complete verse (Ephesians 6:20)

Following are a number of back-translations of Ephesians 6:20:

  • Uma: “The Lord Yesus lifted me to become his messenger/apostle, so that I carry the Good News, to the point that here I am in prison. So, pray for me that I will be brave to speak the Good News as is appropriate.” (Source: Uma Back Translation)
  • Yakan: “I have been commissioned by Almasi to proclaim the good news, even though now I am here in prison. Ask/pray to God that I may be bold to proclaim because this is the work God gave me to do.” (Source: Yakan Back Translation)
  • Western Bukidnon Manobo: “The reason I became a servant of God was so that I might preach this Good News. And also because of this preaching of mine I have become a prisoner. Therefore, brothers, pray for me so that I won’t be afraid to preach because this is the job that God has given me to do.” (Source: Western Bukidnon Manobo Back Translation)
  • Kankanaey: “Because Cristo sent me as his representative (lit. bodyhood) in order that I would make-known this good news, and that’s the reason I am imprisoned today. So be-praying-for me so that I would-become-brave to preach-it, because that’s the right-thing that I ought to do.” (Source: Kankanaey Back Translation)
  • Tagbanwa: “Because through the teaching of this Good News, God entrusted me with my job/responsibility, and that is how I came to be chained like this here in prison. Therefore, it’s necessary that you pray that I can indeed teach boldly according to what I must do.” (Source: Tagbanwa Back Translation)
  • Tenango Otomi: “God appointed me to be a representative to tell this good news. And now because I speak this word I am in prison. Therefore pray to God for me in order that I will be able to be strengthened to speak well the word as it is my duty to do so.” (Source: Tenango Otomi Back Translation)

Japanese benefactives (inotte)

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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 benefactive construction as shown here in the widely-used Japanese Shinkaiyaku (新改訳) Bible of 2017.

Here, inotte (祈って) or “pray” is used in combination with kudasaru (くださる), a respectful form of the benefactive kureru (くれる). A benefactive reflects the good will of the giver or the gratitude of a recipient of the favor. To convey this connotation, English translation needs to employ a phrase such as “for me (my sake)” or “for you (your sake).” (Source: S. E. Doi, see also S. E. Doi in Journal of Translation, 18/2022, p. 37ff. )

Translation commentary on Ephesians 6:20

This verse is similar to Colossians 4.3d-4.

For the sake of this gospel translates the phrase “on behalf of which”; the antecedent of the relative pronoun may be “the gospel” or “the secret” (so Abbott), or the phrase can mean simply “For this reason” (so Barth).

In most languages it is relatively easy to speak of someone who has benefited by an event, but it is not always easy to use a simple phrase to explain a benefit which might accrue to the gospel. Some persons have attempted to use the phrase “in order to help the gospel,” but this may seem both strange and obscure. Perhaps the most satisfactory equivalent in some languages is simply “in order to tell others about the gospel” or “in order that more people may know about the gospel.”

I am an ambassador translates a Greek verb used only here In some cases it may be necessary to specify the person or institution that one represents as an ambassador. Therefore the clause I am an ambassador may require amplification, for example, “I am an ambassador of Jesus Christ” or “I am a spokesman for Jesus Christ.”

In prison: the writer refers to himself as a prisoner in 3.1; 4.1.

Pray: in a number of languages there is no specific term for pray, and therefore it may always be necessary to use a phrase such as “speak to God” or “ask God” or even “urge God.”

I may be bold in speaking translates a Greek verb which is related to the noun “boldness” in verse 19; this verb, “be a bold speaker,” is often used of Paul in the narrative in Acts (see 9.27, 28; 13.46; 14.3; 19.8; 26.26).

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 6:20

6:20a

for which I am an ambassador: An ambassador is a representative, a spokesman, an important person sent to another country to represent his king or president. In your translation you should make it clear that it is Jesus Christ whom Paul represents. Paul is saying that he is an ambassador of the gospel of Jesus Christ.

Here is another way to translate this phrase:

I am a spokesman/representative ⌊of Jesus Christ⌋, ⌊whom he commissioned⌋ to proclaim the good news ⌊about him⌋

in chains: The phrase in chains is a figure of speech. When Paul was in prison, his hands and feet were sometimes bound with chains. So in chains means “in prison.”

You can translate in chains as:

even though I am in prison
-or-
and that is why I am in prison

Here is the connection between Paul being Christ’s ambassador and Paul’s being in prison: Jesus chose Paul to be his ambassador to preach the gospel. But people who hated Jesus wanted to stop Paul from preaching the gospel, so they had Paul arrested. That is why Paul was in prison when he wrote this letter to the Ephesians.

Here are some other ways to translate 6:20a:

I was sent to do this work, and that’s the reason I am in jail (Contemporary English Version)
-or-
I am in chains now, still preaching this message as God’s ambassador. (New Living Translation (2004))

6:20b

Pray that I may proclaim it fearlessly: This clause is a summary of Paul’s appeal in 6:19. It is repeated to emphasize what he said in 6:19. Translate it in a way that keeps this emphasis.

it: The word it refers to “the mystery of the gospel” in 6:19b.

fearlessly: The word that the Berean Standard Bible translates as fearlessly is similar to the word that the Berean Standard Bible translated as “boldly” in 6:19b. See how you translated that word there.

as I should: In referring to himself as Christ’s ambassador, Paul felt it was his duty to boldly represent Christ. That is, boldly tell others the “good news.”

Here are some other ways to translate the phrase as I should :

as I have to (God’s Word)
-or-
as I ought to speak (Revised Standard Version)

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Sung version of Ephesians 6

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