save

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The Greek, Hebrew, Aramaic, and Latin that is translated as a form of “save” in English is translated in Shipibo-Conibo with a phrase that means literally “make to live,” which combines the meaning of “to rescue” and “to deliver from danger,” but also the concept of “to heal” or “restore to health.”

Other translations include:

  • San Blas Kuna: “help the heart”
  • Laka: “take by the hand” in the meaning of “rescue” or “deliver”
  • Huautla Mazatec: “lift out on behalf of”
  • Anuak: “have life because of”
  • Central Mazahua: “be healed in the heart”
  • Baoulé: “save one’s head”
  • Guerrero Amuzgo: “come out well”
  • Northwestern Dinka: “be helped as to his breath” (or “life”) (source for all above: Bratcher / Nida),
  • Matumbi: “rescue (from danger)” (source: Pioneer Bible Translators, project-specific notes in Paratext)
  • Noongar: barrang-ngandabat or “hold life” (source: Warda-Kwabba Luke-Ang)
  • South Bolivian Quechua: “make to escape”
  • Highland Puebla Nahuatl: “cause people to come out with the aid of the hand” (source for this and one above: Nida 1947, p. 222)
  • Bariai: “retrieve one back” (source: Bariai Back Translation)

See also salvation and save (Japanese honorifics).

complete verse (Job 22:29)

Following are a number of back-translations as well as a sample translation for translators of Job 22:29:

  • Kupsabiny: “When other people are pulled down,
    and you say to God ‘Raise them up’,
    he will rescue those people.” (Source: Kupsabiny Back Translation)
  • Newari: “When people are humiliated, you will say, ‘Please lift them up!’
    and He will lift up those who have been humiliated.” (Source: Newari Back Translation)
  • Hiligaynon: “If there is a man who is-weakening, and when you (sing.) pray to God that he will-be-strengthened, he will-help that particular man.” (Source: Hiligaynon Back Translation)
  • English: “God humbles those who are proud,
    but he saves those who are downcast/discouraged.” (Source: Translation for Translators)

Translation commentary on Job 22:29

Eliphaz now summarizes his thoughts. For God abases the proud: as the Good News Translation footnote says, the Hebrew of this line is unclear. Fortunately the next line is clear enough: but he saves the lowly. The person in line b is described in Hebrew as having “downcast eyes” and is in contrast to the proud person in line a. Line a is literally “When they have humbled you, you say ‘Pride!’ ” The words “humbled” and “pride” have been the subject of numerous proposals for change, but few agreements. However, “you said” is generally felt to be out of place. Both Revised Standard Version and Good News Translation supply God as the subject of the active verb abases and translate line a as “God humbles the proud,” which is clearly in contrast to but he saves the lowly. Hebrew Old Testament Text Project gives the Hebrew text a “B” rating and attempts to keep it by offering two renderings: (a) “When they are brought low, you will say: ‘restoration’ and he (God) will save (the man with) lowered eyes”; and (b) “When they are brought low, you will say: ‘(it is because of) pride,’ but (the man with) lowered eyes he (that is, God) saves.” The second alternative can be translated into English as “When a person is humbled you say it is because he was proud, but God saves the humble person.” Verse 29 may also be rendered, for example, “When God humbles people you say he did it because they were proud, but it is God’s way of saving them.”

Quoted with permission from Reyburn, Wiliam. A Handbook on Job. (UBS Helps for Translators). New York: UBS, 1992. For this and other handbooks for translators see here .