serve (Igede)

The Hebrew, Aramaic, and Greek that is typically translated in English as “serve,” “minister,” “walk with,” or “service” is translated in Igede as myị ẹrụ or “agree with message (of the one you’re serving).” (source: Andy Warren-Rothlin)

See also serve.

complete verse (John 12:26)

Following are a number of back-translations of John 12:26:

  • Uma: “Whoever of you wants to become my worker, must follow me, so that wherever I go, there also you. My Father will honor you who become my workers.” (Source: Uma Back Translation)
  • Yakan: “Isa said, ‘Whoever wants to do my commands, he should follow me. So-then wherever I am, there he will be also. Whoever does my commands my Father will honor.'” (Source: Yakan Back Translation)
  • Western Bukidnon Manobo: “If there is a person who wants that he would be my servant, he must follow me, for where I am, there my servant will be also. And if there is one who fulfills my commands, my Father God will praise him.” (Source: Western Bukidnon Manobo Back Translation)
  • Kankanaey: “Whoever serves me, it is necessary that I be the one he continues to follow in order that where-I-am, that also will be where-he-is. And that-one who serves me, my Father will honor him.'” (Source: Kankanaey Back Translation)
  • Tagbanwa: “The one serving me, he must be obedient-to/always-following me, and where I will go, this one serving me will indeed go there. Whoever serves me will really be rewarded with good by the Father.” (Source: Tagbanwa Back Translation)
  • Tenango Otomi: “He who wants to do my will must follow me. And where I will be there must he be also. He who does my will will be looked favorably on by my Father.” (Source: Tenango Otomi Back Translation)

Father (address for God)

The Greek that is translated with the capitalized “Father” in English when referring to God is translated in Highland Totonac with the regular word for (biological) father to which a suffix is added to indicate respect. The same also is used for “Lord” when referring to Jesus. (Source: Hermann Aschmann in The Bible Translator 1950, p. 171ff. )

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. In the widely-used Japanese Shinkaiyaku (新改訳) Bible of 2017, God the Father is addressed with mi-chichi (御父). This form has the “divine” honorific prefix mi– preceding the archaic honorific form chichi for “father.”

If, however, Jesus addresses his Father, he is using chichi-o (父を) which is also highly respectful but does not have the “divine” honorific. (Source: S. E. Doi, see also S. E. Doi in Journal of Translation, 18/2022, p. 37ff. )

See also Lord and my / our Father.

Japanese benefactives (omonjite)

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 show different degree of politeness is through the choice of a benefactive construction as shown here in the widely-used Japanese Shinkaiyaku (新改訳) Bible of 2017.

Here, omonjite (重んじて) or “value” is used in combination with kudasaru (くださる), a respectful form of the benefactive kureru (くれる). A benefactive reflects the good will of the giver or the gratitude of a recipient of the favor. To convey this connotation, English translation needs to employ a phrase such as “for me (my sake)” or “for you (your sake).” (Source: S. E. Doi, see also S. E. Doi in Journal of Translation, 18/2022, p. 37ff. )

first person pronoun referring to God

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 show 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 John 12:26

Whoever wants to serve me is literally “if anyone serves me.” But the Greek “if” followed by an indefinite pronoun (“anyone” or “someone”) is equivalent to whoever in English.

In some languages it may be necessary to invert the concept of “serving” by saying “If any of you want me to be your master.” Otherwise “serving” might refer merely to “serving meals.”

So that my servant will be with me where I am is a restructuring of the Greek, which reads literally “and where I am, there also my servant will be.” Jesus is on his way to death, and this observation, taken in conjunction with verse 25, indicates that the route the servant must follow is also that of death.

It is necessary to make clear that my servant refers to the individual who wishes to serve his master. By changing the conditional relative clause introduced by whoever into a conditional sentence with “if” and using the second person plural to identify the persons involved, one may translate “If any of you want me to be your master (or “serve me”), you must follow me so that you, as my servants, will be with me wherever I am.”

In Greek my Father reads literally “the Father”; but see comments at 5.19. It should be noted that according to the Greek sentence structure the pronouns “him” (Good News Translation anyone) and “me” are emphatic. Nowhere else in this Gospel does John speak of the Father honoring someone, but we do read of the honor that people pay either to Jesus or to the Father (5.23; 8.49). Here the honor that the Father shows to the believer is a reward for his faithful service to Jesus. At the same time it suggests that a mutual relationship exists between the Father and the believer, in a way similar to that which exists between the Father and the Son.

In some instances it may be important to render serve in the sense of “help” or “assist.” The final part of verse 26 would then be rendered as “and hence my Father will honor anyone who helps me.”

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 .