The Greek in 1 Corinthians 5:1 that is typically translated as “father’s wife” in English and is understood as “stepmother” had to specifically be clarified in Bawm Chin as “stepmother.”
the early rain and the later rain
The Hebrew that is translated as “the early rain and the later rain” is translated in Tibetan as “rain at the appropriate time.” David Clark (in: Clark / Desnitsky 2009 , p. 22) explains: “In Deuteronomy 11:14 there is mention of ‘the early rain and the later rain,’ referring to the autumn rain and the spring rain in the Holy Land. A literal translation in Tibetan would have been meaningless, and ‘summer rain and winter rain’ would have been ecologically misleading, so the translator used a set expression in Tibetan meaning ‘[rain] at the appropriate time.’ This captures the focus of the Hebrew without distorting the weather patterns of the eastern Mediterranean.”
See also early rain.
alabaster
In the Fuyug culture, stone-working is unknown and “alabaster jar” in was therefore translated into Fuyug as “a nice jar shaped like a . . . ” with the next word indicating a gourd container of a particular shape.
jewelry
In the Kahua culture, the generic term for jewelry refers only to things worn at weddings, so the Greek phrase in 1 Peter 3:3 that is translated as “jewelry” or “gold jewelry” is translated in Kahua as earrings and clamshells worn on the arms and legs.
wandering stars
essentials
The Greek in Acts 15:28 that is translated as “essentials” or “essential rules” in English is translated in Purari as “small handful of rules.”
filled with the Holy Spirit / full with the Holy Spirit
The Greek that is rendered in English as “filled with the Holy Spirit” or “full with the Holy Spirit” is translated in various ways:
- Tboli: “the Holy Spirit is with / lives with one”
- Shipibo-Conibo: “the Holy Spirit permeates one” (using a term used for medicines)
- Cuyonon: “one is under the control of the Holy Spirit” (esp. Luke 4:1, Acts 7:55, Acts 11:24)
- Ngäbere: “the full strength of the Holy Spirit stays in one”
- Tae’ (translation of 1933): “one carries the Holy Spirit in his inner being” (source for this and all above: Reiling / Swellengrebel)
- Yamba and Bulu: “the Holy Spirit filled one’s heart” (source: W. Reyburn in The Bible Translator 1959, p. 1ff. )
- Rincón Zapotec: “the Holy Spirit comes to be completely with one”
- Eastern Highland Otomi: “one walks with the Holy Spirit of God”
- Chuj: “God’s Spirit enters into one”
- Morelos Nahuatl: “the Holy Spirit enters one’s heart to rule”
- Teutila Cuicatec: “God’s Spirit possesses one” / “in all the authority of the Holy Spirit”
- Isthmus Mixe: “have the Holy Spirit (in one’s head and heart) very much” or “Holy Spirit enter one completely”
- Lalana Chinantec: “one’s heart really obeyed what the Holy Spirit wanted”
- Chichimeca-Jonaz: “one’s heart full of God’s Holy Spirit” (source for this and seven above: Viola Waterhouse in Notes on Translation August 1966, p. 86ff.)
- Yawa: “God’s Spirit gives one power” (source: Larry Jones)
- Yakan: “ruled by the Holy Spirit” (source: Yakan Back Translation)
- Western Bukidnon Manobo: “thoroughly controlled by the Holy Spirit” (source: Western Bukidnon Manobo Back Translation)
- Tagbanwa: “the Holy Spirit had-entered-to-indwell one” (source: Tagbanwa Back Translation)
- Western Lawa: “the Holy Spirit is in one in a full way” (source: David Clark in The Bible Translator 2013, p. 54ff. )
The following story is relayed by Martha Duff Tripp as she led the translation of the New Testament into Yanesha’ (p. 310): “I continue to work with Casper Mountain [an Yanesha’ translator] on translation. As we start the book of Luke, we run into another problem. In Chapter 1, verse 15, the text reads (speaking of John the Baptist), ‘and he shall be filled with the Holy Spirit.’ The Amueshas [Yanesha’s] have never associated their word for ‘fill’ with anything except pots and baskets. How can a person be ‘filled’? Even their word for a full stomach is not the word for ‘fill.’ We talk together about what ‘filled with the Holy Spirit’ means (obsessed with or possessed by). The thought comes to me of what the Amueshas [Yanesha’s] say about the shaman. They say that he can ‘wear’ the spirit of the tiger, that they can tell when he is wearing the tiger spirit because he then will act like a tiger. Their word for ‘wear’ is the same word as to ‘wear or put on a garment.’ Can this possibly be the way to say ‘filled with God’s Spirit’? As I cautiously question Casper about this, his face lights up immediately. ‘Yes, that is the way we would say it, he is ’wearing’ God’s Holy Spirit.’”
Note that Cheyenne also uses the term for “wear” in these instances. (Source: Wayne Leman)
See also Holy Spirit and this devotion in Christianity Today .
amazed / astonished / marvel
The Greek that is translated as “astonished” or “amazed” or “marvel” in English is translated in Pwo Karen as “stand up very tall.” (In John 5:20, source: David Clark)
Elsewhere it is translated as “confusing the inside of the head” (Mende), “shiver in the liver” (Uduk, Laka), “to lose one’s heart” (Mískito, Tzotzil), “to shake” (Southern Bobo Madaré), “to be with mouth open” (Panao Huánuco Quechua) (source: Bratcher / Nida), “to stand with your mouth open” (Citak) (source: Stringer 2007, p. 120), “ceasing to think with the heart” (Bulu), “surprise in the heart” (Yamba) (source for this and one above: W. Reyburn in The Bible Translator 1959, p. 1ff. ), or “have one’s mouth full” (Maan (source: Don Slager).
In Mark 5:20 and elsewhere where the astonishment is a response to listening to Jesus, the translation is “listen quietly” in Central Tarahumara, “forget listening” (because they were so absorbed in what they heard that they forgot everything else) in San Miguel El Grande Mixtec, “it was considered very strange by them” in Tzeltal (source: Bratcher / Nida), “in glad amazement” (to distinguish it from other kinds of amazement) (Quetzaltepec Mixe) (source: Robert Bascom), or “breath evaporated (or “escaped”)” (Mairasi) (source: Enngavoter 2004).
In Western Dani astonishment is emphasized with direct speech. In Mark 1:22, for instance, it says: “Wi!” yinuk, pi wareegwaarak — “They were all amazed, saying ‘Oh'” (source: Lourens De Vries in The Bible Translator 1992, p. 333ff. )
In Low German it is translated as grote Oken maken or “make big eyes” (sometime followed by: un kreegn dat Stillswiegen: “and became silent”) (translation by Johannes Jessen, publ. 1933, republ. 2006).
In the Kölsch translation (Boch 2017) it is translated as brummte de Lück de Kopp or “the heads of the people buzzed,” Bauklötz jestaunt, lit. “marvel toy blocks,” and vür Staune de Muhl nit mieh zojekräch or “so full of marvel that they couldn’t close their mouths again.”
In the Pfälzisch translation by Walter Sauer (publ. 2012) it is often translated as baff vor staune or “speechless because of their marvel.” (Source: Jost Zetzsche)
See also amazed and astonished, astonished (Mark 6:51), and I’m astonished.