Translation commentary on Hebrews 11:4

The Greek text is uncertain at two points: (a) some manuscripts omit to God after offer; (b) for Revised Standard Version‘s “God bearing witness,” some manuscripts have “he (Abel) having borne witness” or other variants. Revised Standard Version, common language translations, and most translations follow the UBS Greek text.

As elsewhere in chapter 11, the expression It was faith that … may be expressed as “Because he had faith.” In verse 4 the rendering would be “Because Abel had faith” or “Because Abel trusted God.”

Better translates a word which usually means “more” or “greater.” However, the context shows that the quality, not the size, of the offering is in the writer’s mind.

It may be better to translate a better sacrifice as “a more appropriate sacrifice,” “a more fitting sacrifice,” or “he sacrificed to God in a more fitting way.” The entire comparative expression may be rendered as “Abel sacrificed to God in a more fitting way than Cain sacrificed to God.”

Through his faith is literally “through which,” as in Revised Standard Version. This could mean “through his sacrifice,” which is how King James Version, Revised Standard Version, and probably Phillips understand it. Many translations are ambiguous; for example, Jerusalem Bible “for that” and New American Bible “Because of this.” Many translations agree with Good News Translation‘s Through his faith. This translation is strongly supported by the immediate context and also by the words “righteous … by faith” (Revised Standard Version) in 10.38. The expression of means in Through his faith may also be reproduced in some languages as cause; for example, “Because Abel trusted God, God approved of him.”

He won God’s approval is literally “he was witnessed”; here as in verse 2, “witnessed” refers to God speaking, probably through Scripture.

Since God’s approval implies a declaration, this may need to be expressed as direct discourse; for example, “God declared, ‘You are a righteous man’ ” or “… ‘You are a man who does what I want you to do.’ ”

Righteous translates a word which is rare in Hebrews, though common elsewhere in the New Testament; see 10.38 and 12.23, where TEV fourth edition has good people. Righteous (not the same as “self-righteous”) is disappearing from common English, as is the corresponding word in German; so Die Bibel im heutigen Deutsch has “Because he relied on God, he was able to stand before him.” Bijbel in Gewone Taal keeps “righteous” but restructures the sentence to show that God’s approval is closely related to God’s declaring Abel “righteous”: “Because of his faith, God declared him righteous.” It is possible to translate “God declared that he was pleased with him” or “… approved of him.”

This approval, as the rest of the verse shows, was shown by God accepting his gifts. The repetition of approval … approved can be avoided if this is more natural; for example, “God showed that he was pleased with him by accepting his gifts.”

God’s approval of Abel’s gifts may be expressed by direct discourse; for example, “God said, ‘Your gifts are the right kind of gifts’ ” or “… ‘What you have given is right’ ” or “ ‘… appropriate.’ ”

The last part of the verse probably means that because the story of Abel’s faith is permanently recorded in the Old Testament, his example still speaks to us (see Barclay). The writer is probably referring to the fact that Genesis 4.10 uses a present tense, Your brother’s blood is crying out to me from the ground, suggesting that the consequences of Cain’s crime continue. Nevertheless, the underlying meaning is probably that Abel still speaks because of the faith which enabled him to become the first true worshiper recorded in Scripture (see 12.24). Genesis 4.10 uses a present tense, rendered is crying out, to which the writer of Hebrews gives a deeper meaning.

Abel is made explicit in the last sentence, since both Cain and God have been mentioned more recently than Abel. King James Version‘s literal “he being dead yet speaketh” brings out a contrast expressed by Good News Translation‘s even though and by RSV’s “but,” though less strongly.

A strictly literal translation of By means of his faith Abel still speaks, even though he is dead could lead to serious misunderstanding. What spoke to people in New Testament times was the action of Abel as recorded in the Scriptures. This may be communicated as “Because Abel trusted God, what he did still speaks to us even though Abel himself is dead” or “… what he did means something to us….” However, in many languages, actions don’t speak. Perhaps translators may say “… what he did continues to have a message for us…,” or retaining the expression of the Greek, “because Abel trusted in God, we can say that even though he is dead, he still speaks today, because what he did continues to have a message for us.”

Quoted with permission from Ellingworth, Paul and Nida, Eugene A. A Handbook on The Letter of the Hebrews. (UBS Handbook Series). New York: UBS, 1983. For this and other handbooks for translators see here .

Translation commentary on Hebrews 12:1

Verses 1-2 form a single sentence in the Greek. Grammatically, the main verb is the verb for let us run. In addition there are three dependent clauses, the verbs of which are rendered (1) we have, literally “having,” (2) rid ourselves of, literally “ridding ourselves of” or “laying aside,” and (3) Let us keep our eyes fixed on, literally “looking steadily at.”

As for us translates an emphatic “We also,” meaning we as well as the Old Testament characters mentioned in chapter 11.

“Cloud” (Revised Standard Version and others) renders a common metaphor for “a large number of people.” Many modern translations either turn it into a simile, “like a cloud” (Die Bibel im heutigen Deutsch, New English Bible), or use a nonfigurative expression (Good News Translation crowd, Bijbel in Gewone Taal “so many,” Moffatt “host,” Phillips “serried ranks”).

Witnesses: a “witness,” at least in the Bible, is not just a passive “spectator” (Barclay) but an active “witness to faith” (Bijbel in Gewone Taal, New English Bible, Translator’s New Testament), more specifically “people who have demonstrated their faith” (Biblia Dios Habla Hoy). The thought is that the Old Testament heroes are watching how the writer of Hebrews and his readers “run their race” in the Christian life, since their own salvation is linked with that of Christians (11.40). This large crowd of witnesses consists of the heroes of faith recorded in chapter 11.

We have this large crowd of witnesses around us may be expressed as “this large crowd of those who have witnessed to their faith are around us” or “… are, as it were, close by around us.”

The central part of this verse, from So then to so tightly, has been understood in rather different ways by translators and commentators. It is best to look first at the individual Greek words, and then at the relations between them:

Revised Standard Version‘s “Therefore” is a strong word which Good News Translation fourth edition translates as So then.
Rid ourselves may have either the general meaning “throw off, get rid of,” or the narrower idea of “taking off clothes.”
Everything that gets in the way is literally “every impediment” or “every encumbrance.” This is an unusual Greek word which partly overlaps in meaning with the more common biblical metaphor of the “stumbling-block.” The idea of “weight” (Revised Standard Version) does not seem prominent here, though in some texts outside the Bible the Greek word is used of flesh “weighing down” the spirit.
Sin translates the common word used in 1.3 and many other places. In Hebrews, “sin” is often thought of as a burden of guilt which can only be removed by sacrifice. Bijbel in Gewone Taal translates “burden of sin.” Despite the article the, nothing in the context suggests that the writer is thinking of any particular kind of sin or sinful act. Some English translations therefore omit the: Moffatt “strip off sin,” New American Bible “every encumbrance of sin” (similarly New English Bible, Translator’s New Testament). Knox‘s “the sinful habit that clings so closely” is too narrow. In many languages there will be no separate word corresponding to the in English, but there will be other ways of indicating old information.
In the phrase which holds on to us so tightly, to us is implied. A few manuscripts have “which so easily distracts us”; see New English Bible note. Most translations agree generally with Good News Translation. Barclay makes the metaphor more explicit by turning it into a simile: “We must therefore, as an athlete strips for action, strip off every encumbrance and the sin which clings to us….” New English Bible‘s text, “every sin to which we cling,” is grammatically possible but perhaps does not fit the context so well.

What is the relation between the rare word meaning “impediment,” translated that gets in the way, and the common word for sin? The writer may be thinking of things which, though not sinful in themselves, can “get in our way” by preventing us from “keeping our eyes fixed on Jesus.” However, it seems better not to contrast “impediment” and sin, but to take sin as explaining or widening the meaning of “impediment.” If so, it is better to restructure these phrases within the clause, as in Bijbel in Gewone Taal “get rid of every burden of sin which so easily hinders us” and New American Bible “every encumbrance of sin which clings to us.” Die Bibel im heutigen Deutsch distinguishes “impediment” and sin, but shows that they are connected: “free ourselves from everything which weighs us down, especially from sin, which so easily clings to us.” Sin renders a more general word than “impediment,” but the meaning of “impediment” is widened in Greek by the addition of every.

A literal rendering of let us rid ourselves of everything that gets in the way causes problems. It might suggest that one is justified in eliminating anything which hinders a person’s drive for success or which might limit a person’s ambition. This exhortation is not an excuse for aggression, and therefore it may be better to indicate clearly the relationship between everything that gets in the way and the sin which holds on to us so tightly. In fact, it may be better to render everything that gets in the way as “everything that keeps us from doing what we should.” One may translate the central part of verse 1 as “Therefore let us get rid of everything which keeps us from doing what we should, that is, the sin which clings so tightly to us.” In some languages, however, it may be impossible to speak of sin clinging to a person. One can often speak of “the sin which we love so much.”

The words for run (verse 1) and paths (verse 13) are related in Greek. With determination is emphasized in the Greek by its position, and in Good News Translation by the choice of words. In Romans 8.25 the same expression is somewhat undertranslated as with patience (similarly in Heb 10.36). In 10.32 the related verb is expanded to were not defeated. The idea is that of enduring to the end.

The word translated race may also mean “struggle,” but the meaning race is required here because of run; see comment on Heb. 12.4. The idea of life as an athletic contest is quite common, both in and outside the Bible (see 10.32). Some translations emphasize the metaphor implied in the words that lies before us, as in Knox, New English Bible, and Bijbel in Gewone Taal “the race for which we are entered.” Phillips “the race that we have to run,” like Good News Translation, gives the figure in a more simple form. Before refers to future time rather than to a place ahead of us.

It may be necessary to mark the final part of this verse as being figurative. This may be done by adding an expression which indicates that this is a simile; for example, “let us, as it were, run with determination.”

With determination can sometimes be expressed as “let us decide in our hearts” or “let us tell our hearts.” Instead of run … the race, it is often necessary to say “run the path” or “run the course.” Accordingly, the race that lies before us may be “the course ahead of us which we must take” or “the path which we must follow in the future.” Or it may be necessary to avoid the figure of speech and to say “let us be determined to act as we should in the life that we now will have.”

The idea that God has set us to run the race is not emphasized here. Verses 3-4 speak of human elements in the “struggle.”

Quoted with permission from Ellingworth, Paul and Nida, Eugene A. A Handbook on The Letter of the Hebrews. (UBS Handbook Series). New York: UBS, 1983. For this and other handbooks for translators see here .

Translation commentary on Hebrews 13:6

Then means “therefore.” It does not refer to time, but indicates a conclusion drawn from verse 5b: “Because God has said that he will never abandon us, we can say with confidence, ‘I will not be afraid.’ ”

It may be necessary to indicate to whom a particular statement is made. Accordingly, the first part of verse 6 may be rendered as “Therefore we should have confidence in God and say to people.”

The quotation is from Psalm 118.6. The result of the confidence is given in line 2 of the quotation, as Die Bibel im heutigen Deutsch makes clear by putting it first: “We can say with confidence: ‘I will have no fear, for the Lord helps me.’ ” This is effective in itself, but takes some of the emphasis away from The Lord is my helper, which Bible en français courant expresses more strongly by “The Lord is the one who comes to my help.” The word for helper, surprisingly, is not used anywhere else in the New Testament, but it is common in the Septuagint. It suggests “someone who responds to a call for help” rather than “an assistant.”

Modern translations omit King James Version‘s “and” before “I will not fear.” This is more effective in translation, and the word is bracketed as doubtful in the UBS Greek text.

The writer of Hebrews probably changes the punctuation of the Septuagint text, which means “I will not fear what man will do to me.” The change to a rhetorical question, What can anyone (Revised Standard Version “man”) do to me? is more vivid.

“Man” (Revised Standard Version) renders a quite general Greek term, which refers to human beings in contrast with Lord. Die Bibel im heutigen Deutsch has “a human being” and Parola Del Signore: La Bibbia in Lingua Corrente “men,” with the same meaning. Biblia Dios Habla Hoy restructures to read “I will not fear what any man can do to me.” Women are not excluded.

Quoted with permission from Ellingworth, Paul and Nida, Eugene A. A Handbook on The Letter of the Hebrews. (UBS Handbook Series). New York: UBS, 1983. For this and other handbooks for translators see here .