The Greek and Hebrew that is often translated into English as “(the two) shall become one flesh” is translated as “become just one” in Copainalá Zoque and San Mateo del Mar Huave or with existing idiomatic equivalents such as “become one blood” in Mitla Zapotec, “become the complement of each other’s spirit” in Tzeltal (source for this and above Bratcher / Nida), “become one body” in Uab Meto (source: P. Middelkoop in The Bible Translator 1952, p. 208ff. ), “tie with wife as one, so that they tie one insides” in Luang (source: Kathy and Mark Taber in Kroneman [2004], p. 539), or “become like one body-entity” (source: Tagbanwa Back Translation).
In Tataltepec Chatino it is translated as “the two shall accompany each other so that they no longer seem two but are like one person,” in Choapan Zapotec as “when the man and woman live together in front of God, it is as if just one person,” and in Mezquital Otomi as “they aren’t two, it is as though they are one.” (Source: B. Moore / G. Turner in Notes on Translation 1967, p. 1ff.)
In the German New Testament translation by Berger / Nord (publ. 1999) it is translated with bilden eine neue Sippe or “form a new clan.” They explain (p. 417): “Usually ‘become one flesh.’ This is clearly not correct from a biological point of view. In the Old Testament, ‘flesh’ in such contexts means: ‘kinship, clan, family.’ So the idea is that the man gives up his clan and forms a new clan together with the married woman.”
The Greek that is translated “if salt has lost its taste (or “saltiness”)?” or similar in English is translated in Amele as “if salt’s bitterness stings” (source: John Roberts), in Mairasi as “if that salt becomes watery” (source: Enggavoter 2004), and in the German New Testament translation by Berger / Nord (publ. 1999) as “even if it would be possible for it to lose its taste.”
John Roberts comments on the nature of the salt in question in this article : “Jesus says salt can lose its salty taste and when it does it is no longer good for anything except to be thrown out. ‘You are the salt of the earth’ in Mat 5.13 is a metaphor. In this metaphor, ‘You’ (the disciples of Jesus) is the tenor and ‘salt of the earth’ is the vehicle of the metaphor. The metaphor applies the properties of salt to the disciples. When Jesus spoke this metaphor the salt (ἅλας) referred to was not pure sodium chloride. It was dug out of the ground mixed with other materials. The salt used in the area mostly came from mines around the Dead Sea and material extracted from that area demonstrates these same properties today. This ‘salt’ was used as seasoning or fertilizer, or as a preservative. However, when exposed to the elements, the sodium chloride in this ‘salt’ would leach out and leave only the sediment or impurities behind. What was left was good for nothing, except that it was used to place in paths, or walks, as we use gravel today. (See: Matthew 5:13 ). These are the properties of ‘salt’ that Jesus applies metaphorically to his disciples.”
The Greek in John 7:2 that is translated as “the Festival of Booths was near” or similar in English is translated in the German New Testament translation by Berger / Nord (publ. 1999) as das Laubhüttenfest stand vor der Tür or “the Festival of Booths was just around the corner” (lit: “right in front of the door”). This idiomatic translation plays on semantic parallels between the “booths” and “doors.”
The Greek in Revelation 2:23 that is translated as “searches minds and hearts” or similar in English is translated in the German New Testament translation by Berger / Nord (publ. 1999) idiomatically as auf Herz und Nieren prüft or “assess the heart and the kidney (meaning: “assess every detail”).”
The Greek in Mark 4:19 that is translated as “desire for other things” or similar in English is translated in the German New Testament translation by Berger / Nord (publ. 1999) with the modern term Konsumgier or “consumerism” (lit.: “greed of consumption”).
The Greek in Mark 14:65 that is translated as “beat him” or similar in English is translated in the German New Testament translation by Berger / Nord (publ. 1999) with mit Ohrfeigen traktieren or “maltreat with slaps in the face.”
The Greek in Luke 10:13 that is translated as “they would have repented” or similar in English is translated in the German New Testament translation by Berger / Nord (publ. 1999) with hätten sich selbst diese hartgesottenen Sünder bekehrt or “even these hard-core sinners would have repented.”
In the Catholic Mandarin ChineseSigao version it is translated with a historical Chinese idiom: yìlùn fēnfēn (改過自新 / 改过自新), lit. “make amends and start afresh.” (Source: Toshikazu S. Foley in Hong Kong Journal of Catholic Studies, 2011, p. 45ff.)
The Greek in Luke 22:32 that is translated as “I have prayed for you” or similar in English is translated in the German New Testament translation by Berger / Nord (publ. 1999) with ich habe für dich im Gebet darum gerungen or “I have wrestled for you in prayer.”
