glad

The Greek that is translated in English as “glad” or similar is translated in Enlhet as “innermosts are spread out.” “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. )

purification

The team that translated the New Testament into Paraguayan Guaraní (in the 1960s) had to translate the Greek that is translated as “purification” in English. Jacob Loewen (in The Bible Translator 1967, p. 33ff. ) tells this story:

“An interesting lesson regarding intelligibility grew out of the translation of Luke 2:22 speaking about ‘the days of purification’. Each of the translations carried rather high-flown euphemisms and no one seemed to be satisfied with the euphemism of the other. There was a mother of seven children present at the meeting, and so she was asked to complete the following sentence in what would be publicly acceptable Guarani: I have given birth to seven children. After each childbirth 1 observed a period of . . .. The mother of seven immediately came back with an expression which back-translated into English would mean the ‘forties’. It was a reference to the forty days of purification which local culture required. When the translators were asked how such an expression would sound in Luke 2, one of them objected: ‘Why, if we use that idiom, everybody would know what we are talking about!’ In the discussion that followed, the committee realized that it is the translator’s responsibility to provide a message which will speak the truth clearly.”

peace and security

The Greek that is translated as “peace and security” in English is translated in Enlhet as “no news.” “For when all is well there is ‘no news.’ Even when one sends a message to his family about one’s being well, it will be: ‘Tell them that coming from me there is no news,’ i.e. ‘everything is fine and I am well and safe.'” (Source: Jacob Loewen in The Bible Translator 1969, p. 24ff. )

naked

The Greek, Latin and Hebrew that is translated as “naked” in English is translated in Enlhet with a figure of speech: “(one’s) smoothness.” (Source: Jacob Loewen in The Bible Translator 1969, p. 24ff. )

In Elhomwe the word for “naked” is “shameful to use, and would never be used by a preacher in church.” Therefore “without clothes” is used. (Source: project-specific translation notes in Paratext)

old self

The Greek that is translated in English as “old self” or similar is translated in Enlhet as “old innermost.” “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. )

In Toraja-Sa’dan it is translated as a’gan pa’kalean masainta or “the essence of the old body (tied to sin).” (Source: H. van der Veen in The Bible Translator 1952, p. 207ff. )

In Warao it is translated as “old obojona.” Obojona is a term that “includes the concepts of consciousness, will, attitude, attention and a few other miscellaneous notions.” (Source: Henry Osborn in The Bible Translator 1969, p. 74ff. ). See other occurrences of Obojona in the Warao New Testament.

See also flesh (human nature).

will not be shaken

The Hebrew and Greek that is translated in English as “will not be shaken” or similar is translated in Enlhet as “innermost will not fall.” “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. )

know everyone's heart

The Greek that is translated in English as “(you) know everyone’s heart” or similar is translated in Enlhet as “(you) know everyone’s innermost.” “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. )