The Greek, Ge’ez, Latin and Hebrew that is often translated as “repent” or “repentance” is (back-) translated in various ways (click or tap here to see the rest of this insight):
Embu: “change heart” (“2 Cor. 7:10 says ‘For godly grief produces a repentance that leads to salvation and brings no regret, but worldly grief produces death.’ In ordinary speech the terms ‘repent’ and ‘regret’ are used interchangeably in Embu, so that this verse comes out as: ‘godly grief produces a repentance that leads to salvation and brings no repentance,’ which is contradictory. The problem was solved by using ‘changing heart’ in the first, and ‘sadness’ in the second.”) (source: Jan Sterk)
Muna: dofetompa’ao dhosa bhe dodoli ne Lahata’ala: “radically-end sin and to turn to God” (source: René van den Berg)
Bacama: por-njiya: “fetch sand” (“Before the coming of Christianity 100 years ago, when the elders went to pray to the gods, they would take sand and throw it over each shoulder and down their backs while confessing their sins. Covering themselves with sand was a ritual to show that they were sorry for what they had done wrong, sort of like covering oneself with sackcloth and ashes. Now idol worship for the most part is abandoned in Bacama culture, but the Christian church has retained the phrase por-njiya to mean ‘repent, doing something to show sorrow for one’s sins’” — source: David Frank in this blog post .)
Enlhet “exchange innermosts.” “Innermost” or valhoc is a term that is frequently used in Enlhet to describe a large variety of emotions or states of mind (for other examples see here). (Source: Jacob Loewen in The Bible Translator 1969, p. 24ff. )
Isthmus Zapotec: “heart becomes soft” (source for this and above: Waterhouse / Parrott in Notes on Translation October 1967, p. 1ff.)
Cherokee: “change one’s thinking” (source: Bender / Belt 2025, p. 23)
Sabaot: “give one’s neck” — relating to traditional legal proceedings where someone who is convicted of a crime kneels before the aggrieved person who can either behead the accused or completely forgive (source Danny Foster in this recording )
Kâte: maŋ bârisiezo or “turn the insides around” (source: Renck 1990, p. 108)
Merina Malagasy: fifonana, deriving from mifona “meaning ‘to completely uproot so that something new can grow’ (a term also used for the loss of a baby tooth)” (source: Brigitte Rabarijaona)
“In Tzotzil two reflexive verbs to communicate the biblical concept of repentance are used. Xca’i jba means to know or to reflect inwardly on one’s self. This self inquiry or self examination is similar to the attitude of the prodigal son where Luke 15:17 records that ‘he came to his senses.’ Broke, starving, and slopping hogs, the prodigal admitted to himself that he was in the wrong place. The second reflexive verb ‘jsutes jba’ means turning away from what one is and turning to something else. In a sense, it is deciding against one’s self and toward someone else. It is similar to the attitude of the prodigal son when he said, ‘I will get up and go to my father’ (Luke 15:18).” (source: Aeilts 2009, p. 118)
The Hebrew, Latin and Greek that is translated as “anger” or similar in English in this verse is translated with a variety of solutions (Bratcher / Nida says: “Since anger has so many manifestations and seems to affect so many aspects of personality, it is not strange that expressions used to describe this emotional response are so varied”).
Chichewa: “have a burning heart” (source: Mawu a Mulungu mu Chichewa Chalero Back Translation) (see also anger burned in him)
Citak: two different terms, one meaning “angry” and one meaning “offended,” both are actually descriptions of facial expressions. The former can be represented by an angry stretching of the eyes or by an angry frown. The latter is similarly expressed by an offended type of frown with one’s head lowered. (Source: Graham Ogden)
In Akan, a number of metaphors are used, most importantly abufuo, lit. “weedy chest” (the chest is seen as a container that contains the heart but can also metaphorically be filled with other fluids etc.), but also abufuhyeε lit. “hot/burning weedy chest” and anibereε, lit. “reddened eyes.” (Source: Gladys Nyarko Ansah in Kövecses / Benczes / Szelid 2024, p. 21ff.)
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.”
Following are a number of back-translations of Romans 6:14:
Uma: “For as for us, we are no longer controlled by sin. For we are no longer bound/tied to the Lord’ Law. Now we hope in the grace [lit., white insides] of God.” (Source: Uma Back Translation)
Yakan: “You (pl.) ought/must not be defeated by your sin, because God helps you because of his love and pity/mercy to you and the law has no longer authority over you.” (Source: Yakan Back Translation)
Western Bukidnon Manobo: “For it is no longer necessary that that which controls us are evil desires, because we are no longer trusting in obedience to the Law but rather, we are trusting the help and the favor of God to us.” (Source: Western Bukidnon Manobo Back Translation)
Kankanaey: “Because (reassurance particle) sin will not again rule us, because now, the basis of our salvation is not our obedience to the law but rather God’s grace.” (Source: Kankanaey Back Translation)
Tenango Otomi: “Concerning the sin which grabbed our hearts to rule us, now no longer will it rule us. The law which judged concerning our sins now no longer judges us. Because God by his grace saved us.” (Source: Tenango Otomi Back Translation)
Chicahuaxtla Triqui: “Because it is not necessary that you do sin any more because the word of the law no longer orders you about, rather the word of favor orders you about.”
Central Tarahumara: “And evil deeds shall no longer have power over you, because you are no longer commanded like Moses’s writing commanded you. Only God lovingly commands you.” (Source: Waterhouse / Parrott in Notes on Translation October 1967, p. 1ff.)
Following are a number of back-translations of Romans 1:4:
Uma: “That Good News tells who the Child of God is, our Lord Yesus Kristus. According to his birth as mankind, Yesus is the descendant of King Daud of old. But that Yesus is also the Child of God, for he is holy the same as God. That is clear because God caused him to live again, and with that amazing sign he made-clear that he indeed is the Child of God.” (Source: Uma Back Translation)
Yakan: “But he is really God. By God’s power it is clear that he truly is the Child of God because he was made alive again from his death.” (Source: Yakan Back Translation)
Western Bukidnon Manobo: “As for Jesus Christ our Lord, he is the holy God because he is also the son of God, because this was shown to us by means of the great power of God which was used to raise him from the dead.” (Source: Western Bukidnon Manobo Back Translation)
Kankanaey: “Concerning also his holy godhood, God showed that he was his Child when he made-him-alive again by-means-of his power.” (Source: Kankanaey Back Translation)
Tenango Otomi: “But concerning the holy soul of Jesus Christ, it clearly is apparent that he is not just a person, it is strongly apparent that he is the Son of God, because he resurrected after he died.” (Source: Tenango Otomi Back Translation)
Central Tarahumara: “And the Very Good Spirit, God’s Spirit, raised up Jesus Christ when he was already dead. And all of the people were thus truly shown that Jesus Christ is the only Son of God.”
Central Mazahua : “The Spirit which comes from God caused him to arise when he had died. Thus it was made known powerfully that he is the Son of God. This is Jesus Christ who is our Lord.”
Chicahuaxtla Triqui: “But Christ is Son of God according to his spirit because his spirit is entirely good. And God himself has shown that Jesus is his very Son. And very powerfully did God with him when he rose from among the dead by God’s agency. And Jesus Christ has become the Lord who has authority over us.” (Source for this and two above: Waterhouse / Parrott in Notes on Translation October 1967, p. 1ff.)
Many languages distinguish between inclusive and exclusive first-person plural pronouns (“we”). (Click or tap here to see more details)
The inclusive “we” specifically includes the addressee (“you and I and possibly others”), while the exclusive “we” specifically excludes the addressee (“he/she/they and I, but not you”). This grammatical distinction is called “clusivity.” While Semitic languages such as Hebrew or most Indo-European languages such as Greek or English do not make that distinction, translators of languages with that distinction have to make a choice every time they encounter “we” or a form thereof (in English: “we,” “our,” or “us”).
For this verse, translators typically select the exclusive form (excluding the readers of the letter). Chicahuaxtla Triqui, one the other hand, selects the inclusive form.
Source: Velma Pickett and Florence Cowan in Notes on Translation January 1962, p. 1ff. and Waterhouse / Parrott in Notes on Translation October 1967, p. 1ff.
Following are a number of back-translations of Romans 8:35:
Uma: “Who will separate us from the love of Kristus? Whether there’s difficulty or suffering, whether persecution or hunger or lack, whether there’s disaster, or if we should actually be killed, the love of Kristus for us does not let go.” (Source: Uma Back Translation)
Yakan: “Therefore we (dual) are assured that no matter what befalls/happens (connotation bad) to us (dual), Isa Almasi really loves us (dual). If we (dual) are in trouble/sorrows or in suffering/difficulties or in persecution, it does not mean that he no longer loves us (dual). Even if we (dual) lack food and clothing, even if we (dual) are in danger or even if we (dual) are killed, Almasi’s love for us (incl.) really does not move.” (Source: Yakan Back Translation)
Western Bukidnon Manobo: “And if that’s the case then there is nothing that can separate us from Christ; even though we are in great difficulty because of hardships and trouble and people harming us; even if we are in great difficulty because of hunger and we have no clothing; even if we are harmed and we are killed, that cannot remove our value in the breath of Christ.” (Source: Western Bukidnon Manobo Back Translation)
Kankanaey: “So what then is able to separate us from Cristo’s love? Can perhaps difficulty or worry or people’s hardshipping us? Can also hunger or lack of clothes or fearful happenings or even our being killed?” (Source: Kankanaey Back Translation)
Tenango Otomi: “Now nothing can stop Christ from loving us. Even though we suffer, he loves us. Or if we live in sad circumstances. he loves us. Or if people persecute us, he loves us. Or if there isn’t anything to eat, he still loves us. Or if there are no clothes to wear, he loves us. Or if we live in danger, hated by the people, he loves us. Or if it is we must die, still he loves us.” (Source: Tenango Otomi Back Translation)
Chicahuaxtla Triqui: “Therefore people can’t cause that Christ should not love us. It is certainly true that trouble can come to us, and we can be in agony of heart, and various things can bother us. And famine can come upon us, and clothing for us to wear be lacking. And we may have to go where it is dangerous to go, and they may kill some of us. That’s how we will suffer, but Christ will not loose his grip of us, but Christ will keep on loving us.”
Hopi: “Christ loves us, and who can separate us from him? No one. We may suffer. We may be afraid of something. We may be persecuted. We may be hungry. We may lack clothing. We may be in danger. We may be killed by the sword. But in going through these things, we will not be separated from Christ.” (Source: Waterhouse / Parrott in Notes on Translation October 1967, p. 1ff.)
