The Hebrew, Greek, Ge’ez, and Latin that are translated as “covenant” in English are translated in a variety of ways. Here are some (back-) translations:
Natügu: nzesz’tikr drtwr: “oneness of mind” (source: Brenda Boerger in Beerle-Moor / Voinov, p. 164)
Tagalog: tipan: mutual promising on the part of two persons agreeing to do something (also has a romantic touch and denotes something secretive) (source: G. Henry Waterman in The Bible Translator 1960, p. 24ff. )
Tagbanwa: “initiated-agreement” (source: Tagbanwa Back Translation)
Cherokee: “that which is told” (source: Bender / Belt 2025, p. 16)
Guhu-Samane: “The concept [in Mark 14:24 and Matthew 16:28] is not easy, but the ritual freeing of a fruit and nut preserve does afford some reference. Thus, ‘As they were drinking he said to them, ‘On behalf of many this poro provision [poro is the traditional religion] of my blood is released.’ (…) God is here seen as the great benefactor and man the grateful recipient.” (Source: Ernest Richert in The Bible Translator, 1965, p. 81ff. )
Chichewa: pangano. This word can also be translated as a contract, agreement, or a treaty between two parties. In Chewa culture, two people or groups enter into an agreement to help each other in times of need. When entering into an agreement, parties look at the mutual benefits which will be gained. The agreement terms are mostly kept as a secret between the parties and the witnesses involved. (Source: Mawu a Mulungu mu Chichewa Chalero Back Translation)
Law (2013, p. 95) writes about how the Ancient GreekSeptuagint‘s translation of the Hebrew berith was used by the New Testament writers as a bridge between the Old and New Testaments (click or tap here to read more):
“Right from the start we witness the influence of the Septuagint on the earliest expressions of the Christian faith. In the New Testament, Jesus speaks of his blood being a kaine diatheke, a ‘new covenant.’ The covenant is elucidated in Hebrews 8:8-12 and other texts, but it was preserved in the words of Jesus with this language in Luke 22:20 when at the Last Supper Jesus said, ‘This cup that is poured out for you is the new covenant in my blood. Jesus’s blood was to provide the grounds for the ‘new covenant,’ in contrast to the old one his disciples knew from the Jewish scriptures (e.g., Jeremiah 31:31-34). Thus, the earliest Christians accepted the Jewish Scriptures as prophecies about Jesus and in time began to call the collection the ‘Old Testament’ and the writings about Jesus and early Christianity the ‘New Testament,’ since ‘testament’ was another word for ‘covenant.’ The covenant promises of God (berith in Hebrew) were translated in the Septuagint with the word diatheke. In classical Greek diatheke had meant ‘last will, testament,’ but in the Septuagint it is the chosen equivalent for God’s covenant with his people. The author of Hebrews plays on the double meaning, and when Luke records Jesus’ announcement at the Last Supper that his blood was instituting a ‘new covenant,’ or a ‘new testament,’ he is using the language in an explicit contrast with the old covenant, found in the Jewish scriptures. Soon, the writings that would eventually be chosen to make up the texts about the life and teachings of Jesus and the earliest expression of the Christian faith would be called the New Testament. This very distinction between the Old and New Testaments is based on the Septuagint’s language.”
The Hebrew that is translated as “steadfast love,” “lovingkindness” (Goldingay 2018: “commitment”) or similar in English is translated in a number of ways:
Vidunda: “love of enduring” (source: Pioneer Bible Translators, project-specific translation notes in Paratext)
Bura-Pabir: “love which cannot be-changed” (hyirkur na a palidzi wa)
HausaCommon Language Bible “his love without changing” (kaunarsa marar canjawa) (source for this and above: Andy Warren-Rothlin)
Elhomwe: “love that does not finish” (echikondi yoohisintheya) (source: project-specific translation notes in Paratext)
Nyamwezi: chelu, combining “love,” “faithfulness,” “loyalty,” and “kindness” (source: James Lundeen)
Newari: dayāmāyā (दयामाया), a compound word made from two Sanskrit-derived terms: dayā (दया) or “compassion, mercy, kindness” and māyā (माया) or “love, affection” (source: Newari Back Translation)
In Pijintinghevi long or “think heavy about” is used. “The Pijin expression ‘think heavy about’ is very much within the domain of committed relationships. The relationship between father and child, husband and wife, God and His people. There is a very strong element of ‘loyalty’ in this expression.” (Source: Bob Carter)
In Latvian the term žēlastība is used both for “steadfast love” and grace.
In a number of languages, the terms for for “steadfast love” and mercy are used interchangeably.
The Hebrew, Aramaic, Greek, Ge’ez, and Latin terms that are typically translated as “mercy” (or “compassion” or “kindness”) in English are translated in various ways. Bratcher / Nida classify them in (1) those based on the quality of heart, or other psychological center, (2) those which introduce the concept of weeping or extreme sorrow, (3) those which involve willingness to look upon and recognize the condition of others, or (4) those which involve a variety of intense feelings.
While the Englishmercy originates from the Latinmerces, originally “price paid,” Romance languages (Italian, Spanish, Corsican, Catalan, Friulian) and other Germanic languages (German, Swedish, Danish — Barmherzigkeit, barmhärtighet and barmhjertighed, respectively) tend to follow the Latin misericordia, lit. “misery-heart.”
Following are a number of back-translations as well as a sample translation for translators of Isaiah 55:3:
Kupsabiny: “Please, listen and come to where I am. Listen to me so that you may live. I will make a covenant with you (plur.) that extends/goes forever so that what I promised David may be fulfilled.” (Source: Kupsabiny Back Translation)
Newari: “O people, come to my place and listen well to my words! Then you will have life. I will seal a covenant with you forever, I will give you the holy every lasting love promised give to David.” (Source: Newari Back Translation)
Hiligaynon: “You (plur.) come and listen to me so-that you (plur.) will-live. I will-make a never ending covenant with you (plur.). I will-show to you (plur.) my great love and faithfulness which I have-promised to David.” (Source: Hiligaynon Back Translation)
Click or tap here to see the rest of this insight.
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 choice of a first person singular and plural pronoun (“I” and “we” and its various forms) as shown here in the widely-used Japanese Shinkaiyaku (新改訳) Bible of 2017. The most commonly used watashi/watakushi (私) is typically used when the speaker is humble and asking for help. In these verses, where God / Jesus is referring to himself, watashi is also used but instead of the kanji writing system (私) the syllabary hiragana (わたし) is used to distinguish God from others.
Click or tap here to see the rest of this insight.
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 choice of a formal plural suffix to the second person pronoun (“you” and its various forms) as shown here in the widely-used Japanese Shinkaiyaku (新改訳) Bible of 2017. In these verses, anata-gata (あなたがた) is used, combining the second person pronoun anata and the plural suffix -gata to create a formal plural pronoun (“you” [plural] in English).
Incline your ear, and come to me; hear, that your soul may live: This verse begins with three imperatives that correspond with those of the previous subsection. Incline your ear is a common biblical idiom for listening carefully to something spoken (see the comments on 37.17). Like “Hearken diligently to me” in verse 2, it has the sense of obeying God here. Come to me repeats the call in verse 1. Hear renders the same Hebrew verb translated “Hearken” in verse 2. It is synonymous in meaning with Incline your ear. In translation these three imperatives may be rearranged if necessary; for example, it may be better to begin with “Come and listen carefully; hear what I have to say….” Good News Translation combines Incline your ear and hear into “Listen now,” but it repeats “come to me” to reflect the emphasis in the Hebrew text.
That your soul may live is the purpose for obeying God. If God’s people obey him, they will live. The Hebrew expression for your soul (which has the word nephesh) is translated “yourselves” in verse 2. Here it may be rendered simply “you” (Good News Translation, Revised English Bible, New Jerusalem Bible, New Jewish Publication Society’s Tanakh). In this context the verb live means the people will live longer or have a better quality of life. Possible models for this line are “that you may have abundant life” and “that you may live longer [or, more happily].”
And I will make with you an everlasting covenant defines what it means to live. For everlasting covenant, see the comments on 24.5. The everlasting covenant was first made with Noah (Gen 9.8-17), then extended to Abraham (Gen 17) and the patriarchs, and then to the Davidic family (2 Sam 7.8-16; 23.5). Now God will make it with the nation of Israel. It is not a covenant between equal partners, since God takes the initiative to establish it.
My steadfast, sure love for David is literally “steadfast loves of David.” The Hebrew noun for “steadfast love” refers to the special love expressed in covenant relationships (see the comments on 16.5). This whole line could mean “the covenant love shown by David,” but it more likely means “the covenant love God showed toward King David and his dynasty.” The plural form of “steadfast loves” refers to the numerous times God showed his love within the covenant relationship.
There are different ways of expressing the relationship between the last two lines of this verse. By simply using a comma between the two lines, Revised Standard Version‘s rendering suggests that the LORD’s everlasting covenant with the people is based on his love for David (also New Revised Standard Version, New International Version, New Jewish Publication Society’s Tanakh). Other versions express the relationship more fully; for example, Revised English Bible has “I shall make an everlasting covenant with you to love you faithfully as I loved David.” Good News Translation says “I will make a lasting covenant with you and give you the blessings I promised to David.” Bible en français courant is similar with “I commit myself for ever, says the Lord, to grant you the benefits that I had assured to David.” New Jerusalem Bible translates “I shall make an everlasting covenant with you in fulfillment of the favours promised to David.” All these renderings are possible interpretations, so they are valid models.
However, God’s covenant promise here does not mean that David’s descendants will return to power after the exile. The versions that simply use a comma to separate the last two lines could be understood to hint at this. But the covenant here is made with the entire nation of Israel, not just David’s descendants. In this sense Second Isaiah is different from other prophets who expected a return of the Davidic king (see, for example, Jer 33.17; Ezek 34.23; Zech 12.7-8). The reference to King David means the covenant made with the returning exiles will be equal to the eternal covenant the LORD made with David.
Translation examples for this verse are:
• “Come to me, listen closely;
hear what I have to say so that you may live.
I will make an eternal covenant with you
and show you the same covenant love I showed to David.
• “Listen closely and come to me;
hear me so that you may live.
I will make an everlasting covenant with you
and show you my [steadfast] love because of my love for David.
Quoted with permission from Ogden, Graham S. and Sterk, Jan. A Handbook on Isaiah. (UBS Helps for Translators). New York: UBS, 2011. For this and other handbooks for translators see here .
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