The Hebrew, Greek, and Latin that is translated as “cup” in English is translated in Sar with “calabash” (see here ) (source: Ngarbolnan Riminan in Le Sycomore 2000, p. 20ff. ) and in Bariai with “coconut shell” (source: Bariai Back Translation)
Following are a number of back-translations of 1 Corinthians 11:28:
Uma: “So, every person must examine his own behavior first, and only then should he eat that bread and drink that wine.” (Source: Uma Back Translation)
Yakan: “Therefore when you gather to eat and drink for remembering Isa Almasi you should first each one think about what you have done then you can eat and drink.” (Source: Yakan Back Translation)
Western Bukidnon Manobo: “That’s why each one must check up on his own breath, to see whether his faith in the death of Jesus is true or not; and then it is possible that he eat and drink.” (Source: Western Bukidnon Manobo Back Translation)
Kankanaey: “Therefore what each one ought to do-first is to (mentally)-examine himself as to whether his thoughts are correct so that after that he will join in eating-together and drinking-together.” (Source: Kankanaey Back Translation)
Tagbanwa: “Therefore be careful how you eat the bread and drink the drink which is the remembrance of the Lord’s death.” (Source: Tagbanwa Back Translation)
Tenango Otomi: “Therefore now, each one of you consider your thoughts before you eat the Holy Supper.” (Source: Tenango Otomi Back Translation)
This verse is closely connected with verse 27, about which see the comments.
The word translated examine is related to the adjective in verse 19 translated “genuine” and has a similar meaning: “check whether all is right.” To “test oneself,” as in Revised English Bible, Moffatt, and Die Bibel im heutigen Deutsch, is perhaps too narrow, as it suggests just one particular test. Some languages may have to say something like “look carefully into the heart,” in order to avoid the idea of a physical examination.
And so: the so is emphatic, implying “and only when he has examined himself.” This meaning is made explicit by Die Bibel im heutigen Deutsch, “… before he eats the bread”; Parola Del Signore: La Bibbia in Lingua Corrente says “Each one therefore should first examine himself, and then eat…”; and Revised English Bible, “everyone must test himself before eating from the bread….”
Quoted with permission from Ellingworth, Paul and Hatton, Howard A. A Handbook on Paul’s First Letter to the Corinthians, 2nd edition. (UBS Handbook Series). New York: UBS, 1985/1994. For this and other handbooks for translators see here .
11:28 Each one must examine himself before he eats of the bread and drinks of the cup.
People should test themselves before they eat the ⌊communion⌋ bread and drink from the ⌊communion⌋ cup.
-or-
Before eating the bread and drinking the wine in the cup, you should look carefully at your own hearts/attitudes.
Living Water is produced for the Bible translation movement in association with Lutheran Bible Translators. Lyrics derived from the ESV® Bible (The Holy Bible, English Standard Version®).
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