grace

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“The Greek word charis, usually translated by English ‘grace,’ is one of the desperations of translators. The area of meaning is exceptionally extensive. Note the following possible meanings for this word in various contexts of the New Testament: ‘sweetness,’ ‘charm,’ ‘loveliness,’ ‘good-will,’ ‘loving-kindness,’ ‘favor,’ ‘merciful kindness,’ ‘benefit,’ ‘gift,’ ‘benefaction,’ ‘bounty,’ and ‘thanks.’ The theological definition of ‘unmerited favor’ (some translators have attempted to employ this throughout) is applicable to only certain contexts. Moreover, it is quite a task to find some native expression which will represent the meaning of ‘unmerited favor.’ In some languages it is impossible to differentiate between ‘grace’ and ‘kindness.’ In fact, the translation ‘kindness’ is in some cases quite applicable. In other languages, a translation of ‘grace’ is inseparable from ‘goodness.’ In San Miguel El Grande Mixtec a very remarkable word has been used for ‘grace.’ It is made up of three elements. The first of these is a prefixial abstractor. The second is the stem for ‘beauty.’ The third is a suffix which indicates that the preceding elements are psychologically significant. The resultant word may be approximately defined as ‘the abstract quality of beauty of personality.’” (Source: Nida 1947, p. 223)

Other translations include (click or tap here to see more):

  • Inuktitut: “God’s kindness that enables us” (source: Andrew Atagotaaluk)
  • Kwara’ae: kwae ofe’ana (“kindness to one who deserves the opposite”) (source: Norman Deck in The Bible Translator 1963, 34ff. )
  • Chichewa: “being favored in the heart by God” (Source: Ernst Wendland)
  • Sayula Popoluca: “God’s favor” (source: Waterhouse / Parrott in Notes on Translation October 1967, p. 1ff.)
  • Caribbean Javanese: kabetyikané (“goodness”)
  • Saramaccan: bunhati (“good heart”)
  • Sranan Tongo: bun ati (“good heart”) or gadobun (“God’s goodness”)
  • Eastern Maroon Creole: (gaan) bun ati (“(big) good heart”) (source for this and three above: Jabini 2015)
  • Fasu: “free big help”
  • Wahgi: “save without reward” (source for this and the one above: Deibler / Taylor 1977)
  • Kera: “to do kindness/good to someone” (“without them having done anything to receive it”) (source: Jackie Hainaut)
  • Warao: “goodness of his 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.
  • Nukna: “God gave his insides to one.” (“The ‘insides’ are the seat of emotion in Nukna, like the heart in the English language. To give your insides to someone is to feel love toward them, to want what is best for them, and to do good things for them.” (Source: Matt Taylor in The PNG Experience )
  • Uma: “(God’s) white insides” (source: Uma Back Translation)
  • Hindi, Bengali: anugraha (Hindi: अनुग्रह, Bengali: অনুগ্রহ) from graha: “grasp, a reaching out after, with gracious intent” (source: R.M. Clark in The Bible Translator 1962, p. 81ff. )
  • the German das Buch translation by Roland Werner (publ. 2009-2022) uses a large variety of translations, including “undeserved friendliness,” “wonderful work of God,” “loving attention,” “generous,” but also “undeserved grace” (using the traditional German term Gnade)

In Latvian the term žēlastība is used both for “grace” and steadfast love. It is also often used as a synonym for “mercy.” (Source: Katie Roth)

In the Contemporary Chichewa translation (2002/2016) and the Buku Lopatulika version (1922/2018) it is translated with chisomo. This word was earlier used to refer to a charm that people were using for others to like them. It meant that on his/her own, a person would not be qualified to be liked by people. But with this charm, people would look at that person more kindly. This is also used in a number of Old Testament passages for what is typically translated as “find favor” or “gracious” in English, including Exodus 33:12, Numbers 6:25, or Psalm 84:11. (Source: Mawu a Mulungu mu Chichewa Chalero Back Translation)

For Muna, René van den Berg explains the process how the translation team arrived at a satisfactory solution: “Initial translation drafts in Muna tended to (…) use the single word kadawu ‘part, (given) share, gift,’ but this word is really too generic. It lacks the meaning component of mercy and kindness and also seems to imply that the gift is part of a larger whole. Consequently we now [translate] according to context. In wishes and prayers such as ‘Grace to you and peace from God’ we translate ‘grace’ as kabarakati ‘blessing’ (e.g. Gal 1:3). In many places we use kataano lalo ‘goodness of heart’ (e.g. Gal 1:15 ‘because of the goodness of his heart God chose me’) as well as the loan rahamati ‘mercy’ (e.g. ‘you have-turned-your-backs-on the mercy of God’ for ‘you have fallen away from grace’; Gal 5:4). In one case where the unmerited nature of ‘grace’ is in focus, we have also employed katohai ‘a free gift’ (typically food offered to one’s neighbo-1urs) in the same verse. ‘The reason-you-have-been-saved is because of the goodness of God’s heart (Greek charis, Muna kataano lalo), going-through your belief in Kristus. That salvation is not the result of your own work, but really a free-gift (Greek dooron ‘gift’; Muna katohai) of God.’ (Eph 2:8).

In Burmese, it is translated with the Buddhist term kyeh’jooh’tau (ကျေး​ဇူး​တော်). LaSeng Dingrin (in Missiology 37/4, 2009, p. 485ff.) explains: “As regards the Christian term ‘grace,’ Judson [the first translator of the Bible into Burmese] could not have brought the Burmese Buddhists the good news about the redeeming work of Jesus Christ and its benefits (i.e., forgiveness and salvation), without employing the Burmese Buddhist term kyeh’jooh’tau (‘grace’). Deriving from Pali kataññuta (“gratefulness”), kyeh’jooh’tau denotes ‘good deeds for others or benefits,’ which occur among humans. (…) When Christianized, kyeh’jooh’tau also refers to the atoning work of Jesus and its benefits, and can occur between humans and God. The word kyeh’jooh’tau looks very Burmese Buddhist, but it is Christian, too, and conveys the core of the Christian proclamation. Furthermore, kyeh’jooh’tau itself shows that translatability of Christianity cannot be imagined without reliance on Buddhism.” (See also the Burmese entry for God)

In American Sign Language it is translated with a sign that combines “compassion” and “giving out.” (Source: Ruth Anna Spooner, Ron Lawer)


“Grace” in American Sign Language, source: Deaf Harbor

See also Seat of the Mind / Seat of Emotions and grace to you and grace (of God) (Japanese honorifics).

Translation: Eastern Canadian Inuktitut

ᐃᓄᒃᑎᑐᑦ ᒍᕇᑭᒃᑯᑦ ᐅᖃᐅᓯᖅᑕᖓᑦ ᑐᑭᓕᐅᔾᔭᐅᓯᒪᔪᖅ ᐃᒫᒃ “ᓴᐃᒪᓂᖅ” ᖃᓪᓗᓈᑎᑐᓪᓕ ᑐᑭᓕᐅᔾᔭᐅᓯᒪᒻᒪᑦ ᐃᒫᒃ “ᒎᑎᐅᑉ ᑐᙵᓇᕐᓂᖓᓂ ᐅᕙᑦᑎᓐᓂᒃ ᐱᔪᓐᓇᑎᑦᑎᕙᑦᑐᖅ.”

(Translator: Julia Demcheson)

complete verse (Hebrews 13:9)

Following are a number of back-translations of Hebrews 13:9:

  • Uma: “Don’t you follow teachings that lead-astray and that are different from our faith, like for instance customs about food. As for the Yahudi people’s religion, they follow(ed) many customs about food, but those customs don’t bring goodness [salvation] to the people who follow them. It is better we strengthen our hearts considering the whiteness of God’s insides [God’s grace], for that [emphatic] is what brings goodness [salvation] to us.” (Source: Uma Back Translation)
  • Yakan: “Don’t be willing to follow all kinds of teachings that are different from Almasi’s teaching so that you will not go astray from the true path. There is nothing else that causes your trust in God to be strong than God’s love and mercy for you, not because you follow laws about eating. For those who follow these laws were not helped by the law.” (Source: Yakan Back Translation)
  • Western Bukidnon Manobo: “Therefore, don’t you believe in other doctrines which are not the true doctrine which was taught to you. The true thing which will strengthen our (incl.) faith is God’s help to us and not avoiding foods that are forbidden by the Law because this cannot help people who observe it.” (Source: Western Bukidnon Manobo Back Translation)
  • Kankanaey: “So don’t get-led-astray by whatever different/strange teachings. Because that which strengthens our minds is God’s grace, not our following instructions concerning food. Those who have followed instructions like those have absolutely not been helped thereby.” (Source: Kankanaey Back Translation)
  • Tagbanwa: “Therefore don’t be misled by the many-many teachings which go-far from the way of truth. It’s good if we are always strengthening our believing in/from God’s grace/mercy, not in/from our obeying of laws about food. No-one has gained anything by their obeying those.” (Source: Tagbanwa Back Translation)
  • Tenango Otomi: “Therefore do not be deceived so you follow whatever teaching is not the same as the word you now believe in. Take the grace of God which he gives you, it will make strong your faith. Do not be deceived by the people who select what they eat, because the avoiding of certain foods will not make strong your faith.” (Source: Tenango Otomi Back Translation)

Translation commentary on Hebrews 13:9

All kinds of need not have a bad sense; see 2.4. It is the word strange which shows that the teachings are dangerous. Strange means “alien to the Gospel,” not merely “odd.” The plural teachings may refer to different kinds of false teaching, and should be kept in translation if possible. All kinds of strange teachings may be most effectively expressed as “all kinds of different teachings” or “all kinds of teachings that are different from the Good News.”

Lead you from the right way means “be carried along” (as in Jude 12), or in this context, more precisely, “be swept away” (Barclay). The rest of the verse shows that the contrast is with “standing firm” rather than “staying on a fixed course” (see New English Bible). The thought, though not the language, is similar to 2.1. In some languages lead you from the right way may be expressed idiomatically as “cause you to go down the wrong road,” or “cause you to be turned aside from the truth,” or “lead you off from the right road.”

The word for good includes the idea of beauty or attractiveness. It has been called “that kind of goodness which is at once seen to be good.” To receive inner strength is literally “for the heart to be strengthened” (see Revised Standard Version). Thus inner is literally “the heart.” It can be understood as “our heart,” as the next verse shows (see Revised Standard Version), but since verse 8 is an imperative, “your heart” fits the context better. A translation may therefore be something like “It is good for you to be strengthened inwardly by God’s grace.” God’s is strongly implied. If “inwardly” is chosen to translate “the heart,” meaning “what is deepest in man” as a whole, then “outwardly” may be used later in the sentence, to point out the contrast.

See comments on grace in 4.16.

Earlier editions of Good News Bible had for our souls after It is good. Good News Translation fourth edition omits these words, probably because soul was thought to be little used outside religious circles, and because the meaning is better conveyed by adding inner before strength.

The statement It is good to receive inner strength from God’s grace may need considerable restructuring. One may need to employ a rendering such as “The fact that our hearts are made strong because of God’s loving kindness to us is good.” It may be important to render the first part of the second sentence in such a way as to anticipate the statement about obeying rules about foods. Therefore one may translate “God’s kindness to us causes our hearts to have strength. This helps us, but obeying rules about food doesn’t help us.”

Most modern translations, like Good News Translation, understand “by foods” to refer to rules about foods, not literally to the strengthening of the body by what is eaten. The phrase right to eat in the next verse confirms that this is correct, as does obey (literally “walk in”) these rules in this verse. Revised Standard Version‘s “by foods” and “their adherents” is unclear. Barclay expresses the meaning strongly with a little expansion, as “The best thing to fortify your souls is the grace of God, not regulations about what we may eat and not eat, which have never been of the slightest use to those who use them as rules of life.” Good News Translation brings out the meaning of by them, which may also mean “in them”: “those who walk in them,” that is, obey these rules, have not been helped by them. The last part of this verse may also be rendered as “to obey rules about what to eat or not to eat doesn’t help them” or “… doesn’t do people any good.”

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 .

Sung version of Hebrews 13

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®).

For more information, see here .