Following are a number of back-translations of 1 John 4:8:
Uma: “People who don’t love others, they do not yet know God, for God, he is loving.” (Source: Uma Back Translation)
Yakan: “He who does not love does not know God, because God really loves hep.” (Source: Yakan Back Translation)
Western Bukidnon Manobo: “Anyone who has no love for his companions, know nothing at all about the actions of God, for every act of God is His showing His love.” (Source: Western Bukidnon Manobo Back Translation)
Kankanaey: “But the one who has no love for his fellow, neither does he know God, for God is consistently-loving.” (Source: Kankanaey Back Translation)
Tagbanwa: “But the one who doesn’t value like this, that one doesn’t yet know/acknowledge God, because God really is the one who is the source of this valuing.” (Source: Tagbanwa Back Translation)
Tenango Otomi: “He who does not love his fellowman is not acquainted with God, because God loves all people.” (Source: Tenango Otomi Back Translation)
Yatzachi Zapotec: “If we do not love our fellows we are not yet acquainted with God, because we do not do like God does. God loves mankind.”
Eastern Highland Otomi: “But he who has no love, doesn’t know God, because God is love (lover).”
Tzotzil: “If we do not take on the character of a lover it is because we do not know God. Because God has the character of a lover (or God’s character is to habitually love).” (Source for this and two above: John Beekman in Notes on Translation 12, November 1964, p. 1ff.)
Candoshi-Shapra: “The one who doesn’t love, doesn’t come to know (learn) God. For God is one who loves.”
Yanesha’: “Those who are not lovers do not know our Father how he is, because our Father, he is love.”
Aguaruna: “But he who does not love, he doesn’t know ‘God is like that’ saying; because ‘God is one who really loves.’ saying, he doesn’t say it.” (Source for this and two above: Mildred Larson in Notes on Translation, July 1965, p. 1-15)
Following are a number of back-translations of John 1:18:
Aguaruna: “Truly God is one who is not seen, but his Son, his beloved, the only one, that one is the one who causes us to know his Father.”
Yatzachi Zapotec: “No one has ever yet seen God. His only Son whom God loves has taught mankind what God is like.”
Xicotepec De Juárez Totonac: “The one who is the only Son of God since they love one another, that one has shown us how God is.”
Huehuetla Tepehua: “God truly loved his only Son. He is the one who showed how God is. “
Ojitlán Chinantec: “Very much his Father loved that only Son. That Son has pointed out God the Father.”
Chol: “. . . who is close to the Father’s heart, this is the one who has caused the Father to become known.” (Source for this and above: M. Larson / B. Moore in Notes on Translation February 1970, p. 1-125.)
Uma: “There is no-one who has seen God. But his Only Child, Who lives always at his side, He is the one who explains / makes-clear God to us.” (Source: Uma Back Translation)
Yakan: “Nobody has seen God, but God is made known to mankind by his only Son, for he is really God and he is one with his Father. So-then there were people who went to Yahiya while he was bathing people on the other side of the river Jordan at the village Betani.” (Source: Yakan Back Translation)
Western Bukidnon Manobo: “No human being has ever seen God, however his only son, he has caused us to know his father God, because they are always companions.” (Source: Western Bukidnon Manobo Back Translation)
Kankanaey: “No one has-been-able-to-see God, but his only Child who is his Father’s companion continually, it is he who has made-him-known.” (Source: Kankanaey Back Translation)
Tagbanwa: “Really from long ago, there’s no one at all who has seen God the Father. But now it’s like we have seen him now, because concerning this God the Father has been made clear to us by this one-and-only Son of his whom he holds-very-dear.” (Source: Tagbanwa Back Translation)
Tenango Otomi: “Never has anyone seen God. The only Son of God who lives where the Father lives has told us about God.” (Source: Tenango Otomi Back Translation)
Hiligaynon: “No person whosoever[intensifier] has seen God the Father. But he was-made-known to us (incl.) by the one of a kind God who is always a companion with the Father.” (Source: Hiligaynon Back Translation)
Mairasi: “No person at all has seen Great Above One, but His Only Child. He lives in equality with His Father and He Himself lives right with Him in the palm of His Hand. He Himself is the One Who reveals His Father’s Name and glory to us. ” (Source: Enggavoter 2004)
Bariai: “Previously and since, no one saw God, yet that only-one God, who was living at his Father’s side, his mouth followed concerning to us (incl.) about God.” (Source: Bariai Back Translation)
Kupsabiny: “There is no person who has seen God, but this child who derives from God is the one who has seen him. He was together with his Father and he revealed to us how God is.” (Source: Kupsabiny Back Translation)
Following are a number of back-translations of John 12:28:
Huehuetla Tepehua: “Rather I will say, ‘Let people say that you are great.’ And when Jesus said this, that is when a word came from heaven which said. . . “
Yatzachi Zapotec: “Then he prayed, ‘Father, cause yourself to receive more honor.’ Then God who is in heaven spoke, saying to him, ‘I have caused myself to receive honor, and I will cause myself to receive more honor.'”
Lalana Chinantec: “‘My Father, do what is necessary so that people will worship you.’ That’s what Jesus said. So God spoke from heaven. He said, ‘I have done what is necessary so that people will worship me. I will also do it again,’ he said.” (Source: M. Larson / B. Moore in Notes on Translation February 1970, p. 1-125.)
Uma: “I say like this: Father, make big your name(s)!’ From there, there was someone who spoke from the sky saying to Yesus: ‘I have already made big my name, and I will make it big again.'” (Source: Uma Back Translation)
Yakan: “So-then Isa spoke to God, he said, ‘O Father, honor/make great your name.’ Immediately there was a voice from the sky saying, ‘I have already honored/made great my name and I will make it great/honor it again.'” (Source: Yakan Back Translation)
Western Bukidnon Manobo: “And then Jesus said to his Father God, he said, ‘Father, show the people your great power.’ And then there was a word which came from heaven which said, ‘I have already shown my power by means of you, and I will show it again.'” (Source: Western Bukidnon Manobo Back Translation)
Kankanaey: “Then he said to God, ‘Father, please show your (sing.) godhood so that your (sing.) name will be honored.’ And there was a voice from heaven that said, ‘I have already shown-it and I will show-it again.'” (Source: Kankanaey Back Translation)
Tagbanwa: “When Jesus had said that, he said, ‘Father, show the big-size of your praiseworthiness/glory.’ There was a voice which the people heard, coming from heaven, which said, ‘I have already shown it, but I will show again my praiseworthiness/glory.'” (Source: Tagbanwa Back Translation)
Tenango Otomi: “Then he said, ‘My Father. May it be known that you are the greatest.’ Then it was heard from above, ‘I have caused it to be known that I am the greatest. And again I will cause it to be known that I am the greatest.'” (Source: Tenango Otomi Back Translation)
Following are a number of back-translations of 1 John 2:7:
Uma: “Relatives whom I love, the command I write to you here, it is not a new command. This command, it is a command you have long heard, one which you received from the first. This command, it is the news that says we [should] love one another.” (Source: Uma Back Translation)
Yakan: “Now, my beloved friends, the command I am writing you here is not new. Since you trusted in Isa Almasi, this command has really been there with you. This is hep the preaching that you have heard that you should love each other.” (Source: Yakan Back Translation)
Western Bukidnon Manobo: “My dear brothers, it is not a new commandment this which I command you, for it was given long ago. This was commanded to you when you first believed. This command is that same Word which was taught to us (incl.) that we (incl.) should hold anyone of our companions dear.” (Source: Western Bukidnon Manobo Back Translation)
Kankanaey: “My friends, it is not a new command that I make-known to you, for beginning-from your believing in Jesu Cristo, you have been hearing the command which says that we must love-one-another.” (Source: Kankanaey Back Translation)
Tagbanwa: “You whom I hold dear, this isn’t at all a new command which I am writing to you, but rather it’s that indeed, that which was originally commanded you long ago. As for this original command which I am referring to, it’s this word which has been taught which you have already heard, that we value one another.” (Source: Tagbanwa Back Translation)
Tenango Otomi: “Listen, my dear brethren, this word that I write here in the letter and which I order you to do is not new. Rather this is what you were ordered to do when you believed the good news long ago.” (Source: Tenango Otomi Back Translation)
Yatzachi Zapotec: “You brethren, I write you to tell you what Jesus Christ commands us to do. What he commands us to do is not a new command but rather an old command which you have known since you began to trust in Christ. What he commands us to do, that very thing is what you have heard since the beginning.”
Eastern Highland Otomi: “My dear children, the Word that I am writing to you isn’t new, but it is the same word which we heard from the beginning a long time ago, that we love one another.”
Tzotzil: “My brethren, it is not a new command that I am writing to you. I am only writing to you the command that long ago you heard when you began to believe God’s word.” (Source for this and two above: John Beekman in Notes on Translation 12, November 1964, p. 1ff.)
Candoshi-Shapra: “I am writing to you ones whom I love. However it is not a new order that I am writing. This is the very (same) old order which you had in the beginning. This old order is the message which you heard before, that’s the one it is.”
Yanesha’: “My loved ones, what I write to you are not new words that I am telling you to do. These words from way past were put for you, from the beginning. These words from way past put are words you have heard.”
Aguaruna: “Ones I love, I write you not a new word, you before when you first heard the good word you heard it, just that. You are those who heard it long ago before;” (Source for this and two above: Mildred Larson in Notes on Translation, July 1965, p. 1-15)
Following are a number of back-translations of 1 John 3:11:
Uma: “This is the news that you heard from the first: we must love one another.” (Source: Uma Back Translation)
Yakan: “When you first trusted in Isa Almasi you heard this preaching that we (incl.) should love each other.” (Source: Yakan Back Translation)
Western Bukidnon Manobo: “It’s necessary that each one of us love our companions. This is what was taught to us (incl.) when we first believed.” (Source: Western Bukidnon Manobo Back Translation)
Kankanaey: “The true teaching that you have been hearing since when- you -believed, it is this: it is necessary that we love-one-another.” (Source: Kankanaey Back Translation)
Tagbanwa: “This indeed is what you heard which was taught to you from long ago, that we value one another.” (Source: Tagbanwa Back Translation)
Tenango Otomi: “The word which you heard at the first says that each one of us must love all our fellow believers.” (Source: Tenango Otomi Back Translation)
Yatzachi Zapotec: “And this word you have heard since you began to trust in Christ, that we must love our fellows each of us the other.”
Eastern Highland Otomi: “Because this is the command that we were told at the beginning, that we love one another.”
Tzotzil: “Thus says God’s word that you heard when you believed: Love one another, it says.” (Source for this and two above: John Beekman in Notes on Translation 12, November 1964, p. 1ff.)
Candoshi-Shapra: “This message is the one which you first heard. ‘May they love one another,’ he said and ordered. This in the one.”
Yanesha’: “These are words which you have heard from the beginning thus we are to characteristically love one another.”
Aguaruna: “That which you heard, when you first heard, it is this word, ‘You all love one another,’ that.” (Source for this and two above: Mildred Larson in Notes on Translation, July 1965, p. 1-15)
The Greek that is translated as “Son of Man” is mostly used by Jesus to refer to himself as well as in the prophecies of Daniel and Enoch (see Enoch 17:34 et al). It is translated in the following languages as (click or tap for details):
Tzotzil: “I who am equal with men” or “The Older Brother of Everybody” (“expressing the dignity and authority of the Messiah and the universality of his work”)
Tenango Otomi: “The Man Appointed” (i.e. the man to whom authority has been delegated) (source for this and preceding: Beekman, p. 189-190, see also Ralph Hill in Notes on Translation February 1983, p. 35-50)
Aguaruna: “One who was born becoming a person” (source for this and two above: M. Larson / B. Moore in Notes on Translation February 1970, p. 1-125.)
Western Bukidnon Manobo: “Older Sibling of Mankind” (source: Western Bukidnon Manobo Back Translation)
Kankanaey: “Child of a Person” (source: Kankanaey Back Translation)
Tagbanwa: “One From Heaven Born of Man/human?” (source: Tagbanwa Back Translation)
Tenango Otomi: “Man who came from heaven” (source: Tenango Otomi Back Translation)
Yatzachi Zapotec: “One who God sent, who was born a human” (a direct translation would have suggested “that the father is unknown due to the indiscretions of the mother” and where “he is the son of people” is used when one wants to disclaim responsibility for or relationship with a child caught in some mischief — source: Reiling / Swellengrebel)
Kâte: Ŋic Fâri Wâtuŋne or “the man who is a true support” (source: Renck, p. 106)
Mezquital Otomi: “The son who became a person” (Source: B. Moore / G. Turner in Notes on Translation 1967, p. 1ff.)
Alekano: “The true man who descended from heaven” (source: Ellis Deibler in Notes on Translation June 1986, p. 36ff.)
Central Tarahumara: “One who has been stood up to help” (“This suggests that Christ has been given authority to some appointed task. A very generic word, help, was selected to fill in the lexically obligatory purpose required by the word which means to appoint or commission. Usually this word is used of menial tasks but not exclusively. The choice of this generic term retains the veiled reference to the character of Christ’s work which He intended in using the ‘Son of Man’ title.”)
Chicahuaxtla Triqui: “He who is relative of all people.” (“The Triqui word for relative is a rather generic term and in its extended sense sometimes is diluted to neighbor and friend. But the primary meaning is relative.”)
Tepeuxila Cuicatec: “The Person who Accompanies All People” (“The literal equivalents ‘son of man’ and ‘son of people’ were both rejected because of the false inference of natural birth involving a human father. Furthermore, it was necessary to expand any translation of the Bible by the addition of the pronoun ‘I’ so as to clarify the fact that Jesus is using the third person in referring to Himself. A common expression used by the Cuicatecos when difficulties befall someone, is to say to that one, ‘don’t worry, we are accompanying you.’ By this they mean they share that person’s sorrow. When wedding guests arrive at the home of a son who has just been married, they say to the father, ‘We have come to accompany you.’ By this they mean that they have come to share the father’s joy. These expressions do not refer to ordinary physical accompaniment, which is expressed by a set of different verbs. For example, visits are always announced by some such greeting as, “I have come to visit you,’ ‘I have come to see you,’ or ‘I have come to ask you something.’ The desire to accompany a friend on a journey is expressed by saying, ‘I will go with you.’ Translation helpers used the verb ‘accompany’ in constructing the phrase ‘I, the Person who Accompanies All People.'(…) It reflects the fact that Jesus closely identified Himself with all of us, understands our weaknesses, shares our burdens, rejoices with us in times of gladness, etc.”) (source for this and the three preceding: Beekman in Notes on Translation January 1963, p. 1-10)
Guhu-Samane: “Elder-brother-man” (“Since the term denotes an elder brother in every way such as honor, power, leadership, representation of the younger, etc. it is a meaningful and fitting — though not ostentatious — title.” Source: Ernest Richert in The Bible Translator 1965, p. 198ff. )
Navajo (Dinė): Diné Silíi’ii — “Man he-became-the-one-who” (“This term presented a difficulty not only in Navajo but also one peculiar to all the Athapaskan languages. It lies in the fact that all these languages, so far as we know, have a word phonetically similar to the Navajo diné which has three meanings: ‘man, people in general,’ ‘a man,’ ‘The People’ which is the name the Navajos use for themselves. (The name Navajo was first used by the Spanish explorers.) Although it seemed natural to say diné biye’ ‘a-man his-son,’ this could also mean ‘The-People their-son’ or ‘a-Navajo his-son,’ in contrast to the son of a white man or of another Indian tribe. Since the concept of the humanity of Christ is so important, we felt that diné biye’ with its three possible meanings should not be used. The term finally decided on was Diné Silíi’ii ‘Man he-became-the-one-who.’ This could be interpreted to mean ‘the one who became a Navajo,’ but since it still would impart the idea of Christ’s becoming man, it was deemed adequate, and it has proven acceptable to the Navajos.”) (Source: Faye Edgerton in The Bible Translator 1962, p. 25ff. )
Toraja-Sa’dan: “Child descended in the world” (“using a poetic verb, often found in songs that [deal with] the contacts between heaven and earth”) (source: Reiling / Swellengrebel)
Obolo: Gwun̄ Ebilene: “Child of Human” (source: Enene Enene).
Mairasi: Jaanoug Tat: “Person Child” (source: Enggavoter 2004)
Costa Rican Sign Language: “It was impossible to translate the expression ‘Son of Man.’ The son-man sign simply means ‘male child.’ The Costa Rican Sign Language (LESCO) team opted for an interpretation of the term and translated it ‘Jesus.'” (Source: Elsa Tamez (in The Bible Translator 2008, p. 59ff. )
Lokạạ: wẹẹn wạ ọnẹn or “son of a person.” “This translation is symbolic in that it uses indigenous Lokạạ words. However, since the publication of the New Testament in 2006, this phrase has gained popularity within contemporary Lokạạ society as an expression to describe an important person whose career is going well. In the New Testament, the phrase ‘son of man’ is used to describe Jesus as prototypically human, but the Lokạạ phrase is now being used to describe an exceptional person in Lokạạ society.” (Source: J.A. Naudé, C.L. Miller Naudé, J.O. Obono in Acta Theologica 43/2, 2023, p. 129ff. )
In many West African languages, using a third person reference as a first person indicator is common practice with a large range of semantic effects. Languages that use the exact expression “son of man” as a self-reference or reference to another person include Lukpa, Baatonum, Mossi (“son of Adam”), Yoruba (“son of person”), Guiberoua Béte, or Samo. (Source: Lynell Zogbo in: Omanson 2000, p. 167-188.)
In Swahili the expression Mwana wa Mtu or mwana wa mtu or “son/daughter of human person,” which is used by several Bible translations, also has “the idiomatic meaning of ‘a human being’” (source: Jean-Claude Loba-Mkole in An Intercultural Criticism of New Testament Translations 2013, see here). The same is true for the Lingala expression Mwana na Moto — “son/daughter of human person.” (Ibid.)
In Balinese “we are again bordering on theological questions when we inquire as to which vocabulary shall be used to translate the texts where Jesus speaks of himself as ‘the Son of man.’ One of the fixed rules governing the use of these special vocabularies is that one may never use the deferential terms in speaking of oneself. This would be the extreme of arrogance. Now if one considers the expression ‘Son of man’ primarily as a description of ‘I,’ then one must continually indicate the possessions or actions of the Son of man by Low Balinese words. In doing this the mystery of the expression is largely lost. In any case the vocabulary used in most of the contexts would betray that Jesus means the title for himself.
“However, a distinction can actually be made in Balinese between the person and the exalted position he occupies. For example, the chairman of a judicial body may employ deferential terms when referring to this body and its chairman, without this being taken as an expression of arrogance. Considered from this standpoint, one may translate in such a way that Jesus is understood as using such deferential words and phrases in speaking of himself. The danger is, however, that the unity between his person and the figure of “the Son of man” is blurred by such usage.
“On request, the New Testament committee of the Netherlands Bible Society advised that ‘the sublimity of this mysterious term be considered the most important point and thus High Balinese be used.'”
“One of the first things that we did in working through the earlier part of the New Testament was to decide on how we would translate some of the more difficult technical terms. It was immediately obvious that something must be done with the translation of ‘the Son of Man,’ since the literal rendering anak manusia (literally ‘child of a man’) held absolutely no meaning for Malay readers. We felt that the title should emphasize the divine origin and authority of the one who used this title, and at the same time, since it was a title, we decided that it should not be too long a phrase. Finally, a phrase meaning ‘the One whom God has ordained’ was chosen (yang dilantik Allah). It is interesting to note that the newly-begun Common Indonesian (Alkitab Kabar Baik, published in 1985) has followed a similar route by translating ‘the One whom God has chosen’ (yang depilih Allah).”
Following are a number of back-translations of John 3:8:
Lalana Chinantec: “‘The wind blows just wherever it wants to. We hear the sound but we do not know where it comes from. We do not know where it is going. And that is what the person whom the great Spirit of God has caused to be alive is like. It is evident that he is alive, even though we do not know how it is that that has happened.’ That’s what Jesus said to Nicodemus.” (Source: M. Larson / B. Moore in Notes on Translation February 1970, p. 1-125.)
Uma: “For example wind, it blows wherever it goes. We just hear its rustling, we do not know where it comes from or where it goes. So also with a person who is born from/by the power of the Spirit of God.'” (Source: Uma Back Translation)
Yakan: “‘An example/a figure is the wind. The wind blows wherever it wants to. It is not known where the wind comes from or where it goes to but you hear it’s sound. Like that is also a person when he is born from the Spirit of God, it is not known as to how (it happens) but (that it is) true.'” (Source: Yakan Back Translation)
Western Bukidnon Manobo: “As for the wind, it goes just any old where, and we can tell because we can hear its noise. But we cannot tell where it comes from or where it’s going. It is the same way also with the power of the Holy Spirit in a person who is born by means of his power because this cannot be understood by a mere person.'” (Source: Western Bukidnon Manobo Back Translation)
Kankanaey: “Because even though the way it happens can not be understood, it happens nonetheless. It’s like the wind. We don’t know where-it-comes-from and where-it-goes, because what it does is up-to-it, but we feel-it nevertheless. It’s the same with all who are born by the Holy Spirit.'” (Source: Kankanaey Back Translation)
Tagbanwa: “Consider this. The wind blows wherever it wishes. We can hear the rustle and see the movement of things it is blowing, like a sign of its strength. But we can’t see this wind. We don’t know where it is going and where it came from. Well, it’s like that indeed when someone is given birth to by the Espiritu Santo. For the work/activity of the Espiritu Santo, it’s just like the activity of the wind. We can’t control him and we can’t see him. We can only see natures/ways he has made new in people who have been given birth to again.'” (Source: Tagbanwa Back Translation)
Tenango Otomi: “You know that the wind goes anywhere it wants to go. You hear it blowing but you don’t know where it comes from or where it goes. In like manner the Holy Spirit who gives new life to people, you do not see.'” (Source: Tenango Otomi Back Translation)
Following are a number of back-translations of John 17:10:
Chol: “All who belong to you also are mine. All who are mine are yours. My greatness has been shown in the believers.”
Mezquital Otomi: “All mine are yours and all yours are mine. We own them together. My glory appears in them.”
Yatzachi Zapotec: “And all the people who follow me are your children. And thus it is, whoever are your children are also my children. I receive honor because of what they do.”
Central Pame: “. . . It is apparent that I am glorious when the people I rule live righteously.” (Source for this and above: M. Larson / B. Moore in Notes on Translation February 1970, p. 1-125.)
Uma: “All people who are my portion are your (sing.) portion, Father. And all people who are your (sing.) portion are my portion. They are the ones who show the bigness of my life.” (Source: Uma Back Translation)
Yakan: “All that are/is mine are/is yours and all that are/is yours are/is mine. And I am honored/made great by them, because they trust in me.” (Source: Yakan Back Translation)
Western Bukidnon Manobo: “And as for the people who belong to you, they are mine also, and all that are mine are yours also. And by means of them my power is known.” (Source: Western Bukidnon Manobo Back Translation)
Kankanaey: “Because all that-is/who-are mine is/are yours (sing.), and what is/are yours (sing.), is/are likewise also mine. And I am already being-honored/praised by-means-of them.” (Source: Kankanaey Back Translation)
Tagbanwa: “All the ones who are mine, these are indeed yours, and all who are yours, they’re mine too. And my glory is apparent in/to them.” (Source: Tagbanwa Back Translation)
Tenango Otomi: “All those who are in my hand are in your hand. Those who are in your hand are in my hand. I will be looked upon favorably because of them.” (Source: Tenango Otomi Back Translation)
