The name that is transliterated as “Elizabeth” or “Elisabeth” in English means “God of the oath,” “God is her oath,” a worshiper of God,” “my God has sworn.” (Source: Cornwall / Smith 1997 )
Pakaluk (2021, p. 249) explains the meaning of this name: “This name means ‘Son of Abba,’ that is, ‘Son of the Father.’ John tells us only that Bar-Abbas was a robber, which is enough to establish that he was a criminal who deserved to be in prison. In the Marian spirit that pervades his Gospel, John does not add that Bar-Abbas was also a brigand and a murderer. What matters is that the innocent Son of the Father took the place of this guilty ‘Son of the Father’ and allowed him to go free.”
The Greek that is transliterated as “Barabbas” in English is translated in Spanish Sign Language with a sign depicting for “thief or “delinquent.” (Source: Steve Parkhurst)
The Hebrew and Greek that is transliterated as “Cain” in English is transliterated as Kaḭ in Ngambay. In a translatory coincidence Kaḭ is very similar to the Ngambay word kain or “to flee” which is what Cain does according to Genesis 4:14. (Source: Andy Warren-Rothlin)
In the Protestant tradition of Mandarin Chinese it is transliterated as Gāiyǐn (该隐) which can be understood as “should hide” or “should be hidden.” (Source: Zetzsche)
In Spanish Sign Language it is translated with a sign that signifies “bad.” (Source: Steve Parkhurst)
The Hebrew that is transliterated as “Deborah” in English is translated in Spanish Sign Language with the signs for “woman” + “judge.” (Source: Steve Parkhurst)
The Hebrew and Latin that is transliterated as “Micah” in English is translated in Hungarian Sign Language with a sign that suggests that the prophet directly interprets the word of God to the people. (Source: Jenjelvi Biblia and HSL Bible Translation Group)
“Micah” in Hungarian Sign Language — note that only the first part refers to “Micah,” the second and third parts refer to “prophet” and “book” (source )
In Spanish Sign Language it is translated with the sign for “humility” or “obey,” referring to Micah 6:8. (Source: Steve Parkhurst)
The name of the father of John the Baptist that is transliterated as “Zechariah” in English is translated in Spanish Sign Language as “beard (the sign for a patriarch)” + “mute.” (Source: John Elwode in The Bible Translator 2008, p. 78ff. )
The following is a stained glass window depicting Mary’s visitation to Elizabeth. It was created by Ateliers Maréchal de Metz between 1848 and 1860 for the Cathédrale Notre-Dame de Luxembourg. Zechariah is shown on the right:
Photo by Marcin Szala, hosted by Wikimedia Commons under a Creative Commons Attribution-Share Alike 3.0 Unported license
Stained glass is not just highly decorative, it’s a medium which has been used to express important religious messages for centuries. Literacy was not widespread in the medieval and Renaissance periods and the Church used stained glass and other artworks to teach the central beliefs of Christianity. In Gothic churches, the windows were filled with extensive narrative scenes in stained glass — like huge and colorful picture storybooks — in which worshipers could ‘read’ the stories of Christ and the saints and learn what was required for their religious salvation. (Source: Victoria and Albert Museum )
The Hebrew and Greek that is transliterated as “Shem” in English is translated in Spanish Sign Language with a sign that signifies “Arab,” referring to the fact that Shem traditionally is seen as the forefather of Semitic people, including Abraham and his descendants (see Genesis 11:26 et al.)(Source: Steve Parkhurst)
Note that the terms “Semite” and “Semitic” are derived from “Shem.”
The Hebrew and Greek that is transliterated as “Nehemiah” in English means “YHWH comforts,” “YHWH has consoled.” (Source: Cornwall / Smith 1997 )
It is translated in Spanish Sign Language with the sign for “builder” referring to Nehemiah leading the effort to rebuild the walls of Jerusalem. (Source: Steve Parkhurst)
In Hungarian Sign Language it is translated with a sign that refers to his personality: to encourage, strengthen, and build. As governor, Nehemiah rebuilt the walls of Jerusalem after the Babylonian captivity; he encouraged the people, strengthened their faith and defenses, and restored the dignity of the community. Through his actions, he fulfilled the will of God. (Source: Jenjelvi Biblia and HSL Bible Translation Group)
“Nehemiah” in Hungarian Sign Language — note that only the first part refers to “Haggai,” the second part refers to “book” (source )
