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 (2 Corinthians 12:18)

Following are a number of back-translations of 2 Corinthians 12:18:

  • Uma: “I requested the other day [lit., yesterday] that Titus go pay you a visit, and there was also that other relative I sent with him. Did Titus trick you at that time? You yourselves know, relatives, that Titus and I, we (excl.) have one-heart and our (excl.) behavior is the same.” (Source: Uma Back Translation)
  • Yakan: “I sent Titus to you before and there was also a brother of ours (incl.) that I told to accompany him. Were you fooled by Titus so that he could get your money? You cannot say that you were fooled by him because both of us (excl.) are equally straight and we (excl.) do the same work.” (Source: Yakan Back Translation)
  • Western Bukidnon Manobo: “I begged Titus to come to you and I sent along also with him another of our (incl.) brothers. Did they cheat you? You cannot say anything like that, because as for Titus and I, the way we do things is the same and they are all righteous.” (Source: Western Bukidnon Manobo Back Translation)
  • Kankanaey: “For-example, Tito whom I persuaded to go to you and our brother whom I sent as his companion, have they by-chance cheated you? Oh come on now! And if then their motives and behavior to you were correct, is it indeed the case (RQ implying of course not) that my motives and behavior would be different?” (Source: Kankanaey Back Translation)
  • Tagbanwa: “Truly I did arrange with Tito for him to go there to you and I sent along with him one of our siblings in believing. Well, did Tito fool you when he was there? Certainly not, for is it not so that you observed that he was very good/kind? And isn’t it so that you observed that we (excl.) two are alike in nature/ways and lives?” (Source: Tagbanwa Back Translation)
  • Tenango Otomi: “When I sent Titus to go greet you and another of our brothers went with him, what about Titus, did he extract money from you? You well know that Titus did just like I do. He only wanted to do you good with the word he taught you. But not any money did he ask of you.” (Source: Tenango Otomi Back Translation)

inclusive vs. exclusive pronoun (2Cor. 12:18)

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 typically select the exclusive form (only referring to Paul and Silas). The Tok Pisin translation uses the dual form mitupela here. (Source: SIL International Translation Department (1999))

The Mal translators used an inclusive form. (Source: David Filbeck in The Bible Translator 1994, p. 401ff.)

formal 2nd person plural pronoun (Japanese)

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 choice of a formal plural suffix to the second person pronoun (“you” and its various forms) as shown here in the widely-used Japanese Shinkaiyaku (新改訳) Bible of 2017. In these verses, anata-gata (あなたがた) is used, combining the second person pronoun anata and the plural suffix -gata to create a formal plural pronoun (“you” [plural] in English).

(Source: S. E. Doi, see also S. E. Doi in Journal of Translation, 18/2022, p. 37ff. )

Translation commentary on 2 Corinthians 12:18

I urged Titus: see the similar expression in 8.6.

To go, that is, “to visit you” (Contemporary English Version).

Sent: if chapters 10–13 are originally part of the same letter as chapters 1–9, then the verb sent is possibly an epistolary aorist (see 8.17) and may be translated as “I am sending.” That is, the trip of 8.17 has not yet begun at the time Paul writes this letter, and 12.18 refers to the same upcoming trip. It is also possible that sent refers to an earlier visit than the one mentioned in 8.17, and should therefore be translated with the past tense as in Revised Standard Version and Good News Translation. If chapters 10–13 were written later than chapters 1–9 and formed part of a separate letter, then Paul is indeed referring to a past action, and the past tense sent should be used. On the question of whether chapters 10–13 were part of a separate and later letter from chapters 1–9, see “Translating 2 Corinthians,” page 3.

Since Paul mentions only one brother here, it may be that 12.18 refers to an early trip by Titus and one other person, and does not refer to the trip that Titus and two brothers are about to make to Corinth (chapter 8). If an earlier trip is being referred to here, then the verb should be translated in the past tense, sent.

The brother does not have a possessive pronoun in Greek. Languages that must have a possessive pronoun may say “our [not including the readers] brother.” Revised English Bible says “I sent our friend,” but the English is ambiguous as to whether “our” includes the readers also. The brother is not identified, but he may be the brother mentioned in 8.16-19. Surely the Corinthians knew this Christian brother, especially if he had already been sent to Corinth earlier. So Parola Del Signore: La Bibbia in Lingua Corrente correctly says “that other brother whom you know.”

We: in this case the first person plural pronoun refers to Paul and Titus. It is probably better translated “he and I” in this context.

Same spirit: the reference here is probably not to the Holy Spirit (compare Rom 8.4 and Gal 5.16) but to the way of thinking of the two men, as in 7.13, where the word used here is translated “mind.”

As in the previous verse, Paul’s questions here are all rhetorical. He knows that Titus did not take advantage of them, that he acted in the same spirit as Titus did, and that he behaved in the same way as Titus did. If this series of questions is transformed to emphatic statements, they may read something like this: “Titus certainly did not take advantage of you. He and I acted in the same way and with the same motive.” Or it may be possible to provide the answer to the question in translation, as New Century Version does: “Titus did not cheat you, did he? No, you know that Titus and I did the same thing and with the same spirit.”

Quoted with permission from Omanson, Roger L. and Ellingworth, Paul. A Handbook on Paul’s Second Letter to the Corinthians. (UBS Handbook Series). New York: UBS, 1993. For this and other handbooks for translators see here .