The passive construct in Ephesians 3:16 that is translated in English with “I pray that he may grant that you may be strengthened in your inner being with power through his Spirit” or similar is translated in Mokole as “I ask him to let his Spirit give you power in your liver.” Mokole grammar doesn’t know a passive voice and the translation has to therefore render anything that is passive in the Hebrew or Greek text with a grammatical subject. (Source: Hilary Deneufchâtel in Le Sycomore 17/1, 2024, p. 21ff. )
The Hebrew that is translated as “deep darkness” in English is emphasized in Sar with the ideophone (a word that expresses what is perceived by the five senses) nding (“You threw us out to bring us down into nding darkness”), Nding “means dense, thick, insensitive, immobile, impenetrable. Examples: very thick porridge, a place plunged into deep darkness, thick clouds, stagnant water, dense dust, standing still without speaking, having heavy eyes, feeling heavy, having a heavy head, a place that’s crowded with people, a door tightly closed.” (Source: Ngarbolnan Riminan in Le Sycomore 2000, p. 20ff. ).
In the 2008 MobaYendu Kadapaaonn translation it is translated as “(Jesus looked at them) with a sore heart.” (Source: Bedouma Joseph Kobaike in Le Sycomore 17/1, 2024, p. 3ff. )
The passive construct in Ephesians 2:13 that is translated in English with “(you) have been brought near” is translated in Mokole as “you are close.” Mokole grammar doesn’t know a passive voice and the translation has to therefore render anything that is passive in the active voice. (Source: Hilary Deneufchâtel in Le Sycomore 17/1, 2024, p. 21ff. )
The Hebrew and Greek that is translated as “blessing” in English is translated in Dzùùngoo as dzwɛ which derives from dziɛ’ ̀(“mouth”) dzuà (“palate”), emphasizing that a blessing is thought of as being spoken. To form a verb (“to bless”), the noun dzwɛ needs to be connected with verbs like “put,” “have,” “be,” or “catch.” “Catch” or kun is used in the associated verses when God (the only possible origin of blessings in Dzùùn understanding) is thought to act on a blessing. (Source: Traoré Fabé in Le Sycomore, 16/1, 2022 .)
Note that in Luke 1:42, the first blessing is “caught” and the second blessing is “had.”
The Greek in Ephesians 1:13 that is translated as “sealed with the promised Holy Spirit” in English is translated in Northwestern Dinka as “You were branded in the heart by the Holy Spirit who was promised.”
Nida (1952, p. 54) tells this story: “The Northwestern Dinkas do not employ seals to indicate ownership nor do they confirm an agreement by using sealing wax and a signet ring, but they do mark ownership of their cattle by branding them. When speaking of the Christian’s relationship to God, it is not enough to use the words ‘to brand,’ but this phrase has been expanded and enriched by the words ‘in the heart’.”
In Alekano it is translated as “(God) having bestowed his spirit on you, you have become accompanied with God’s ownership-mark.” (Source: Larson 1998, p. 134)
In Gumatj, the concept of a “seal” (or “letter”) is unknown so the translation team used an expression that relates to a traditional custom. When a man is planning to build a dugout canoe, he goes into the forest and looks for a tree that is particularly well suited for that task. He then marks the tree with his knife to claim it for his use. That term for marking the tree was used in the translation for “seal.” (Source: Holzhausen 1991, p. 44f.)
The passive construct that is translated in English with “were marked with the seal” is translated in Mokole as “God has put his mark on you.” Mokole grammar doesn’t know a passive voice and the translation has to therefore render anything that is passive in the Hebrew or Greek text with a grammatical subject. (Source: Hilary Deneufchâtel in Le Sycomore 17/1, 2024, p. 21ff. )
The Greek that is translated in English as “by grace you have been saved” or similar is translated in Yatzachi Zapotec as “because God loves us he has saved us.” The change from the second person plural pronoun to the first person plural pronoun had to be made to include the writer in this verse, who in Yatzachi Zapotec would have otherwise been excluded. (Source: Inez Butler in Notes on Translation 16, 1965, p. 4-5)
This passive construct is translated in Mokole as “it is by his grace that you have found salvation.” Mokole grammar doesn’t know a passive voice and the translation has to therefore render anything that is passive in the Hebrew or Greek text with a grammatical subject. (Source: Hilary Deneufchâtel in Le Sycomore 17/1, 2024, p. 21ff. )
