The Greek, Latin and Hebrew that is usually translated in English as “truth” is translated in Luchazi with vusunga: “the quality of being straight” (source: E. Pearson in The Bible Translator 1954, p. 160ff. ), in Obolo as atikọ or “good/correct talk” (source: Enene Enene), and in Ekari as maakodo bokouto or “enormous truth” (esp. in John 14:6 and 17; bokouto — “enormous” — is being used as an attribute for abstract nouns to denote that they are of God [see also here]; source: Marion Doble in The Bible Translator 1963, p. 37ff. ).
The translation committee of the Malay “Good News Bible” (Alkitab Berita Baik, see here ) wrestled with the translation of “truth” in the Gospel of John (for more information click or tap here):
“Our Malay Committee also concluded that ‘truth’ as used in the Gospel of John was used either of God himself, or of God’s revelation of himself, or in an extended sense as a reference to those who had responded to God’s self-disclosure. In John 8:32 the New Malay translation reads ‘You will know the truth about God, and the truth about God will make you free.’ In John 8:44 this meaning is brought out by translating, ‘He has never been on the side of God, because there is no truth in him.’ Accordingly Jesus ‘tells the truth about God’ in 8:45, 46 (see also 16:7 and 8:37a). Then, ‘I am the way, the truth, and the life’ becomes ‘I am the one who leads men to God, the one who reveals who and what God is, and the one who gives men life.” At 3:21 the translation reads ” … whoever obeys the truth, that is God himself, comes to the light …’; 16:13a appears as ‘he will lead you into the full truth about God’; and in 18:37 Jesus affirms ‘I came into the world to reveal the truth about God, and whoever obeys God listens to me.’ On this basis also 1:14 was translated ‘we saw his glory, the glory which he had as the Father’s only Son. Through him God has completely revealed himself (truth) and his love for us (grace)’; and 1:17 appears as ‘God gave the law through Moses; but through Jesus Christ he has completely revealed himself (truth) and his love for us (grace).'” (Source: Barclay Newman in The Bible Translator 1974, p. 432ff. )
Helen Evans (in The Bible Translator 1954, p. 40ff. ) tells of the translation into Kui which usually is “true-thing.” In some instances however, such as in the second part of John 17:17 (“your word is truth” in English), the use of “true-thing” indicated that there might be other occasions when it’s not true, so here the translation was a a form of “pure, holy.”
The Hebrew, Aramaic, Greek, and Latin that is often translated as “gentiles” (or “nations”) in English is often translated as a “local equivalent of ‘foreigners,'” such as “the people of other lands” (Guerrero Amuzgo), “people of other towns” (Tzeltal), “people of other languages” (San Miguel El Grande Mixtec), “strange peoples” (Navajo (Dinė)) (this and above, see Bratcher / Nida), “outsiders” (Ekari), “people of foreign lands” (Kannada), “non-Jews” (North Alaskan Inupiatun), “people being-in-darkness” (a figurative expression for people lacking cultural or religious insight) (Toraja-Sa’dan) (source for this and three above Reiling / Swellengrebel), “from different places all people” (Martu Wangka) (source: Carl Gross).
Tzeltal translates it as “people in all different towns,” Chicahuaxtla Triqui as “the people who live all over the world,” Highland Totonac as “all the outsider people,” Sayula Popoluca as “(people) in every land” (source: Waterhouse / Parrott in Notes on Translation October 1967, p. 1ff.), Chichimeca-Jonaz as “foreign people who are not Jews,” Sierra de Juárez Zapotec as “people of other nations” (source of this and one above: Viola Waterhouse in Notes on Translation August 1966, p. 86ff.), Highland Totonac as “outsider people” (source: Waterhouse / Parrott in Notes on Translation October 1967, p. 1ff.), Uma as “people who are not the descendants of Israel” (source: Uma Back Translation), “other ethnic groups” (source: Newari Back Translation), and Yakan as “the other tribes” (source: Yakan Back Translation).
In Chichewa, it is translated with mitundu or “races.” (Source: Mawu a Mulungu mu Chichewa Chalero Back Translation)
Following are a number of back-translations of 1 Timothy 2:7:
Uma: “That’s why God appointed me to be his apostle. He ordered me to spread the news to people who are not Yahudi people. He ordered me to teach them the true teaching, so that they believe in Yesus. What I say is true, I do not lie.” (Source: Uma Back Translation)
Yakan: “This is the reason that I was commissioned by God commanded to teach/preach this true teaching to the people not Yahudi so that they will trust in Isa Almasi and will believe the true teaching. This saying of mine is true, I do not lie!” (Source: Yakan Back Translation)
Western Bukidnon Manobo: “And because of this He appointed me to be an apostle and He sent me to teach this. This that I am saying is not a lie, but rather it is true. He appointed me so that I might teach the people who are not Jews so that they might believe the true doctrine.” (Source: Western Bukidnon Manobo Back Translation)
Kankanaey: “This also is the reason he appointed me to preach and be-an-apostle so that I would go teach to those who are Gentil (Gentiles) the true teaching in order that they would believe it. This is emphatically true, not a lie.” (Source: Kankanaey Back Translation)
Tagbanwa: “Well, through/for the teaching of this, he made me an apostle. He sent me as an informer about this salvation to people who aren’t Jews, for I would teach them his truth so that they will believe it. This which I’m saying is true. I’m not lying.” (Source: Tagbanwa Back Translation)
Tenango Otomi: “Therefore God appointed me to be Christ’s representative, and he sent me to go everywhere where the people who are not Jews are. Concerning the true word we believe, it is that which I teach the people. You know very well that it is true what I tell you and you know that I don’t lie because I believe in Christ.” (Source: Tenango Otomi Back Translation)
Translations of the Greek pistis and its various forms that are typically translated as “faith” in English (itself deriving from Latin “fides,” meaning “trust, faith, confidence, reliance, credence”) and “believe” (from Old English belyfan: “to have faith or confidence in a person”) cover a wide range of approaches.
Bratcher and Nida say this (1961, p. 38) (click or tap here to read more):
“Since belief or faith is so essentially an intimate psychological experience, it is not strange that so many terms denoting faith should be highly figurative and represent an almost unlimited range of emotional ‘centers’ and descriptions of relationships, e.g. ‘steadfast his heart’ (Chol), ‘to arrive on the inside’ (Chicahuaxtla Triqui), ‘to conform with the heart’ (Uab Meto), ‘to join the word to the body’ (Uduk), ‘to hear in the insides’ (or ‘to hear within one’s self and not let go’ — Nida 1952) (Laka), ‘to make the mind big for something’ (Sapo), ‘to make the heart straight about’ (Mitla Zapotec), ‘to cause a word to enter the insides’ (Lacandon), ‘to leave one’s heart with’ (Baniwa), ‘to catch in the mind’ (Ngäbere), ‘that which one leans on’ (Vai), ‘to be strong on’ (Shipibo-Conibo), ‘to have no doubts’ (San Blas Kuna), ‘to hear and take into the insides’ (Kare), ‘to accept’ (Pamona).”
Following is a list of (back-) translations from other languages (click or tap here to read more):
Limos Kalinga: manuttuwa. Wiens (2013) explains: “It goes back to the word for ‘truth’ which is ‘tuttuwa.’ When used as a verb this term is commonly used to mean ‘believe’ as well as ‘obey.'”
Ngiemboon: “turn one’s back on someone” (and trusting one won’t be taken advantage of) (source: Stephen Anderson in Holzhausen 1991, p. 42)
Mwera uses the same word for “hope” and “faith”: ngulupai (source: Pioneer Bible Translators, project-specific translation notes in Paratext)
Yala: ɔtū che or “place heart” (in John 5:24; 5:45; 6:35; 6:47; 12:36; 14:1); other translations include chɛ̄ or “to agree/accept” and chɛ̄ku or “to agree with/accept with/take side with” (source: Linus Otronyi)
Matumbi: niu’bi’lyali or “believe / trust / rely (on)” and imani or “religious faith” (from Arabic īmān [إيما]) (source: Pioneer Bible Translators, project-specific notes in Paratext)
Ebira: “place one’s liver on something” (source: Scholz /Scholz 2015, p. 60)
Barí: a word related to standing in a hammock. Bruce Olson (1972, p. 159f.) tells this story — click or tap here to read more)
One evening, though, Bobby began to ask questions. We were sitting around a fire. The light flickered over him. His face was serious.
‘How can I walk on Jesus’ trail?’ he asked. ‘No Motilone [speakers of Barí] has ever done it. It’s a new thing. There is no other Motilone to tell how to do it.’
I remembered the problems I had had as a boy, how it sometimes appeared impossible to keep on believing in Jesus when my family and friends were so opposed to my commitment. That was what Bobby was going through.
‘Bobby,’ I said, ‘do you remember my first Festival of the Arrows, the first time I had seen all the Motilones gathered to sing their song?’ The festival was the most important ceremony in the Motilone culture.
He nodded. The fire flared up momentarily and I could see his eyes, staring intently at me.
‘Do you remember that I was afraid to climb in the high hammocks to sing, for fear that the rope would break? And I told you that I would sing only if I could have one foot in the hammock and one foot on the ground?’
‘Yes, Bruchko.’
‘And what did you say to me?’
He laughed. ‘I told you you had to have both feet in the hammock. ‘You have to be suspended,’ I said.’
‘Yes,’ I said. ‘You have to be suspended. That is how it is when you follow Jesus, Bobby. No man can tell you how to walk His trail. Only Jesus can. But to find out you have to tie your hammock strings into Him, and be suspended in God.’
Bobby said nothing. The fire danced in his eyes. Then he stood up and walked off into the darkness.
The next day he came to me. ‘Bruchko,’ he said, ‘I want to tie my hammock strings into Jesus Christ. But how can I? I can’t see Him or touch Him.’
‘You have talked to spirits, haven’t you?’
‘Oh,’ he said. ‘I see now.’
The next day he had a big grin on his face. ‘Bruchko, I’ve tied my hammock strings into Jesus. Now I speak a new language.’
I didn’t understand what he meant. ‘Have you learned some of the Spanish I speak?’
He laughed, a clean, sweet laugh. ‘No, Bruchko, I speak a new language.’
Then I understood. To a Motilone, language is life. If Bobby had a new life, he had a new way of speaking. His speech would be Christ-oriented.
Awabakal: ngurruliko: “to know, to perceive by the ear” (as distinct from knowing by sight or by touch — source: Lake, p. 70) (click or tap here to read more)
“[The missionary translator] Lancelot Threlkeld learned that Awabakal, like many Australian languages, made no distinction between knowing and believing. Of course the distinction only needs to be made where there are rival systems of knowing. The Awabakal language expressed a seamless world. But as the stress on ‘belief’ itself suggests, Christianity has always existed in pluralist settings. Conversion involves deep conviction, not just intellectual assent or understanding. (…) Translating such texts posed a great challenge in Australia. Threlkeld and [his indigenous colleague] Biraban debated the possibilities at length. In the end they opted not to introduce a new term for belief, but to use the Awabakal ngurruliko, meaning ‘to know, to perceive by the ear,’ as distinct from knowing by sight or by touch.”
Language in southern Nigeria: a word based on the idiom “lose feathers.” Randy Groff in Wycliffe Bible Translators 2016, p. 65 explains (click or tap here to read more):
What does losing feathers have to do with faith? [The translator] explained that there is a species of bird in his area that, upon hatching its eggs, loses its feathers. During this molting phase, the mother bird is no longer able to fly away from the nest and look for food for her hungry hatchlings. She has to remain in the nest where she and her babies are completely dependent upon the male bird to bring them food. Without the diligent, dependable work of the male bird, the mother and babies would all die. This scenario was the basis for the word for faith in his language.
Teribe: mär: “pick one thing and one thing only” (source: Andy Keener)
Tiv: na jighjigh: “give trust” (source: Andy Warren-Rothlin)
Luba-Katanga: Twi tabilo: “echo” (click or tap here to read more)
“Luba-Katanga word for ‘Faith’ in its New Testament connotation is Twi tabilo. This word means ‘echo,’ and the way in which it came to be adapted to the New Testament meaning gives a very good idea of the way in which the translator goes to work. One day a missionary was on a journey through wild and mountainous country. At midday he called his African porters to halt, and as they lay resting in the shade from the merciless heat of the sun. an African picked up a stone and sent it ricocheting down the mountain-side into the ravine below. After some seconds the hollow silence was broken by a plunging, splashing sound from the depths of the dark river-bed. As the echo died away the African said in a wondering whisper ‘Twi tabilo, listen to it.’ So was a precious word captured for the service of the Gospel in its Luba Christian form. Twi tabilo — ‘faith which is the echo of God’s voice in the depths of human sinful hearts, awakened by God Himself, the answer to his own importunate call.’ The faith that is called into being by the divine initiative, God’s own gift to the responsive heart! (Source: Wilfred Bradnock in The Bible Translator 1953, p. 49ff. )
J.A. van Roy (in The Bible Translator 1972, p. 418ff. ) discusses how a translation of “faith” in a an earlier translation into Venda created difficult perceptions of the concept of faith (click or tap here):
The Venda term u tenda, lutendo. This term corresponds to the terms ho dumela (Southern Sotho), and ku pfumela (Tsonga) that have been used in these translations of the Bible, and means “to assent,” “to agree to a suggestion.” It is important to understand this term in the context of the character of the people who use it.
The way in which the Venda use this term reveals much about the priority of interpersonal relationships among them. They place a much higher priority on responding in the way they think they are expected to respond than on telling the truth. Smooth interpersonal relationships, especially with a dominant individual or group, take precedence over everything else.
It is therefore regarded as bad form to refuse directly when asked for something one does not in fact intend to give. The correct way is to agree, u tenda, and then forget about it or find some excuse for not keeping to the agreement. Thus u tenda does not necessarily convey the information that one means what one says. One can tenda verbally while heartily disagreeing with the statement made or having no intention whatsoever to carry out what one has just promised to do. This is not regarded as dishonesty, but is a matter of politeness.
The term u sokou tenda, “to consent reluctantly,” is often used for expressing the fatalistic attitude of the Venda in the face of misfortune or force which he is unable to resist.
The form lutendo was introduced by missionaries to express “faith.”
According to the rules of derivations and their meanings in the lu-class, it should mean “the habit of readily consenting to everything.” But since it is a coined word which does not have a clearly defined set of meanings in everyday speech, it has acquired in church language a meaning of “steadfastness in the Christian life.” Una lutendo means something like “he is steadfast in the face of persecution.” It is quite clear that the term u tenda has no element of “trust” in it. (…)
In “The Christian Minister” of July 1969 we find the following statement about faith by Albert N. Martin: “We must never forget that one of the great issues which the Reformers brought into focus was that faith was something more than an ‘assensus,’ a mere nodding of the head to the body of truth presented by the church as ‘the faith.’ The Reformers set forth the biblical concept that faith was ‘fiducia.’ They made plain that saving faith involved trust, commitment, a trust and commitment involving the whole man with the truth which was believed and with the Christ who was the focus of that truth. The time has come when we need to spell this out clearly in categorical statements so that people will realize that a mere nodding of assent to the doctrines that they are exposed to is not the essence of saving faith. They need to be brought to the understanding that saving faith involves the commitment of the whole man to the whole Christ, as Prophet, Priest and King as he is set forth in the gospel.”
We quote at length from this article because what Martin says of the current concept of faith in the Church is even to a greater extent true of the Venda Church, and because the terms used for communicating that concept in the Venda Bible cannot be expected to communicate anything more than “a mere nodding of assent”. I have during many years of evangelistic work hardly ever come across a Venda who, when confronted with the gospel, would not say, Ndi khou tenda, “I admit the truth of what you say.” What they really mean when saying this amounts to, “I believe that God exists, and I have no objection to the fact that he exists. I suppose that the rest of what you are talking about is also true.” They would often add, Ndi sa tendi hani-hani? “Just imagine my not believing such an obvious fact!” To the experienced evangelist this is a clear indication that his message is rejected in so far as it has been understood at all! To get a negative answer, one would have to press on for a promise that the “convert” will attend the baptism class and come to church on Sundays, and even then he will most probably just tenda in order to get rid of the evangelist, whether he intends to come or not. Isn’t that what u tenda means? So when an inexperienced and gullible white man ventures out on an evangelistic campaign with great enthusiasm, and with great rejoicing returns with a list of hundreds of names of persons who “believed”, he should not afterwards blame the Venda when only one tenth of those who were supposed to be converts actually turn up for baptismal instruction.
Moreover, it is not surprising at all that one often comes across church members of many years’ standing who do not have any assurance of their salvation or even realise that it is possible to have that assurance. They are vhatendi, “consenters.” They have consented to a new way of life, to abandoning (some of) the old customs. Lutendo means to them at most some steadfastness in that new way of life.
The concept of faith in religion is strange to Africa. It is an essential part of a religion of revelation such as Christianity or Islam, but not of a naturalistic religion such as Venda religion, in which not faith and belief are important, but ritual, and not so much the content of the word as the power of it.
The terms employed in the Venda Bible for this vital Christian concept have done nothing to effect a change in the approach of the Venda to religion.
It is a pity that not only in the Venda translation has this been the case, but in all the other Southern Bantu languages. In the Nguni languages the term ukukholwa, “to believe a fact,” has been used for pisteuo, and ukholo, the deverbative of ukukholwa, for pistis. In some of the older Protestant translations in Zulu, but not in the new translation, the term ithemba, “trust”, has been used.
Some languages, including Santali, have two terms — like English (see above) — to differentiate a noun from a verb form. Biswạs is used for “faith,” whereas pạtiạu for “believe.” R.M. Macphail (in The Bible Translator 1961, p. 36ff. ) explains this choice: “While there is little difference between the meaning and use of the two in everyday Santali, in which any word may be used as a verb, we felt that in this way we enriched the translation while making a useful distinction, roughly corresponding to that between ‘faith’ and ‘to believe’ in English.”
Likewise, in Noongar, koort-karni or “heart truth” is used for the noun (“faith”) and djinang-karni or “see true” for the verb (“believe”) (source: Warda-Kwabba Luke-Ang).
In the Greek text verse 7 is not a separate sentence but is connected with verse 6 by the expression “into which” that Revised Standard Version translates For this. There are some translations which retain the Greek form here. However, it is advisable to make verse 7 into a separate sentence for the following reasons: (1) In the Greek the sentence begins with verse 5, and to retain the Greek form results in a rather long sentence. (2) As has been noted, verses 5 and 6 form a unity and may be an early Christian creed; it is best therefore for this unit to stand by itself. So this verse may begin as follows: “This is why I…” or “It is for this reason that I….”
The problem of course that arises when verse 7 is translated as a separate sentence is how to make clear its logical relationship with the rest of the passage. What the verse wants to emphasize is the purpose and reason for Paul’s appointment as prophet and apostle. It is possible to connect For this (literally “into which”) with what follows (for example, “I am appointed to teach the Gentiles faith and truth”) or with what precedes. However, it most probably refers to what precedes, particularly the emphasis on the universal effect of Christ’s sacrifice. This connection needs to be made clear in the translation. It is made very clear in Good News Translation (“and that is why”). I was appointed has as the implicit agent either God or, more likely, Christ; this can be made explicit in the translation; for example, “This is why Christ appointed me as….” Appointed translates a Greek verb that in this context primarily means to assign or designate someone to a special task or function. Paul’s appointment in this case is three-fold: to be a preacher, an apostle, and a teacher. For apostle see 1.1 and comments. The word for preacher is derived from the verb that means “to preach,” “to proclaim a message”; it is noted by some commentators that, in Greek societies at that time, this term was used of a person whose duty was to go about announcing the honors that have been bestowed on someone, hence a “herald.”
The relationship between these three terms can be expressed in several ways. First of all they can be taken as belonging to a series; hence preacher, apostle, teacher. This same series in the same order appears in 2 Tim 1.11. Secondly preacher and teacher may be taken as defining apostle; hence “an apostle to preach and to teach.” Thirdly preacher and apostle may be understood as offices, and teacher as a function of both offices; hence “a preacher and an apostle to teach….” This third interpretation is justified by the fact that, while preacher and apostle are connected with the conjunction and (and therefore can be understood as coordinates), there is no conjunction before teacher. A fourth possibility (compare Good News Translation) is to understand teacher and apostle as offices, and preacher as a function of these two offices. This interpretation does not seem likely, as it appears to conflict with the grammar of the sentence. A literal translation would favor the first of these possibilities; translating preacher and teacher as verbs will result in the second option; while verbalizing only teacher results in the third alternative. The second alternative is the more likely one, however, and is recommended in this Handbook. In some languages it will be necessary to restructure as follows: “For this reason God appointed me as his apostle (or, ambassador) to those who are not Jews. In this capacity I must preach the Good News to them and teach them the true teachings about Jesus.”
Gentiles is literally “nations” and can refer either to all peoples, including Jews and non-Jews, or in most contexts only to non-Jews. This is the case here. In certain languages it will be helpful to begin a new sentence after Gentiles and say, for example, “He wanted me to proclaim” or “He did this so that I might proclaim.”
The expression in faith and truth may be understood as referring to the spirit of the teacher and the way the teaching is done (hence, one who teaches in the spirit of faith and truth), or more likely to the content of the teaching (as in, for example, Good News Translation “the message of faith and truth”); in this latter case faith and truth may be understood as hendiadys, two expressions for one idea, with truth being interpreted as qualifying faith, hence “the true faith” (Translator’s New Testament) or “the true teachings about Jesus.”
The parenthetical statement consists of both a positive part, I am telling the truth, and a negative part, I am not lying. The combination of a positive and a negative statement is a rhetorical device to make an emphatic assertion. In some languages it is more natural to reverse the order. A harder problem is where to connect this statement. In the Greek text the statement comes right after apostle; it is therefore possible to understand the statement as an affirmation of Paul’s apostleship, and a literal translation of the Greek would lend itself to this interpretation. Another possibility is to connect the statement with what follows, as, for example, New Jerusalem Bible “… apostle and—I am telling the truth and no lie—a teacher of the gentiles in faith and truth.” A third possibility is to understand the statement as referring to the whole of verse 7, in which case it can be transferred to the last part of the verse; that is what Good News Translation has done. This position is quite attractive and is in fact preferred by this Handbook.
An alternative translation model for this verse is:
• It is for this reason that God appointed me as an apostle (or, ambassador) to those who are not Jews. In this capacity (or, As his representative) I must preach the Good News (or, the message about Jesus) to them, and teach the true teachings about Jesus. What I have just said is true! I am not lying!
Quoted with permission from Arichea, Daniel C. and Hatton, Howard A. A Handbook on Paul’s First Letter to Timothy. (UBS Handbook Series). New York: UBS, 1995. For this and other handbooks for translators see here .
For this reason: The Greek phrase that the Berean Standard Bible translates as For this reason literally means “for which.” The phrase connects 2:7 with 2:6 and this connection can be understood in two ways:
(1) Verse 7 is the result of 2:6. For example, the Good News Translation says:
and that is why
(Good News Translation, New Century Version, Contemporary English Version)
(2) Verse 7 is the purpose for which 2:6 occurred. For example, the New International Version (2011 Revision) says:
And for this purpose
(Berean Standard Bible, New International Version (2011 Revision), God’s Word)
Some English translations say “for this.” This English phrase does not make it clear whether they mean “for this reason” or “for this purpose” (New American Standard Bible, Revised Standard Version, NET Bible). If you cannot keep the ambiguity, it is recommended that you follow interpretation (1). Because God sent Christ Jesus to save all people (2:3–6), he appointed Paul to announce the gospel.
2:7b
I was appointed: The Greek text uses a passive here and does not say who had appointed Paul. If it is necessary in your language to use an active verb here, you should say that God appointed him. Some other words for appointed are “assigned” or “chosen.”
a preacher: The Greek word that the Berean Standard Bible translates as a preacher is more literally “a herald.” A herald is a person that a king or another ruler has appointed to announce a message publicly. Paul was emphasizing that he announced important news like a herald does.
an apostle: Paul was emphasizing that God had sent him to represent Christ. For more details, see the note on “apostle” at 1:1b.
In some languages it may be helpful to translate this part of the verse as a direct quote. For example:
That is the reason that Christ appointed me and told me: “You are to announce the gospel message publicly and represent me.”
2:7c
faithful and true: The Greek phrase that the Berean Standard Bible translates as faithful and true literally means “in faith and truth.” These words can refer to:
(1) what Paul taught: the content of his message. For example, the Good News Translation says:
the message of faith and truth
(Good News Translation, New International Version (2011 Revision), Revised English Bible, God’s Word, New Living Translation (2004 Revision), Contemporary English Version, New Century Version)
(2) how Paul taught, that is, he taught faithfully and truthfully. For example, the New Jerusalem Bible says:
a teacher of the gentiles in faith and truth
(Berean Standard Bible, New Jerusalem Bible, Revised Standard Version, King James Version, New American Standard Bible)
Paul had been talking about the message that he proclaimed. There is no reason to think that Paul suddenly changed his topic and said that he himself was teaching faithfully and truthfully. So it is recommended that you follow interpretation (1). That is, Paul was continuing to talk about the message that he proclaimed.
The Greek words meaning “faith and truth” that the Berean Standard Bible translates as faithful and true can be understood in two ways:
(1) This is a hendiadys; that is, the two words “faith” and “truth” refer to one thing. For example, the New International Version (2011 Revision) says:
the true faith
(New International Version (2011 Revision), Revised English Bible)
(2) The two words refer to two things. For example, the Good News Translation says:
the message of faith and truth
(Berean Standard Bible, Good News Translation, God’s Word, New Living Translation (2004 Revision), Contemporary English Version, New Century Version)
It is recommended that you follow interpretation (1) and translate this as one phrase, “the true faith.” “The true faith” refers to God’s message.
teacher of the Gentiles:Gentiles are people who are not Jews. You may wish to put a footnote or glossary entry in your translation to explain who Gentiles are.
2:7d
I am telling the truth; (The translators of some versions add the words “in Christ.” For example, the King James Version says, “I speak the truth in Christ.” However, most scholars agree that these words were not present in Paul’s original letter to Timothy. The Editorial Committee of the United Bible Societies New Testament (4th edition) gives the reading without “in Christ” an {A} rating, indicating that the text is almost certain.) I am not lying: Paul had written in 2:7b, that he had been appointed as an apostle. Then he added that he was telling the truth and not lying. This could refer to three things:
(1) the whole sentence (Good News Translation, New Living Translation (2004 Revision), God’s Word)
(2) just the phrase that he was a teacher of the Gentiles (New Jerusalem Bible)
(3) just the phrase that he was an apostle
Other English versions are ambiguous. It is recommended that you translate this to refer to the whole sentence. Probably some people were saying that Paul was not really an apostle. Others may have been saying that Christ had not really authorized Paul to teach the Gentiles.
General Comment on 2:7b–d
Paul was not saying that God had chosen him to do three different jobs (herald, apostle, and teacher). Instead, he was saying that he had one task that had three parts. These same three parts are also mentioned in 2 Timothy 1:11.
General Comment on 2:7a–d
Another way to translate this verse is:
7aThat is why 7bGod sent me as an apostle to announce 7cand teach his true message even to those who are not Jews. 7dWhat I am saying is true. I am not lying.
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All Scripture quotations in this publication, unless otherwise indicated, are from The Holy Bible, Berean Standard Bible. BSB is produced in cooperation with Bible Hub, Discovery Bible, OpenBible.com, and the Berean Bible Translation Committee.
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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