devil

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The Greek that is translated in English as “devil” (itself via late Latin from Greek diabolos: “accuser, slanderer”) is sometimes translated with indigenous specific names, such as “the avaricious one” in Tetelcingo Nahuatl, “the malicious deity” in Toraja-Sa’dan (source: Reiling / Swellengrebel), or in Yoruba as èṣù. “Èṣù is thought of as bringing evil, but also as giving protection. The birth of a child may be attributed to him, as the names given to some babies show, Èṣùbiyi (Èṣù brought this forth), and Èṣùtoyin (Èṣù is worthy of praise).” (Source: John Hargreaves in The Bible Translator 1965, p. 39ff. . See also this article by Tunde Adegbola: Èṣù is not Satan: A Christian apologist’s perspective .)

Other translations include:

  • Muna: Kafeompu’ando seetani or “Master of the evil-spirits” (source: René van den Berg)
  • Mairasi: owe er epar nan or “headman of malevolent spirits” (source: Enggavoter 2004)
  • Central Subanen: Palin or “Perverter” (incl. in 2 Cor. 6:15) (source: Robert Brichoux in OPTAT 1988/2, p. 80ff. )
  • Huehuetla Tepehua: “chief of demons”
  • Ojitlán Chinantec: as “head of the worldlings” (source for the last two: M. Larson / B. Moore in Notes on Translation February 1970, p. 1-125).
  • Mandarin Chinese móguǐ (魔鬼), literally “magical ghost.” This is a term that was adopted from Buddhist sources into early Catholic writings and later also by Protestant translators. (Source: Zetzsche 1996, p. 32)
  • Uma: “King of Evil-ones” (source: Uma Back Translation)
  • Yakan: “leader of demons” (source: Yakan Back Translation)
  • Bariai: “the bad man” (source: Bariai Back Translation)
  • Kupsabiny: “the Enemy” (source: Kupsabiny Back Translation)
In Lak and Shughni it is translated with terms of feminine gender. Vitaly Voinov tells this story (click or tap here to see the rest of this insight):

“In the Lak language of Dagestan, the names ‘Iblis’ and ‘sheytan’ (referring to Satan and his minions, respectively) in this language were borrowed from the Arabic Islamic tradition, but they entered Lak as feminine nouns, not masculine nouns. This means that they grammatically function like nouns referring to females in Lak; in other words, Laks are likely to think of Iblis as a woman, not a man, because of the obligatory grammatical patterning of Lak noun classes. Thus, when the team explained (in Russian) what the Lak translation of Jesus’ wilderness temptation narrative at the beginning of Matthew 4 said, it sounded something like the following: ‘After this, the Spirit led Jesus into the wilderness to be tempted by Iblis… .The temptress came to Jesus, and she said to Him…’

“Since this information (that the devil is a female spirit) is part of the very name used for Satan in Lak, nothing can really be done about this in the translation. The Lak translator did not think that the feminine gender of Iblis should cause any serious misunderstandings among readers, so we agreed to leave it in the translation. Prior to this, I had never heard about languages in which the devil is pictured as a woman, but recently I was told by a speaker of the Shughni language that in their language Sheytan is also feminine. This puts an interesting spin on things. The devil is of course a spirit, neither male nor female in a biologically-meaningful sense. But Bible translators are by nature very risk-aversive and, where possible, want to avoid any translation that might feed misleading information to readers. So what can a translator do about this? In many cases, such as the present one, one has to just accept the existing language structure and go on.”

See also unclean spirit / evil spirit, demon, and Beelzebul.

flesh and blood

The now commonly-used English idiom “flesh and blood” (meaning one’s family member(s) or the human body with its limitations) was first coined in 1382 in the English translation by John Wycliffe (in the spelling fleisch and blood). (Source: Crystal 2010, p. 290)

For other idioms in English that were coined by Bible translation, see here.

complete verse (Hebrews 2:14)

Following are a number of back-translations of Hebrews 2:14:

  • Uma: “The people that he calls children are mankind with physical bodies that must die. So, that’s why Yesus also became a man(kind) and lived just the same as man(kind), so that from/by his death he destroyed the power of the King of Evil-ones, who brings/brought death to man(kind).” (Source: Uma Back Translation)
  • Yakan: “The ones Isa calls children, they are humans who have flesh/muscle and bone. Therefore Isa also became human like they so that he could experience death. And because of his death he defeated the leader of demons the one who brought death to mankind.” (Source: Yakan Back Translation)
  • Western Bukidnon Manobo: “And as for us (incl.) who are children of God, we are just human beings who are subject to death. And because of this, Jesus become human also so that He might be like us. The reason He did this was so that it might be possible for Him to die. And by means of His death He might defeat Satan, who is the origin of death,” (Source: Western Bukidnon Manobo Back Translation)
  • Kankanaey: “Since the children of God that it is talking about here are people who have bodies that die, Jesus also became a person with a body like theirs so that he would have a way to die. He did that so that because of his death he would totally defeat the Devil (RL Diablo) who is the source of people’s dying and being-separated from God” (Source: Kankanaey Back Translation)
  • Tagbanwa: “Well because those children being referred to are people/humans, who have flesh, blood, and a limit to life, therefore Jesus, he became a man/human too so that it would be possible for him to die also. Because, in his death he defeated Satanas, in-that he destroyed his control over people, that being what leads them to death which is unending punishment.” (Source: Tagbanwa Back Translation)
  • Tenango Otomi: “These of whom he says are children are people. Therefore Jesus became a person in order to become like they are. He wanted this so that he could be able to die, in order that he would spoil the power of the devil, the one whose fault it is that there is death for people.” (Source: Tenango Otomi Back Translation)

Translation commentary on Hebrews 2:14

Verses 14-15 form a single sentence in the Greek. Verse 14 partly overlaps in meaning with verse 10, and partly sums up what was said in verses 11-13.

Revised Standard Version‘s “therefore” refers back to verse 11a, which this verse repeats in other words and then somewhat expands. Good News Translation omits “therefore,” perhaps because the connection with verse 11a is too far away to be seen by most readers, and because there is no direct link with the end of verse 13.

The first part of the sentence contains two statements: (a) the children share a common human nature with one another, and (b) Jesus shared this nature with them. The children: the is necessary because the children have just been mentioned in verse 13. Good News Translation and Bible en français courant bring this out by adding as he calls them. New English Bible and Biblia Dios Habla Hoy say “The children of a family,” which is less definite than the Greek. The children may be expressed as “these children,” especially if a reference to “the children” has been made in the previous verse. The phrase as he calls them may be expressed parenthetically as “that’s what he calls them.”

Flesh and blood (literally “blood and flesh”) is a common way of describing human nature, especially in its weakness. The expression of flesh and blood can rarely be translated literally, since people obviously consist of more than flesh and blood. Accordingly, people of flesh and blood may be rendered as “people like all other kinds of people” or “people in every sense of the word.”

Like them is emphatic; Barclay says “in exactly the same way.” Good News Translation reproduces this emphasis by expansion, for there is nothing in the Greek which literally corresponds to became like them and. This phrase is presupposed by shared their human nature (literally “shared them,” that is, shared their flesh and blood).

Became like them may be rendered as “became a person like they are persons,” “became a human being like them,” or “… even as they are.” It may, however, be extremely difficult to render the expression shared their human nature, because a literal rendering would assume that in some way Jesus took from them part of their human nature, since the concept of “sharing” so frequently suggests dividing up something. Therefore, shared their human nature may be expressed as “was a human being just like they are.” In fact, became like them and shared their human nature must often be combined in a single expression, such as “came to be just like all other human beings.”

The phrase about Jesus’ human nature is the focal point of the sentence, both in grammar and in meaning. The writer then goes on to describe the purpose of Christ’s sharing human nature. Barclay and Translator’s New Testament think the writer is referring to the result of this event, but this interpretation suits the structure less well.

He did this must be rendered in some languages as “He became like this” or even more specifically “He became a person.”

Through his death may be expressed as “by his dying” or “by means of his giving his life.”

Destroy does not always imply that the thing destroyed no longer exists. The first meaning of the Greek is “render ineffective” (see 1 Cor 15.26, where Good News Bible translates “defeated”). Here Moffatt has “crush”; Segond, Jerusalem Bible “take away all the power of”; New American Bible “rob … of his power”; Knox, Translator’s New Testament “depose”; Bible de Jérusalem, Traduction œcuménique de la Bible “reduce to impotence.” The point is that the Devil is so utterly defeated that he is no longer able to do anything, and is thus like the pagan gods mentioned in Isaiah 44.9-20.

A literal rendering of might destroy the Devil might appear to be contradictory to other passages of Scripture, especially those references in the book of Revelation. Therefore it may be important to use some such expression as “take away completely the power of the Devil” rather than to use a literal rendering of “destroy,” which would mean annihilation.

Good News Translation simplifies the structure by putting the Devil before the phrase which describes him, who has the power over death. The idea is that the Devil has both control over death and the power to inflict death. Who has the power over death may be rendered as “who is able to kill” or “who is able to cause people to die.”

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 .

SIL Translator’s Notes on Hebrews 2:14

Paragraph 2:14–18

The final paragraph of chapter 2 explains in more detail why God’s Son had to become a human being like us. He came to defeat the devil, and stop people from being afraid to die. He also became human so that he could become the high priest for his people. In these ways, he is greater than the angels, because none of them was able to become human, defeat the devil, and free his people from fearing death.

The author briefly introduces the topic of Jesus as our high priest, which he will discuss more fully in 4:14–5:10 and 7:1–8:1.

2:14–15

In Greek, 2:14–15 is one long sentence. In many languages it is more natural to break it into two or three sentences. For examples of how this can be translated as three sentences, see the General Comment on 2:14–15 at the end of 2:15.

2:14a

Now since: This verse begins with the two Greek conjunctions that the Berean Standard Bible translates as Now since The word translated as Now is usually translated as “therefore” and introduces the connection between this paragraph and the OT quotations in 2:12–13. The word since indicates the connection between 2:14a and 2:14b. It is important to consider each of these connections and how to translate them in a natural way in your language.

Some other ways to translate the connections are:

So then, because the children…
-or-
The children have flesh and blood, so/therefore

Some versions leave the connection with the previous paragraph implicit and translate only the connection between the clauses (2:14a and 2:14b). For example:

Since all of these sons and daughters…

the children have flesh and blood: The clause the children have flesh and blood means that God’s children are human beings. The phrase flesh and blood refers to being human, and it implies the weakness of human beings. Some ways to translate this clause are:

those children being referred to are people/humans
-or-
these children are people with physical bodies (New Century Version)
-or-
the children of God that it is talking about here are people who have bodies that die

the children: The phrase the children repeats the phrase from the quotation in 2:13b. It refers to the children of God, whom Jesus said were his “brothers and sisters” in 2:12a. Indicate clearly that the author referred back to the same children that he mentioned in 2:13b. Some ways to do this in English are:

these children (New Century Version)
-or-
God’s children (New Living Translation (2004))

Refer back to them in a natural way in your language.

flesh and blood: The Greek phrase flesh and blood is literally “blood and flesh.” It is an idiom that usually refers to human bodies. It indicates that the children of God he referred to here are human beings. Use the natural way in your language to refer to humans.

2:14b

He too shared in their humanity: The clause He too shared in their humanity means that Jesus also had “flesh and blood.” It indicates that he became a human being and had a human body like the children of God whom he was leading to salvation.

Some other ways to translate this clause are:

he also became a human being, (Phillips’ New Testament in Modern English)
-or-
Jesus himself became like them and shared their human nature. (Good News Translation)
-or-
Jesus took on flesh and blood to be like them. (God’s Word)

their humanity: The phrase their humanity refers back to “flesh and blood” in 2:14a. Refer back to it in a natural way in your language.

2:14c–d

so that by His death He might destroy him who holds the power of death, that is, the devil: This clause tells the purpose for which Christ became a human being (2:14a–b). He came to destroy the devil’s power. The clause indicates that when Christ died, he defeated the devil and took away the devil’s power of death.

In some languages it may be more natural to make 2:14c–d a separate sentence. For example:

⌊ He/Jesus did this⌋so that by dying himself, he might destroy the devil who has power over death.

He might destroy: In this context the verb destroy means “to make powerless.” The phrase He might destroy indicates that Jesus’ purpose in dying was to take away the devil’s power. The context indicates that by dying Jesus was successful in destroying the devil’s power. The word might does not imply any doubt about that.

Some ways to translate He might destroy are:

in order that he would spoil the power of
-or-
to completely take away the power of
-or-
he would totally defeat

him who holds the power of death, that is, the devil: Scholars have different views about what the power of death refers to here:

(1) It indicates that the devil has power to tempt people to sin, which causes spiritual death (separation from God). For example:

who works to cause ⌊spiritual⌋ death

(2) It indicates that the devil brought sin and death into the world. For example:

Satan, who is the origin of death

(3) It refers to the power that the devil has to cause people’s physical death. For example:

the devil, who causes people to die

English versions are ambiguous. It is recommended that you follow interpretation (1) or (2). These interpretations fit the context of Hebrews and are supported by various Bible scholars. Interpretation (3) is not recommended, because the Scriptures indicate that God is the one who has power to decide when a person will die.

Some ways to translate interpretation (1) or (2) are:

his control over people, that being what leads them to death which is unending punishment
-or-
the devil’s power that causes people to die ⌊eternally⌋

the devil: The phrase the devil refers to the chief of all evil spirits. His name is Satan. In Hebrew this name means “enemy.” He is the enemy of God and God’s people. The terms the devil and “Satan” refer to the same spiritual enemy. In some languages, you may want to use one term for both terms in your translation.

Here are some ways to translate the devil :

• Use a local name or idiom that refers to the chief of all demons.

• Use a descriptive phrase. For example:

the leader of the evil spirits
-or-
the spirit enemy of God

• Transliterate the name “Satan.” If this word is not already known in your area, you may also want to add a descriptive phrase. For example:

Satan, the ruler of demons

If you transliterate “Satan” or borrow a word from another language, be sure that it communicates the biblical meaning to people in your culture. It is important to check this in each biblical context.

Try to use a term that is acceptable to churches in the area. It is suggested that you also add a footnote or glossary entry that further explains who the devil is. For example:

The devil is the leader of all the evil spirits or demons. Once he was an angel in heaven, but he rebelled against God. God expelled him from heaven, and now he tempts people on earth. Other names for him in the Bible are “Beelzebul,” “Satan,” “the Evil One,” “the Enemy,” and “the Tempter.”

If you have translated the Gospels, you may use the same term as you used there. For more information, see Satan, “other expressions” in Key Biblical Terms.

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