God forbid

The now commonly-used English idiom “God forbid” was first coined in 1560 in the Geneva Bible. (Source: Crystal 2010, p. 273)

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

justification, justify

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The Greek that is translated as “justify” in English is translated into Tzotzil in two different ways. One of those is with Lec xij’ilatotic yu’un Dios ta sventa ti ta xc’ot ta o’ntonal ta xch’unel ti Jesucristoe (“we are seen well by God because of our faith in Jesus Christ”) (source: Aeilts, p. 118) and the other is “God sees as righteous” (source: Ellis Deibler in Notes on Translation July, 1967, p. 5ff.).

Other (back-) translations include:

sinner

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The Greek and Ge’ez that is translated as “sinner” in English is translated in various ways:

  • “people with bad hearts” (“it is not enough to call them ‘people who do bad things,’ for though actions do reflect the heart, yet it is the hearts with which God is primarily concerned — see Matt. 15:19“) in Western Kanjobal
  • “people who are doing wrong things in their hearts” in San Blas Kuna (source for this and above: Nida 1952, p. 148)
  • “people with bad stomachs” in Q’anjob’al (source: Newberry and Kittie Cox in The Bible Translator 1950, p. 91ff. )
  • “those others who don’t fully obey our laws” in Tagbanwa (source: Tagbanwa Back Translation)
  • “people with dirty hearts” or “people who are called ‘bad'” in Mairasi (source: Enggavoter 2004).
  • “those who owe sin” in Central Mazahua and Teutila Cuicatec (source: Waterhouse / Parrott in Notes on Translation October 1967, p. 1ff.)
  • “those without (or: “who don’t know”) God” (Gottlose) in the German New Testament translation by Berger / Nord (publ. 1999)
  • “people of bad deeds” in Bariai (source: Bariai Back Translation)
  • “rejected/despised people” in Kupsabiny (source: Kupsabiny Back Translation)

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.

inclusive vs. exclusive pronoun (Gal. 2:17)

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 either select the exclusive form (only referring to the Peter and Paul) or the inclusive form (including Christian in Antioch or Jerusalem).

Source: SIL International Translation Department (1999)

complete verse (Galatians 2:17)

Following are a number of back-translations of Galatians 2:17:

  • Uma: “So, we (excl.) Yahudis, we (excl.) want to become straight in God’s sight from our (excl.) connection with Kristus. But perhaps someone will say like this: "If you just believe in Yesus and no longer submit to the Law of Musa, it means that you also are sinners, the same as people who are not Yahudis. So, you end up sinning because of your following Yesus." Those words are not true, relatives!” (Source: Uma Back Translation)
  • Yakan: “If that is what we (dual) want that God consider us (dual) straight, we (dual) must/ought to trust Isa Almasi and it is not the law that we (dual) should trust in. Therefore if Almasi is whom we (excl.) trust in, we (excl.) understand that we (excl.) are sinful like the people not Yahudi. If it is like that, can we/one (dual) say that Almasi is the reason that’s why we (excl.) are sinful? Truly not!” (Source: Yakan Back Translation)
  • Western Bukidnon Manobo: “Now we want that God might consider us righteous by means of Christ, and by means of our faith in Him, we have come to understand that we are evidently transgressors also just as if we were not Jews. And if that is the case, as for us (incl.) Jews, can it be possible that we can say that by means of Christ we have become transgressors? It cannot be.” (Source: Western Bukidnon Manobo Back Translation)
  • Kankanaey: “‘We expect then that we will be made-righteous in God’s sight because of our being-united-with Cristo. But if we are counted as sinful people in the viewpoint of the Judio (this phrase in the BT represents a revision made since the 2000 edition) because of our faith in Cristo, does that mean to say that Cristo is persuading people to sin? It absolutely cannot be!” (Source: Kankanaey Back Translation)
  • Tagbanwa: “But, we who are now trusting in what Cristo did in order to become righteous/straight in God’s sight, if supposing we are regarded as sinners by our fellow Jews because we no longer obey the laws of the religion we were born into, is it not so that what that amounts to saying is that Cristo is the author (lit. plan-determiner) of sin? But it certainly is not like that.” (Source: Tagbanwa Back Translation)
  • Tenango Otomi: “Now we believe in Christ in order to have our sins taken care of. But other people say we sin in that we do not follow what the law says. Then is it that Christ now causes us to sin by the word he taught us? No, not that.” (Source: Tenango Otomi Back Translation)

Christ, Messiah

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The Greek Christos (Χρηστός) is typically transliterated when it appears together with Iésous (Ἰησοῦς) (Jesus). In English the transliteration is the Anglicized “Christ,” whereas in many other languages it is based on the Greek or Latin as “Kristus,” “Cristo,” or similar.

When used as a descriptive term in the New Testament — as it’s typically done in the gospels (with the possible exceptions of for instance John 1:17 and 17:3) — Christos is seen as the Greek translation of the Hebrew mashiaḥ (המשיח‎) (“anointed”). Accordingly, a transliteration of mashiaḥ is used, either as “Messiah” or based on the Greek or Latin as a form of “Messias.”

This transliteration is also used in the two instances where the Greek term Μεσσίας (Messias) is used in John 1:41 and 4:25.

In some languages and some translations, the term “Messiah” is supplemented with an explanation. Such as in the German Gute Nachricht with “the Messiah, the promised savior” (Wir haben den Messias gefunden, den versprochenen Retter) or in Muna with “Messiah, the Saving King” (Mesias, Omputo Fosalamatino) (source: René van den Berg).

In predominantly Muslim areas or for Bible translations for a Muslim target group, Christos is usually transliterated from the Arabic al-Masih (ٱلْمَسِيحِ) — “Messiah.” In most cases, this practice corresponds with languages that also use a form of the Arabic Isa (عيسى) for Jesus (see Jesus). There are some exceptions, though, including modern translations in Arabic which use Yasua (يَسُوعَ) (coming from the Aramaic Yēšūa’) alongside a transliteration of al-Masih, Hausa which uses Yesu but Almahisu, and some Fula languages (Adamawa Fulfulde, Nigerian Fulfulde, and Central-Eastern Niger Fulfulde) which also use a form of Iésous (Yeesu) but Almasiihu (or Almasiifu) for Christos.

In Indonesian, while most Bible translations had already used Yesus Kristus rather than Isa al Masih, three public holidays used to be described using the term Isa Al Masih. From 2024 on, the government is using Yesus Kristus in those holiday names instead (see this article in Christianity Today ).

Other solutions that are used by a number of languages include these:

  • Dobel: “The important one that God had appointed to come” (source: Jock Hughes)
  • Noongar: Keny Mammarap or “The One Man” (source: Warda-Kwabba Luke-Ang)
  • Mairasi: “King of not dying for life all mashed out infinitely” (for “mashed out,” see salvation; source: Lloyd Peckham)
  • Western Bukidnon Manobo: “One chosen by God to rule mankind” (source: Western Bukidnon Manobo Back Translation)
  • Bacama: Ma Pwa a Ngɨltən: “The one God has chosen” (source: David Frank in this blog post )
  • Binumarien: Anutuna: originally a term that was used for a man that was blessed by elders for a task by the laying on of hands (source: Desmond Oatridges, Holzhausen 1991, p. 49f.)
  • Noongar: Keny Boolanga-Yira Waangki-Koorliny: “One God is Sending” (source: Warda-Kwabba Luke-Ang)
  • Uab Meto: Neno Anan: “Son of heaven” P. Middelkoop explains: “The idea of heavenly power bestowed on a Timorese king is rendered in the title Neno Anan. It is based on the historical fact that chiefs in general came from overseas and they who come thence are believed to have come down from heaven, from the land beyond the sea, that means the sphere of God and the ghosts of the dead. The symbolical act of anointing has been made subservient to the revelation of an eternal truth and when the term Neno Anan is used as a translation thereof, it also is made subservient to a new revelation of God in Jesus Christ. The very fact that Jesus came from heaven makes this translation hit the mark.” (Source: P. Middelkoop in The Bible Translator 1953, p. 183ff. )

In Finnish Sign Language both “Christ” and “Messiah” are translated with a sign signifying “king.” (Source: Tarja Sandholm)


“Christ / Messiah” in Finnish Sign Language (source )

Law (2013, p. 97) writes about how the Ancient Greek Septuagint‘s translation of the Hebrew mashiah was used by the New Testament writers as a bridge between the Old and New Testaments (click or tap here to read more):

“Another important word in the New Testament that comes from the Septuagint is christos, ‘Christ.’ Christ is not part of the name of the man from Nazareth, as if ‘the Christs’ were written above the door of his family home. Rather, ‘Christ’ is an explicitly messianic title used by the writers of the New Testament who have learned this word from the Septuagint’s translation of the Hebrew mashiach, ‘anointed,’ which itself is often rendered in English as ‘Messiah.’ To be sure, one detects a messianic intent on the part of the Septuagint translator in some places. Amos 4:13 may have been one of these. In the Hebrew Bible, God ‘reveals his thoughts to mortals,’ but the Septuagint has ‘announcing his anointed to humans.’ A fine distinction must be made, however, between theology that was intended by the Septuagint translators and that developed by later Christian writers. In Amos 4:13 it is merely possible we have a messianic reading, but it is unquestionably the case that the New Testament writers exploit the Septuagint’s use of christos, in Amos and elsewhere, to messianic ends.”

Learn more on Bible Odyssey: Christ .

Translation commentary on Galatians 2:17

This verse is apparently an answer to the assertion of Paul’s opponents that his message of being put right with God by faith in Jesus Christ amounts to making Christ a minister of sin, since those who put themselves “outside of the law” (by not obeying its demands) would be regarded by Jews as being “sinners.”

To be put right with God by our union with Christ is literally “to be justified in Christ.” Many interpret the clause to mean that Christ is the active agent of justification (Jerusalem Bible “looking to Christ to justify us”), while others see this to mean that Christ is the means of our justification. A literal translation would, of course, be ambiguous. Good News Translation understands God to be the primary source or causative agent of justification, and therefore the implicit subject of the passive verb, and the phrase “in Christ” to refer to means (as in 2.4), namely, the intimate fellowship between Christ and the Christian. One may also translate this expression as “to get into the right relationship with God because we are joined to Christ,” “… because we have become one with Christ,” or “… by means of our being so closely associated with Christ.” It is rare that one can use in a receptor language a literal rendering of “in Christ.”

Try is literally “seek,” and it should be rendered in such a way that it does not mean simply attempting or striving without any assurance of success, but rather desiring fervently or hoping (Revised Standard Version “endeavor,” Knox “putting our hopes of justification in Christ”).

We are found is a literal translation, but the difficulty with keeping the literal form is that in many cases the agent of a passive verb has to be made explicit. Here, however, the expression is simply equivalent to “to become” (compare New English Bible “turn out to be”). In some languages we are found to be may be rendered as “it happens that we are.”

One of the complications involved in understanding the first part of this verse is the embedding of a clause of attendant circumstances (as we try to be put right with God by our union with Christ) within a conditional clause (if … we are found to be “sinners”). It may be better in some languages to eliminate this embedding of one clause within another. One may translate “We endeavor to be put right with God by our being joined with Christ. But if as we do this we are found to be….”

Sinners could mean either in the ethical sense (wrongdoers, evildoers) or, as in verse 15, a term to designate those who are outside the law. Most probably the latter is meant here, and therefore one may translate the expression as “to be so-called ‘sinners’ as much as the Gentiles are.” It may even be possible in some instances, in order to make the meaning quite clear, to say “to be so-called ‘sinners’ (as far as the Law is concerned) as much as the Gentiles are.”

Does this mean that Christ is serving the cause of sin? is literally “Is Christ therefore a minister of sin?” A “minister of sin” is one who furthers the interests or cause of sin, who promotes and encourages it (Phillips “makes us sinners,” Jerusalem Bible “induced us to sin,” New American Bible “is encouraging sin”; New English Bible “an abettor of sin”).

The whole verse may be understood in the following way: Paul is saying that to be put right with God by faith, Jewish Christians have to abandon the Law. By abandoning the Law, they have become sinners, that is, outside the Law. Can it therefore be deduced from this that they have made Christ a minister of sin? To this, Paul answers: By no means. The expression is emphatic, expressing complete negation of the premise of a question which has just been asked (compare Phillips “of course not”; New American Bible “unthinkable”). In some instances one may translate “that is certainly not true,” or “in fact, the opposite is true.”

Quoted with permission from Arichea, Daniel C. and Nida, Eugene A. A Handbook on Paul’s Letter to the Galatians. (UBS Handbook Series). New York: UBS, 1976. For this and other handbooks for translators see here .