stumbling block

The now commonly-used English idiom “stumbling block” (meaning a challenge or hindrance that prevents an accomplishment) was first coined in 1526 in the English New Testament translation of William Tyndale (in the spelling stomblinge blocke). (Source: Crystal 2010, p. 283)

For other idioms in English that were coined by Bible translation, see here.

idol / idols

The Hebrew, Greek and Latin that is translated as “idol(s)” in English is translated in Central Subanen as ledawan or “images.” (Source: Robert Brichoux in OPTAT 1988/2, p. 80ff. )

In German, typically the term Götze is used. Originally this was used as a term of endearment for Gott (“God” — see here ), later for “icon” and “image, likeness.” Luther started to use it in the 16th century in the meaning of “false god, idol.”

Other terms that are used in German include Götzenbild(er) (“image[s] of idols”) or Bildnis (“image” — Protestant) / Kultbild (“cultish image” — Catholic) (used for instance in Exodus 20:4 and Deuteronomy 5:8). The latest revision of the Catholic Einheitsübersetzung (publ. 2016) also uses the neologism Nichtse (“nothings”) in 1 Chron. 16:26 and Psalm 96:5. (Source: Zetzsche)

See also worthless idols.

1st person pronoun referring to God (Japanese)

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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 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.

(Source: S. E. Doi, see also S. E. Doi in Journal of Translation, 18/2022, p. 37ff. )

See also pronoun for “God”.

Translation commentary on Ezekiel 14:3

For Son of man (International Children’s Bible “Human being”),

These men have taken their idols into their hearts means the Israelite leaders who came to Ezekiel were worshiping idols. Idols are statues of false gods in the shape of human beings or animals (see 6.4). In Hebrew culture the heart is the center of thought and will, just as the mind is in English (see 3.7), so New Century Version renders this clause as “these men want to worship idols.”

And set the stumbling block of their iniquity before their faces: Although some translations take the phrase set … before their faces figuratively (so Good News Translation, Contemporary English Version), it is better to take it literally. It means that the leaders actually set up their idols, probably in their houses where they saw them regularly. A stumbling block is an obstacle that causes someone to trip or fall (see 3.20), and the stumbling block of their iniquity means the idols caused the leaders to sin (see 7.19). New King James Version renders this phrase as “that which causes them to stumble into iniquity,” Moffatt has “the sin that trips them up,” and New Century Version says “evil things that cause people to sin.” New Jerusalem Bible renders this whole clause well, saying “and placed the cause of their sinning right before their eyes.” Another way to translate it is “They have placed right before their eyes the very thing that will make them sin more.”

Should I let myself be inquired of at all by them?: These leaders should have been worshiping God alone, but they were dividing their loyalty between God and their idols. As a result they did not have the right to ask God for guidance. God’s question here is a rhetorical one. It may be rendered as an indignant question, such as “Why should I let them ask me anything?” (New Living Translation [1996]), or as a strong negative statement, such as “So I refuse to give them a message!” (Contemporary English Version). Two other possible models are “They have no right to ask me about anything at all” and “I refuse to let them ask me about anything!”

Quoted with permission from Gross, Carl & Stine, Philip C. A Handbook on Ezekiel. (UBS Helps for Translators). Miami: UBS, 2016. For this and other handbooks for translators see here .