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
glorify God
The Hebrew and Greek that is translated as “glorify God” in English is rendered as “wake God up” in Guerrero Amuzgo.
Other translations are “say that God is very great” (Central Tarahumara), “say how good God is” (Tzotzil), “speak about God as good” (Tzeltal), “give God a great name” (Highland Puebla Nahuatl), “give God highness” (Kipsigis), “take God out high” (in the sense of “to exalt”) (Huautla Mazatec), “make great / exalt” (Toraja-Sa’dan, Javanese), “lift up God’s brightness” (Kpelle), “show God to be great” (Central Pame), “make God shine” (Wayuu), “make God’s name big” (Huastec), “make God important” (Isthmus Zapotec) (source for this and above: Bratcher / Nida), or “say to God: You are of good heart” (Huichol) (source: Nida 1964, p. 228).
In Waama this is translated as “make God’s name big.” (For the translation into Waama, five categories of verb doxazo and the noun doxa were found that were all translated differently, see glorify (reveal God’s or Jesus’ glory to people)).
In Shipibo-Conibo it is translated as “brag about God” (“This may strike some at first as being an unspiritual approach, but it surely is Pauline, for Paul used the word ‘to brag’ when he declared his confidence in Jesus Christ and in the salvation of the world which God wrought through His Son.”) (Source: Nida 1952, p. 162)
See also Let us praise his glory! (image).
build up
The Greek that is translated as “building up” in many English versions is translated in Chol with a term that specifically indicates to make others better (here and elsewhere, in their faith in Christ). (Source: Robert Bascom)
In Huehuetla Tepehua it is translated as “have more confidence in Christ,” in Chicahuaxtla Triqui as “cause that their hearts grow strong with reference to the way of God,” in Yatzachi Zapotec as “to become stronger in their faith,” and in Central Tarahumara as “so that they can believe better yet.” (Source: Waterhouse / Parrott in Notes on Translation October 1967, p. 1ff.)
not submit to God's righteousness
The Greek in Romans 10:3 that is translated as “do not submit to God’s righteousness” is translated as “are not willing that God should make them good the way he wants” in Isthmus Zapotec, as “do not desire that only God should make them right doing” in Central Tarahumara, and as “don’t give their hearts to have them made straight by God” in Tzeltal. (Source: Waterhouse / Parrott in Notes on Translation October 1967, p. 1ff.)
See also submit to God.
raise up children for his brother
The Greek that is translated as “raise up children for his brother” or similar in English is translated in Copainalá Zoque as “have children with her who will carry on the older brother’s name,” in Central Tarahumara as “those children are to be as though they were the dead brother’s children,” in Teutila Cuicatec as “he is to have children with her so that in this way his brother’s race will not end,” in Tzotzil as “so that she will have a child who will bear the name of his late brother,” and in Southern Puebla Mixtec as “be like the children of the dead.” (Source: B. Moore / G. Turner in Notes on Translation 1967, p. 1ff.)
justification, justify
The Greek that is translated as “justify” in English is translated into Tzotzil in two different ways. One of those is with Lec xij’ilatotic yu’un Dios ta sventa ti ta xc’ot ta o’ntonal ta xch’unel ti Jesucristoe (“we are seen well by God because of our faith in Jesus Christ”) (source: Aeilts, p. 118) and the other is “God sees as righteous” (source: Ellis Deibler in Notes on Translation July, 1967, p. 5ff.).
Other (back-) translations include:
- Bilua: “straigthened” (Romans 3:20: “Nobody can be straightened in God’s presence…”) (source: Carl Gross) (see also: righteous)
- Western Highland Purepecha: “he sees him with the goodness of his Son” (“justification”)
- Highland Puebla Nahuatl: “heart-straightening”
- Western Kanjobal: “having a straight soul” (source for this and two above: Nida 1952, p. 145)
- Central Mazahua: “no longer carrying sin in God’s estimation.”
- Rincón Zapotec: “come out good before God”
- Guhu-Samane: “God called one right” (source for this and two above: Ellis Deibler in Notes on Translation July, 1967, p. 5ff.)
- Mairasi: “already straight: completely clean” (source: Enggavoter 2004)
- Uma: “straight in God’s sight” (Source: Uma back-translation)
- Yakan: “be reckoned straight/righteous by God” (Source: Yakan Back Translation)
- Ekari: maa nigajawii (“deemed right through favor”) (source: Marion Doble in The Bible Translator 1963, p. 37f. )
- Tzeltal: “exonerated of sin in God’s sight” (source: Marianna C. Slocum in The Bible Translator 1958, p. 49f. )
- Kwara’ae: “regarded as righteous” (source: Norman Deck in The Bible Translator 1963, p. 34ff. )
- Makonde: “”to be good in God’s eyes” (in the context of being made righteous by God) ” (note that righteous / righteousness is translated as “to be good in God’s eyes” (source: Pioneer Bible Translators, project-specific notes in Paratext)
- Manikion: “heart sits next to Jesus” (source: Daud Soesilo)
- Obolo: ben itip-oyerebet isan̄a: “take away condemnation” (source: Enene Enene)
- Kui: “obtaining release to become a righteous person” (source: Helen Evans in The Bible Translator 1954, p. 40ff. )
- Highland Totonac: “make free”
- Sayula Popoluca: “call righteous”
- Isthmus Zapotec: “clean hearts”
- Central Tarahumara: “make people to be right-doing”
- Tzeltal: “straighten heart” (Source for this and two above: Waterhouse / Parrott in Notes on Translation October 1967, p. 1ff.)
- Warao: “straighten obonja.” Obonja is a term that “includes the concepts of consciousness, will, attitude, attention and a few other miscellaneous notions” (source: Henry Osborn in The Bible Translator 1969, p. 74ff. See other occurrences of Obojona in the Warao New Testament.)
chosen by grace
The Greek in Romans 11:5 that is translated as “chosen by grace” or similar in English is translated as “God had mercy on and chose” in Isthmus Zapotec, as “picked out to worship him because he loves them” in Yatzachi Zapotec, and “God loving very much chose” in Central Tarahumara. (Source: Waterhouse / Parrott in Notes on Translation October 1967, p. 1ff.)
parable
The Greek that is usually translated as “parable” in English is translated in other languages in a number of ways:
- Piro: “picture with words”
- Pamona: “message in the manner of a comparison”
- Highland Totonac and South Bolivian Quechua: “comparison word”
- Tzeltal: “picture story”
- Yucateco and Central Tarahumara: “likeness word”
- Cashibo-Cacataibo: “story which says like that”
- Chicahuaxtla Triqui and Wayuu: “story told for teaching”
- Navajo (Dinė): “story from which understanding comes”
- Western Kanjobal: “notice from which comes teaching” (source for this and all above: Bratcher / Nida)
- North Alaskan Inupiatun: “story with a meaning”
- Kekchí: “changed, or, turned-about word” (source for this and one above: Reiling / Swellengrebel)
- Palantla Chinantec: “double talk” (source: B. Moore / G. Turner in Notes on Translation 1967, p. 1ff.)
- Mairasi: “example” (source: Enggavoter 2004)
- Low German: “picture” (translation by Johannes Jessen, publ. 1933, republ. 2006).
- Mandarin Chinese: bǐyù (比喻), lit. “comparison explanation” (source: Zetzsche)
In British Sign Language it is translated with a sign that combines the signs for “tell-a-story” and “compare.” (Source: Anna Smith)
“Parable” in British Sign Language (source: Christian BSL, used with permission)
Scot McKnight (in The Second Testament, publ. 2023) translates it into English as analogy because “the Greek word has the sense of tossing down something alongside something else. Hence an analogy.”
See also image and figures of speech.