The name that is transliterated as “Nazareth” in English is translated in Hungarian Sign Language with a sign that refers to blossoming and spring: it depicts the growth of young shoots. The word Nazareth is derived from the Hebrew word netzer, which means bud, blossom, sprout, or shoot. This linguistic connection is particularly significant for Messianic prophecies, such as in the Book of Isaiah: A shoot will come up from the stump of Jesse; from his roots a Branch (netzer) will bear fruit (Isaiah 11:1). Thus, the sign in sign language does not only identify a city, but also visually connects Nazareth with the prophetic title of Jesus. The translation highlights that the sign in sign language is essentially a visual exegesis: with a single motion, it teaches the profound etymological connection between the name of the city and the promise of the Savior. The sign is more than just a word, a label; it is simultaneously a commentary, an interpretation. (Source: Jenjelvi Biblia and HSL Bible Translation Group)
Following are a number of back-translations of Acts 22:8:
Uma: “‘I asked him: ‘Who are you (sing.), Lord?’ ‘He said to me: ‘I am Yesus of Nazaret, whom you (sing.) persecute.'” (Source: Uma Back Translation)
Yakan: “I asked, ‘Who are you, Sir?’ He answered, ‘I am Isa, the man of Nasaret, I am hep the one you are persecuting.'” (Source: Yakan Back Translation)
Western Bukidnon Manobo: “And I said, ‘Who are you?’ And he said, ‘I am the one you are doing bad things to, Jesus of Nazareth.'” (Source: Western Bukidnon Manobo Back Translation)
Kankanaey: “”Who are you (sing.) Lord?’ I said. ”I am Jesus from-Nazaret whom you (sing.) are hardshipping,’ he said.” (Source: Kankanaey Back Translation)
Tagbanwa: “I answered, saying, ‘Oh, who are you, Master?’ ‘Jesus is who I am, the taga Nazaret. I really am the one whom you are persecuting,’ said the reply to me.” (Source: Tagbanwa Back Translation)
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 first person singular and plural pronoun (“I” and “we” and its various forms) as shown here in the widely-used Japanese Shinkaiyaku (新改訳) Bible of 2017. The most commonly used watashi/watakushi (私) is typically used when the speaker is humble and asking for help. In these verses, where God / Jesus is referring to himself, watashi is also used but instead of the kanji writing system (私) the syllabary hiragana (わたし) is used to distinguish God from others.
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 third person singular and plural pronoun (“he,” “she,” “it” and their various forms) as shown here in the widely-used Japanese Shinkaiyaku (新改訳) Bible of 2017. While it’s not uncommon to avoid pronouns altogether in Japanese, there are is a range of third person pronouns that can be used. In these verses a number of them are used that pay particularly much respect to the referred person (or, in fact, God, as in Exodus 15:2), including kono kata (この方), sono kata (その方), and ano kata (あの方), meaning “this person,” “that person,” and “that person over there.”
On this verse see 9.5. The qualifier of Nazareth appears only here; it does not appear in 9.5 or 26.15. Elsewhere in Acts this qualifier is used of Jesus in 2.22; 3.6; 4.10; 6.14; 26.9.
Quoted with permission from Newman, Barclay M. and Nida, Eugene A. A Handbook on The Acts of the Apostles. (UBS Handbook Series). New York: UBS, 1972. For this and other handbooks for translators see here .
‘Who are You, Lord?’ I asked: The Berean Standard Bible placed the phrase I asked after the spoken words. Place it where it would be most natural in your language.
Who are You, Lord?: In the Greek and the Berean Standard Bible, the term of address is last. In some languages, it is more natural to have the term of address first. For example:
Lord, who are you?
Lord: Here Paul knew that the being speaking to him was more than a human person. He did not know exactly who yet, but since the bright light shone Paul knew it was an angel or other supernatural being. So he addressed him as Lord, because the being was higher in status than a mere human like Paul. For example:
O great one
See how you translated this word in 9:5.
I asked: The Greek word that the Berean Standard Bible translates as asked is literally “answered.” Paul responded to Jesus speaking to him. For example:
I answered (Revised Standard Version)
But Paul did not answer Jesus’ question. So some English versions translate the Greek word in a way that does not indicate that he answered that question. For example:
I asked (Good News Translation) -or-
I responded by asking
22:8b
I am Jesus of Nazareth, whom you are persecuting: The phrase whom you are persecuting tells the reader more about Jesus. In some languages a literal translation would wrongly indicate that there are other men called Jesus of Nazareth and Paul only persecuted this one. If that is true in your language, translate the second clause so that it tells more about Jesus. For example:
I am Jesus of Nazareth. You are persecuting me. -or-
I am Jesus from Nazareth. It is I whom you are persecuting.
He replied: The Berean Standard Bible placed the phrase He replied after the spoken words. Place it where it would be most natural in your language.
Living Water is produced for the Bible translation movement in association with Lutheran Bible Translators. Lyrics derived from the ESV® Bible (The Holy Bible, English Standard Version®).
Leave a Reply
You must be logged in to post a comment.