desires of the flesh

The Greek that is often translated as “desires of the flesh” in English is translated in Ixcatlán Mazatec as “human desires” (source: Robert Bascom), in Mezquital Otomi as “the desires of our old life,” in Tzeltal as “doing what your bodies want,” and in Huehuetla Tepehua as “doing the things that your thoughts like (source: Waterhouse / Parrott in Notes on Translation October 1967, p. 1ff.).

In Enlhet it is translated as “wantings of the innermost.” “Innermost” or valhoc is a term that is frequently used in Enlhet to describe a large variety of emotions or states of mind (for other examples see here). (Source: Jacob Loewen in The Bible Translator 1969, p. 24ff. )

See also flesh (human nature).

flesh (human nature)

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The Greek that is often translated as “flesh” in English (when referring to the lower human nature) can, according to Nida (1947, p. 153) “very rarely be literally translated into another language. ‘My meat’ or ‘my muscle’ does not make sense in most languages.” He then gives a catalog of almost 30 questions to determine a correct translation for that term.

Accordingly, the translations are very varied:

The Toraja-Sa’dan translation uses a variety of terms for the translation of the same Greek term (click or tap here to see the rest of this insight)

  • A form of kale tolinona or “corporeal” is for instance used in Romans 9:5 or Colossians 1:22 (and also in Genesis 6:3 and Exodus 30:32)
  • A form of mentolinona or “the human” is for instance used in Matthew 16:17 or John 1:14
  • Phrases that include pa’kalean or “bodiliness” (also: “human shape”) are for instance used in Romans 6:6 or 1 Peter 2:11 (as well as in Isa 52:14, Isa 53:2, and Lamentations 4:7

(Source: H. van der Veen in The Bible Translator 1952, p. 207ff. )

See also spirit / flesh, old self, and flesh (John 1:14).

complete verse (Galatians 5:16)

Following are a number of back-translations of Galatians 5:16:

  • Uma: “My intention is like this: we must follow the leading of the Holy Spirit, so that we do not follow the evil desires of our hearts.” (Source: Uma Back Translation)
  • Yakan: “This is what I say to you: Follow/obey the commands of the Holy Spirit so-then you will not give-in-to/indulge-in your greedy-desires.” (Source: Yakan Back Translation)
  • Western Bukidnon Manobo: “This is my commandment to you: submit yourselves to the Holy Spirit, because if you do this it’s not possible for you to obey the evil desires of your body.” (Source: Western Bukidnon Manobo Back Translation)
  • Kankanaey: “This is my advice to you: continue to submit-yourselves-to (lit. cause-yourselves-to-be-ruled-by) the Spirit of God, because if you do this, you will not fulfill the evil desires of your human (naipogawan–connotes sinful, limited humanity) minds.” (Source: Kankanaey Back Translation)
  • Tagbanwa: “Well now this is what I am saying to you, always follow/obey the supervision of the Espiritu Santo in your lives. For if it’s like that, you will no longer indulge your congenital evil desires.” (Source: Tagbanwa Back Translation)
  • Tenango Otomi: “I tell you to let the Holy Spirit teach you how you should walk. When you take the road he gives you, then you do not do what only pleases you.” (Source: Tenango Otomi Back Translation)

Spirit (of God) (Japanese honorifics)

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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 to do this is through the usage (or a lack) of an honorific prefix as shown here in the widely-used Japanese Shinkaiyaku (新改訳) Bible of 2017. When the referent is God, the “divine” honorific prefix mi- (御 or み) can be used, as in mi-tama (御霊) or “Spirit (of God)” in the referenced verses.

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

See also Holy Spirit

Translation commentary on Galatians 5:16

What I say is this is literally “but I say,” a common way by which Paul starts a section. In 3.17 and 4.1 such an expression is used to introduce a further explanation of a subject already under discussion. Here, as in Gal. 5.2, Paul uses it to get his readers’ attention to a personal appeal. In some languages an expression such as what I say is this would seem to be so self-evident as to be either meaningless or misleading. An equivalent expression may be “what I mean is this,” or “what I am trying to say is the following.”

Let the Spirit direct your lives is literally “walk by the Spirit.” Some take the Spirit here to mean spiritual life as opposed to “flesh.” Most translators, however, understand it as referring to the Holy Spirit. The verb “to walk” is frequently used in the New Testament in a moral sense, that is, as equivalent to “to live” or “to conduct one’s self.” The present tense of the Greek verb denotes action that is already in progress. Hence it can be rendered as “continue to walk.” The whole expression means that the Galatians should allow their whole life to be controlled, or regulated, by the Holy Spirit (Jerusalem Bible “guided by the Spirit”; also New English Bible). Let the Spirit direct your lives should not be understood merely as a kind of “permission.” The imperative form of the Greek text may be translated as “live in accordance with the way in which the Spirit tells you to,” or “… the way God’s Spirit directs you.”

The next clause in this verse has been interpreted as equivalent to an imperative (as in Revised Standard Version), but most translations employ a future indicative (as in Good News Translation). In the former case, it is an emphatic command; in the latter, it is a strong assertion that once they allow the Spirit to guide them, “then you will never satisfy the passions of the flesh” (Moffatt).

There are three words in this clause that need to be commented on: satisfy, desires, and human nature (literally “flesh”). Satisfy is literally “to fulfill,” but it is used here in the sense of “to gratify” (Revised Standard Version). Desires or “passions” refers to any kind of desires, both good or bad, but the New Testament usage points more to the bad. Human nature (“flesh”) is the same word used in verse 13, and refers once again to that part of human nature which does not submit to God. This is not easy to translate; there is danger even in the Good News Translation way of rendering it, since it makes human nature all bad, and all its desires evil.

In a number of languages there is no closely corresponding way to speak of human nature. The closest equivalent may simply be “you yourselves,” for example, “do not do just what you yourselves want to do.” In other languages one may say “do not do what you as a human being want to do,” or “… just as a person wants to do.” In still other languages human nature is best spoken of as “the heart,” for example, “do not do just whatever your heart wants you to do,” or “… just whatever you want to do in your heart.”

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 .