Following are a number of back-translations of John 1:20:
Yatzachi Zapotec: “He said to them clearly, ‘I am not the Christ, the person whom God is to send to help the nation of us Israelites.'”
Ojitlán Chinantec: “He said, ‘I am not the Christ, the chosen of God for a particular task.’ John showed the truth. He did not speak lies.”
Huehuetla Tepehua: “Well he admitted the truth. He immediately made it plain to them that he wasn’t Christ whom it was said God would send.”
Mezquital Otomi: “. . . I am not the Christ, whom God chose.”
Alekano: “Then not denying it, revealing it, he told them this: ‘I am not the Christ.'”
Chol: “John did not keep it a secret . . . ” (Source for this and above: M. Larson / B. Moore in Notes on Translation February 1970, p. 1-125.)
Uma: “Yohanes answered them plainly, he said to them: ‘I am not the Redeemer King.'” (Source: Uma Back Translation)
Yakan: “Yahiya did not hide (anything) instead really confessed/spoke the truth, he said, ‘I am not the Almasi.'” (Source: Yakan Back Translation)
Western Bukidnon Manobo: “And this is what John said because he did not hide it. He said, ‘As for me, I am not the one chosen by God to rule.'” (Source: Western Bukidnon Manobo Back Translation)
Kankanaey: “Juan didn’t deny the truth of it but rather he admitted saying, ‘I am not the Messiah.'” (Source: Kankanaey Back Translation)
Tagbanwa: “He really didn’t make-claims for himself but on the contrary he told the truth, saying, ‘It’s not I who am the Cristo who is that promised Savior King.'” (Source: Tagbanwa Back Translation)
Tenango Otomi: “John straightly spoke. He said, ‘I am not the Christ whom God appointed to rule.'” (Source: Tenango Otomi Back Translation)
The Greek Christos (Χρηστός) is typically transliterated when it appears together with Iésous (Ἰησοῦς) (Jesus). In English the transliteration is the Anglicized “Christ,” whereas in many other languages it is based on the Greek or Latin as “Kristus,” “Cristo,” or similar.
When used as a descriptive term in the New Testament — as it’s typically done in the gospels (with the possible exceptions of for instance John 1:17 and 17:3) — Christos is seen as the Greek translation of the Hebrew mashiaḥ (המשיח) (“anointed”). Accordingly, a transliteration of mashiaḥ is used, either as “Messiah” or based on the Greek or Latin as a form of “Messias.”
This transliteration is also used in the two instances where the Greek term Μεσσίας (Messias) is used in John 1:41 and 4:25.
In some languages and some translations, the term “Messiah” is supplemented with an explanation. Such as in the GermanGute Nachricht with “the Messiah, the promised savior” (Wir haben den Messias gefunden, den versprochenen Retter) or in Muna with “Messiah, the Saving King” (Mesias, Omputo Fosalamatino) (source: René van den Berg).
In predominantly Muslim areas or for Bible translations for a Muslim target group, Christos is usually transliterated from the Arabic al-Masih (ٱلْمَسِيحِ) — “Messiah.” In most cases, this practice corresponds with languages that also use a form of the Arabic Isa (عيسى) for Jesus (see Jesus). There are some exceptions, though, including modern translations in Arabic which use Yasua (يَسُوعَ) (coming from the Aramaic Yēšūa’) alongside a transliteration of al-Masih, Hausa which uses Yesu but Almahisu, and some Fula languages (Adamawa Fulfulde, Nigerian Fulfulde, and Central-Eastern Niger Fulfulde) which also use a form of Iésous (Yeesu) but Almasiihu (or Almasiifu) for Christos.
In Indonesian, while most Bible translations had already used Yesus Kristus rather than Isa al Masih, three public holidays used to be described using the term Isa Al Masih. From 2024 on, the government is using Yesus Kristus in those holiday names instead (see this article in Christianity Today ).
Other solutions that are used by a number of languages include these:
Dobel: “The important one that God had appointed to come” (source: Jock Hughes)
Noongar: Keny Mammarap or “The One Man” (source: Warda-Kwabba Luke-Ang)
Mairasi: “King of not dying for life all mashed out infinitely” (for “mashed out,” see salvation; source: Lloyd Peckham)
Western Bukidnon Manobo: “One chosen by God to rule mankind” (source: Western Bukidnon Manobo Back Translation)
Bacama: Ma Pwa a Ngɨltən: “The one God has chosen” (source: David Frank in this blog post )
Binumarien: Anutuna: originally a term that was used for a man that was blessed by elders for a task by the laying on of hands (source: Desmond Oatridges, Holzhausen 1991, p. 49f.)
Noongar: Keny Boolanga-Yira Waangki-Koorliny: “One God is Sending” (source: Warda-Kwabba Luke-Ang)
Uab Meto: Neno Anan: “Son of heaven” P. Middelkoop explains: “The idea of heavenly power bestowed on a Timorese king is rendered in the title Neno Anan. It is based on the historical fact that chiefs in general came from overseas and they who come thence are believed to have come down from heaven, from the land beyond the sea, that means the sphere of God and the ghosts of the dead. The symbolical act of anointing has been made subservient to the revelation of an eternal truth and when the term Neno Anan is used as a translation thereof, it also is made subservient to a new revelation of God in Jesus Christ. The very fact that Jesus came from heaven makes this translation hit the mark.” (Source: P. Middelkoop in The Bible Translator 1953, p. 183ff. )
In Finnish Sign Language both “Christ” and “Messiah” are translated with a sign signifying “king.” (Source: Tarja Sandholm)
“Christ / Messiah” in Finnish Sign Language (source )
Law (2013, p. 97) writes about how the Ancient GreekSeptuagint‘s translation of the Hebrew mashiah was used by the New Testament writers as a bridge between the Old and New Testaments (click or tap here to read more):
“Another important word in the New Testament that comes from the Septuagint is christos, ‘Christ.’ Christ is not part of the name of the man from Nazareth, as if ‘the Christs’ were written above the door of his family home. Rather, ‘Christ’ is an explicitly messianic title used by the writers of the New Testament who have learned this word from the Septuagint’s translation of the Hebrew mashiach, ‘anointed,’ which itself is often rendered in English as ‘Messiah.’ To be sure, one detects a messianic intent on the part of the Septuagint translator in some places. Amos 4:13 may have been one of these. In the Hebrew Bible, God ‘reveals his thoughts to mortals,’ but the Septuagint has ‘announcing his anointed to humans.’ A fine distinction must be made, however, between theology that was intended by the Septuagint translators and that developed by later Christian writers. In Amos 4:13 it is merely possible we have a messianic reading, but it is unquestionably the case that the New Testament writers exploit the Septuagint’s use of christos, in Amos and elsewhere, to messianic ends.”
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®).
In Greek, this verse begins with the words “and he confessed and he did not deny and he confessed.” Good News Translation places the negative statement first and interprets the twice-used “he confessed” as indicating emphasis. Moreover, by the introduction of the name John, the pronominal reference “he” is made explicit: John did not refuse to answer, but spoke out openly and clearly. In New English Bible this entire clause appears as “he confessed without reserve and avowed,” and in Moffatt as “he frankly confessed—he did not deny it, he frankly confessed.”
In some languages did not refuse to answer may be appropriately translated “did not hesitate to answer” or “answered immediately.” In order to reflect as accurately as possible the emphasis in the Greek text (indicated by the repetition of “he confessed”), one can translate “he told them so clearly that everyone could understand” or “he said to all there and made it clear” or “he spoke out so as not to leave anyone in doubt.” In some languages one can simply say “he didn’t hide anything; he just told them all the truth” or “he did not mumble his words; he spoke right out.”
In John’s statement, I am not the Messiah, the pronoun I is emphatic. Accordingly, the force of John’s answer would probably be “I am not the Messiah, but there is one who is.” The Messiah (so also New English Bible, New American Bible) is literally “the Christ” (so most translations). “the Christ” is the Greek translation of the Hebrew term the Messiah (literally “the anointed one”); it refers to the future Davidic King who was expected to free the Jews from foreign oppression. In New Testament times most Jews believed that the Messiah would be a political-military figure, and we find this view expressed in the New Testament itself (Luke 1.71). To translate the Messiah as a proper name (Phillips “I am not Christ”) fails to convey the fact that this term is a title (see comments at 1.41). However, to translate as the Messiah requires a footnote or a glossary entry for most readers. Instead of “the Messiah,” Die Bibel im heutigen Deutsch has “the promised Saviour,” both here and in most other places. (In Matt 2.4 it has “the promised King,” but see Matt 2.2 for the reason for the shift.) Either “the promised King,” “the promised Saviour,” or even “the promised Saviour King” expresses accurately the meaning that the original readers would have received.
Most translations prefer to transliterate the term the Messiah, since they believe that a close connection exists between this statement and the prophetic utterances of the old Testament. This usage is more satisfactory than merely borrowing a form of the Greek term “Christ,” a term almost inevitable interpreted merely as a proper name. There is much to be said, however, for such a translation as “the promised Rescuer” or “the Savior whom God has promised.” A footnote can be employed to indicate that in the Bible this term referred to “the Messiah” (as in Hebrew), or “the Christ” (as in the Greek text).
Quoted with permission from Newman, Barclay M. and Nida, Eugene A. A Handbook on the Gospel of John. (UBS Handbook Series). New York: UBS, 1980. For this and other handbooks for translators see here .
He did not refuse to confess, but openly declared: The word confess here means to declare something to be true. It does not mean that John admitted that he sinned. The Greek text says the same thing three times. It says it twice as a positive statement (“confessed…confessed”) and once as a negative statement (“did not deny it”). However, in some languages it may be natural to emphasize this in a different way and say it only once or twice, like the Berean Standard Bible does. For example:
He did not fail to confess, but confessed freely (New International Version) -or-
He quickly declared the truth -or-
He told them plainly (Contemporary English Version)
1:20b
I am not the Christ: The Greek phrase that the Berean Standard Bible translates literally as the Christ is a title. The Jews used this title to refer to the person whom God had promised to send to save Israel. Both the Greek word Christ and the Hebrew word “Messiah” mean “anointed one.” To anoint someone means “to put oil on someone to indicate that they have a special purpose.” When the term is used for Jesus as the Messiah, it refers to the person that God appointed for a special purpose. See the note on Christ at 1:17b.
General Comment on 1:19–20
The event in John 1:19a is the same one described in 1:20a and occurs after 1:19b-c. In some languages it may be natural to translate these verses in the order in which they happened. For example:
19b The leaders in Jerusalem sent priests and temple helpers 19c to ask John who he was. 19a–20 He told them plainly, “I am not the Messiah.” (Contemporary English Version)
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