salvation

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The Greek, Latin and Hebrew that is translated with “salvation” (or “deliverance”) in English is translated in the following ways:

  • San Blas Kuna: “receive help for bad deeds” (“this help is not just any kind of help but help for the soul which has sinned)
  • Northwestern Dinka: “help as to his soul” (“or literally, ‘his breath'”) (source for this and the one above: Nida 1952, p. 140)
  • Central Mazahua: “healing the heart” (source: Nida 1952, p. 40)
  • Tzeltal: col: “get loose,” “go free,” “get well” (source: Marianna C. Slocum in The Bible Translator 1958, p. 49f. )
  • Aari: “the day our Savior comes” (in Rom 13:11) (source: Loren Bliese)

in Mairasi its is translated as “life fruit” or “life fruit all mashed out.” Lloyd Peckham explains: “In secret stories, not knowable to women nor children, there was a magical fruit of life. If referred to vaguely, without specifying the specific ‘fruit,’ it can be an expression for eternity.” And for “all masked out” he 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.” (See also eternity / forever)

In Lisu a poetic construct is used for this term. Arrington (2020, p. 58f.) explains: “A four-word couplet uses Lisu poetic forms to bridge the abstract concrete divide, an essential divide to cross if Christian theology is to be understood by those with oral thought patterns. Each couplet uses three concrete nouns or verbs to express an abstract term. An example of this is the word for salvation, a quite abstract term essential to understanding Christian theology. To coin this new word, the missionary translators used a four-word couplet: ℲO., CYU. W: CYU (person … save … person … save). In this particular case, the word for person was not the ordinary word (ʁ) but rather the combination of ℲO., and W: used in oral poetry. The word for ‘save’ also had to be coined; in this case, it was borrowed from Chinese [from jiù / 救]. These aspects of Lisu poetry, originally based on animism, likely would have been lost as Lisu society encountered communism and modernization. Yet they are now codified in the Lisu Bible as well as the hymnbook.”

In the Contemporary Chichewa translation (2002/2016) it is translated with chipulumutso which is used to refer to an act of helping someone who is in problems but cannot help him/herself come out of the problems because of weakness. (Source: Mawu a Mulungu mu Chichewa Chalero Back Translation)

See also save and save (Japanese honorifics) / salvation (of God) (Japanese honorifics).

Jerusalem

The name that is transliterated as “Jerusalem” in English is signed in French Sign Language with a sign that depicts worshiping at the Western Wall in Jerusalem:


“Jerusalem” in French Sign Language (source: La Bible en langue des signes française )

While a similar sign is also used in British Sign Language, another, more neutral sign that combines the sign “J” and the signs for “place” is used as well. (Source: Anna Smith)


“Jerusalem” in British Sign Language (source: Christian BSL, used with permission)

Learn more on Bible Odyssey: Jerusalem .

complete verse (Isaiah 62:1)

Following are a number of back-translations as well as a sample translation for translators of Isaiah 62:1:

  • Kupsabiny: “I will speak to strengthen Zion,
    I shall not keep quiet on account of Jerusalem,
    until I see that (it) has been saved,
    and its light shines like dawn
    and shines on people like a fire.” (Source: Kupsabiny Back Translation)
  • Newari: “By reason of Zion I will not remain silent.
    By reason of Jerusalem I will not remain silent,
    Until her righteousness does appear like the first light of dawn
    and until her salvation does appear like the light of a torch of wheat straw.” (Source: Newari Back Translation)
  • Hiligaynon: “Because I love Zion, the city of Jerusalem, I will- not -keep-silent until victory with righteousness will-arrive to her, as-if-like the rising sun, and until she will-possess her salvation as-if-like a blazing lamp.” (Source: Hiligaynon Back Translation)

1st person pronoun referring to God (Japanese)

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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 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.

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

See also pronoun for “God”.

Translation commentary on Isaiah 62:1

For Zion’s sake I will not keep silent, and for Jerusalem’s sake I will not rest: These two parallel lines each begin with a Hebrew expression that is rendered For … sake. New Jerusalem Bible says simply “About,” meaning “concerning.” Bible en français courant is better with “Out of love for.” What the prophet says about Jerusalem in the remainder of the section is very positive, so For … sake may be rendered “For the good of” (similarly Contemporary English Version) or “For the benefit of.” In a rather free rendering Good News Translation omits this phrase, which we do not recommend. Good News Translation combines the synonymous names Zion (see 1.8) and Jerusalem by only using “Jerusalem.” This follows its principle of using the better known name when there are two different but synonymous names for the same place or person.

In verse 2 the prophet addresses his audience directly, using second person pronouns (“you” and “your”) that are feminine singular in Hebrew to refer to Jerusalem. Good News Translation makes this clear by beginning verse 2 with the vocative “Jerusalem.” But Contemporary English Version, Bible en français courant, and Die Bibel im heutigen Deutsch make the identity of the addressee clear by using this vocative and second person pronouns for Jerusalem here in verse 1, which other languages may find helpful.

I will not keep silent and I will not rest both express a determination to speak up and do something for the benefit of Jerusalem. For the Hebrew verb rendered keep silent, see the comments on 42.14, where it is translated “held … peace.” This verb occurs again in verse 6. For the Hebrew verb rendered rest, see the comments on 7.4, where it is translated “be quiet.” I will not rest means the prophet will continue to work for the goal he mentions in the last half of this verse. Bible en français courant (1997) says “I will not remain inactive.” Both these expressions may be rendered positively by saying “I will speak up … I will continue to work.” Good News Translation has “I will speak out … I will not be silent,” referring to speech both times, which is possible. New International Version is similar with “I will not keep silent … I will not remain quiet” (similarly Revised English Bible).

Until her vindication goes forth as brightness, and her salvation as a burning torch: In these two parallel lines the prophet states the goal of his work. He will not give up until it is as evident as light to everyone that God has vindicated and saved the people of Judah. At this time the people doubt the actual fulfillment of God’s promises. Third Isaiah assures them that God will indeed act, even if the fulfillment of Second Isaiah’s earlier promises seems to have been delayed. They will be able to rebuild their cities in Judah and reestablish their livelihood. The pronoun her refers to Jerusalem and its people. Her vindication may mean God will vindicate the people, that is, prove them innocent, or it may mean he will rescue them (see the comments on 61.10, where the Hebrew root here is rendered “righteousness”). If it has the later sense, then it is synonymous in meaning with her salvation (see 61.10). Good News Translation understands them as synonymous by rendering them “she is saved” and “her victory.” For her vindication and her salvation, Revised English Bible has “her victory” and “her deliverance,” New International Version says “her righteousness” and “her salvation,” New Jewish Publication Society’s Tanakh uses “her victory” and “her triumph,” and New Jerusalem Bible chooses “her saving justice” and “her salvation.”

Goes forth as brightness and as a burning torch are similes that both express confidence that God’s vindication and rescue of his people will become widely known. “Light” is a major figure for salvation in Third Isaiah (see, for example, 59.9; 60.1). The verb goes forth does not express movement but rather public awareness. This verb is implied in the last line. The Hebrew noun for brightness is the same one that occurs in 59.9; 60.3 and 19. Here it occurs in a simile referring to the dawn. For as brightness, New Revised Standard Version has “like the dawn” (similarly New Jerusalem Bible, Bible en français courant), and Revised English Bible says “like the sunrise.” For the Hebrew word rendered torch, see the comments on 50.11, where a similar word is translated “brands.” It may be rendered “lamp” or “light.”

For the translation of this verse consider the following examples:

• For the good of Zion I will not remain silent,
for the good of Jerusalem I will not remain quiet,
not until she is vindicated and shines brightly,
not until she is rescued and burns like a light [or, gives light like a lamp/torch].

• I will not keep silent for Zion’s benefit,
I will not give up for Jerusalem’s benefit,
not until God proves her innocent and she shines forth,
not until God rescues her and her light is seen.

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 .