brother (fellow believer)

The Greek that is translated in English as “brother” or “brother and sister” (in the sense of fellow believers), is translated with a specifically coined word in Kachin: “There are two terms for brother in Kachin. One is used to refer to a Christian brother. This term combines ‘older and younger brother.’ The other term is used specifically for addressing siblings. When one uses this term, one must specify if the older or younger person is involved. A parallel system exists for ‘sister’ as well. In [these verses], the term for ‘a Christian brother’ is used.” (Source: Gam Seng Shae)

In Matumbi is is translated as alongo aumini or “relative-believer.” (Source: Pioneer Bible Translators, project-specific notes in Paratext)

In Martu Wangka it is translated as “relative” (this is also the term that is used for “follower.”) (Source: Carl Gross)

In the German New Testament translation by Berger / Nord (publ. 1999) it is often translated as Mitchristen or “fellow Christians.”

See also brothers.

complete verse (1 Timothy 5:1)

Following are a number of back-translations of 1 Timothy 5:1:

  • Uma: “If/When you teach people whose age is more than yours, don’t [do it] very harshly. Rather make your words gentle [lit., smooth, fine] firing-up their hearts, you treat them like your own father. Young-men you treat like your relatives.” (Source: Uma Back Translation)
  • Yakan: “Don’t scold a man older than you but speak to him well like (to) your father when you have something to teach/instruct him. The men who are young, consider/regard (them) as your brothers/siblings.” (Source: Yakan Back Translation)
  • Western Bukidnon Manobo: “Do not speak sharply to an elder, rather advise him as if he were your father. Also advise the young men as if they were your brothers.” (Source: Western Bukidnon Manobo Back Translation)
  • Kankanaey: “If someone sins who is older (male) than you (sing.), don’t speak-harshly/roughly-to (him), but instead gently is the way you (sing.) are to advise him as if he were your (sing.) father. The men also who are younger than you (sing.), count them as if they are your (sing.) brothers/cousins.” (Source: Kankanaey Back Translation)
  • Tagbanwa: “Supposing there’s something you find fault with among those you are overseeing there, teach him with respect. If it’s a man who is already old/mature, don’t scold him, but rather talk to him aside/quietly like you’re conversing with your father. Those who are still young, regard them as your siblings.” (Source: Tagbanwa Back Translation)
  • Tenango Otomi: “Concerning the old man who does not do what is right, do not speak strongly to him when you reprimand him for what he has done. Beautifully speak to him, treating him as though he were your father. Concerning the young men, treat them as though they were your brothers.” (Source: Tenango Otomi Back Translation)

Translation commentary on 1 Timothy 5:1

Rebuke is literally “to strike upon,” “to beat upon”; from this has developed the extended meaning “to chastise with words,” “to chide,” “to upbraid,” “to rebuke.” The literal meaning does not occur in the New Testament; in most occurrences the meaning is to express disapproval as a form of punishment, hence “to denounce,” “to reproach,” “to reprimand” (Phillips), “to reprove, censure, scold,” or even “to speak severely to.”

The word for older man is the same word for “elder” (see 5.17, 19; Titus 1.5). Here, however, the term is not used for a person who occupies a particular office in the church, but to a man of advanced age, as the context clearly shows. So Phillips “a senior member of your church,” Jerusalem Bible “a man older than yourself.”

The Greek word for exhort has a wide range of meaning. The meaning in classical Greek writings is “to call to one’s side,” “to summon.” In some places in the New Testament, the word means “to comfort,” “to encourage.” In the present context it means “to appeal to” (Good News Translation), “to advise” (Jerusalem Bible), “to admonish,” “to exhort” (New International Version). However this is translated, it must be ascertained that the term chosen is appropriate to a son-father relationship, since the older man is to be considered like a real father and therefore treated with respect and as one who is in a higher position. A literal translation of the text (for example Revised Standard Version) would not make it clear that Timothy should treat the older man as his own father; this has been made explicit in many translations; for example, Good News Translation “appeal to him as if he were your father,” Jerusalem Bible “advise him as you would your own father.” In some languages it may be necessary to repeat the verb; for example, “appeal to him in the same way that you appeal to your own father.” In other languages one may use an idiomatic expression such as “speak to him from a true heart in the same way that you would speak to your own father” or “speak to him with your heart exposed….”

Treat younger men as brothers is literally “younger men as brothers,” without a verb. The most likely verb to be read with the phrase is exhort that occurs in the first part of the verse; however, many translations supply another verb here, one example being treat. Any verb chosen must be appropriate to a brother-brother relationship in which Timothy would be in a higher position than the younger men. Younger has to do with age and can be related either to Timothy (hence, younger than you are) or, more likely, to the older men (hence older man … younger men). The latter is more likely in view of verse 2. It is also possible that these younger men belonged to an identifiable group within the church. So perhaps we can imagine a church composed of at least four groups: adult men, young men, adult women, young women.

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 .