The Greek in Romans 8:23 that is translated as “have the first fruits of the Spirit” or similar in English is translated as “the Spirit has begun to work in our hearts” in Tzeltal and as “received the Good Spirit of God so that therefore we should know well that a little later we should be completely saved” Central Tarahumara. (Source: Waterhouse / Parrott in Notes on Translation October 1967, p. 1ff.)
Language-specific Insights
character
The Greek in Romans 5:4 that is translated as “character” (or “experience”) in English is translated in the following ways:
- Pitjantjatjara: “we become with strength and don’t fall, and God seeing us is pleased” (source: Carl Gross)
- Hopi: “maturity”
- Isthmus Zapotec: “standing firm”
- Central Tarahumara: “being called as doers of good”
- Miahuatlán Zapotec: “showing people we really believe in Christ”
- Central Mazahua as “knowing that we passed well” (source for this and four above: Waterhouse / Parrott in Notes on Translation October 1967, p. 1ff.)
- Bariai “God is happy with us because we overcome/surpass various kinds of testings” (source: Bariai Back Translation)
See also complete verse (Romans 5:4).
exchanged natural relations for unnatural
The Greek in Romans 1:26 that is translated as “exchanged natural relations for unnatural” or similar in English is translated as
- “stop their work with men and begin to do wrong things with one another” in Hopi
- “women no longer did as women do but rather knew each other” in Isthmus Zapotec
- “changed their lives. They didn’t live with a man. Among themselves they sinned against each other” in Huehuetla Tepehua
- “even the women, one with another, strangely doing evil” in Central Tarahumara
- “lay down with other women as they should not do” in Yatzachi Zapotec (source for this and above: Waterhouse / Parrott in Notes on Translation October 1967, p. 1ff.)
- “women no longer put their throat on [pay attention to; have affection for], with the result that they even women stimulate each other’s genitalia” in Mairasi (source: Enggavoter 2004)
- “women became lesbian and exchanged the natural sexual relationships with unnatural ones” in he German New Testament translation by Berger / Nord (publ. 1999)
- “women even left their husbands and married each other” in Kupsabiny (source: Kupsabiny Back Translation)
See also complete verse (Romans 1:26).
go in peace
The Hebrew, Ge’ez, and Greek that is translated as “go in peace” into English is an idiomatic expression of farewell which is translatable in other languages as an idiomatic expression as well:
- “go with sweet insides” (Shilluk)
- “rejoice as you go” (Central Mazahua)
- “go in quietness of heart” (Chol)
- “go happy” (Highland Puebla Nahuatl)
- “being happy, go” (Central Tarahumara)
- “go and sit down in your heart” (Tzeltal) (source for this and five above: Bratcher / Nida)
- “have a smooth interior and go” (Bariai) (source: Bariai Back Translation)
- “Go home with goodness of your life” (Uma (source: Uma Back Translation)
- “Go home now, and may your situation be good.” (Western Bukidnon Manobo) (source: Western Bukidnon Manobo Back Translation)
- “Go with your mind at-peace” (tip_language language=”3135″]Kankanaey[/tip_language]) (source: Kankanaey Back Translation)
“Go with-your-liver-good” (Mairasi) (source Enggavoter 2004)
mystery
The Greek, Ge’ez, and Aramaic that is translated as “mystery” in English is translated as “wisdom which was hidden” in Mezquital Otomi, as “that was not possible to be understood before” in Huehuetla Tepehua, as “which was not known in time past” in Central Tarahumara (source: Waterhouse / Parrott in Notes on Translation October 1967, p. 1ff.), and in Newari as “hidden meaning” or “hidden matter” (source: Newari Back Translation).
sexual promiscuity
The Greek in Romans 13:13 that is translated in English as “sexual promiscuity” or similar is translated as
- “have affairs with women” in Chicahuaxtla Triqui
- “act any old way” in Central Tarahumara
- “live in the street” in Huehuetla Tepehua
- “commit adultery” in Yatzachi Zapotec
- “lie with people” in Mezquital Otomi
- “go after women” in Isthmus Zapotec (source: Waterhouse / Parrott in Notes on Translation October 1967, p. 1ff.)
- “play alongside the mat [foolish joking]” in Mairasi (source: Enggavoter 2004)
See also licentiousness / impurity, sexual immorality / fornication and adultery.
dishonor God
The Greek in Romans 2:23 that is usually translated in English as “dishonor God” is translated in various ways:
- Yatzachi Zapotec: “defame God’s character”
- Chicahuaxtla Triqui: “have no reverence before God”
- Tabasco Chontal: “cause God to be hated”
- Sayula Popoluca: “put God in a bad light”
- Highland Totonac: “put God to shame”
- Tzeltal: “cause embarrassment to God”
- Isthmus Zapotec: “err against God”
- Central Tarahumara: “become an enemy of God” (source for all above: Waterhouse / Parrott in Notes on Translation October 1967, p. 1ff.)
- Bariai: “your eyes mock God” (source: Bariai Back Translation)
- Kupsabiny: “insult God” (source: Kupsabiny Back Translation)
- Mairasi: “oppose God” (Enggavoter 2004)
- Hiligaynon: “causing- God -to-be-ashamed” (source: Hiligaynon Back Translation)
See also complete verse (Romans 2:23).
worries of the world / cares of this age
The Greek in Mark 4:19 that is translated as “worries (or: cares) of the world (or: this age)” in English is (back-) translated in a number of ways:
- Kekchí: “they think very much about these days now”
- Farefare: “they begin to worry about this world-things”
- Tzeltal: “their hearts are gone doing what they do when they pass through world” (where the last phrase is an idiomatic equivalent for “this life”
- Mitla Zapotec and San Mateo del Mar Huave: “they think intensely about things in this world”
- Eastern Highland Otomi and Pamona: “the longing for this world”
- Tzotzil: “they are very occupied about things in the world”
- Central Tarahumara: “they are very much afraid about what will happen in the world”
- Shilluk: “the heavy talk about things in the world”
- Bariai: “things of the earth are making them worried (lit. to have various interiors)” (source: Bariai Back Translation)
See also end of the age / end of the world.