The Greek that is translated as a form of “teach” is translated with some figurative phrases such as “to engrave the mind” (Ngäbere) or “to cause others to imitate” (Huichol). (Source: Bratcher / Nida)
In Noongar it is translated as karni-waangki or “truth saying” (source: Warda-Kwabba Luke-Ang).
The Greek in Mark 3:6 that is sometimes translated as “conspire” (or: “giving counsel”) into English is translated into Shilluk with the idiom “gathered mouths together.”
See also conspire (Anuak)
The Greek that is translated as “tradition” in English is translated in these ways:
- Kekchí: “the old root-trunk” (in which the life of a people is likened to a tree)
- Central Tarahumara: “to live as the ancients did”
- North Alaskan Inupiatun: “sayings passed down from long-ago times”
- Navajo (Dinė): “what their fathers of old told them to follow”
- Toraja-Sa’dan: “the ordinance maintained by the forefathers”
- Tzeltal: “the word that has been kept from the ancients” (source for this and all above Bratcher / Nida)
- Gumuz: “the life of your fathers” (source: Loren Bliese)
- Obolo: “the deeds of the ground” (orọmijọn̄) (source: Enene Enene)
- Mairiasi: “the old things that are being held-onto” (source: Enggavoter 2004)
- Western Bukidnon Manobo: “handed-down customs” (source: Western Bukidnon Manobo Back Translation)
The Greek that is translated as “council” or “Council” in English is (back-) translated in a variety of ways:
The Greek that is translated as “eye of a needle” in English (and in many Romance and Germanic languages) is rendered variously in different languages:
- “foot of a needle” (Mitla Zapotec)
- “hole in the foot of the needle” (Guerrero Amuzgo)
- “hole of a needle” (Arabic, Italian, Portuguese, French (also: “eye of a needle”), Japanese, Muna)
- “nostril of a needle” (Piro)
- “mouth of a needle” (Hakha Chin)
- “ear of a needle” (Tedim Chin, German, Tsou, Serbian, Bosnian, Croatian)
- “nose of a needle” (Lahu)
- “channel of a needle” (Rawang) (source for this all above: Bratcher / Nida and crowdsourced responses on Twitter)
- “loop of the needle” (Tae’) (source: Reiling / Swellengrebel)
In Warlpiri, needles were not traditionally used, so after much discussion the translation there is “(Does a camel go into) the hole of an ant’s nest?” which uses a more traditional metaphor. (Source: Sam Freney in this article.)
See also It is easier for a camel to go through the eye of a needle than for someone who is rich to enter the kingdom of God.
The Hebrew, Greek, Aramaic, and Latin that is translated as “pride” in English is translated as
- “continually boasting” (Amganad Ifugao)
- “lifting oneself up” (Tzeltal)
- “answering haughtily” (Yucateco) (source for this and above: Bratcher / Nida)
- “unbent neck” (like llamas) (Kaqchikel) (source: Nida 1952, p. 151)
- “praising oneself, saying: I am better” (Shipibo-Conibo) (source: Nida 1964, p. 237).
- “bigness of head” (existing idiom: girman kai) in the Hausa Common Language Bible it is idiomatically translated as or (Source: Andy Warren-Rothlin)
- “trying to make yourself the leader” in Mairasi (source: Enggavoter 2004)
- “make oneself important” (sick upspeeln) in Low German (source: translation by Johannes Jessen, publ. 1933, republ. 2006)
- “a haughty liver” in Yakan (source: Yakan Back Translation)
- “lift head” in Upper Guinea Crioulo (source: Nicoleti 2012, p. 78)
See also proud / arrogant and haughty / proud / heart exalted / exalt oneself above.
The Greek that is translated as “does the will of God” is translated into Huichol as “follow God’s heart.” (Source: Bratcher / Nida 1961)
will (of God) (Japanese honorifics).
The Greek that is translated into English as “sons of men” is translated with the expression “the offspring of Adam” in Toraja-Sa’dan.
See also Son of Man and Son of God.
