9Therefore Eli said to Samuel, “Go, lie down, and if he calls you, you shall say, ‘Speak, Lord, for your servant is listening.’ ” So Samuel went and lay down in his place.
Following is the oral translation of 1 Samuel 3:1-18 in Ixil (spoken in San Juan Cotzal ) followed by a back translation into English:
So when God, our Lord, called Samuel, the young man Samuel was working for God, our Lord, and his boss was Eli. In those days, God, our Lord, no longer spoke; He no longer sent anyone to deliver a message, nor did He reveal anything to anyone. On that day, Eli was sleeping in his house; his eyes were failing, and he was going blind. Yet the light from God had not yet gone out, and Samuel was sleeping in the house of our Lord God as well, where the place of God’s covenant was. Then our Lord God called Samuel, and Samuel answered, “Here I am,” and he ran to where Eli was and said to him, “Did you call me?” “Here I am,” and Eli answered him, “I didn’t call you; go back to sleep.” So Samuel went back to sleep, and God our Lord called Samuel again. Then Samuel got up and went straight to where Eli was and said, “Ah, yes, here I am. What are you going to tell me? You called me?” And Eli answered him, “No, I didn’t call you, my little son; go back to sleep.” For Samuel did not yet know the voice of the Lord, because the Lord had not yet spoken to him. So the Lord called him a third time, “Samuel, Samuel!” And Samuel got up and went to where Eli was and said, “Here I am; what do you want to tell me? You called me.” So, as soon as Eli made it clear that the Lord God had called the little boy, he said, “Go back to sleep, and if you hear him call you again, answer, ‘Speak, Lord God, for your servant is listening.’” Then Samuel went back to sleep. So the Lord God stood there and called again, just as he had the first times: “Samuel! Samuel!” And Samuel answered, Samuel: “Thus says my God, my Lord, for I am your servant and I listen to you.” Then our God, the Lord, said to him: “I am going to do something in Israel that will strike great fear into the hearts of the people, so that they will tremble with fear. For when they come to know it, I will finish doing everything I have already said I will do to Eli, his sons, and all his brothers’ sons—because Eli knows his sons well; they used to beat me severely in their work, yet he did nothing to put it right. And that is why I will punish Eli and his sons and their brothers, and nothing and no one will be able to take them out of my hand, for I have already said, ‘Even if they do anything, I will not forgive the sins of Eli’s sons.’ So Samuel went back to sleep. When morning came, he got up, then opened the doors of the house of God, and he could not bear to tell Eli the things he saw and heard. But Eli called him and said, “Samuel, my little son,” and Samuel answered, “Here I am.” Then Eli asked him, “So, what did God say to you? Tell me everything; if you don’t tell me, God will punish you.” So Samuel did not hide his face from Eli and told him everything. Then Eli said, “Let the thought of the Lord our God be done, for it is He who spoke.” And all these things that happened are recorded in the first book of Samuel, chapter three; the account begins in verse one and ends in verse 18.”
Original Spanish back-translation (click or tap here):
así su llamado el Samuel hizo el Dios nuestro dueño aquí así el joven el Samuel trabajaba sobre el Dios nuestro dueño y su jefe era el Eli y en esos días ya no hablaba el Dios nuestro dueño y ya a nadie enviaba para dar una palabra y ya a nadie le mostraba cosas también y en ese día ahí él Elí y estaba durmiendo en su casa y ya no tenía fuerzas sus pepitas de su cara y ya se estaba haciendo ciego también entonces su alumbrar del Dios todavía no se apagaba y el Samuel dormía en el casa de Dios nuestro dueño también Dónde estaba el lugar del acuerdo del Dios así entonces el Dios nuestro dueño llamo el Samuel entonces respondió Samuel así estoy aquí así llegó corriendo Dónde estaba el Eli y le dijo así ¿me llamaste? aquí estoy y Elí le respondió el y así yo no te llame anda vuelve a dormir así fue a volver a dormir el Samuel y volvió llamar por el Dios nuestro dueño Samuel así levantó el Samuel y de una vez se fue donde estaba el Eli y le dijo Ah Sí aquí estoy ¿que me vas a decir que me llamaste? y le contestó el Elí no hay te llame Mi pequeño hijo vuelve a dormir porque el Samuel no sabía la voz de Dios nuestro dueño porque la primera vez le habló el Dios nuestro dueño así el Dios nuestro dueño le llamó también por tercera vez Samuel Samuel así el Samuel se levantó y se fue donde estaba el Eli y le dijo así estoy aquí ¿que me vas a decir que me llamaste? así en el momento que él Elí hizo entender que el Dios nuestro dueño hizo Llamar El pequeño niño ahí y le dijo así anda y vuelve a dormir y si Oyes volver a llamarte y le contestas así habla mi Dios mi dueño porque soy tu trabajador y te escucho y se fue a volver a dormir otra vez el Samuel así entonces el Dios nuestro dueño se paró a la par y se llamó otra vez así igual los llamo como las primeras veces Samuel Samuel así contestó el Samuel Así habla mi Dios mi dueño porque soy tu trabajador y te escucho Entonces el Dios nuestro dueño le dijo Así voy a hacer una cosa en Israel de grande miedo así también temblaran de miedo la gente por eso cuando van a conocer y voy a terminar de hacer todo lo que ya dije que le voy a hacer a Elí a sus hijos y a todos sus hijos hermanos porque él Elí bien conoce a sus hijos me golpeaban mucho en sus haceres que no hizo nada para ponerlo en su recto. y por eso voy a chicotear a Eli y con sus hijos y con sus hijos hermanos y ninguna cosa y ninguna persona van a sacar de mi mano porque ya dije Aunque van a hacer cualquier cosa no voy a perdonar los pecados de los hijos de Eli así volvió a dormir el Samuel cuando amaneció así se levantó entonces abrió las puertas de la casa de Dios y no aguantaba decirle a el Elí las cosas que miro y los que escucho Pero él Elí lo llamó y le dijo así Samuel Mi pequeño hijo y le contesto así el Samuel así aquí estoy Entonces él Elí le pregunto Así ¿que te dijo Dios? decime todo y si no me vas a decir el Dios te va a chicotear así el Samuel no le tapó la cara de él Eli y todo se lo dijo Entonces dijo el Elí asi que haga su pensamiento de El Dios nuestro dueño porque es Él que dijo y todas estas cosas que sucedió lo dice en el primer papel de el Samuel en tres su capítulo y comienza en uno su contar y termina en 18 su contar
Following is the oral translation of 1 Samuel 3:1-18 in Sipakapense followed by a back translation into English:
They called him Samuel. The young Samuel served God the father. The Lord stopped appearing to Eli. In those days, the voice of the Lord was not heard; there was no one to whom the Lord revealed Himself or appeared. Eli slept in his usual place, but his eyes were failing, and he could no longer see. It was as if the light of the Lord had gone out. Samuel also slept in the house of the Lord, where the keeper of the Lord God called out to Samuel, he answered, “Here I am.” He quickly went to where Eli was sleeping. “Are you calling me? I’m here,” Eli replied. “I’m not calling you. Turn around and go to sleep.” Samuel turned around and slept. The Lord called him again: “Samuel!” Samuel got up and went again to where Eli was. “Where is Eli?” he asked. “Why are you calling me? I’m here.” Eli answered, “I’m not calling you, my son. Go to sleep again.” Samuel did not recognize the voice of the Lord until then; hearing the voice of God the Father for the first time. God the Father called him three times: “Samuel, Samuel.” Samuel got up and went to where Eli was. He said, “Why are you calling me? Here I am.” At that moment, it occurred to Eli that God the Father was calling the boy, and he said, “Go back to sleep. If you hear him calling you again, you’re going to answer like this: ‘Speak, Lord my God; your servant is listening.’” Samuel went back to sleep. God the Father stood beside him and called just as the first time: “Samuel! Samuel!” He answered, “Speak, Lord God; your servant is listening.” God said, “I am going to bring a great terror upon Israel; when the people hear it, they will be terrified by this great terror and tremble with fear. I will carry out everything I have spoken against Eli’s family. He knows that his sons have caused me great pain, yet he did nothing to make amends. Therefore, I will bring pain upon his family—nothing and no one will be able to remove it—for that reason I offer no gift that will take away the guilt of Eli’s family. Samuel went back to sleep; when dawn broke, he got up and opened what had been closed—the house of God the Father—but he didn’t dare tell Eli what had been said to him. But Eli called out and said, “Samuel, my son.” Samuel replied, “Here I am.” Eli asked, “What did God the Father say? Tell me everything.” God the Father will bring sorrow upon you if you do not tell me.” Samuel told him everything; he hid nothing. Eli said, “Let God the Father do whatever He wants, for He is in charge.” This event is found in 1 Samuel 3:1–18
Original Spanish back-translation (click or tap here):
llamaron Samuel El joven Samuel servía al padre Dios bajó señalar Eli en los años de Samuel no Se oía La Voz del padre Dios no había uno a quién daba mensaje ni se mostraba en ese día Elí dormía donde dormía pero sus ojos están enfermos y ya no miraba como que no mira el alumbrado del padre Dios no se había apagado el Samuel también duerme en la casa del padre Dios donde estaba el guardador del padre Dios el padre Dios y llamo el Samuel, él contestó estoy aquí rápido se fue donde duerme Elí me estás llamando estoy aquí eli respondió no te estoy llamando da la vuelta anda dormir el Samuel dio vuelta y durmió el padre Dios lo llamo otra vez Samuel Samuel se levantó se fue otra vez Dónde está Eli y dijo para que me llamas estoy aquí Eli contestó yo no te estoy llamando mi hijo anda dormir otra vez el Samuel no conocía el hablar del padre Dios hasta entonces lo escucho por primera vez el hablar del padre Dios por 3 veces lo llamó el padre Dios Samuel Samuel Samuel se levantó se fue donde está eli dijo para que me llamas aquí estoy en ese momento el eli pasó en su cabeza que el padre Dios está llamando al niño y dijo anda dormir Si escuchas otra vez te llaman vas a responder así habla Dios mi Padre soy su trabajador escucha el Samuel regreso a dormir Dios el padre se paró junto a él y llamo como la primera vez Samuel Samuel el contesto habla Dios el padre su trabajador escucha el padre Dios dijo voy a hacer un grande susto para Israel cuando los gentes van a escuchar se van a asustar por el Grande susto temblaran de miedo voy a hacer todo lo que he dicho a la familia de Eli él sabe que sus hijos hicieron mucho dolor a mí y él no hizo nada por componer Por eso voy a hacer el dolor para la familia nada y nadie podrá quitarla por eso ofrezco no hay regalo que quitará el delito de la familia de Eli el Samuel regreso a dormir cuando amaneció se levantó abrió lo que tenía cerrado la casa del padre Dios pero no se animó decir a éli lo que le habían dicho a él Pero éli llamo y dijo Samuel mi hijo Samuel respondió estoy aquí el Eli pregunto Qué dijo el padre Dios Contame a mi todo el padre Dios va hacer el dolor a ti si no me vas a contar a mí el Samuel todo lo contó no hay lo escondió él éli dijo que lo haga lo que él quiere el padre Dios porque el manda este suceso se encuentra primero de Samuel 3 1 al 18
Following is the oral translation of 1 Samuel 3:1-18 in Mam (spoken in the municipality of Todos Santos Cuchumatán ) followed by a back translation into English:
When our Father God called Samuel, Samuel was serving our Father God under Eli’s care. In those days, our Father God did not speak much, nor did He appear to speak in dreams. On this day, Eli was asleep in his bed; his eyes were weak, and he was nearly blind. The lamp of our Father God had not been extinguished. The young Samuel was also sleeping in the house of our Father God, near the ark of our Father God. God spoke to the young Samuel. He replied, “Here I am,” and ran to where Eli was sleeping. “Did you call me?” “Here I am,” Eli replied. “I did not call you; go back to sleep.” Samuel returned to sleep. Our Father God spoke again. Samuel stood up and went back to where Eli was. “Here I am. Why did you call me?” Eli replied, “Son, I did not call you; Go back to sleep.” Samuel had not recognized the tone of our Father God’s voice; this was the first time our Father God had called out to him. The third time, our Father God spoke: “Samuel, Samuel!” Samuel stood up and went to where Eli was and said, “Here I am. Why did you call me?” That is how it was. Eli understood; our Father God was calling him. He said to him, “Go back to sleep, but if you hear him calling you, you shall answer, ‘Speak, our Father God, for your servant is listening.’” So Samuel went back to sleep. Our Father God stood beside him and called him as before: “Samuel, Samuel!” But he answered, “Here I am; speak, our Father God, for I am your servant.” “I am listening,” our Father God said to him. “I am going to bring great evil upon Israel. When the people hear it, they will tremble with fear. My word that I spoke concerning the sons of Eli will come to pass. He knows his sons; they have done me wrong, and he did not rebuke them. Therefore, I will bring suffering upon his sons; nothing and no one will save them. Truly I tell you, no offering will be sufficient for me to forgive the sin of the family (Eli’s sin). Samuel went to sleep; when morning came, he got up and opened the door of the house of our Father God. Fear came upon him to tell Eli what Father God had said to him. Eli called out to him and said, “Samuel, my son.” Samuel answered, “Here I am.” Eli asked, “What did our Father God say to you? Tell me everything. God will bring suffering upon you if you do not tell me.” Samuel said everything and hid nothing. Eli said, “Our Father God is the Lord, and He is the one who commands.” We hear this story in the First Book of Samuel, chapter 3, verses 1 through 18.
Original Spanish back-translation (click or tap here):
Cuando nuestro Padre Dios llamó a Samuel este Samuel servía a nuestro Padre Dios dentro de la cuenta de Elí Dentro esos días no mucho hablaba nuestro Padre Dios y no se mostraba para hablar dentro sueños este día así Elí estaba dormido en su cama y sus ojos ya no tenían fuerzas casi quedaba ciego el candil del nuestro padre Dios no había apagado También el joven Samuel dormía en la casa de nuestro Padre Dios cerca de la caja de nuestro Padre Dios nuestro Padre Dios habló al joven Samuel, respondió aquí estoy corrió a dónde estaba Elí durmiendo, ¿me llamaste? aquí estoy Elí respondió no te llamé, vete a dormir otra vez regresó Samuel a dormir, nuestro Padre Dios habló otra vez, Samuel se paró Samuel y fue otra vez donde está Elí, aquí estoy por qué me llamaste respondió Elí, hijo no te llame, vete a dormir otra vez Samuel no había escuchado el tono de la voz del nuestro Padre Dios, esta es la primera vez que suena Padre Dios a él la tercera vez hablo nuestro Padre Dios, Samuel Samuel Se paró Samuel, y se fue donde está Elí y dijo, aquí estoy, porqué me llamaste Así fue, Elí entendió, este nuestro Padre Dios llama a él le dijo, vete a dormir otra vez, pero si escuchas que te llama, le contestaras así habla nuestro Padre Dios, un tu servidor escucha, regresó Samuel dormir otra vez nuestro Padre Dios paró al lado de él y llamó a él como las otras veces, Samuel Samuel Pero respondió él, aquí estoy, habla nuestro Padre Dios, yo soy servidor tuyo, estoy escuchando nuestro Padre Dios le dijo, voy a dar un gran mal dentro Israel Cuando escuchan la gente, subirán temblaran de miedo, subirá mi palabra que les dije de los hijos de Elí El conoce sus hijos, me hicieron un mal a mí y no los regañó así voy a dar un sufrimiento encima de sus hijos nada y nadie los va a salvar de verdad te digo ninguna ofrenda buena servirá para Yo perdonar el pecado de la familia (préstamo) de Elí se puso a dormir Samuel cuando amaneció se levantó abrió la puerta de la casa del nuestro Padre Dios, vino un miedo a él para decir a Elí, por lo que Padre Dios le había dicho a él y llamó Elí y le dijo, Samuel hijo, este Samuel contestó, aquí estoy Preguntó Elí, qué te dijo nuestro Padre Dios a ti, dime todo a mí dar a Dios un sufrimiento a ti si no me dices a mí Samuel dijo todo nada, escondió Samuel dijo Elí, el nuestro Padre Dios dueño y él es el que manda escuchamos esta historia se encuentra dentro primer papel de Samuel capítulo 3 versículo 1 hasta llegar al versículo 18
The Hebrew, Latin, and Greek that is transliterated as “Samuel” in English is translated in Spanish Sign Language with the sign for “listen” referring to 1 Samuel 3:10. (Source: Steve Parkhurst)
The Hebrew that is transliterated as “Eli” in English is translated in Spanish Sign Language with the sign for “falling back” referring to 1 Samuel 4:18. (Source: Steve Parkhurst)
Following are a number of back-translations as well as a sample translation for translators of 1 Samuel 3:9:
Kupsabiny: “Then he told Samuel that, ‘Go and sleep. And when he calls you, reply that, ‘Yes, I am your servant and I am listening.’’ Then Samuel returned to go back to sleep again.” (Source: Kupsabiny Back Translation)
Newari: “He said to Samuel, "Go, lie down quietly, whatever happens, if He calls again, speak like this, ‘Speak, LORD, your servant is listening.’" So going, Samuel went to lie down in his place.” (Source: Newari Back Translation)
Hiligaynon: “Therefor he told Samuel, ‘[You (sing.)] go-back and sleep, and if he calls again, tell-(him), ‘[You (sing.)] speak, LORD, for I your (sing.) servant am-listening.’ ’ Therefore Samuel went-back and slept again.” (Source: Hiligaynon Back Translation)
English: “So he said to Samuel, ‘Go and lie down again. If someone calls you again, say ‘Speak to me, Yahweh, because I am listening!’ ’ So Samuel went and lay down again.” (Source: Translation for Translators)
The translation of the tetragrammaton (YHWH or יהוה) is easily the most often discussed issue in Bible translation. This is exemplified by the fact that there is virtually no translation of the Bible — regardless of language — where the position of the respective translator or translation team on how to translate the name of God into the respective language is not clearly stated in the preface or introduction.
Click or tap here to read about the different ways the tetragrammaton is and has been translated
The literature on this topic is overwhelming, both as far as the meaning of YHWH and the translation of it by itself and in combination with other terms (including Elohim and Adonai). There is no reason or room to rehash those discussions. Aside from various insightful translations of YHWH into various languages (see below), what’s of interest in the context of this tool are official and semi-official statements regarding the translation by Bible translation agencies and churches. These include the 1992 statement by United Bible Societies’ “Names of God” Study Group (see The Bible Translator 1992, p. 403-407 ) or the “Letter to the Bishops’ Conference on ‘The Name of God'” by the Congregatio de Cultu Divino et Discriplina Sacramentorum of 2008 (see here et al.).
In summary, the UBS study group gives six different options on how to translate YHWH: 1) transliterate (some form of “Yahweh” or “Jehovah” if this is an already established term); 2) translate (along the lines of kurios — κύριος in the Septuagint); 3) translate the meaning of YHWH; 4) use a culture-specific name; 5) translate Elohim and YHWH in the same way; or 6) use a combination of any of these options.
The official Catholic directive states that for liturgical purposes YHWH is to be translated as an equivalent of Kurios (“Lord”) unless when appearing in combination with Elohim (“God”) or Adonai (“lord”), in which case it’s to be translated with “God.”
In the following collection of examples, any of the above-mentioned strategies are used.
Use of Typographical Means to Offset the Name of God
A large number of Bible translations in many Western European languages have used a similar strategy to translate YHWH as an equivalent of Kurios or Adonai (“lord” in Greek in Hebrew) but have used either small caps or all caps to denote these occurrences as an equivalent to a proper name. Here are some examples:
None of the European languages have found a “cultural-linguistic equivalent” with the possible exception of Eternal or l’Éternel (see below).
The rendering of the translation of YHWH in bold (and uppercase) characters is for instance used in Guhu-Samane: QOBEROBA (a term of address for a respected person and also connotes “forever”) (for “forever”, see below under Translations of the Name of God) and the upper-casing in Bible translations in several other languages in Papua New Guinea:
In Cebuano (Ang Pulong sa Dios edition, 2010) and Hiligaynon (all versions), Ginoo, a typographical variant of Ginoo (“Lord”) is used. Bible translation consultant Kermit Titrud (SIL): “‘Yahweh’ is too close to Yahwa, their word for ‘Satan.’ We were afraid that in the pulpits readers might misread ‘Yahweh’ and say ‘Yahwa.’ So we went with the tradition found in most English translations. Ginoo for ‘Yahweh’ and Ginoo for ‘adonai.'”
In languages where capitalization is not a typographical option, other options are available and used, such as in Japanese, where the generic term shu 主 for “Lord” is bolded in some translations to offset its meaning (Source: Omanson, p. 17).
In Pattani Malay, the word for “Lord” is underlined: ربي. (Source: Andy Warren-Rothlin)
A graphical way of representation beyond typography was used by André Chouraqui in his French La Bible hebraique et le Nouveau Testament (publ. 1974-1977) for which he superimposed adonai and Elohim over (the French rendition) of the tetragrammaton:
(Source: Andy Warren-Rothlin in Noss / Houser, p. 618ff.; see also tempt God / put God to the test)
Translations of the Name of God
A translation of YHWH with a rendering of the meaning of “Eternal” was done in English by James Moffatt (between 1926 and 1935) with Eternal, The Voice translation with Eternal One (2012), in French versions as L’ÉTERNEL by J. F. Ostervald in 1904 or l’Éternel by L. Segond (1910-1938, not in more recent revisions) and Zadoc Kahn (1964) (for the French translation, see also LORD of hosts), in Esperanto as “la Eternulo,” and in Obolo as Okumugwem: “The Ever-Living” (source: Enene Enene). In francophone Africa, translations of l’Éternel are widely used, due to the wide use of Segond’s early editions (see above). Examples include Nancere (Nandjéré) with Kumuekerteri, Ngambay (Ngambaï) with Njesigənea̰, Sar with Kɔ́ɔ̄ɓē, Mbay (Mbaï) with Bïraþe, Kim with Bage ɗiŋnedin, or Lélé uses Gojɛnɛkirɛkindiy (verbatim: “who remains for his eyes”). (Source: Andy Warren-Rothlin)
Similarly and at the same time expanding its meaning, the Nzima translation of 1998 translated YHWH as Ɛdεnkεma, the “Eternal All-Powerful Creator and Sustainer” (Source: David Ekem in The Bible Translator 2005, p. 72ff. ).
“Creator” is also used in Kazakh (Zharatkhan [Жаратқан]), Karakalpak (Zharatkhan [Жаратқан], sometimes in combination with Iyeg [Ийег] — “Master”), and Kirghiz (Zharatkhan [Жаратқан], likewise in combination with “Master” or Ege [Эге]). (Source: David Gray).
Nepali, Bengali, and Hindi are all derived from Sanskrit and have (eventually) all found similar translations of YHWH. In Bengali “God” is translated as Ishwar (ঈশ্বর) (widely used in Hindu scriptures, where it’s used as a title, usually associated with “Siva”) and YHWH as Shodaphrobhu (সদাপ্রভু) — “Eternal Lord”; in Nepali and NewariYHWH is translated as Paramaprabhu (परमप्रभु)– “Supreme Lord”; and Hindi translates YHWH as Phrabu (प्रभु) — “Lord.” In earlier translations all three languages used transliterations of Jehovah or Yahweh. (Source: B. Rai in The Bible Translator 1992, p. 443ff. and Barrick, p. 124).
The influential German Jewish translation of Martin Buber and Franz Rosenzweig (between 1925 and 1961) translates YHWH in Exodus 3:15 with “Ich bin da” (“I exist” or “I am”) and in all other instances with pronouns in small caps (Er, Ihm, Ihn, Ich — “he,” “him,” “his,” “I”).
The Jewish orthodox English ArtScroll Tanach translation (publ. 2011) uses Hashem or “The Name”
In the Bavarian translation by Sturmibund (publ. 1998), it is translated as Trechtein or “Sovereign, Lord.” “Trechtein” is related to the obsolete English “drighten.” (Source: Zetzsche)
In Ge’ez, Tigrinya, and Amharic it is translated with Igziabeher (እግዚአብሔር) or “Ruler/Lord of the Nations/Peoples.” In Ge’ez Igziabeher is used for “God” as well, whereas in Tigrinya and Amharic it is often, but not always used for “God.” In a recent revision by Biblica (see here ), an attempt was made to use Igziabeher exclusively for occurrences of the tetragrammaton in the Hebrew Bible, but after strong responses by the Christian community, a compromise was found by using Igziabeher in the first chapter of Genesis and changing it according to the Hebrew text elsewhere. (Source: Zetseat Fekadu)
Warlpiri uses Kaatu Jukurrarnu (Kaatu is a transcription of “God” and Jukurrarnu means “timelessness” and shares a root with jukurrpa — dreamings) (Source: Stephen Swartz, The Bible Translator 1985, p. 415ff. ).
The translation of YHWH into Weri with Aniak Tupup or “man of the holy house” intends “to maintain the Jewish practice of not uttering God’s name [with] the use of another vernacular phrase that signals that a ‘taboo’ name is being referred [which] could give a cue that would be recognizable in written or oral communication” (Source: P. King, The Bible Translator 2014, p. 195ff. ).
Aruamu translates it as Ikiavɨra Itir God or “Ever Present God” (source: Pioneer Bible Translators, project-specific translation notes in Paratext)
Idakho-Isukha-Tiriki: Nyasaye Wuvunyali Muno or “God powerful great” (source: Andy Warren-Rothlin)
Ruund uses Chinawej, a term that is otherwise used as a response of approval. Anna Lerbak (in The Bible Translator 1954, p. 84ff. ) tells the genesis of this term (click or tap to see an explanation):
“The name ‘Jehovah’ had been used in some contexts, but I had the feeling that it did not mean much to the people, and when I asked the pastors they all said it didn’t, and worse, it very often confused people, especially in the villages. During the conversation it was suggested that the name Chinawej be used in the place of ‘Jehovah’, and this met with immediate approval. A few days later I was working on a Psalm in which ‘Jehovah’ was used frequently, so I wrote Chinawej in its place and then read the Psalm to them. The response was about like this: “That is it, now people will understand, that is how Chinawej is. The Jews call God ‘Jehovah’, we call Him Chinawej, it is the same God. but we know Him as Chinawej as the Jews know Him as ‘Jehovah’ “. They often call God Chinawej in prayer, it seems to indicate warmth and intimacy.
The same word is used in two other ways. It is the name of a snake which never attacks human beings. And it is used as a response of approval. When told of something they are pleased to hear, something they find good, just, helpful, generous, they often respond by saying, Chinawej. When they call God Chinawej, it indicates that they think of Him as One Who is good and just and generous towards them. When it was suggested at the committee that we use Chinawej in place of ‘Jehovah’ it was accepted immediately and unanimously.
Ebira has Eneyimavara. Eneyimavara was created by merging a praise phrase that was only used for the traditional deity Ohomorihi (see here), that had become the word for the Christian God: ene e yi ma vara or “the one that never changes.” “The translators came to the agreement that this praise name that describes the unchangeableness of God is very close in meaning to the probable meaning of YHWH.” (Source: David O Moomo in Scriptura 88 (2005), p. 151ff. )
The Uzbek Bible uses the term Ega (Эга) — “master, owner” in various forms (including Egam / Эгам for “my Owner” or Egamiz / Эгамиз for “our Owner.” (Click or tap to see an explanation):
Jim Zvara (2019, p. 6) explains: “The Uzbek term ega means owner or master (‘master,’ in the historical context of an owner-slave relationship). By extension, it is natural for an Uzbek to speak to or refer to God as Egam (‘my owner’/’master’). In the Uzbek context to be God’s slave is a positive way of understanding one’s relation to him. It suggests that one is in a dependent and obedient relationship to God. The team felt that this relational connection and what it implies fits well with the concept of YHWH as the God who is in a covenant relationship with his people. In the Uzbek context, the choice of Ega was deemed to be the best balance of natural language with meaningful translation.”
The Seediq Bible translation team chose Utux Tmninun (“the weaving god”) for their translation of YHWH. (Click or tap to see a retelling of the process of how that decision was reached):
“(…) The Seediq team requested that we spend time with them on key terms. They had compiled a list of key terms that they wanted input on, and we went through the list item by item. The most important item was how to deal with the divine name. They had tentatively translated it as Yehoba, transliterated from Jehovah, but they were also aware that this transliteration may not be accurate, and they were keen to explore other options.
“We explored various alternatives. Were they interested in following the ancient Jewish practice of substituting ‘Lord’ for the divine name? Would capitalising the letters help? Would they be bold enough to use ‘Yahweh,’ following the opinion of most Old Testament scholars who regard this as the correct pronunciation? Was it feasible to adopt a mixed approach in dealing with the divine name (…)? Each option had its advantages as well as disadvantages.
“In the midst of the discussion, a participant said, ‘Our ancestors, as well as we today, always call God by the term Utux Tmninun. I suggest we use this term.’ The term Utux Tmninun in the Seediq culture means ‘the weaving God.’ In their culture, God is the weaver, the one who weaves life together. All the participants were excited about this proposal. They tried this term with all the composite terms that involve the divine name, and it seemed to work well, so they decided tentatively to adopt this term. After the workshop, the participants went back to their villages and sought feedback from the wider community, and eventually they confirmed the use of the term Utux Tmninun as the rendering of the divine name.
Translating the divine name as Utux Tmninun, the weaving God, is a creative solution. This term is viewed very positively in the Seediq community. It also correlates well with the concept of God as the creator (Gen. 1-2) and as the weaver who formed our inward parts and knit us together in our mothers’ wombs (Ps. 139:13). It also has the advantage of portraying God beyond the traditional masculine form.
“Some may argue that since names are usually transliterated, we should do the same with YHWH, most likely pronounced ‘Yahweh.’ Unfortunately, due to the influence of Chinese Union Version for almost one hundred years now, Chinese Christians only know God as Yehehua. Attempts to change the term Yehehua to Yahweh have not been successful. This is a reality that the Seediq Christians have to live with.
“Others may argue on theological grounds that YHWH is not only the creator, but also the God of the covenant, hence any attempt to substitute another term for YHWH will not do justice to the Hebrew text. In the case of the Seediq translation, there are significant similarities between Utux Tmninun and YHWH, though the terms are not identical. This is a reality translators often have to struggle with. Exact correspondence is hard to come by. Often it is a matter of approximation, give and take. Besides theological considerations, one has to deal with the constraints of past traditions (‘Jehovah,’ in this instance), the biblical cultures and one’s own culture, and audience acceptance. Hopefully, by using Utux Tmninun for YHWH, the Seediq term will be transformed and take on the aspect of the covenant God as well.” (Source: Yu Suee Yan, The Bible Translator 2015, p. 316ff. )
Nyankore: Nyakubaho or “the one who is from within itself” (source: Bühlmann 1950, p. 146)
‘One local dialect of Carpathian Romani: Drágon Dél or “Beloved/Dear God.” In most Romani dialects, the word Rai (Lord/Boss/landlord/shopkeeper) is sort-of acceptable, but in one particular subgroup of Carpathian Romani they said it only meant shopkeeper and ‘everyone knows that [majority term for YHWH] means God, and why can’t we translate it that way?’ We tried to explain, but they weren’t keen on anything but Dél (‘God’). We eventually compromised with Drágon Dél, a common expression for YHWH, and Dél for Elohim, but it took quite a lot of convincing them that there was any theological point there.
For the interconessional translation into Chichewa (publ. 1999) the term Chauta (“Great-One-of-the-Bow”) was chosen for YHWH (Click or tap to see the detailed story):
“The name Chauta, literally ‘Great-One-of-the-Bow’, i.e. [is] either the rainbow (descriptively termed uta-wa-Leza ‘the-bow-of-God’) or, less likely, the hunter’s bow. And yet Chauta was also distinct from Mulungu [“God”] in that it has reference to the specific tribal deity of the Chewa people — the God who ‘owns’ yet also ‘belongs to’ them — and hence it carries additional positive emotive overtones. Although research indicated that in an ancient traditional setting, Chauta too was probably associated with the indigenous ancestral rain cult, in the Christian era it has been progressively generalized to encompass virtually all religious contexts in which God may be either appealed to, proclaimed, or praised. After prolonged deliberation, therefore, the translation committee determined Chauta to be the closest functional equivalent to YHWH of the Hebrew Scriptures. The choice of this name is not without its difficulties, however, and these were carefully considered by the Chewa committee. For example, the use of a more specific local term, as opposed to the generic Mulungu, carries a greater likelihood of bringing along with it certain senses, connotations, and situations that were (and no doubt still are) associated with the indigenous, pre-Christian system of worship. If these happened to remain strong in any contemporary sacred setting, then of course the dangers connected with conceptual syncretism might well arise. In the case of Chauta, however, it appeared that the process of positive Christian contextualization had already reached an advanced stage, that is, judging from the widespread use of this name in all aspects of religious life and practice. A more scholarly argument against Chauta takes the position that there is too great a female component associated with this term because it was traditionally applied (by figurative metonymy) to refer also to the ritual ‘wife of God’, i.e. the chief officiant at a traditional rain shrine and worship sanctuary. However, this usage seems to be quite remote, and most people questioned do not even recognize the connection anymore. Besides, in a matrilineal society such as the Chewa, it does not seem inappropriate to have this aspect of meaning lying in the background, particularly since it is not completely foreign to the notion of God in the Bible (cf. Ps. 36:7; 73:15; Isa. 49:14-15; Mt. 23:37). In terms of ‘connotative fit’ or emotive identification and appeal, there can be little doubt that the name Chauta is by far the closest natural equivalent to YHWH in the contemporary Chewa cultural and religious environment. This aspect of meaning was probably also utmost from the ancient Jewish perspective as well; in other words, “for them the associated meaning of this special name [YHWH], in terms of their history and culture, far outweighed any meaning it may have suggested because of its form or derivation”. To be sure, this ‘new’ divine name — that is, new as far as the Scriptures are concerned — may take some getting used to, especially in the formal setting of public worship. But this is not a foreign god whom we are talking about; rather, he is certainly by now regarded as the national deity of the Chewa nation. Chauta is the great God who for one reason or another ‘did not make himself known to them by his holy name, the LORD’ (Exod. 6:3), that is, in the prior translations of his Word into Chewa. He is, however, and always has been “a God who saves … the LORD (Chauta), our Lord, who rescues us from death” (Ps. 68:20, Good News Bible)!” (Source: Wendland 1998, 120f.; see also The Bible Translator 1992, 430ff. )
Transliteration of YHWH
A 12th century reading of the Masoretic vowel points around יהוה (יְהֹוָה) was interpreted to be pronounced as Yehowah from which Iehouah and Jehovah were derived. This was reflected in the English versions of Tyndale (publ. 1530) and the Geneva Bible (significantly based on Tyndale and publ. in 1560) and again the King James Version (Authorized Version) (publ. 1611) which all used Iehouah or Jehovah in 7 different verses in the Old Testament. The translators and editors of the American Standard Version (publ. 1901), a review of the King James Version used Jehovah for all appearances of the tetragrammaton something that the Spanish Reina-Valera (publ. 1602) had already done as well.
In English versions, Yahweh as a transliteration of the tetragrammaton is used by the Catholic Jerusalem Bible (publ. 1966), the Protestant Holman Christian Standard Bible (publ. 2004) and the Legacy Standard Bible (publ. 2021). The Catholic translation by Knox (publ. 1949) occasionally uses Javé, “to make it a Latin name, to match all the other names in the Old Testament.” (Source Knox 1949, p. 80)
Mandinka for instance uses Yawe for YHWH. “The use of Yawe for YHWH is good and may be a trendsetter in this part of Africa.” (Source: Rob Koops)
In a group of related languages in another part of Africa an interesting development from a transliteration to a indigenous translation can be shown: In the Nandi Bible (1938) Jehovah was used as a translation for YHWH. Kamuktaindet (“The Powerful One”) was used as a translation for Elohim (“God”). This was taken over by a translation into the macrolanguage Kalenjin (1969) (intended to include the closely related Keiyo, Kipsigis, Markweeta, Nandi, Okiek, Sabaot, Terik, and Tugen). Sabaot, Markweeta, Tugen and Okiek later wanted there own translations. Both Sabaot and Markweeta use the indigenous word for “Creator” (Yēyiin in Sabaot and Iriin in Markweeta) to translate Elohim and YHWH of the Old Testament and Theos of the New Testament. The Kalenjin Bible has recently been revised to cater to Keiyo, Kipsigis, Nandi and Terik, and this revision has completely dropped Jehovah in favour of Kamuktaindet. (Source: Iver Larsen)
Early translations into Gilbertese faced a problem when transliterating “Jehovah” (a form of “Jehovah” was first used in Spanish Bible translations in 1569 and 1602): “There are only thirteen letters in the Kiribati alphabet: A, E, I, O, U, M, N, NG, B, K, R, T (pronounced [s] when followed by ‘i’), W For instance, ‘Jehovah’ is rendered Iehova, but Kiribati speakers can only pronounce it as ‘Iowa,’ since the phonemes [h] and [v] do not exist in Kiribati.” (source: Joseph Hong, The Bible Translator 1994, p. 329ff. .)
In a recent edition of a Thai translation (Thai Standard Version, publ. 2011) a combination of translation and transliteration is used: phra’ ya(h)we (h) (พระยาห์เวห์) (“Divine Yawe”). (Source: Stephen Pattemore)
In Nyarafolo Senoufo the transliteration is Yewe which also means “the being one” or “he that is.” David DeGraaf (in: Notes on Translation 3/1999, p. 34ff.) explains: “Since it is widely recognized that the vowels of the name are uncertain, another possible transliteration is Yewe. This proposal is in accord with the Nyarafolo rules of vowel harmony and is thus open to being understood as a normal nominalization in the language. Second, Yewe is exactly the word that would be formed by nominalizing the verb ‘to be’ in the class that includes sentient beings. Thus, Yewe can be understood as ‘the being one’ or ‘he that is’. This solution accords well with YHWH’s self-revelation to Moses in Exodus 3:14, ‘I am who I am.'”
In the Literary and Mandarin Chinese (Protestant) tradition the transliteration of “Jehovah” is historically deeply rooted, even though there are also some historical burdens (Click or tap to see more details):
“YHWH” is rendered in the Chinese Union Version — the most widely used Bible translation in China—as well as most other Chinese Bible translations as yehehua 耶和華. According to Chinese naming conventions, yehehua could be interpreted as Ye Hehua, in which Ye would be the family name and Hehua — “harmonic and radiant” — the given name. In the same manner, Ye would be the family name of Jesus (transliterated as yesu 耶穌) and Su would be the given name. Because in China the children inherit the family name from the father, the sonship of Jesus to God the Father, yehehua, would be illustrated through this. Though this line of argumentation sounds theologically unsound, it is indeed used effectively in the Chinese church.” (see Wright 1953, p. 298, see also Jesus).
“Ye 耶, an interrogative particle in classical Chinese, is part of the same phonetic series as ye 爺, which gives it a certain exchangeability. Ye 爺 carries the meaning “father” or is used as an honorable form of address. The choice of the first Bible translators to use the transliteration yehehua 爺火華 for Jehovah had a remarkable and sobering influence on the history of the 19th century in China by possibly helping to shape the fatal Taiping ideology, a rebellion that ended up costing an estimated 20 million lives.
“The founder of the Taiping rebellion, Hong Xiuquan, was given a tract (…) [that he used to] interpret a nervous breakdown he had had in 1837 as his “call” to be the “Messiah.” This “vision” that Hong experienced is likely to have had a direct correlation with the name of “God” in that tract. Shen yehuohua 神爺火華 (directly translated: ‘God (or: spirit); old man (or: father); fire; bright)” was the term that was used in that tract for ‘God Jehovah,’ but this was not indicated as a (in its second part) transliteration of a proper name. In his vision, Hong saw ‘a man venerable in years (corresponding with ye), with golden (corresponding with huo and hua) beard and dressed in a black robe,’ an image likely to have been inspired by a direct translation from that name for ‘God,’ especially as it appeared at the beginning of the tract. That this term was considered to be a term of some relevance to the Taiping ideology is demonstrated by the fact that both yehuohua 爺火華 as the personal name of God and ye 爺 as “God the Father” later appeared in Taiping writings.” (Source: Zetzsche in Malek 2002, p. 141ff.)
In American Sign Language it is translated with a sign that combines the letter Y and a sign that points up and is similar to the sign for “God.” (Source: Ruth Anna Spooner, Ron Lawer)
“YHWH” in American Sign Language, source: Deaf Harbor
In British Sign Language is is translated with a sign that combines the signs for “God” and “name” and the finger-spelling of Y-H-W-H. (Source: Anna Smith)
“YHWH” in British Sign Language (source: Christian BSL, used with permission)
Japanese Sign Language combines the sign for “Lord” with “exist” to make a name sign that technically means “the existent one,” but is close enough to “Lord” that it isn’t too jarring for people in the church who expect to see “Lord” in certain contexts (source: Mark Penner). For a Japanese Sign Language explanation, see here.
“YHWH” in Japanese Sign Language, source: 日本手話訳聖書を
For further reading on the translation of YHWH, see Rosin 1956, p. 89-125 and Andy Warren-Rothlin in Noss / Houser, p. 618ff.
