complete verse (1 Corinthians 15:54)

Following are a number of back-translations of 1 Corinthians 15:54:

  • Uma: “For these bodies of ours that can die and become rotten must be changed to become bodies that have no death and that cannot become rotten. So, when these bodies of ours are indeed changed, at that time will come to pass the words written in the Holy Book long ago that say: ‘God has defeated death, there is no longer any death.'” (Source: Uma Back Translation)
  • Yakan: “When these our (incl.) bodies that eventually die are changed already so that they will no more die, then what is said in the holy-book is fulfilled, it says, ‘Nobody/nothing will anymore die because God has removed death.'” (Source: Yakan Back Translation)
  • Western Bukidnon Manobo: “And when God makes us (incl.) immortal, we who are subject to death, we can no longer die and that word of God will come to pass which says, ‘There is no longer any death because God has already removed death.'” (Source: Western Bukidnon Manobo Back Translation)
  • Kankanaey: “When that happens, that will be the fulfillment of what God caused-to-be-written which says, ‘Death will be thoroughly defeated and will cease-to-exist.'” (Source: Kankanaey Back Translation)
  • Tagbanwa: “Well, when this that perishes has been replaced by that which has no destruction, and when this body which dies has been replaced by one without death, what was said in the written word of God will be fulfilled which says, ‘Death has now been removed. The victory over it is now complete.'” (Source: Tagbanwa Back Translation)
  • Tenango Otomi: “Our bodies now must die. But when they are changed then our bodies will be forever, they will not die. Then it will occur like it says in the Holy Book: ‘Concerning the death there is, it will lose its power, it will be conquered.” (Source: Tenango Otomi Back Translation)

word / command (of God) (Japanese honorifics)

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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) can be used, as in mi-kotoba (みことば) or “word (of God)” in the referenced verses.

(Source: S. E. Doi, see also S. E. Doi in Journal of Translation, 18/2022, p. 37ff. )

SIL Translator’s Notes on 1 Corinthians 15:54

15:54a When the perishable has been clothed with the imperishable

When our bodies that can decay have changed into bodies that cannot decay,
-or-
When these bodies on this earth have become bodies for heaven,

15:54b and the mortal with immortality,

and our bodies that die have changed into bodies that live forever,
-or-
and when these bodies that die have become bodies that never die,

15:54c then the saying that is written will come to pass:

then what is written ⌊in the Scriptures⌋ will happen:
-or-
then it will be like what is written ⌊in the Scriptures⌋. It says there,

15:54d “Death has been swallowed up in victory.”

“⌊God⌋ has defeated death. There is no longer any death.”
-or-
“⌊God⌋ has conquered his enemies and his people will no longer die.”

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