. There were also forest animals there but Isa was cared for by the angels.” (Source: Yakan Back Translation)
Western Bukidnon Manobo: “Jesus stayed there for forty days, and Satan tested him to see if he might sin. And there were also there harmful beasts, but the angels of God came to Jesus and took care of him.” (Source: Western Bukidnon Manobo Back Translation)
Kankanaey: “He stayed there for forty days while-simultaneously also Satanas (Satan) tried-repeatedly to tempt him. There were also fierce animals where he was, but (reassurance particle) there were angels who were helping him.” (Source: Kankanaey Back Translation)
Tagbanwa: “Forty days was how long he was there. He was tempted/tested by Satanas as to whether he could-be-caused- by him -to-fall (into sin, fig.). There in that place there were wild animals, but Jesus was being served by angels.” (Source: Tagbanwa Back Translation)
Bariai: “He stayed in that area for a duration of forty days, and Satan was testing him. He was living with the wild animals, and anggelos came and helped him.” (Source: Bariai Back Translation)
Kupsabiny: “He stayed there for forty days without anything he was eating. Satan tempted him while he was there. When Satan had left, (the) angels of God came and helped him.” (Source: Kupsabiny Back Translation)
Mairasi: “There at-this-place where there were no other people the Headman-of-the-malevolent-spirits regularly tempted him, there were wild jungle-meat around him, and angels whom Great Above One sent regularly cared for him. He stayed there until finally two complete persons [40 = 2 people = 40 fingers & toes] days.” [For the counting system, see body part tally systems.] (Source Enggavoter 2004)
Shipibo-Conibo: “Then he was where no house is, forty days. While there, Satan wanted to make him do evil. He was also among biting things. Then the word bringers made him eat.” (Source: James Lauriault in The Bible Translator 1951, p. 32ff. )
Balinese: “Forty nights long He was in the barren field, tempted by Sang [‘Sang’ is a personal article that is often attached to the names of persons or powers that are characteristic of the normal, human, every-day world] Satan. There He was in the midst of wild beasts, served by the heavenly messengers.” (Source: J.L. Swellengrebel in The Bible Translator 1950, p. 75ff. )
English translation by Michael Pakaluk (2019): “And he was in the desert for forty days, where he was put to the test by Satan. He faced dangerous animals. And the angels ministered to him.”
Following are a number of back-translations of Mark 1:45:
Uma: “But in fact, when that person left, he continually talked everywhere about his having been healed by Yesus. The result was that Yesus was no longer able to enter into town because so many people crowded around him. He stayed outside town in empty place(s). But even so, there was still no end to the people coming from many towns wanting to meet him.” (Source: Uma Back Translation)
Yakan: “But the man who had had leprosy went and he really told about his healing and he made this well-known. Therefore Isa could no longer go into the towns exposing (lit. come-out) (himself) to the people, but he was just there in the places not inhabited by people. But the people went there to him from all the places.” (Source: Yakan Back Translation)
Western Bukidnon Manobo: “However when that person left he told everybody what has happened to him. Because of this, Jesus could no longer go openly when he went to the villages because many people would gather together. Jesus just roamed around in the country and people came out to him from everywhere.” (Source: Western Bukidnon Manobo Back Translation)
Kankanaey: “But he did not obey but rather he went repeatedly-relating what was done to him. The result of it was that Jesus was not able-to-go to the towns lest people in large-groups go to meet him, but rather he stayed in isolated places that had no inhabitants. But even though that was so, the many-people went nevertheless to where he was from all places.” (Source: Kankanaey Back Translation)
Tagbanwa: “But as that person went, he told everyone how that illness of his stopped. Therefore what happened was, Jesus could no longer go in the town openly because large numbers of people would come to him. He was now outside the town only, in the wilderness places. The people were going to him from every place.” (Source: Tagbanwa Back Translation)
Shipibo-Conibo: “But having gone, he began to speak much to them. He began to widen that word out. When he did thus, Jesus could not arrive visibly at any village. But he was where no house is. Then they came to him from every place.” (Source: James Lauriault in The Bible Translator 1951, p. 32ff. )
Balinese: “But when that man had gone away from there, he told these things hither and thither and made them known, so that Jesus could not enter the city publicly, but was staying outside the city, in desert places. There the people from here and there came to Him.” (Source: J.L. Swellengrebel in The Bible Translator 1950, p. 75ff. )
English translation by Michael Pakaluk (2019): “But as soon as he left, he began to proclaim it loudly, spreading his story far and wide. Well, that is why it was no longer feasible for Jesus to enter villages openly. Instead, he stayed outside, in desolate places. And people everywhere came to him.”
About the translation of the Greek (and Ge’ez) term that is usually transliterated with the terms “baptism” or “baptize” in English (for other English translations see below), Bratcher / Nida (1961) say this (click or tap for details):
“[It] has given rise not only to an immense amount of discussion in terms of its meaning within the Judaeo-Christia historical context, but also continues to introduce serious problems for translators today. In many instances the recommendation has been to transliterate, i.e. employing some indigenous equivalent of the sounds of the word in some more prestigious language spoken in the region, e.g. English, French, Spanish, or Portuguese. Though this solution tends to remove some theological controversies, it does not completely satisfy everyone, for not only does it avoid the problem of the mode of baptism, but it leaves the Scriptures with a zero word. Unfortunately, many of the controversies over the indigenous equivalent of baptism arise because of a false evaluation of a word’s so-called etymology. For example, in Yucateco the word for baptism means literally ‘to enter the water’, but this term is used freely by both Presbyterians and Roman Catholics, even though it might appear to be strictly ‘Baptist nomenclature.’ Similarly, in Kekchí, an even ‘stronger’ term ‘to put under the water’ is employed by Nazarenes and Roman Catholics. Obviously the meanings of these Yucateco and Kekchí words are not derivable from their literal significance but from the fact that they now designate a particular kind of Christian rite. To insist on changing such a well-established usage (and one to which immersionists could certainly not object) would seem quite unwarranted. The situation may, on the other hand, be reversed. There are instances in which immersionists are quite happy to use a term which though it means literally ‘to put water on the head’ [see below for the translations in Northern Emberá and Ewe] has actually lost this etymological value and refers simply to the rite itself, regardless of the way in which it is performed. A translator should not, however, employ an already existing expression or construct a new phrase which will in its evident meaning rule out any major Christian constituency.
“There are, of course, a number of instances in which traditional terms for ‘baptism’ need modification. In some situations the word may mean only ‘to give a new name to’ (one aspect of christening) or ‘to be one who lights’ (referring to a custom in some traditions of lighting a candle at the time of baptism). However, in order to reproduce the core of significant meaning of the original Biblical term, it is important to explore the entire range of indigenous usage in order that whatever term is chosen may have at least some measure of cultural relevance. In Navajo (Dinė), for example, there were four principal possibilities of choice: (1) borrowing some transliterated form of the English word, (2) constructing a phrase meaning ‘to touch with water’ (an expression which would have been acceptable with some groups in the field, but not with others), (3) using a phrase meaning ‘ceremonial washing’ (but this expression seemed to be too closely related to indigenous practices in healing ceremonies), and (4) devising an expression meaning ‘to dedicate (or consecrate) by water’, without specifying the amount of water employed. This last alternative was chosen as the most meaningful and the best basis for metaphorical extension and teaching.
“On the other hand, it would be wrong to think that the meaning of ‘washing’ must be rejected in all languages. For example, it is quite appropriate in Kpelle culture, since it ties in with male puberty rites, and in the San Blas Kuna society, since washing is a very important aspect of female puberty ceremonies, in some translations ‘water’ is introduced into the expression for baptism, but the quantity and means of administrating it are left quite ambiguous, e.g. ‘to get (take, receive) water’ (Tzeltal). Toraja-Sa’dan, Pamona and Batak Toba render the verb ‘to pour water over, give a bath’.” (Source: Bratcher / Nida)
Other examples of translation include:
Javanese, Indonesian and many others: transliterated forms of the Greek “baptizo”
Balinese: ngelukat (a Balinese initiation ceremony in which persons were sprinkled with consecrated water) (source for this and above: Biblical Terms in The Bible Translator 1952, p. 225ff. )
Yagaria: “gospel water” (bono’ nina) for “baptism” and “wash (or: rub) with gospel water” (bono’ ni’ folo-) for “baptize” (source for this and two above: Renck 1990, p. 84; 115)
Halh Mongolian: argon ochial (“holy washing”) (“The people in Mongolia are strictly religious and understand the meaning very well. They are familiar with the idea of water being used as a symbol of a new life and having received ‘holy washing’ means to have entered into a new sphere of life.”) (Source: A. Marthinson in The Bible Translator 1954, p. 74ff. ) (Note: In more recent Mongolian translations a transliteration of baptizo is used instead)
Yatzachi Zapotec: (Spanish loan word and transliteration of the Greek term) bautizar (click or tap for details):
“The Yatzachi Zapotec know the practice of baptism and have a word to express it. There would thus seem to be no problem involved. Unfortunately, however, the word for ‘baptize’ is a compound, one part being a word nowhere else used and the other part being the word for ‘water.’ Perhaps ‘water-baptize’ is the closest equivalent in English. For most contexts this presents no problem, but if the word is used in Mark 1:8, it would say, ‘He will water-baptize you with the Holy Ghost.’ In Zapotec the idea is unintelligible. To meet the problem, the Spanish word ‘bautizar’ was introduced at this point though the Zapotec word is ordinarily used. The disadvantages of this substitution are obvious, but no better solution was found.” (Source: Otis M. Leal in The Bible Translator 1951, p. 164ff.
Uab Meto: antam oe (“to enter into the water”) (click or tap for details):
“Formerly in Uab Meto the word used for ’baptism’ was ‘nasrami’ which actually came by way of Arabic from ‘Nazarene.’ Its meaning was ‘to make a Christian’ and the idea was that the one who baptized actually made Christians. Such an expression was obviously inadequate. We have used for ‘baptize’ the phrase in ‘antam oe’ which means ‘to enter into the water.’ This phrase can be used for sprinkling, for water is used as a symbol of the new life, and being baptized means for the Uab Meto to enter into a new sphere of life. Baptism is so frequently spoken of in connection with the giving of the Holy Spirit that the proper associations have arisen in the thinking of the people.” (Source: P. Middelkoop in The Bible Translator 1952 p. 165ff. )
Mandarin Chinese: Catholic: 洗 xǐ (“washing”); non-Baptist Protestant 聖洗 shèngxǐ (“holy washing”); Baptist: 浸洗 jìnxǐ (“immerse and wash”) (In the history of Chinese Bible translation the translation of the Greek baptizo was a point of great contention, so much so that in the 19th Century Baptists had a completely different set of Bible translations and even today are using different editions with the different term of the same versions that other Protestants use.) (Source: Zetzsche 2008)
The Germandas Buch translation by Roland Werner (publ. 2009-2022) uses a variety of translations, including “immersed (in water)” (eintauchen or untertauchen) but also the traditional German term for “baptism (Taufe)” or in the combination “immersed in baptism”
The disagreement about whether the translation of the Greek baptizo needed to include “immersion” not only caused conflict in China, it also led to splits — and different translations — in English-speaking countries: “The influential British and Foreign Bible Society had been a major supporter of the [Baptist] Serampore mission, but it finally severed its support in 1836 because of the Baptist interpretation of the Bible translations produced there. This led to the formation of the separate Baptist Bible Translation Society in Great Britain in 1840. Almost concurrently, in 1837, the American and Foreign Bible Society was founded in the United States as an offspring of the American Bible Society, over a controversy about a Baptist Bengali Bible translation. The American and Foreign Bible Society itself experienced another split in 1850, when a sub-group rejected the transliteration of baptizo in the English Bible and formed the American Bible Union, which published its own English New Testament in 1862/63 that used the term immerse instead of “baptize” (see here ). (Source: Zetzsche 2008)
Eugene Nida wrote the following about the translation of the Hebrew, Aramaic, Ge’ez, and Greek terms that are typically translated with “prophet” in English:
“The tendency in many translations is to use ‘to foretell the future’ for ‘prophesy,’ and ‘one who foretells the future’ for ‘prophet.’ This is not always a recommended usage, particularly if such expressions denote certain special native practices of spirit contact and control. It is true, of course, that prophets of the Bible did foretell the future, but this was not always their principal function. One essential significance of the Greek word prophētēs is ‘one who speaks forth,’ principally, of course, as a forth-teller of the Divine will. A translation such as ‘spokesman for God’ may often be employed profitably.” (1947, p. 234f.)
Following is a list of (back-) translations from other languages (click or tap for details):
Ayutla Mixtec: “one who talks as God’s representative”
Isthmus Mixe: “speaker for God” (source for this and two above: Viola Waterhouse in Notes on Translation August 1966, p. 86ff.)
Mezquital Otomi / Paasaal: “God’s messenger” (source: Waterhouse / Parrott in Notes on Translation October 1967, p. 1ff. and Fabian N. Dapila in The Bible Translator 2024, p. 415ff.)
Noongar: Warda Marridjiny or “News Traveling” (source: Warda-Kwabba Luke-Ang)
Kutu: mtula ndagu or “one who gives the prediction of the past and the future” (Source: Pioneer Bible Translators, project-specific translation notes in Paratext)
Ebira: ọnịsẹ, a neologism that combines the prefix ọn for “a person” with ịsẹ for “prediction” (source: Scholz /Scholz 2015, p. 49)
French 1985 translation by Chouraqui: inspiré or “inspired one” (“someone in whom God has breathed [Latin: in + spiro]) (source: Watson 2023, p. 45)
Cherokee: adolehosgi (ᎠᏙᎴᎰᏍᎩ) or “discoverer of things,” a “term that was was traditionally applied to Cherokee medicine men or women who used divining.” (Source: Bender / Belt 2025, p. 49)
In Ixcatlán Mazatec a term is used that specifically includes women. (Source: Robert Bascom)
“In some instances these spiritual terms result from adaptations reflecting the native life and culture. Among the Northern Grebo people of Liberia, a missionary wanted some adequate term for ‘prophet,’ and she was fully aware that the native word for ‘soothsayer’ or ‘diviner’ was no equivalent for the Biblical prophet who spoke forth for God. Of course, much of what the prophets said referred to the future, and though this was an essential part of much of their ministry, it was by no means all. The right word for the Gbeapo people would have to include something which would not only mean the foretelling of important events but the proclamation of truth as God’s representative among the people. At last the right word came; it was ‘God’s town-crier.’ Every morning and evening the official representative of the chief goes through the village crying out the news, delivering the orders of the chief, and announcing important coming events. ‘God’s town-crier’ would be the official representative of God, announcing to the people God’s doings, His commands, and His pronouncements for their salvation and well-being. For the Northern Grebo people the prophet is no weird person from forgotten times; he is as real as the human, moving message of the plowman Amos, who became God’s town-crier to a calloused people.” (source: Nida 1952, p. 20)
In British Sign Language it is is translated with a sign that depicts a message coming from God to a person (the upright finger) and then being passed on to others. (Source: Anna Smith)
“Prophet” in British Sign Language (source: Christian BSL, used with permission)
