The Hebrew and Greek terms that are translated as “circumcise” or “circumcision” in English (originally meaning of English term: “to cut around”) are (back-) translated in various ways:
Tetelcingo Nahuatl: “put the mark in the body showing that they belong to God” (or: “that they have a covenant with God”)
Indonesian: disunat — “undergo sunat” (sunat is derived from Arabic “sunnah (سنة)” — “(religious) way (of life)”)
Ekari: “cut the end of the member for which one fears shame” (in Gen. 17:10) (but typically: “the cutting custom”) (source for this and above: Reiling / Swellengrebel)
Hiri Motu: “cut the skin” (source: Deibler / Taylor 1977, p. 1079)
Garifuna: “cut off part of that which covers where one urinates”
Bribri: “cut the soft” (source for this and the one above: Ronald Ross)
Amele: deweg cagu qoc — “cut the body” (source: John Roberts)
Eastern Highland Otomi: “cut the flesh of the sons like Moses taught” (source: Ronald D. Olson in Notes on Translation January, 1968, p. 15ff.)
Newari: “put the sign in one’s body” (Source: Newari Back Translation)
Following are a number of back-translations of Galatians 5:3:
Uma: “I also say: those who request-to-be-circumcised following the Law of Musa, they must also follow all the other commands in the Law of Musa.” (Source: Uma Back Translation)
Yakan: “Really I instruct/warn you again that whoever is circumcised as the law commands, they ought to obey/follow all the commands of the law.” (Source: Yakan Back Translation)
Western Bukidnon Manobo: “And that’s not all because it’s true that if there’s anyone who supposes mistakenly that circumcision is any value to him, he also must thoroughly obey every command there in the whole Law.” (Source: Western Bukidnon Manobo Back Translation)
Kankanaey: “I tell you again that if someone goes and gets-circumcised, he must also then fulfill all the commands of the law of Moses.” (Source: Kankanaey Back Translation)
Tagbanwa: “I say again to you that whoever will still have himself circimcised, he will not in fact become righteous if he does not obey completely all the laws entrusted to Moises.” (Source: Tagbanwa Back Translation)
Tenango Otomi: “Again I want to tell you. Every person who says that he will mark his body, let him not say that only that should he do, rather he must do all that is written in the law then.” (Source: Tenango Otomi Back Translation)
The Greek, Hebrew, and Ge’ez that is translated in English as “Law” or “law” is translated in Mairasi as oro nasinggiei or “prohibited things” (source: Enggavoter 2004) and in Noongar with a capitalized form of the term for “words” (Warrinya) (source: Warda-Kwabba Luke-Ang).
In Yucateco the phrase that is used for “law” is “ordered-word” (for “commandment,” it is “spoken-word”) (source: Nida 1947, p. 198) and in Central Tarahumara it is “writing-command.” (Source: Waterhouse / Parrott in Notes on Translation October 1967, p. 1ff.)
Illustration by Horst Lemke (1922-1985) for the GermanGute Nachricht für Sie – NT68, one of the first editions of the Good News Bible in German of 1968. Lemke was a well-known illustrator who illustrated books by Erich Kästner , Astrid Lindgren and many others.
Paul now gives a further reason why a man should not submit to circumcision. In verse 2 he has stated what would be lost: they would lose Christ. Here he states what would be gained: they would gain the whole Law; but this would be at the price of loss of freedom.
Once more (literally “again”) can be interpreted to refer either to an earlier statement of Paul (perhaps made on the occasion referred to in 4.16 and 1.9) or to the verse immediately preceding. The close relation between the two verses tends to give more weight to the latter of these (Phillips “I will say it again”).
I warn is literally “I testify.” The verb can be used to mean “to declare” or “to protest,” but here it has the primary meaning of “to warn” (Jerusalem Bible “I repeat my warning”; Knox compare New English Bible “you can take it from me”). After a verb such as warn, it may be necessary in a number of languages to use direct discourse, for example, “Once more I warn any man who lets others circumcise him, You must now obey the whole Law,” or “… every regulation in the Law.”
As in verse 2 Paul is addressing someone who has apparently not yet been circumcised but is about to submit to that rite. Paul’s warning is clear: anyone who receives circumcision is obliged to obey the whole Law. Paul has already discussed certain aspects of this problem in relation to Christ (see the comments on 3.7-14, especially verse 10). Circumcision is only one part of the Law, but to accept it is to obligate oneself to obey everything in the Law. As in several other contexts, the reference to Law may need to be translated as “the laws given by means of Moses.” However, the Law here may possibly be understood as referring to the whole body of laws found in the Old Testament, together, perhaps, with other laws that developed out of the Old Testament tradition. In that case the whole Law may be translated as “every one of the regulations of the laws,” or “every one of the specific laws.”
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 .
Again I testify: Paul used the word testify to put a strong emphasis on the truth of the statement that he was about to make. The word Again shows that Paul was repeating his warning in 5:2 to those who allowed themselves to be circumcised.
Some other ways to translate this clause are:
Once more, I want to say -or-
I’ll say it again. (New Living Translation (2004)) -or-
Once more I warn (Good News Translation)
to every man who gets himself circumcised: The phrase to every man is a more emphatic way of speaking than just saying “you.”
Another way to translate this phrase is:
to anyone who allows ?someone? to circumcise him
5:3b
that he is obligated to obey the whole law: This clause indicates that people who trust in circumcision for justification must perfectly keep the whole law of Moses. This is a solemn warning.
Some other ways to translate this clause are:
that he is required to obey all of the law -or-
that he must keep the whole law ?of Moses?
In some languages, it may be natural to change the pronoun from he to “you.” For example:
you must obey every regulation in the whole law of Moses (New Living Translation (2004))
Living Water is produced for the Bible translation movement in association with Lutheran Bible Translators. Lyrics derived from the ESV® Bible (The Holy Bible, English Standard Version®).
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