The Hebrew and Greek that is translated as “stumbling-stone” or “stone that makes them stumble” in English had to be translated carefully in Chol. John Beekman (in The Bible Translator 1962, p. 180ff. ) explains: “When translating for the Chols, the translator was aware that the phrase ‘stone of stumbling’ could refer to a specific stone found on the trail to the town of Ococingo, Chiapas, Mexico. Those who came to this rock with aching muscles from long hours of weary walking with heavy loads believed that by striking their foot against this rock they would be strengthened for the remainder of the trip and would not stumble along the way. It therefore became important to translate these two passages avoiding any ambiguity as to whether this rock prevented or occasioned stumbling.”
The now commonly-used German idiom Stein des Anstoßes (literally “stumbling-stone”) was coined in 1534 in the German Bible translation by Martin Luther. It is now widely used as “bone of contention” or “stumbling block.” (Source: Günther 2017, p. 108) For other idioms or terms in German that were coined by Bible translation, see here.
In Latvian, the phrase piedauzības akmens or “stone of abuse” has become part of the standard lexicon with the meaning of “disgrace,” goes back to the 1682 New Testament translation by Ernst Glück (source: Pēteris Vanags in Glück’s landmark translation of the Bible into Latvian ).
The parallelism between “rock” in 1 Peter 2:5 (in the English New Revised Standard Version “like living stones, let yourselves be built into a spiritual house”) and verse 8 (in the New Revised Standard Version “a stone that makes them stumble, and a rock that makes them fall”) had to be maintained in the Kahua translation. As “posts” are used in house building (see cornerstone) the parallelism was kept with terms for “tree” and “centerpost.”
Following are a number of back-translations of 1 Peter 2:8:
Uma: “‘That stone became the stone they stumble on, and a stone where they fall-flat-on-their-front.’ They stumbled, because they refused to believe the Word of God, and that is the portion that God had already determined [lit., made certain] for them.” (Source: Uma Back Translation)
Yakan: “And there is also another verse in the holy-book saying, ‘That is the stone that causes people to stumble therefore they fall.’ Because they did not believe God’s word/message they have figuratively stumbled. That is God’s will for them.” (Source: Yakan Back Translation)
Western Bukidnon Manobo: “And there is also a prophecy which has been fulfilled which says, ‘That is the stone which people accidently kicked. That is the one which caused them to stumble.’ They did not believe in the Word of God, and because of that, according to the prophecy, they stumbled and fell, for that is what God has destined for those who do not believe.” (Source: Western Bukidnon Manobo Back Translation)
Kankanaey: “They should also remember what God caused-to-be-written which says, ‘This is the stone which people will-be-offended-at and over-which-(they)-will-stumble-and-fall.’ They will stumble-and-fall because they don’t believe/obey the word of God, and this also is God’s plan for them.” (Source: Kankanaey Back Translation)
Tagbanwa: “And also fulfilled was what was said which is, his likeness is, ‘Like a rock which is always being-stumbled-over and what people fall over.’ They stumble because that is what was determined by God, because they don’t believe/obey this word of his which is the Good News.” (Source: Tagbanwa Back Translation)
Tenango Otomi: “Also it is written: ‘This is the stone which will cause people to stumble. This is the rock which will cause people to fall.’ They stumble just as it has been determined what will happen to those who do not believe the word of God.” (Source: Tenango Otomi Back Translation)
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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.
As in other places, the Good News Translation has marked this as a quotation from Scripture by introducing it with And another scripture says (literally “and”). For suggested restructurings, see note on 2.3.
The stone that will make people stumble is literally “a stone which causes stumbling.” The Good News Translation‘s rendering makes the stone the actor which makes people stumble. Some other translations make people the main actor: they stumble because they trip over the stone (for example, Jerusalem Bible “A stone to stumble over…”; Moffatt “A stone over which men stumble”; Die Bibel im heutigen Deutsch “Men knock themselves against it”). The rock that will make them fall (literally “a rock of stumbling”) is treated in the same way, for example, Knox “a boulder they stumble against.” These two expressions are parallel and convey the same meaning.
In a number of languages it is rather misleading to introduce the stone or the rock as the agent of the stumbling or falling. It may therefore be preferable to indicate that “this is the stone against which people will stumble and the rock over which they will fall.” In some instances stumble is more explicitly identified as “hitting one’s foot against and then falling.”
Technically, the term rendered stone refers to an object which is generally somewhat smaller than the term rendered rock. It is also frequently used of stone which has been shaped in order to be used in building, while the term rendered rock normally refers to bedrock or field stone. However, in this particular context the parallelism of the two clauses indicates clearly that no important distinction should be introduced, for in both instances the reference is to the Lord.
The cause of this stumbling is now mentioned: they did not believe in the word. They did not believe is literally “they disobeyed,” but unbelief and disobedience are very closely linked together, with the latter being an outward expression of the former. The word, as in 1.25, is the Word of God, or the gospel. They did not believe in the word may be rendered as “they did not believe in the message from God” or even “they did not put their trust in what God had said.”
Such was God’s will for them is literally “into which also they were destined.” “Into which” may refer either to stumbling or to disobedience, or perhaps to both. That God foreordains people to stumble is found elsewhere in the New Testament (for example, Rom 8.28-30; 1 Thes 5.9; Eph 1.12; Jude 4), although predestination as a doctrine is more positive than negative, referring primarily to the act of God foreordaining people to salvation rather than to reprobation. The question of why some people believe in Christ, and others do not, even when the message is preached to them, is so deep and so great that sometimes the doctrine of predestination seems to be the only logical answer.
It is possible to soften the statement here by interpreting “stumbling” not as predestined by God, but a logical result to people’s disobedience, for example, Phillips “they stumble at the word of God for in their hearts they are unwilling to obey it—which makes stumbling a foregone conclusion.” However attractive this is, it falls short of the intent of the verse, for it removes the difficult mystery that stumbling and disobedience play in the purpose and will of God, in much the same way that believing does.
Such was God’s will for them may be rendered as “this was what God had planned for them” or “what they did was in accordance with what God had planned.”
Quoted with permission from Arichea, Daniel C. and Nida, Eugene A. A Handbook on The First Letter from Peter. (UBS Handbook Series). New York: UBS, 1980. 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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