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).

complete verse (Job 30:15)

Following are a number of back-translations as well as a sample translation for translators of Job 30:15:

  • Kupsabiny: “I became terrified
    my manhood/dignity disappeared like the wind
    and my blessings passed like the cloud.” (Source: Kupsabiny Back Translation)
  • Newari: “Terror surrounds me.
    My honor has been blown away [lit.: caused to fly away] as by the wind.
    My security has vanished like a cloud.” (Source: Newari Back Translation)
  • Hiligaynon: “My fear was very intense, and my honor and wealth had-vanished like a cloud that was-blown-away by a strong wind.” (Source: Hiligaynon Back Translation)
  • English: “I am very terrified;
    My dignity/honor has been taken away as though it has been blown away by the wind,
    and my prosperity has disappeared like clouds disappear. ” (Source: Translation for Translators)

Translation commentary on Job 30:15

Terrors are turned upon me: the Hebrew of this verse has three lines, the second and third being parallel in meaning. Terrors is the same noun used by Bildad and Zophar in 18.11, 14; 27.20. The meaning here is “fear, fright.” Are turned upon me means “overwhelms me,” or as in Good News Translation, “I am overcome with terror.”

My honor is pursued as by the wind: honor translates a word found only here and in Isaiah 32.8 (“noble”). It may be expressed as “dignity” or “confidence.” It is related to the word for “noble” or “prince” found in 12.21; 21.28. It is Job’s “princely dignity,” which may refer mainly to his status in the community. Pursued as by the wind: we may render this as “it is as if my dignity were driven away by the wind.” Bible en français courant has “sweeping away my dignity like a gust of wind.” Good News Translation is expressive, with “my dignity is gone like a puff of wind.” In some languages my honor may have to be expressed differently; for example, “the honor the people gave me” or “the respect I received from the people.”

And my prosperity has passed away like a cloud: the word translated prosperity is related to the verb meaning “to save,” so it has traditionally been rendered “salvation” and is so rendered by Dhorme. It can also be understood as “well-being, welfare,” and many modern translations take it in one of these senses. The word occurs in Job in only one other place, namely, in 13.16, where Revised Standard Version translates “salvation” but New English Bible has “success.” The causative form of the verb can mean “is victorious” as in Zechariah 9.9, and “victorious” in the context in which God rescues or saves his people. Accordingly New English Bible translates “And my hope of victory vanishes like a cloud.” This rendering fits the context better than prosperity or “welfare” and should be considered by translators as a translation model.

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 .