sin

The Hebrew, Ge’ez, and Greek that is typically translated as “sin” in English has a wide variety of translations.

The Greek ἁμαρτάνω (hamartanō) carries the original verbatim meaning of “miss the mark” and likewise, many translations contain the “connotation of moral responsibility.”

  • Loma: “leaving the road” (which “implies a definite standard, the transgression of which is sin”)
  • Navajo (Dinė): “that which is off to the side” (source for this and above: Bratcher / Nida)
  • Toraja-Sa’dan: kasalan, originally meaning “transgression of a religious or moral rule” and in the context of the Bible “transgression of God’s commandments” (source: H. van der Veen in The Bible Translator 1950, p. 21ff. )
  • Kaingang: “break God’s word”
  • Bariai: “bad behavior” (source: Bariai Back Translation)
  • Sandawe: “miss the mark” (like the original meaning of the Greek term) (source for this and above: Ursula Wiesemann in Holzhausen / Riderer 2010, p. 36ff., 43)
  • Nias: horö, originally a term primarily used for sexual sin. (Source: Hummel / Telaumbanua 2007, p. 256)
  • Mauwake: “heavy” (compare forgiveness as “take away one’s heaviness”) (source: Kwan Poh San in this article )

In Shipibo-Conibo the term is hocha. Nida (1952, p. 149) tells the story of its choosing: “In some instances a native expression for sin includes many connotations, and its full meaning must be completely understood before one ever attempts to use it. This was true, for example, of the term hocha first proposed by Shipibo-Conibo natives as an equivalent for ‘sin.’ The term seemed quite all right until one day the translator heard a girl say after having broken a little pottery jar that she was guilty of ‘hocha.’ Breaking such a little jar scarcely seemed to be sin. However, the Shipibos insisted that hocha was really sin, and they explained more fully the meaning of the word. It could be used of breaking a jar, but only if the jar belonged to someone else. Hocha was nothing more nor less than destroying the possessions of another, but the meaning did not stop with purely material possessions. In their belief God owns the world and all that is in it. Anyone who destroys the work and plan of God is guilty of hocha. Hence the murderer is of all men most guilty of hocha, for he has destroyed God’s most important possession in the world, namely, man. Any destructive and malevolent spirit is hocha, for it is antagonistic and harmful to God’s creation. Rather than being a feeble word for some accidental event, this word for sin turned out to be exceedingly rich in meaning and laid a foundation for the full presentation of the redemptive act of God.”

In Warao it is translated as “bad obojona.” Obojona is a term that “includes the concepts of consciousness, will, attitude, attention and a few other miscellaneous notions.” (Source: Henry Osborn in The Bible Translator 1969, p. 74ff. ). See other occurrences of Obojona in the Warao New Testament.

Martin Ehrensvärd, one of the translators for the Danish Bibelen 2020, comments on the translation of this term: “We would explain terms, such that e.g. sin often became ‘doing what God does not want’ or ‘breaking God’s law’, ‘letting God down’, ‘disrespecting God’, ‘doing evil’, ‘acting stupidly’, ‘becoming guilty’. Now why couldn’t we just use the word sin? Well, sin in contemporary Danish, outside of the church, is mostly used about things such as delicious but unhealthy foods. Exquisite cakes and chocolates are what a sin is today.” (Source: Ehrensvärd in HIPHIL Novum 8/2023, p. 81ff. )

See also sinner.

complete verse (2 Timothy 3:6)

Following are a number of back-translations of 2 Timothy 3:6:

  • Uma: “Some of them take teaching that is not true to other people’s houses, and they deceive women whose faith is weak so that those women believe their teaching. Those women have many sins, and many are the desires of their hearts that control them.” (Source: Uma Back Translation)
  • Yakan: “There are men like that who go inside a person’s house and they deceive the women who are easily influenced. They are easily persuaded because their thinking is troubled because of their many sins and they are easily carried-away/influenced by their greedy-desires.” (Source: Yakan Back Translation)
  • Western Bukidnon Manobo: “Some of those are the men who go into houses to teach and control women who are no good. Women like this are afraid because of the many sins they have committed, however there are also many evil things which they want.” (Source: Western Bukidnon Manobo Back Translation)
  • Kankanaey: “Because some of them are going to the various-houses to make-friends with the residents so that they will then talk-glibly-to women who are easily persuaded so that they will follow what they are teaching. These women, they are burdened with their piled-up sins, and they are easily incited (lit. pushed) by the many kinds of evil that they want/like.” (Source: Kankanaey Back Translation)
  • Tagbanwa: “There are included among these people those who, what they do is, they go up into houses to gently-talk the householder woman into believing/going-along-with this false teaching of theirs. Well some are easily defeated by them, those who are lacking in understanding, who are drowning in sin and are easily caused to fall (into sin) through indulging desires which are not good.” (Source: Tagbanwa Back Translation)
  • Tenango Otomi: “Because these are people who already in some of the houses have spoiled the faith of all who live in those houses. First of all they deceive the women with their lying teachings. They look for women who are depressed because of their sins and don’t know what to do about their sins. These they deceive.” (Source: Tenango Otomi Back Translation)

Translation commentary on 2 Timothy 3:6

As an example of the evil activities of the false teachers, Paul describes how some of them use their standings within the Christian community to take advantage of unsuspecting women. The verb translated make their way (Good News Translation “go into”) means to enter secretly under false pretenses (compare Phillips “worm their way into”). In other words these people enter the homes without people knowing what their motives are.

Households is literally “houses” but can also be translated “homes” (compare Translator’s New Testament “private homes”) or “families” (compare Jerusalem Bible, New English Bible, Contemporary English Version), although this last option may not be appropriate in the present context. However, in some cultures it will be more meaningful to say something like “Some of them completely deceive (or, fool) certain families” or “Some of them worm their way into being accepted by families.”

Capture translates a verb that literally means “to take captive,” “to make someone a prisoner of war” (compare Eph 4.8), but which can be used figuratively to mean “to gain complete control over.” The literal figure is used in both Revised Standard Version and New Revised Standard Version (also New American Bible, Revised), while the meaning of the figure is found in Good News Translation (compare Jerusalem Bible “get influence over”).

Weak women translates a term derived from the word for “woman” that shows either contempt or smallness, and it can therefore be translated literally as “little women,” or in a derogatory sense as “foolish or unwise women” (so New Revised Standard Version “silly women”). This word appears only here in the whole New Testament. Other ways to express this phrase are “easily influenced,” “weak-willed,” and in some languages there will be appropriate figurative expressions; for example, “women with weak hearts.”

Burdened translates a verb that literally means “to heap up” but can figuratively mean (1) “to be given over, to be fully engaged in”; (2) “to be loaded down with,” “to be burdened with” (compare New Revised Standard Version “overwhelmed by”); hence “to feel guilty about” (compare Good News Translation “burdened by the guilt of”).

There is no explanation about the sins that press down on these women. What we are told is that because of their condition they become easy prey to these religious charlatans who probably have promised them relief from their guilt if they did what they were told.

Swayed translates the passive form of the verb “to bring,” “to lead, guide”; hence “to be led” (compare Translator’s New Testament), “to be driven” (compare Good News Translation, Revised English Bible “carried away”). What sways these people are various impulses. The word for impulses is literally “desires” (Good News Translation, New Revised Standard Version), used here in a negative or derogatory sense. What these evil desires are is not, however, stated.

An alternative translation model for this verse is:
• Some of them deceive whole families and gain complete control over foolish women whose hearts are burdened by the guilt of their sins and are controlled by all kinds of desires.

Quoted with permission from Arichea, Daniel C. and Hatton, Howard A. A Handbook on Paul’s Second Letter to Timothy. (UBS Handbook Series). New York: UBS, 1995. For this and other handbooks for translators see here .

SIL Translator's Notes on 2 Timothy 3:6

3:6a

(Revised Standard Version) For: Paul used the Greek conjunction gar at the beginning of 3:6 to connect 3:6 with 3:5. It is often translated “for” or “because.” This conjunction indicates that Paul was about to tell Timothy the reason why he should “have nothing to do” with those people who appear to be religious but who are actually ungodly. For reasons of style, the Berean Standard Bible and some other English versions have left this word untranslated.

They are the kind: The Greek indicates that Paul was going to begin talking about some of the people in 3:2–5. Good News Translation has “Some of them….” The Revised Standard Version has “among them are those….”

These people seemed to be Christians, but they were not. They were false teachers who deceived people for their own gain and influenced them with their false teachings.

3:6b

who worm their way into households: The clause worm their way is an English idiom. You should not translate it literally.

The Greek word that the Berean Standard Bible translates as worm their way literally means “to creep into” or “to sneak into.” In this context, it means that these false teachers deceived people to get invited into their homes. This word does not mean that they entered houses secretly without the inhabitants being aware that someone had entered.

households: This word refers to the people who live in the house. The false teachers tried to deceive individuals so that they would be welcomed into the rest of the family.

3:6c

and captivate vulnerable women: The Greek verb that the Berean Standard Bible translates ascaptivate literally means “to take as a captive in war.” Paul used it figuratively here, implying that the false teachers were “gain control over,” “capturing the minds” or “deceiving” some of the women in order to have influence over them. In this context it does not imply that they used force or that they literally kept them as prisoners.

vulnerable women: The Greek noun that the Berean Standard Bible translates as vulnerable women literally means “little women.” This particular form of the Greek word for “women” referred to the type of women who were immature in the way they thought about things. These women readily believed whatever the false teachers told them and would do whatever they asked them to do. Therefore other people did not respect them.

Other ways to translate this word are “weak-willed women,” “unwise women” or “foolish women.”

3:6d

who are weighed down with sins: The Greek word that the Berean Standard Bible translates as weighed down literally means “to heap” or “to pile up.” This is figurative language meaning that these women had sinned so much that their sins were a “burden to them,” or their many sins “troubled their minds.” They felt very guilty about the many wrong things that they had done.

with sins: Paul did not describe the specific sins that these women had committed. The text uses the expression “by various passions” in 3:6e which suggests that these women had probably sinned in several different ways.

3:6e

and led astray: The Greek word that the Berean Standard Bible translates as led astray is a passive verb. It means “to be swayed,” “to be guided,” or “to be controlled” by something.

by various passions: This implies that these women had committed several different types of sins.

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