Macedonia

The name that is transliterated as “Macedonia” in English is translated in Libras (Brazilian Sign Language) with a sign that shows pillars, a hallmark of the architecture used there in the Roman period and also prominently used today at Archaeological Museum of the Republic of North Macedonia (see here ). (Source: Missão Kophós )


“Macedonia” in Libras (source )

Click or tap here to see a short video clip about Macedonia (source: Bible Lands 2012)

More information about Macedonia (Greece) .

complete verse (2 Corinthians 9:2)

Following are a number of back-translations of 2 Corinthians 9:2:

  • Uma: “I already know that you really want to help — after-all I have already been praising you to the Makedonia people, I said to them: ‘As for our relatives in the land of Akhaya , they were ready last year to give their helping money.’ So, hearing of the softness of your heart [i.e., generosity] to give, the hearts of the Makedonia people also were fired-up, with the result that many of them want to give.” (Source: Uma Back Translation)
  • Yakan: “I know that you really want to help and for this I praised you to the people in Makedoniya. I said to them, ‘Our (incl.) brothers there in the place Akaya, since last year yet they have already prepared their help.’ Therefore when they heard this, most of them also wanted to help.” (Source: Yakan Back Translation)
  • Western Bukidnon Manobo: “Because I know that you really want to help. I told the believers in Macedonia that you always want very much to help. I said to them that, beginning there last year, the breaths of you Greeks were already prepared to give. And the majority of them when they heard this, their desire to help also increased.” (Source: Western Bukidnon Manobo Back Translation)
  • Kankanaey: “Because I know that you very-much-want to help, and this also is what I have-been-boasting-about to the congregations in Macedonia. I have been saying that you in Akaya have-been-prepared to help since last-year, and due to this that I have been saying, the majority of them have been persuaded to also collect what they will use-to-help.” (Source: Kankanaey Back Translation)
  • Tagbanwa: “Because I know that you want to help for sure. I am really speaking highly of you here in Macedonia. I am saying that, you in/from Acaya, since last year already, you have been ready to give your help. Therefore really many have been like challenged (lit. woken up) by this industriousness of yours to want to help also.” (Source: Tagbanwa Back Translation)
  • Tenango Otomi: “For I know that you have pleasure in helping your brothers. When I have gone around the land of Macedonia I told the inhabitants that you who are the people of the land of Acaya since last year have gathered money for making a help. On account of the word about what you are doing, the inhabitants here in the land of Macedonia all were strengthened to gather money to make a help like you are doing.” (Source: Tenango Otomi Back Translation)

formal 2nd person plural pronoun (Japanese)

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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 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 9:2

For: verse 2 states why Paul considers it not necessary to write to the Corinthians about the collection. He knows that they are already prepared “to give” (Contemporary English Version).

Readiness: this is the same word as in 8.11, 12 and 19. See comments at that point.

Macedonia … Achaia were Roman provinces. On Macedonia see comments on 1.16; 2.13. On Achaia see comments on 1.1. It is important for readers to understand that Corinth was a part of the province of Achaia (see 1.1). Readers of the receptor language translation should know that “the brothers in Achaia” included the Corinthians, who “are willing to help.” Translators may include this information in the text as Contemporary English Version does: “And I have proudly told the Lord’s followers in Macedonia that you people in Achaia have been ready for a whole year.” Or, alternatively, a footnote may be used to provide this information.

The Greek says literally “Achaia has been ready.” Good News Translation indicates that it is the Christians (“brothers”) there who have been ready. Since Paul no doubt means both men and women, translators will want to avoid a word that implies men only. It may be possible to say “the Christians in Achaia” or “you believers in Achaia.” And readers may need to be reminded explicitly that Achaia is a province, not a city, since they may not recall the classifier term used at the beginning of this letter.

For comments on since last year, see 8.10, “a year ago.”

The report of what Paul said to the believers in Macedonia is translated as an indirect quote in most versions, but it will be more natural in some languages to present it as direct speech and to set it off with quotation marks: “I said to them, ‘Our fellow believers in Achaia have been ready to give since last year.’ ”

Your zeal has stirred up most of them: in the context your zeal means specifically the eagerness of the Corinthians to contribute to the collection. The word for zeal is the same as in 7.7, 11, as well as in 11.2 and 1 Cor 3.3, where it is translated “jealousy” in a different context. The verbal expression stirred up has the result that the Macedonians are eager to contribute also. Contemporary English Version says “Now your desire to give has made them want to give.”

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 .

SIL Translator’s Notes on 2 Corinthians 9:2

9:2a For I know your eagerness to help,

because I know that you (plur.) are eager ⌊regarding this ministry⌋,
-or-
For I know that you are very earnest ⌊to help them⌋,

9:2b and I have been boasting to the Macedonians

and I boast about you to the Macedonians.
-or-
and I speak of you with pride to ⌊the believers in⌋ Macedonia

9:2c that since last year you in Achaia were prepared to give.

I was telling them that you in Achaia were ready to help, beginning from last year,
-or-
namely, boasting to them that you in ⌊the province of⌋ Achaia have been ready to give since last year.

9:2d And your zeal has stirred most of them to do likewise.

and your zeal/eagerness ⌊to help⌋ has caused most of them to prepare ⌊a gift⌋.
-or-
And when they heard of your readiness to give, most of them collected money as well.

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