sexual immorality / impurity / debauchery

The Greek in Galatians 5:19 that is translated as “sexual immorality, impurity, debauchery” or similar in English is translated in Elhomwe as “different types of sexual sins,” since there were no other specific terms. (Source: project-specific translation notes in Paratext)

fornication, sexual immorality

The Greek that is translated as “sexual immorality” or “fornication” or similar is translated much more specifically in some languages. Morelos Nahuatl has “let a man not yield himself to another woman except only to his wife. Also let a woman not yield herself to another man except only to her husband” or in Lalana Chinantec as “not proper for them to mix themselves with other women. The same is true of women for other men also.” (Source: Viola Waterhouse in Notes on Translation August 1966, p. 86ff.)

In Low German as Hurenkram or “things related to prostitution (and/or sleeping around)” (translation by Johannes Jessen, publ. 1933, republ. 2006) and in the German New Testament translation by Berger / Nord (publ. 1999) typically as Sexgier or “sex cravings” (exceptions: Acts 15:10 and 15:29).

See also sexual immorality, impurity, debauchery and adulterous and sinful generation.

Learn more on Bible Odyssey: Sexual Immorality (Word Study) .

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).

licentiousness

The Greek that is translated as “licentiousness” and “impurity” or similar in English is translated in Bariai as “following behavior like dogs.” (Source: Bariai Back Translation)

See also adultery.

complete verse (Galatians 5:19)

Following are a number of back-translations of Galatians 5:19:

  • Uma: “The deeds that we do if we follow the evil desires of our hearts are quite evident/recognizable. For instance: we commit adultery or behave wrongly with a woman or man, or we do other unseemly actions like that,” (Source: Uma Back Translation)
  • Yakan: “If their greedy-desire is what people follow, it is easily known because this is their doings: they commit adultery/fornication, they are immoral and they are not ashamed to do folly (sexual things implied).” (Source: Yakan Back Translation)
  • Western Bukidnon Manobo: “We can identify the evil behavior which is made possible by the evil desires of the body because it’s fooling around with someone who is not our spouse, filthy and ugly behavior,” (Source: Western Bukidnon Manobo Back Translation)
  • Kankanaey: “It is easy to distinguish what people do that comes-from their human minds. It is these: they sleep-with those who are not their spouses and they do what is filthy and indecent;” (Source: Kankanaey Back Translation)
  • Tagbanwa: “For those things which are the outcome of our congenital evil desires are clear to us all. Because it’s these things, all kinds of immoral behaviour with one who is not your spouse, disgusting habits/ways or thoughts and the indulging of disgusting desires with no self control at all.” (Source: Tagbanwa Back Translation)
  • Tenango Otomi: “It isn’t hard for us to know what is the evil done by people. It is adultery, a heart full of evil, one doesn’t want to control himself concerning walking in evil.” (Source: Tenango Otomi Back Translation)

Translation commentary on Galatians 5:19

In describing what human nature does as quite plain, Paul is simply saying that it is well-known to everyone; in other words, that anyone can recognize it as “works of the flesh” (New English Bible “anyone can see the kind of behaviour that belongs to the lower nature”; New American Bible “it is obvious what proceeds from the flesh”).

Human nature translates “flesh” as in verses 16 and 17.

In a number of languages one cannot speak of human nature doing certain things. Rather, one must speak of people doing certain things because of their human nature. One may therefore render the first sentence in this verse as “Because of what people really are, it is clear to everyone how they act; they are immoral….”

Scholars have suggested that what Paul enumerates falls logically into four groups. The first group includes “immorality,” “impurity,” and “licentiousness,” which seem to be acts connected with sex or sensuality. “Immorality” translates a word which originally meant “prostitution” but came to mean sexual unfaithfulness and was used as a general term for any kind of sexual sin or immoral acts.

“Impurity” translates a Greek word which originally was used to describe the contents of graves and came to mean ceremonial or moral uncleanness with no special emphasis on sexual vice. In Paul’s thinking, however, it is associated with “immorality” seven times (out of nine), and therefore in this passage also it may be interpreted as sexual uncleanness.

The third word in this series “licentiousness” (Revised Standard Version), probably refers here to sexual excesses, resulting in indecent conduct.

It is always possible to find some general term for immoral, but it may not be so easy to find two other corresponding terms which would indicate other aspects or increasingly evil degrees of sexual immorality. In some languages terms such as filthy and indecent actions may be expressed as idioms, for example, “acting like dogs,” or “copulating in evil ways.”

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 .