sanctification, sanctify

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The Greek, Hebrew, Latin, and Ge’ez that is translated in English as “sanctify” or “sanctification” is translated in Balanta-Kentohe “separated to God.” (Source: Rob Koops)

Other translations include:

  • San Blas Kuna: “giving a man a good heart”
  • Panao Huánuco Quechua: “God perfects us”
  • Laka: “God calls us outside to Himself” (“This phrase is derived from the practice of a medicine man, who during the initiation rites of apprentices calls upon the young man who is to follow him eventually and to receive all of his secrets and power. From the day that this young man is called out during the height of the ecstatic ceremony, he is identified with his teacher as the heir to his position, authority, and knowledge.”) (Source for this and above: Nida 1952, p. 147)
  • Mezquital Otomi: “live a pure life”
  • Hopi: “unspotted”
  • Yatzachi Zapotec: “clean-hearted”
  • Huehuetla Tepehua: “be servants of God”
  • Central Tarahumara: “only live doing good as God desires” (source for this and four above: Waterhouse / Parrott in Notes on Translation October 1967, p. 1ff.)
  • Mairasi: “one’s life/behavior will be very straight” (source: Enggavoter 2004)
  • Enlhet: “new / clean innermost” (“Innermost” or valhoc is a term that is frequently used in Enlhet to describe a large variety of emotions or states of mind [for other examples see here].) (Source: Jacob Loewen in The Bible Translator 1969, p. 24ff. )
  • Tibetan: dam par ‘gyur (དམ་​པར་​འགྱུར།), lit. “holy + become” (used for instance in 1 Cor. 1:2, 1 Cor. 6:11, 1 Cor. 7:14, or 1 Thess. 4:3) or gtsang bar byed (གཙང་​བར་​བྱེད།), lit. “make clean” (used for instance in Heb. 9:13) (source: gSungrab website )
The choices for translation of “sanctification” in the Indonesian Common Language Bible (Alkitab dalam Bahasa Indonesia Masa Kini, publ. 1985) differed according to context. (Click or tap here to see details)

“In Romans, hagiasmos [“sanctification”] occurs twice in chapter 6, in verses 19 and 22. It is used in relation to believers who are called to be saints (1:7), who are under grace (6:15), who have been set free from sin to become slaves of righteousness (6:18). Therefore here hagiasmos not only refers to God’s act of consecration, but also to the believer’s moral activity arising out of this state. It is this aspect that the translators have stressed in verse 19: ‘… so now yield your members to righteousness for sanctification’ has been translated untuk maksud-maksud Allah yang khusus: ‘for God’s specific purposes.’ So also in verse 22 ‘… the return you get is sanctification’ has been translated hidup khusus untuk Allah: ‘living for God alone.’

“!In 1 Corinthians 1:30: ‘… in Christ Jesus, whom God made our wisdom, our righteousness and sanctification and redemption,’ hagiasmos is put in a parallel position to wisdom, righteousness and redemption, and is rooted in Christ. In view of the parallel concepts, it is clear a result is indicated here. The believers are holy because they are ‘in Christ’ who is intrinsically holy. Hagiasmos here has been rendered as: umatnya yang khusus: ‘his own people.’

“In 1 Thessalonians 4:3-7, hagiasmos involves abstaining from unchastity (verse 3) and is contrasted with uncleanness (verse 7), while in verse 4 it is used as a parallel with ‘honor’ to modify the verb. Hagiasmos is here rooted in the will of God, and calls for moral conduct. The translators translate hagiasmos in verse 3 as hidup khusus untuk dia: ‘live for him alone,’ and in verses 4 and 5 menyenangkan hati Allah: ‘pleasing God’s heart.’

“The expression in 2 Thessalonians 2:13 ‘sanctification by the spirit’ (en hagiasmo pneumatos), is generally understood as sanctification or consecration effected by the Holy Spirit. This consecration was effected at the moment of conversion. The translation here is umat Allah yang suci: ‘God’s holy people.’

“The noun also appears in the Pastorals once (1 Timothy 2:15), where, in view of the context, it clearly denotes ethical behavior. The translators translate as hidup khusus untuk Allah: ‘living for God alone,’ but perhaps it would be better here to translate it with hidup tanpa vela: ‘lead a blameless life,’ which would suit the context better.

“In conclusion then, to translate hagiasmos in a way that is meaningful to the average modern reader, it may often be necessary to render it by a phrase which brings out the primary meaning of the term. If it refers to the act of consecration, this phrase should include the notion of belonging to God, and if it refers to the conduct of the believer, the phrase should stress the idea of pleasing God and refraining from evil.” (Source: Pericles Katoppo in The Bible Translator 1987, p. 429ff. )

complete verse (2 Kings 10:20)

Following are a number of back-translations as well as a sample translation for translators of 2 Kings 10:20:

  • Kupsabiny: “Then Jehu said, ‘Prepare (plur.) a day when Baal is to be worshiped.’ It was prepared.” (Source: Kupsabiny Back Translation)
  • Newari: “Jehu said, "Make a great assembly for Baal." So they made a public announcement of the assembly.” (Source: Newari Back Translation)
  • Hiligaynon: “Jehu said, ‘Let- us (incl.) -celebrate a unique gathering in honor of Baal.’ So this was-proclaimed to the people.” (Source: Hiligaynon Back Translation)
  • English: “Then Jehu commanded, ‘Announce that we are going to set aside a day to honor Baal.’ So they did that.” (Source: Translation for Translators)

Translation commentary on 2 Kings 10:20

The Hebrew verb translated ordered is the common word usually rendered “said.” But the context suggests a translation like that of Revised Standard Version and Good News Translation.

Sanctify renders the same Hebrew verb that is elsewhere translated “make holy.” But the present context requires a meaning like “set aside” or something similar. In addition to Good News Translation, certain other versions use the verb “Proclaim” (Revised English Bible, New American Bible). New Jerusalem Bible has “Summon” while New International Version has the same meaning using the more common language term “Call.” Another possibility would be to say “Prepare” (New Century Version).

A solemn assembly: The Hebrew term used here occurs only occasionally in the Pentateuch, where such an assembly is dedicated to Yahweh (Lev 23.36; Num 29.35; Deut 16.8). It is found somewhat more frequently in the Prophets although not always in positive terms (Isa 1.13; Amos 5.21). Here the term seems to include a time especially set aside when people would gather to honor Baal. Two modern versions seem to carry over something of the meaning of the verb Sanctify to this part of the verse: “a sacred assembly” (New Jerusalem Bible) and “a sacred ceremony” (Revised English Bible).

New Jewish Publication Society’s Tanakh (similarly Die Bibel im heutigen Deutsch) converts the direct quotation into indirect speech by saying “Jehu gave orders to convoke a solemn assembly for Baal.” This may be a helpful model for other languages where direct discourse is limited.

So they proclaimed it: The pronoun they is indefinite, so this clause may be translated with a passive construction where this is natural; for example, New Jewish Publication Society’s Tanakh has “and one was proclaimed.” Revised English Bible says simply “This was done.” Languages that require an active expression may say “so the people proclaimed it.”

Quoted with permission from Omanson, Roger L. and Ellington, John E. A Handbook on 1-2 Kings, Volume 2. (UBS Helps for Translators). New York: UBS, 2008. For this and other handbooks for translators see here .

SIL Translator’s Notes on 2 Kings 10:20

10:20a And Jehu commanded, “Proclaim a solemn assembly for Baal.”

So Jehu said, “Announce/Proclaim (plur.) a holy/special meeting to honor Baal.”

-or-

Then Jehu told his servants to set the day for the sacred gathering for the Baal ⌊idol⌋ .

10:20b So they announced it.

So they made the announcement/proclamation.

-or-

So they announced the day/gathering.

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