footstool

The Hebrew, Latin and Greek that is typically translated as “footstool” in English is translated as “(put your enemies) underneath your feet like grass” in Enxet. (Source: Reiling / Swellengrebel)

In Upper Guinea Crioulo it is “(put your enemies) under your feet so you can rest your feet on them.” (Source: David Frank in this blog post )

In Whitesands is is “door-cloth.” “This would be that rag at the door that you use to wipe your feet after walking in the dirt or mud. Similar to a doormat. The point of comparison would be that a door rag is so low in value/position compared to the one using it.” (Source: Greg Carlson)

complete verse (Hebrews 10:13)

Following are a number of back-translations of Hebrews 10:13:

  • Uma: “Now Kristus waits for the time God will make all his enemies submit to him.” (Source: Uma Back Translation)
  • Yakan: “And there he is today, waiting until all his enemies have been defeated by God and figuratively been placed under Almasi’s feet.” (Source: Yakan Back Translation)
  • Western Bukidnon Manobo: “And He is still there today, because He’s waiting for the time in the future when God will tie up all of His enemies so that He might rule.” (Source: Western Bukidnon Manobo Back Translation)
  • Kankanaey: “to wait for the defeat of his enemies whom God will cause-him -to-step-on.” (Source: Kankanaey Back Translation)
  • Tagbanwa: “There he is waiting for the time when, as for his enemies, (they) will be caused to surrender in-which (they) will just be the stepping-stool of his feet.” (Source: Tagbanwa Back Translation)
  • Tenango Otomi: “There where he now is, he waits until he will conquer all his enemies.” (Source: Tenango Otomi Back Translation)

enemy / foe

The Greek, Hebrew, Aramaic, Ge’ez, and Latin that is translated as “enemy” or “foe” in English is translated in the Hausa Common Language Bible as “friends of front,” i.e., the person standing opposite you in a battle. (Source: Andy Warren-Rothlin)

In North Alaskan Inupiatun it is translated with a term that implies that it’s not just someone who hates you, but one who wants to do you harm (Source: Robert Bascom), in Tarok as ukpa ìkum or “companion in war/fighting,” and in Ikwere as nye irno m or “person who hates me” (source for this and one above: Chuck and Karen Tessaro in this newsletter ).

Honorary "rare" construct denoting God ("waiting")

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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 usage of an honorific construction where the morpheme rare (られ) is affixed on the verb as shown here in the widely-used Japanese Shinkaiyaku (新改訳) Bible of 2017. This is particularly done with verbs that have God as the agent to show a deep sense of reverence. Here, matteo-rare-ru (待っておられる) or “waiting” is used.

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

Translation commentary on Hebrews 10:13

Now in this context is an expression of time, meaning “from this (or, from that) time on,” “henceforth” (New English Bible, Bible de Jérusalem, Translator’s New Testament).

As in other contexts, the rendering of waits should be such as to suggest patient expectation rather than mere inaction.

Until God puts is literally “until they put,” but “they” is impersonal, meaning “until his enemies are put,” and probably implies here the activity of God.

In place of God puts his enemies as a footstool under his feet it may be necessary to change the order; for example, “God puts his enemies under his feet as though they were a footstool.” However, this figure of speech may seem quite ridiculous in some languages, and it may therefore be necessary to introduce the meaning of the idiom in the text, and the literal rendering may be placed in a marginal note, if necessary.

Quoted with permission from Ellingworth, Paul and Nida, Eugene A. A Handbook on The Letter of the Hebrews. (UBS Handbook Series). New York: UBS, 1983. For this and other handbooks for translators see here .