28For the law appoints as high priests humans, who are subject to weakness, but the word of the oath, which came later than the law, appoints a Son who has been made perfect forever.
The Greek that is typically translated as “eternity,” “forever,” or “forever and ever” in English are translated in Mairasi as “mashed out infinitely.” Lloyd Peckham explains: “Bark cloth required pounding. It got longer and wider as it got pounded. Similarly, life gets pounded or mashed to lengthen it into infinity. Tubers also get mashed into the standard way of serving the staple food, like the fufu of Uganda, or like poi of Hawaii. It spreads out into infinity.” (Source: Lloyd Peckham)
In Lisu the phrase “forever and ever” is translated as ꓕꓲꓽ ꓞꓲꓼ ꓕꓲ ꓑ — thi tsi thi pa, verbatim translated as “one – lifetime – one – world.” This construction follows a traditional four-couplet construct in oral Lisu poetry that is usually in the form ABAC or ABCB. (Source: Arrington 2020, p. 57f.)
In Makonde it is often translated as navyaka or “years and years.” (Source: Pioneer Bible Translators, project-specific notes in Paratext)
Western Bukidnon Manobo: “high sacrificer” (source: Western Bukidnon Manobo Back Translation)
Tagbanwa as “Most-important Priest of God” (source: Tagbanwa Back Translation)
Bariai: “Big leader of offerings” (source: Bariai Back Translation)
In Khoekhoe the translation for “high priest” is only capitalized when it refers to Jesus (as is Hebrews 2:17 et al.). (Source: project-specific notes in Paratext)
Following are a number of back-translations of Hebrews 7:28:
Uma: “People who are/become Big Priests according to the Law of Musa are people who are weak, for they are just ordinary man[kind]. But after the Law of Musa, God uttered words of an oath, and with the words of that oath of his, he appointed [lit., lifted] his own Child to be Big Priest. And that Child of his became a Redeemer that has no lack and who remains forever.” (Source: Uma Back Translation)
Yakan: “The law of God that was given to Musa in old times said as to who could become high priest and the ones commissioned to be priests were humans having faults. But after that, God commissioned his Son, Isa and he added an oath. His Son has no fault/blemish and he is priest forever.” (Source: Yakan Back Translation)
Western Bukidnon Manobo: “Those who were made high priests by means of the Law left behind by Moses, there was always something to rebuke them for. But a long time after that, the Son of God became a priest because God chose Him and because of the promise of God which replaced the former Law. And as for this Jesus, the son of God, there was nothing to rebuke Him for. He became a priest whose priesthood is forever.” (Source: Western Bukidnon Manobo Back Translation)
Kankanaey: “Because according to the law of Moses, those who are appointed highest priests, they are people who have faults. But according to what God swore which came-after the law, the one who was appointed, it was his Child who became a priest who has no faults/lack forever.” (Source: Kankanaey Back Translation)
Tagbanwa: “According to the laws of Moises, from among the people is the choosing place of each Most-important Priest, even though they are sinful for they are indeed men/human. But when a long time had passed from the giving of the laws to Moises, God made a vow, that his Son Jesus is whom he appointed to be Most-important Priest. Because Jesus followed/obeyed without any lack all that God had determined for the saving of people. Therefore he is the Most-important Priest who is standing up for us perfectly for ever. 7:17 Psalm 110:4. 7:21 Psalm 110:4.” (Source: Tagbanwa Back Translation)
Tenango Otomi: “The law which Moses wrote appoints to be the high priest one of the people who have sin. After this law was given, however, God himself became witness to the word he said, appointing his Son to be high priest forever. And there is not a bit lacking in him, he does good forever that work.” (Source: Tenango Otomi Back Translation)
The Greek 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.” (wsource: Waterhouse / Parrott in Notes on Translation October 1967, p. 1ff.)
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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 to do this is through the usage (or a lack) of an honorific prefix as shown here in the widely-used Japanese Shinkaiyaku (新改訳) Bible of 2017. When the referent is God, the “divine” honorific prefix mi- (御 or み) can be used, as in mi-kotoba (みことば) or “word (of God)” in the referenced verses.
The Law of Moses: of Moses is implied, as in verse 19. The original readers knew which Law was meant, but most present-day readers need to be told.
In some languages the verb appoints requires the use of direct discourse; for example, “The Law of Moses declares, ‘You men who are imperfect are to become high priests.’ ” However, it may be impossible to speak of “the Law of Moses appointing men,” since only a person may appoint someone else. The Law of Moses appoints men … to be high priests may be rendered as “According to the Law of Moses, men become high priests.” In this type of context who are imperfect may involve a concession; for example, “According to the Law of Moses, men, even though they are imperfect, are appointed to be high priests.”
Imperfect is literally “weakness” (4.15; 5.2). The words “weak” and “weakness” cover a wide range of meaning, including sickness, moral weakness, and ritual imperfection. A sick animal could not be offered as a sacrifice, and a human being suffering from certain types of illness was not allowed to take part in sacrifice. See 4.15 and 5.2. Who are imperfect in this context may be rendered in some languages as “who are unable to do what they should.”
God’s promise made with the vow is literally “God’s oath-taking,” as in verses 20-21; compare 6.16, 17.
There may be a problem in speaking of “God’s promise … appointing the Son” since, as in the case of the Law of Moses, a “promise” cannot do any appointing. It is, however, possible to say “God appoints his Son by means of a vow” or “… by means of a strong promise.”
Which came later than the Law: some cultures assume that what is older is more worthy of respect than what is more recent. Where this is so, it may be necessary to make explicit that God’s vow not only came later, but superseded what had gone before; compare 4.6-8; 7.18; 8.7. It was an accepted principle among the rabbis that “a new act of God supersedes the old” (see Jer 6.16 and Luke 5.39). It may be necessary to restructure the clause which came later than the Law, since two events are involved, both of which include God as an agent. Therefore which came later than the Law may be expanded as “God made his solemn promise at a time later than he gave the Law through Moses” or “… caused Moses to announce the laws.”
Appoints is not the same Greek word as that which was translated chose in 3.2, but the meaning is similar. See comments on 3.2.
The Son is literally “a son”; so “one who has the title and status of son,” as in 1.2 (see the comments). In many languages a “son” must be possessed, so it is impossible to speak of “the Son”; one must say “his Son.”
Who has been made perfect, as in verse 11, for example, implies more than being without sin. “Who has reached his full achievement” (Knox) is part of the meaning. Two other ideas are also involved: (a) “fulfillment of a purpose,” and (b) “fulfillment not only for Christ himself but for others.” If (as perhaps in English) perfect is understood too narrowly in moral terms, it may be slightly expanded in translation as “one who, as Son, has done forever all that God intended him to do.” One may also render has been made perfect as “has become the one who is able to do everything that he should.”
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 .
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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