speaking with tongues

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The Greek that is often translated as “speaking with tongues” in English is translated these ways:

  • Uma: “speak with languages from the Holy Spirit” (source: Uma Back Translation)
  • Yakan: “speak languages that are not understood by the people” (source: Yakan Back Translation)
  • Western Bukidnon Manobo: “speak in languages which [the speakers] do not know” (source: Western Bukidnon Manobo Back Translation)
  • Tagbanwa: “speak different languages that [the speakers] haven’t studied” (source: Tagbanwa Back Translation)
  • Teutila Cuicatec: “speaking other different languages”
  • Lalana Chinantec: “speaking in other people’s Chinantec”
  • Eastern Highland Otomi: “speaking strange languages” (source for his and two above: Viola Waterhouse in Notes on Translation August 1966, p. 86ff.)
  • Indonesian Alkitab Terjemahan Lama version (publ. 1958): “speak the language of the spirit” (bahasa roh) — “which leaves a strong impression that this is a mystical experience.” (Source: Ekaputra Tupamahu in: Journal for the Study of the New Testament 2018, 41/2, p. 223ff.)

In most Protestant Mandarin Chinese translations, the term fāngyán (方言) or “dialect / regional language” is used. The widely-used Catholic Sigao translation uses yǔyán 语言 (語言) or “language” instead. (See also W. Chong in Religions 2024, 15, p. 288ff. )

In the German New Testament translation by Berger / Nord (publ. 1999) it is translated as in den Sprachen der Engel reden or “speaking in the language of angels.” The translators explain (p. 104): “According to Jewish understanding, angels primarily spoke Hebrew. The ‘languages’ of angels are specific texts (such as songs). This is not related to a formal knowledge of language.” Note that in the latter part of 1 Corinthians 14 (from verse 26 on) and in Acts 2:4, Berger / Nord use “foreign language” instead.

In the German translation by Fridolin Stier (1989) it is translated as “speaking with ecstatic tongues” (mit verzückten Zungen reden).

speak in the tongues of angels

The now commonly-used German idiom mit Engelszungen reden for “sliver-tongued” or “speaking with persuasion and/charm” was first coined in 1522 in the German New Testament translation by Martin Luther. (Source: Günther 2017, p. 61)

For other idioms or terms in German that were coined by Bible translation, see here.

cymbals

The musical instrument that is most often translated as “cymbals” in English is translated in the following ways:

  • Laarim: “jingles” (source: Laarim Back Translation)
  • Uma: “drum” (source: Uma Back Translation)
  • Yakan: “tin” (source: Yakan Back Translation)
  • Western Bukidnon Manobo: “bamboo clapper” (source: Western Bukidnon Manobo Back Translation)
  • Tagbanwa: “percussion-instrument” (source: Tagbanwa Back Translation)
  • Bariai: “rattling decoration” (source: Bariai Back Translation)
  • Kupsabiny: “drum sticks” (source: Kupsabiny Back Translation)
  • Paicî: “cooking pot lid” (in 1 Cor. 13:1) (Source: Ian Flaws)
  • Natügu: “smacking things” and “banging things” (in Psalm 150:5) (source: Brenda Boerger in Open Theology 2016, p. 179ff. )

In the UBS Helps for Translators‘ Human-made Things in the Bible (original title: The Works of Their Hands: Man-made Things in the Bible) it says the following:

Description: Cymbals were a percussion instrument consisting of two metal discs that were struck together in order to make a shrill, clashing sound. There were two types of cymbals: (1) flat metal plates that were struck together, and (2) metal cones, one of which was brought down on top of the other, on the open end.

Translation: The equivalent of “cymbal” in many languages is a phrase such as “loud metal.”

Cymbals (source: Susan Mitford (c) British and Foreign Bible Society 1986)

Quoted with permission.

See also clanging cymbal.

complete verse (1 Corinthians 13:1)

Following are a number of back-translations of 1 Corinthians 13:1:

  • Uma: “If for example we get the ability from the Holy Spirit to speak many kinds of human languages or also the languages of angels, but if we don’t have love for others, it has no use. Our words are just like a gong that goes-clang or like a drum that goes-thud, they have no use.” (Source: Uma Back Translation)
  • Yakan: “Even if for example I were given expertise to speak all languages here in the world and including I could speak the language of the angels, but if I had no love there would be no use in my expertise. My speech would be just like the noise of agongs or a tin can hit indiscriminately.” (Source: Yakan Back Translation)
  • Western Bukidnon Manobo: “Even though I’m given the skill to talk in languages here on the earth, and even the language of the angels in Heaven but I do not love my companions, there is no value to the skill which is given me, because my speaking is just only like the sound of an gong or a bamboo clapper which is beaten on.” (Source: Western Bukidnon Manobo Back Translation)
  • Kankanaey: “Even though I am able-to-speak the languages of people and even languages of angels, yet if I have no love for my companions, what I say is mere noise/disturbance like a clanging gong (cymbal deliberately omitted due to lack of meaningful RL equivalent).” (Source: Kankanaey Back Translation)
  • Tagbanwa: “Even if I can now speak many-different languages of people here under heaven, even though I haven’t studied them, or even the language of the angels, if I really don’t value my fellowman, those words of mine, they are useless. Just like the sound of percussion-instruments that are being struck haphazardly.” (Source: Tagbanwa Back Translation)
  • Tenango Otomi: “Now, although we should know how to speak the languages of other people or if we knew the language spoken by angels, yet if we do not love our fellow men, then it is of no value. Concerning the words we would speak, they would be of no value because they would be like the cymbal when it is ringing or like the bell when it is ringing.” (Source: Tenango Otomi Back Translation)

angel

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The Greek, Hebrew, Ge’ez, and Aramaic that is translated as “angel” in English versions is translated in many ways:

  • Pintupi-Luritja: ngaṉka ngurrara: “one who belongs in the sky” (source: Ken Hansen quoted in Steven 1984a, p. 116.)
  • Tetela, Kpelle, Balinese, and Mandarin Chinese: “heavenly messenger”
  • Shilluk / Igede: “spirit messenger”
  • Mashco Piro: “messenger of God”
  • Batak Toba: “envoy, messenger”
  • Navajo (Dinė): “holy servant” (source for this and above: Bratcher / Nida 1961; Igede: Andy Warren-Rothlin)
  • Central Mazahua: “God’s worker” (source: Ronald D. Olson in Notes on Translation January, 1968, p. 15ff.)
  • Saramaccan: basia u Masa Gaangadu köndë or “messenger from God’s country” (source: Jabini 2015, p. 86)
  • Mairasi: atatnyev nyaa or “sent-one” (source: Enggavoter 2004)
  • Shipibo-Conibo: “word bringer” (source: James Lauriault in The Bible Translator 1951, p. 32ff. )
  • Apali: “God’s one with talk from the head” (“basically God’s messenger since head refers to any leader’s talk”) (source: Martha Wade)
  • Michoacán Nahuatl: “clean helper of God” (source: B. Moore / G. Turner in Notes on Translation 1967, p. 1ff.)
  • Noongar: Hdjin-djin-kwabba or “spirit good” (source: Warda-Kwabba Luke-Ang)
  • Wè Northern (Wɛɛ): Kea ‘a “sooa or “the Lord’s soldier” (also: “God’s soldier” or “his soldier”) (source: Drew Maust)
  • Iwaidja: “a man sent with a message” (Sam Freney explains the genesis of this term [in this article ): “For example, in Darwin last year, as we were working on a new translation of Luke 2:6–12 in Iwaidja, a Northern Territory language, the translators had written ‘angel’ as ‘a man with eagle wings’. Even before getting to the question of whether this was an accurate term (or one that imported some other information in), the word for ‘eagle’ started getting discussed. One of the translators had her teenage granddaughter with her, and this word didn’t mean anything to her at all. She’d never heard of it, as it was an archaic term that younger people didn’t use anymore. They ended up changing the translation of ‘angel’ to something like ‘a man sent with a message’, which is both more accurate and clear.”)

Like a number of other East Asian languages, Japanese uses a complex system of honorifics, i.e. a system where a number of different levels of politeness are expressed in language via words, word forms or grammatical constructs. These can range from addressing someone or referring to someone with contempt (very informal) to expressing the highest level of reference (as used in addressing or referring to God) or any number of levels in-between. One way to do this is through the usage (or a lack) of an honorific prefix as shown here in the widely-used Japanese Shinkaiyaku (新改訳) Bible of 2017. When the referent is God, the “divine” honorific prefix mi- (御 or み) is used as in mi-tsukai (御使い) or “messenger (of God).” (Source: S. E. Doi, see also S. E. Doi in Journal of Translation, 18/2022, p. 37ff. )

See also angel (Acts 12:15) and this devotion on YouVersion .

Lord

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The Hebrew adonai in the Old Testament typically refers to God. The shorter adon (and in two cases in the book of Daniel the Aramaic mare [מָרֵא]) is also used to refer to God but more often for concepts like “master,” “owner,” etc. In English Bible translations all of those are translated with “Lord” if they refer to God.

In English Old Testament translations, as in Old Testament translations in many other languages, the use of Lord (or an equivalent term in other languages) is not to be confused with Lord (or the equivalent term with a different typographical display for other languages). While the former translates adonai, adon and mare, the latter is a translation for the tetragrammaton (YHWH) or the Name of God. See tetragrammaton (YHWH) and the article by Andy Warren-Rothlin in Noss / Houser, p. 618ff. for more information.

In the New Testament, the Greek term kurios has at least four different kinds of use:

  • referring to “God,” especially in Old Testament quotations,
  • meaning “master” or “owner,” especially in parables, etc.,
  • as a form of address (see for instance John 4:11: “Sir, you have no bucket”),
  • or, most often, referring to Jesus

In the first and fourth case, it is also translated as “Lord” in English.

Most languages naturally don’t have one word that covers all these meanings. According to Bratcher / Nida, “the alternatives are usually (1) a term which is an honorific title of respect for a high-ranking person and (2) a word meaning ‘boss’, ‘master’, or ‘chief.’ (…) and on the whole it has generally seemed better to employ a word of the second category, in order to emphasize the immediate personal relationship, and then by context to build into the word the prestigeful character, since its very association with Jesus Christ will tend to accomplish this purpose.”

When looking at the following list of back-translations of the terms that translators in the different languages have used for both kurios and adonai to refer to God and Jesus respectively, it might be helpful for English readers to recall the etymology of the English “Lord.” While this term might have gained an exalted meaning in the understanding of many, it actually comes from hlaford or “loaf-ward,” referring to the lord of the castle who was the keeper of the bread (source: Rosin 1956, p. 121).

Click or tap here to see the rest of this insight

Following are some of the solutions that don’t rely on a different typographical display (see above):

  • Navajo (Dinė): “the one who has charge”
  • Mossi: “the one who has the head” (the leader)
  • Uduk: “chief”
  • Guerrero Amuzgo: “the one who commands”
  • Kpelle: “person-owner” (a term which may be applied to a chief)
  • Central Pame: “the one who owns us” (or “commands us”)
  • Piro: “the big one” (used commonly of one in authority)
  • San Blas Kuna: “the great one over all” (source for this and above: Bratcher / Nida)
  • Guhu-Samane: Soopara (“our Supervisor”) (source: Ellis Deibler in Notes on Translation July, 1967, p. 5ff.)
  • Balinese: “Venerated-one” (source: Reiling / Swellengrebel)
  • Yanesha’: “the one who carries us” (source: Nida 1952, p. 159)
  • Northern Emberá: Dadjirã Boro (“our Head”)
  • Rarotongan: Atu (“master or owner of a property”)
  • Gilbertese: Uea (“a person of high status invested with authority to rule the people”)
  • Rotuman: Gagaja (“village chief”)
  • Samoan: Ali’i (“an important word in the native culture, it derives from the Samoan understanding of lordship based on the local traditions”)
  • Tahitian: Fatu (“owner,” “master”)
  • Tuvalu: Te Aliki (“chief”)
  • Fijian: Liuliu (“leader”) (source for this and six above: Joseph Hong in The Bible Translator 1994, p. 329ff. )
  • Bacama: Həmə miye: “owner of people” (source: David Frank in this blog post )
  • Hopi: “Controller” (source: Walls 2000, p. 139)
  • Iyansi: Mwol. Mwol is traditionally used for the “chief of a group of communities and villages” with legal, temporal, and spiritual authority (versus the “mfum [the term used in other Bantu languages] which is used for the chief of one community of people in one village”). Mwol is also used for twins who are “treated as special children, highly honored, and taken care of like kings and queens.” (Source: Kividi Kikama in Greed / Kruger, p. 396ff.)
  • Ghomala’: Cyəpɔ (“he who is above everyone,” consisting of the verb cyə — to surpass or go beyond — and pɔ — referring to people. No human can claim this attribute, no matter what his or her social status or prestige.” (Source: Michel Kenmogne in Theologizing in Context: An Example from the Study of a Ghomala’ Christian Hymn )
  • Binumarien: Karaambaia: “fight-leader” (Source: Oates 1995, p. 255)
  • Warlpiri: Warlaljamarri (owner or possessor of something — for more information tap or click here)

    We have come to rely on another term which emphasizes God’s essential nature as YHWH, namely jukurrarnu (see tetragrammaton (YHWH)). This word is built on the same root jukurr– as is jukurrpa, ‘dreaming.’ Its basic meaning is ‘timelessness’ and it is used to describe physical features of the land which are viewed as always being there. Some speakers view jukurrarnu in terms of ‘history.’ In all Genesis references to YHWH we have used Kaatu Jukurrarnu. In all Mark passages where kurios refers to God and not specifically to Christ we have also used Kaatu Jukurrarnu.

    New Testament references to Christ as kurios are handled differently. At one stage we experimented with the term Watirirririrri which refers to a ceremonial boss of highest rank who has the authority to instigate ceremonies. While adequately conveying the sense of Christ’s authority, there remained potential negative connotations relating to Warlpiri ceremonial life of which we might be unaware.

    Here it is that the Holy Spirit led us to make a chance discovery. Transcribing the personal testimony of the local Warlpiri pastor, I noticed that he described how ‘my Warlaljamarri called and embraced me (to the faith)’. Warlaljamarri is based on the root warlalja which means variously ‘family, possessions, belongingness’. A warlaljamarri is the ‘owner’ or ‘possessor’ of something. While previously being aware of the ‘ownership’ aspect of warlaljamarri, this was the first time I had heard it applied spontaneously and naturally in a fashion which did justice to the entire concept of ‘Lordship’. Thus references to Christ as kurios are now being handled by Warlaljamarri.” (Source: Stephen Swartz, The Bible Translator 1985, p. 415ff. )

  • Mairasi: Onggoao Nem (“Throated One” — “Leader,” “Elder”) or Enggavot Nan (“Above-One”) (source: Enggavoter 2004)
  • Obolo: Okaan̄-ene (“Owner of person(s)”) (source: Enene Enene)
  • Angami Naga: Niepu (“master,” “owner”)
  • Lotha Naga: Opvui (“owner of house / field / cattle”) — since both “Lord” and YHWH are translated as Opvui there is an understanding that “Opvui Jesus is the same as the Opvui of the Old Testament”
  • Ao Naga: Kibuba (“human master,” “teacher,” “owner of property,” etc.) (source for this and two above: Nitoy Achumi in The Bible Translator 1992 p. 438ff. )
  • Seediq: Tholang, loan word from Min Nan Chinese (the majority language in Taiwan) thâu-lâng (頭儂): “Master” (source: Covell 1998, p. 248)
  • Thai: phra’ phu pen cao (พระผู้เป็นเจ้า) (divine person who is lord) or ong(kh) cao nay (องค์เจ้านาย) (<divine classifier>-lord-boss) (source: Stephen Pattemore)
  • Arabic often uses different terms for adonai or kurios referring to God (al-rabb الرب) and kurios referring to Jesus (al-sayyid الـسـيـد). Al-rabb is also the term traditionally used in Arabic Christian-idiom translations for YHWH, and al-sayyid is an honorary term, similar to English “lord” or “sir” (source: Andy Warren-Rothlin).
  • Tamil also uses different terms for adonai/kurios when referring to God and kurios when referring to Jesus. The former is Karttar கர்த்தர், a Sanskrit-derived term with the original meaning of “creator,” and the latter in Āṇṭavar ஆண்டவர், a Tamil term originally meaning “govern” or “reign” (source: Natarajan Subramani).
  • Burunge: Looimoo: “owner who owns everything” (in the Burunge Bible translation, this term is only used as a reference to Jesus and was originally used to refer to the traditional highest deity — source: Michael Endl in Holzhausen / Riderer 2010, p. 48)
  • Yagaria: Souve, originally “war lord” (source: Renck, p. 94)
  • Aguacateco: Ajcaw ske’j: “the one to whom we belong and who is above us” (source: Rita Peterson in Holzhausen / Riderer 2010, p. 49)
  • Konkomba: Tidindaan: “He who is the owner of the land and reigns over the people” (source: Lidorio 2007, p. 66)
  • Chichewa: Ambuye Ambuye comes from the singular form Mbuye which is used to refer to: (1) someone who is a guardian or protector of someone or group of people — a grandparent who has founded a community or village; (2) someone who is a boss or master over a group of people or servants and has absolute control over them; (3) owner of something, be it a property, animals and people who are bound under his/her rule — for people this was mostly commonly used in the context of slaves and their owner. In short, Mbuye is someone who has some authorities over those who call him/her their “Mbuye.” Now, when the form Ambuye is used it will either be for honorific when used for singular or plural when referring to more than one person. When this term is used in reference to God, it is for respect to God as he is acknowledged as a guardian, protector, and ruler of everything. (Source: Mawu a Mulungu mu Chichewa Chalero Back Translation).
  • Hdi uses rveri (“lion”) as a title of respect and as such it regularly translates adon in the Old Testament. As an address, it’s most often with a possessive pronoun as in rvera ɗa (“my lion” = “my lord” or “sir”). So, for example, Genesis 15:2 (“O Lord God”) is Rvera ɗa Yawe (“My lion Yahweh”) or Ruth to Boaz in Ruth 2:13: “May I find your grace [lit. good-stomach] my lion.” This ties in nicely with the imagery of the Lord roaring like a lion (Hosea 11:10; Amos 3:8; Joel 3:16). Better still, this makes passages like Revelation 5:5 even richer when we read about rveri ma taba məndəra la Yuda, “the Lion of the tribe of Judah”. In Revelation 19:16, Jesus is rveri ta ghəŋa rveriha “the lion above lions” (“lord of lords”). (Source: Drew Maust)

Law (2013, p. 97) writes about how the Ancient Greek Septuagint‘s translation of the Hebrew adonai was used by the New Testament writers as a bridge between the Old and New Testaments: “Another case is the use of kurios referring to Jesus. For Yahweh (in English Bibles: ‘the Lord‘), the Septuagint uses kurios. Although the term kurios usually has to do with one’s authority over others, when the New Testament authors use this word from the Septuagint to refer to Jesus, they are making an extraordinary claim: Jesus of Nazareth is to be identified with Yahweh.”

See also Father / Lord.

Translation commentary on 1 Corinthians 13:1

Verses 1-3 all have a similar structure. Verse 1 begins with a condition, and verses 2 and 3 with two conditions each. In each case the conditional clauses are followed by the words but have not love and then by the main clause in the Greek. Problems in translation arise in deciding whether the conditions are likely to be fulfilled. For example, does Paul actually have prophetic powers, the ability to preach God’s message (verse 2)? In 14.18 Paul certainly claims the gift of speaking with tongues, and in 14.6 he claims the gift of prophecy in the Christian sense (see comments on 12.10). However, it is quite uncertain whether he gave away everything he had (verse 3a), and he clearly had not given up his body to be burned (verse 3b). The whole section is so conditional in tone that Paul may be understood as taking his own situation, in very general terms, as an example (compare 4.6), rather than speaking directly of his personal experience. Good News Bible‘s repeated “I may…” expresses this very well in English. Revised English Bible has a similar translation. Other ways of showing this possibly contrary to fact or hypothetical situation are: “If it should happen that I am able to speak … but I don’t have love” or “Suppose that I should be able to speak….” In some languages it may be necessary to use the word “one” instead of “I” and say “If it should happen that one….”

Men means human beings, both male and female. Tongues of men can be translated “human languages.”

And of angels may be expressed as “even those of angels” or “even those that angels speak.”

The Greek word translated love was not common in pre-Christian times. In the New Testament it is used primarily in speaking of God’s or Christ’s love for human beings. However, it is also used of the love of Christians, usually for one another, as in this chapter. In 1 the word “care” has a similar meaning. King James Version‘s “charity” has in modern English the narrower meaning of generosity to the poor, and this meaning should be avoided in the translation of this chapter.

But have not love may also be rendered as “But if I do not love.”

Gong: according to the context the Greek word means either a metal such as copper or bronze, or something made out of metal, such as coins, or it may refer to armor. The mention of a cymbal or “bell” (Good News Bible) immediately after this word suggests that here a musical instrument such as a gong is intended. The cymbal in ancient times was a metal basin used like modern cymbals, in pairs, to produce a musical sound. Good News Bible replaces cymbal by “bell” as being more widely understood. Other translators will have to decide what musical instruments in their cultures carry the same meaning, if there are no gongs or cymbals.

The term translated noisy (Good News Bible‘s “clanging”) is used in Mark 5.38 of the loud noise made by mourners. Some languages may use only one word to describe the sound of a gong and cymbal. One could say, for example, “a gong or cymbal that is sending out clanging noises.”

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 .