Language-specific Insights

principalities / rulers

The Greek that is translated as “principalities” or “rulers” in English is translated in various ways:

sexual promiscuity

The Greek in Romans 13:13 that is translated in English as “sexual promiscuity” or similar is translated as

See also sexual immorality / fornication and adultery.

arrogant, proud

The Greek and Ge’ez that is translated in English as “proud” or “arrogant” is translated in Chimborazo Highland Quichua as “making yourself chief.” (Source: Julia Woodward in The Bible Translator 1950, p. 140ff. )

In Isthmus Zapotec it is translated as “snobby” and in Sierra de Juárez Zapotec as “thinking they are the people of worth.” (Source: Waterhouse / Parrott in Notes on Translation October 1967, p. 1ff.)

In Elhomwe it is “to lift oneself up,” i.e. “to be pompous.” (Source: project-specific translation notes in Paratext)

For “proud” also see humble / lowly and pride.

patriarchs

The Greek that is often translated as “patriarchs” in English is translated as

  • “first old fathers” in Isthmus Zapotec
  • “the ancient fathers” in Tzeltal / Highland Totonac
  • “the old important people who lived long ago were forefathers of the Israelites” in Yatzachi Zapotec
  • “the 12 sons of Jacob” Central Tarahumara
  • “the fathers from way back when” in Chicahuaxtla Triqui (source for this and above: Waterhouse / Parrott in Notes on Translation October 1967, p. 1ff.)
  • “chiefs over each of the clans of Israel” in Bariai (source: Bariai Back Translation)
  • “our twelve grandfathers” in Kupsabiny (source: Kupsabiny Back Translation)
  • “twelve children from where Jews came-from” in Hiligaynon (source: Hiligaynon Back Translation)

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).

despise

The Greek that is translated as “despise” in English is translated as

endurance

The Greek that is translated in English as “endurance” (or “patience”or “perseverance”) is translated in Tzotzil as “(good) strength of heart(s)” (source: Ellis Deibler in Notes on Translation July, 1967, p. 5ff.) and in Isthmus Zapotec as “learning not to lose patience.” (Source: Waterhouse / Parrott in Notes on Translation October 1967, p. 1ff.)

In Mairasi it is translated idiomatically as “having well-split bones” (source: Enggavoter 2004).