Tepeuxila Cuicatec: “a person who pardons people of their sins” (source for this and two above: Viola Waterhouse in Notes on Translation August 1966, p. 86ff.)
Noongar: Keny-Barranginy-Ngandabat or “One Bringing Life” (source: Warda-Kwabba Luke-Ang)
Uma: “the King who lifts us from the punishment of our sins” (source: Uma Back Translation)
Western Bukidnon Manobo: “one who delivers us from punishment” (source: Western Bukidnon Manobo Back Translation)
Kankanaey: “one whom we hope/expect will do all we are waiting for” (source: Kankanaey Back Translation)
Tagbanwa: “one who is the pledge of our assurance of salvation in the future.” (Source: Tagbanwa Back Translation)
Kâte: bâbâpiaŋ or “healer” (source: Renck 1990, p. 104)
In various German and Dutch Bible translations, the term Heiland is used, which was introduced by Martin Luther in the 16th century and means “the healing one.” This term (as “Hælend”) was used in Old English as a translation for “Jesus” — see Swain 2019 and Jesus.
In American Sign Language it is signed with a sign describing releasing someone from bondage. (Source: Yates 2011, p. 52)
Many languages distinguish between inclusive and exclusive first-person plural pronouns (“we”). (Click or tap here to see more details)
The inclusive “we” specifically includes the addressee (“you and I and possibly others”), while the exclusive “we” specifically excludes the addressee (“he/she/they and I, but not you”). This grammatical distinction is called “clusivity.” While Semitic languages such as Hebrew or most Indo-European languages such as Greek or English do not make that distinction, translators of languages with that distinction have to make a choice every time they encounter “we” or a form thereof (in English: “we,” “our,” or “us”).
For this verse, translators either select the exclusive form (excluding the addressee) or the inclusive form (including the addressee).
Source: SIL International Translation Department (1999)
Following are a number of back-translations of 1 John 4:14:
Uma: “We (excl.), we (excl.) have seen [emphatic] God’s Child, and we (excl.) testify that he is the one whom God the Father ordered here to be the King who lifts all mankind from the punishment of their sins.” (Source: Uma Back Translation)
Yakan: “And we (excl.) saw and we (excl.) bear witness also that God sent his Son to the world to save all mankind.” (Source: Yakan Back Translation)
Western Bukidnon Manobo: “As for us (excl.) apostles, we know that God has sent His Son here so that mankind might be freed from punishment. The reason we know this is because we (excl.) saw Him and we are telling what we have seen.” (Source: Western Bukidnon Manobo Back Translation)
Kankanaey: “We (excl.) also (concessive particle), we (excl.) have seen Jesus, so we (excl.) can confirm that God sent his Child to this earth in order that he would be the one to save the collective-people.” (Source: Kankanaey Back Translation)
Tagbanwa: “And as for us (excl.), we (excl.) really saw the Son of God, and testify that God the Father sent this Son of his, he being the Savior of all people here under the heavens.” (Source: Tagbanwa Back Translation)
Tenango Otomi: “And we (excl.) have ourselves seen the Son of God, therefore we give our testimony that the Father sent his Son here to earth to save people.” (Source: Tenango Otomi Back Translation)
Yatzachi Zapotec: “And we (ex) saw the son of God and we (ex) say that our father God sent him to save the people in this world.”
Eastern Highland Otomi: “And we (excl.) testify that the Father sent here his Son to redeem the lives of people here in the world. And we have seen his Son.”
Tzotzil: “We (excl.) saw it, we (excl.) are witnesses that our Father God sent coming (here) his Son. He came to help, save all people.” (Source for this and two above: John Beekman in Notes on Translation 12, November 1964, p. 1ff.)
Click or tap here to see the rest of this insight.
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 Japanese shows different degree of politeness is through the usage of an honorific construction where the morpheme are (され) is affixed on the verb as shown here in the widely-used Japanese Shinkaiyaku (新改訳) Bible of 2017. This is particularly done with verbs that have God as the agent to show a deep sense of reverence. Here, tsukawas-are-ru (遣わされる) or “send” is used.
The Greek that is translated with the capitalized “Father” in English when referring to God is translated in Highland Totonac with the regular word for (biological) father to which a suffix is added to indicate respect. The same also is used for “Lord” when referring to Jesus. (Source: Hermann Aschmann in The Bible Translator 1950, p. 171ff. )
Click or tap here to see the rest of this insight.
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. In the widely-used Japanese Shinkaiyaku (新改訳) Bible of 2017, God the Father is addressed with mi-chichi (御父). This form has the “divine” honorific prefix mi– preceding the archaic honorific form chichi for “father.”
If, however, Jesus addresses his Father, he is using chichi-o (父を) which is also highly respectful but does not have the “divine” honorific. (Source: S. E. Doi, see also S. E. Doi in Journal of Translation, 18/2022, p. 37ff. )
We have seen and testify that … or “we have seen and tell others that…” (Good News Translation). The sentence structure may have to be changed; for example, ‘we have seen that…, and testify to it.’ The first verb is in the perfect tense, showing that the seeing was an experience in the past that continues to affect the present; the second verb is in the present tense, expressing continuation.
“To see” repeats the verb found in verse 12. This serves to bring out that, though man cannot see God directly, face-to-face, he can see him indirectly in the face of Jesus, who is the historic revelation of God’s character. For “to testify” see comments on 1.2.
The Father has sent his Son (literally “the Son”) as the Savior of the world (or “to be the Savior of the world,” Good News Translation, or simply ‘to save the world’) resembles verse 9b. For the Father see comments on 1.2.
Savior, or ‘one who saves,’ is often a form indicating professional or habitual activity. In the ancient world the corresponding Greek word was a title of gods, and also of deserving and important men who thus were given divine honor. In the Greek version of the Old Testament, it is used of God, and in some cases of a human savior or deliverer (see Judges 3.9, 15). The noun has the basic meaning ‘one who preserves (or delivers) from harm,’ such as danger, illness, death. Figuratively used it can indicate one who preserves or delivers from eternal death and its causes, or, more positively stated, one who grants eternal life and the ensuing blessedness.
Renderings of the verb used in the present context may literally mean ‘to rescue,’ ‘to release from danger,’ ‘to renew,’ ‘to cause-to-escape,’ ‘to cause-to-get-better’ (physically and otherwise), ‘to cause-well-being,’ ‘to cause to live,’ ‘to give supernatural-life,’ ‘to bring across,’ and others. Compare also A Translator’s Handbook on the Gospel of Mark on 10.26.
For the world see comments on 2.15, meaning (3). One may have to indicate that the reference is to persons; for example, ‘all who live in this world’; or one may have to show that the speaker and hearers are included; for example, ‘us (inclusive), people on the earth.’
Quoted with permission from Haas, C., de Jonge, M. and Swellengrebel, J.L. A Handbook on The First Letter of John. (UBS Handbook Series). New York: UBS, 1972. For this and other handbooks for translators see here .
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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