grace

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“The Greek word charis, usually translated by English ‘grace,’ is one of the desperations of translators. The area of meaning is exceptionally extensive. Note the following possible meanings for this word in various contexts of the New Testament: ‘sweetness,’ ‘charm,’ ‘loveliness,’ ‘good-will,’ ‘loving-kindness,’ ‘favor,’ ‘merciful kindness,’ ‘benefit,’ ‘gift,’ ‘benefaction,’ ‘bounty,’ and ‘thanks.’ The theological definition of ‘unmerited favor’ (some translators have attempted to employ this throughout) is applicable to only certain contexts. Moreover, it is quite a task to find some native expression which will represent the meaning of ‘unmerited favor.’ In some languages it is impossible to differentiate between ‘grace’ and ‘kindness.’ In fact, the translation ‘kindness’ is in some cases quite applicable. In other languages, a translation of ‘grace’ is inseparable from ‘goodness.’ In San Miguel El Grande Mixtec a very remarkable word has been used for ‘grace.’ It is made up of three elements. The first of these is a prefixial abstractor. The second is the stem for ‘beauty.’ The third is a suffix which indicates that the preceding elements are psychologically significant. The resultant word may be approximately defined as ‘the abstract quality of beauty of personality.’” (Source: Nida 1947, p. 223)

Other translations include (click or tap here to see more):

  • Inuktitut: “God’s kindness that enables us” (source: Andrew Atagotaaluk)
  • Kwara’ae: kwae ofe’ana (“kindness to one who deserves the opposite”) (source: Norman Deck in The Bible Translator 1963, 34ff. )
  • Chichewa: “being favored in the heart by God” (Source: Ernst Wendland)
  • Sayula Popoluca: “God’s favor” (source: Waterhouse / Parrott in Notes on Translation October 1967, p. 1ff.)
  • Caribbean Javanese: kabetyikané (“goodness”)
  • Saramaccan: bunhati (“good heart”)
  • Sranan Tongo: bun ati (“good heart”) or gadobun (“God’s goodness”)
  • Eastern Maroon Creole: (gaan) bun ati (“(big) good heart”) (source for this and three above: Jabini 2015)
  • Fasu: “free big help”
  • Wahgi: “save without reward” (source for this and the one above: Deibler / Taylor 1977)
  • Kera: “to do kindness/good to someone” (“without them having done anything to receive it”) (source: Jackie Hainaut)
  • Warao: “goodness of his 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.
  • Nukna: “God gave his insides to one.” (“The ‘insides’ are the seat of emotion in Nukna, like the heart in the English language. To give your insides to someone is to feel love toward them, to want what is best for them, and to do good things for them.” (Source: Matt Taylor in The PNG Experience )
  • Uma: “(God’s) white insides” (source: Uma Back Translation)
  • Hindi, Bengali: anugraha (Hindi: अनुग्रह, Bengali: অনুগ্রহ) from graha: “grasp, a reaching out after, with gracious intent” (source: R.M. Clark in The Bible Translator 1962, p. 81ff. )
  • the German das Buch translation by Roland Werner (publ. 2009-2022) uses a large variety of translations, including “undeserved friendliness,” “wonderful work of God,” “loving attention,” “generous,” but also “undeserved grace” (using the traditional German term Gnade)

In Latvian the term žēlastība is used both for “grace” and steadfast love. It is also often used as a synonym for “mercy.” (Source: Katie Roth)

In the Contemporary Chichewa translation (2002/2016) and the Buku Lopatulika version (1922/2018) it is translated with chisomo. This word was earlier used to refer to a charm that people were using for others to like them. It meant that on his/her own, a person would not be qualified to be liked by people. But with this charm, people would look at that person more kindly. This is also used in a number of Old Testament passages for what is typically translated as “find favor” or “gracious” in English, including Exodus 33:12, Numbers 6:25, or Psalm 84:11. (Source: Mawu a Mulungu mu Chichewa Chalero Back Translation)

For Muna, René van den Berg explains the process how the translation team arrived at a satisfactory solution: “Initial translation drafts in Muna tended to (…) use the single word kadawu ‘part, (given) share, gift,’ but this word is really too generic. It lacks the meaning component of mercy and kindness and also seems to imply that the gift is part of a larger whole. Consequently we now [translate] according to context. In wishes and prayers such as ‘Grace to you and peace from God’ we translate ‘grace’ as kabarakati ‘blessing’ (e.g. Gal 1:3). In many places we use kataano lalo ‘goodness of heart’ (e.g. Gal 1:15 ‘because of the goodness of his heart God chose me’) as well as the loan rahamati ‘mercy’ (e.g. ‘you have-turned-your-backs-on the mercy of God’ for ‘you have fallen away from grace’; Gal 5:4). In one case where the unmerited nature of ‘grace’ is in focus, we have also employed katohai ‘a free gift’ (typically food offered to one’s neighbo-1urs) in the same verse. ‘The reason-you-have-been-saved is because of the goodness of God’s heart (Greek charis, Muna kataano lalo), going-through your belief in Kristus. That salvation is not the result of your own work, but really a free-gift (Greek dooron ‘gift’; Muna katohai) of God.’ (Eph 2:8).

In Burmese, it is translated with the Buddhist term kyeh’jooh’tau (ကျေး​ဇူး​တော်). LaSeng Dingrin (in Missiology 37/4, 2009, p. 485ff.) explains: “As regards the Christian term ‘grace,’ Judson [the first translator of the Bible into Burmese] could not have brought the Burmese Buddhists the good news about the redeeming work of Jesus Christ and its benefits (i.e., forgiveness and salvation), without employing the Burmese Buddhist term kyeh’jooh’tau (‘grace’). Deriving from Pali kataññuta (“gratefulness”), kyeh’jooh’tau denotes ‘good deeds for others or benefits,’ which occur among humans. (…) When Christianized, kyeh’jooh’tau also refers to the atoning work of Jesus and its benefits, and can occur between humans and God. The word kyeh’jooh’tau looks very Burmese Buddhist, but it is Christian, too, and conveys the core of the Christian proclamation. Furthermore, kyeh’jooh’tau itself shows that translatability of Christianity cannot be imagined without reliance on Buddhism.” (See also the Burmese entry for God)

In American Sign Language it is translated with a sign that combines “compassion” and “giving out.” (Source: Ruth Anna Spooner, Ron Lawer)


“Grace” in American Sign Language, source: Deaf Harbor

See also Seat of the Mind / Seat of Emotions and grace to you and grace (of God) (Japanese honorifics).

Translation: Eastern Canadian Inuktitut

ᐃᓄᒃᑎᑐᑦ ᒍᕇᑭᒃᑯᑦ ᐅᖃᐅᓯᖅᑕᖓᑦ ᑐᑭᓕᐅᔾᔭᐅᓯᒪᔪᖅ ᐃᒫᒃ “ᓴᐃᒪᓂᖅ” ᖃᓪᓗᓈᑎᑐᓪᓕ ᑐᑭᓕᐅᔾᔭᐅᓯᒪᒻᒪᑦ ᐃᒫᒃ “ᒎᑎᐅᑉ ᑐᙵᓇᕐᓂᖓᓂ ᐅᕙᑦᑎᓐᓂᒃ ᐱᔪᓐᓇᑎᑦᑎᕙᑦᑐᖅ.”

(Translator: Julia Demcheson)

complete verse (Ephesians 4:7)

Following are a number of back-translations of Ephesians 4:7:

  • Uma: “But although there are these similarities of ours, our gifts [lit., what is spooned out] are not the same, because each of us was given ability to do the work of the Lord, according to what was apportioned [lit., spooned out] to us by Kristus.” (Source: Uma Back Translation)
  • Yakan: “Even though we (incl.) have been made one, still (lit. but) each one of us (incl.) has been given a different expertise by Almasi. He has given us (dual) up-to/according-to his wish.” (Source: Yakan Back Translation)
  • Western Bukidnon Manobo: “As for us (incl.) all, He gave each one of us a skill according to what Christ wanted to give us.” (Source: Western Bukidnon Manobo Back Translation)
  • Kankanaey: “But Cristo nevertheless individually gave us various-kinds of skills or abilities according to what he decided to give.” (Source: Kankanaey Back Translation)
  • Tagbanwa: “But we are not as-might-be-said all the same in ability for each one of us, Cristo graced with whatever ability he thought suitable for us.” (Source: Tagbanwa Back Translation)
  • Tenango Otomi: “There where believers gather, Christ has determined for each of us what we will do. He strengthens us so that we do what he wants us to do.” (Source: Tenango Otomi Back Translation)

inclusive vs. exclusive pronoun (Eph. 4:7)

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 inclusive form (including the addressee).

Source: Velma Pickett and Florence Cowan in Notes on Translation January 1962, p. 1ff.

Translation commentary on Ephesians 4:7

It is not easy to account for the sudden switch in the Greek of verse 7 to “But to each of us was given….” Having exhorted the readers to a life of peace and unity (verses 1-3), the writer now shows that the variety and multiplicity of gifts in the church is Christ’s doing, and all such endowments have their part to play in the growth of the whole body. Many translations will show this switch simply by starting a new paragraph, but others will find some transition word. See, for example, Phillips “Naturally there are different gifts….”

Has received translates the Greek passive “was given”; the implied agent is Christ, who is the subject in the following verses. So it may be better to translate “Christ has given each of us a special gift, our own part of his abundant supply.”

Here again the Greek word for “grace” has the concrete sense of special gift (see 3.2, 7, 8). The clause “according to the measure of the gift of Christ” is similar to “according to the gift of the grace of God” in 3.7. For “giving, gift” see 3.7. The Greek noun “measure, standard, degree” is also used in verses 13, 16. The meaning of the verse is that the gift that each Christian has is determined by Christ’s generosity. See New English Bible “his due portion of Christ’s bounty”; Translator’s New Testament “And yet, of his bounty, Christ has given to each one of us a due portion, a special gift” (and see Translational Note, page 499).

There is a real difficulty involved in the rendering of verse 7 in view of the fact that a special gift is likely to be interpreted in a concrete and physical sense. This special gift is for the spirit of the believers, and it is not a physical object which people can grasp and handle. On the other hand, one does not wish to avoid completely the meaning of gift. It may, therefore, be useful to translate the first part of verse 7 as “each one of us has received a special gift for our spirit.”

The difficult part of verse 7 is the expression in proportion to what Christ has given. The expression of proportion is extremely complex in some languages, particularly when one is dealing with an attribute such as generosity and not a fixed proportion between countable objects. In some instances it may be possible to translate in proportion to what Christ has given as “the great size of this gift shows how generous Christ has been” or “how great this gift is tells us how good Christ is in giving.”

Quoted with permission from Bratcher, Robert C. and Nida, Eugene A. A Handbook on Paul’s Letter to the Ephesians. (UBS Handbook Series). New York: UBS, 1982. For this and other handbooks for translators see here .

SIL Translator’s Notes on Ephesians 4:7

Paragraph 4:7–16

In 4:4–6 Paul talked about the things that unite Christians. These are things that we have in common. But in 4:7 he talked about special abilities that some Christians have and that others do not have. We all have the same Spirit, we all worship the same Lord, and so on. But to each of us, Christ has given different special abilities.

4:7a

Now: The Greek word that the Berean Standard Bible translates as Now marks a contrast and a transition. In 4:4–6 Paul talked about what Christians have in common. In this paragraph he talked about special abilities that Christ gives to individual believers. Indicate this contrast in a way that is natural in your language.

Here are some other ways to translate this word:

However (New Living Translation (2004))
-or-
And yet
-or-

⌊Although we are united in these ways⌋ yet

to each one of us grace: Here the word grace means “the ability which Christ gives to do a special task.” Some of these tasks are described in 4:11. It does not mean “mercy.”

Here are some other ways to translate the word grace:

special gift (Good News Translation)
-or-
favor (God’s Word)
-or-
generous gift/enabling
-or-
gracious empowering

In some languages it is translated as:

power to do a work

See grace, Meaning 3 in the Glossary for more information.

has been given: The phrase has been given is passive. Christ is the one who has given to us these gifts/abilities.

Here are some other ways to translate this phrase:

he has given each one of us a special gift (New Living Translation (2004))
-or-
Christ gave each of us a gracious gift/ability

4:7b

according to the measure of the gift of Christ: The words according to the measure means “to measure out,” “to distribute,” or “to divide.” Christ decides which gift each Christian should receive. He does not give the same abilities to every Christian.

Here are some other ways to translate the words according to the measure :

as…divided (Contemporary English Version)
-or-
as…measured out (God’s Word)
-or-
as…distributed

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Commentaire sur la traduction de la lettre aux Éphésiens 4.7

4.7-10

Après avoir exhorté ses lecteurs à une vie de paix et d’harmonie, l’apôtre se tourne vers les différents ministères ou dons qui existent dans l’Église. A cause du changement de thème, il vaut mieux commencer un nouveau paragraphe, comme font la majorité des versions modernes.

Les différents ministères de l’Église trouvent leur origine dans le Christ. Chaque ministère joue un rôle pour bâtir le corps du Christ. Paul cite le Psaume 68.19 qui présente un roi victorieux qui distribue des dons comme un butin de guerre. Tout en insistant sur la diversité des dons, Paul met en relief l’unité du corps du Christ.

Dans Éph. 4.1 Paul a souligné l’unité du corps de Christ. Maintenant il va parler de la diversité dans ce corps.

A chacun de nous cependant : dans le texte grec, il y a la conjonction δέ de que plusieurs versions modernes rendent par la conjonction adversative cependant. On pourrait dire également « mais » (Nouvelle Bible Segond) ou laisser cette conjonction non traduite, comme dans certaines versions anglaises. Le traducteur devrait relire sa traduction pour voir quelle transition convient le mieux ici.

A chacun de nous … la grâce a été donnée : le verbe grec est un passif, comme dans la Traduction œcuménique de la Bible, mais d’autres versions le reformulent en utilisant une forme active : « chacun de nous a reçu ». A la forme active, on pourra rendre explicite l’agent, ainsi « le Christ a distribué ses dons avec générosité à chacun de nous » (Contemporary English Version). Ceci s’accorde bien avec la suite du verset. Mais il est également possible d’identifier Dieu comme l’agent, comme font la Parole de Vie et la Bible de Jérusalem (« faveur divine »).

chacun est littéralement « un … à chacun de nous », une expression grecque qui exprime l’idée de « chacun de nous, sans exception ». Dans certaines langues, la traduction de chacun posera problème. Parfois des expressions idiomatiques pourront être utilisées, par exemple « Dieu nous a donné un un la grâce ». On pourra aussi dire « nous tous », mais cela perdra la répétition « un » qui caractérise cette section.

Le mot grâce (grec : χάρις charis) est un terme clé qui paraît dans chaque lettre de Paul. Il peut avoir plusieurs sens selon les différents contextes : « faveur », « bonté », « amour », mais aussi « don », « bienfait », etc. Dans Éph. 1.2, il a un sens général de bienveillance divine. Mais ici, il se réfère plutôt à un don ou aux dons spirituels. La Parole de Vie opte pour « bienfaits » mais la version anglaise Contemporary English Version est plus précise avec « dons ».

selon la mesure du don du Christ : la Traduction œcuménique de la Bible suit le grec de très près. Bien que certains pensent qu’il s’agit d’une référence à la générosité de Christ (Bible en français courant). Le mot rendu par mesure veut dire, « proportion ». Ainsi, la Bible de Jérusalem parle de la « faveur divine selon que le Christ a mesuré ses dons ». Pareillement, la version anglaise Good News Bible dit « Chacun de nous a reçu un don spécial en proportion à ce que le Christ a donné ». Si le mot mesure est retenu, il ne devrait pas faire penser à un instrument ou un récipient qui sert à mesurer des quantités fixes. Il s’agit de réalités spirituelles. La Parole de Vie dit « mais le Christ a mesuré à chacun sa part ». Il est également possible de faire de la deuxième partie une phrase séparée. Après « Cependant, chacun de nous a reçu un don particulier », on pourra mettre : « La grandeur de ce don montre comment le Christ a été généreux » ou « Ce don nous montre combien Christ est bon ».

du don du Christ : le mot rendu par don ici est différent du mot grâce au début du verset. Le mot en grec ici est utilisé dans le livre des Actes pour se référer au don du Saint Esprit (Act 2.38). Paul l’utilise également dans le contexte de grâce dans 2 Cor 9.15. Dans certaines langues, la mention une fois du mot don suffira. Cependant, il ne s’agit pas d’un cadeau physique ou d’un don matériel. Il s’agit d’une aptitude, d’une disposition. Sans doute l’ajout d’un adjectif tel que « spécial », « particulier » (Bible en français courant), ou « spirituel », pourra résoudre ce problème.

Source: Zogbo, Lynell. La lettre aux Éphésiens – Manuel de traduction – Commentaire linguistique et exégétique de la Bible. Alliance biblique universelle, 2011.