Lloyd Peckham explains the Mairasi translation: “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.”
The Greek that is translated “scripture” or “scriptures” in English is translated as “God’s word which people wrote” in Guerrero Amuzgo (source: M. Larson / B. Moore in Notes on Translation February 1970, p. 1-125) and “paper writings” in Copainalá Zoque (source: B. Moore / G. Turner in Notes on Translation 1967, p. 1ff.).
While the term “Bible,” often used as a synonym, does not appear in the Bible itself, there’s an interesting translation of that word in Dehu. Missionaries had translated “Bible” as “Container of the Word” until they realized that this was also used for “penis sheath.” (Source: Clifford 1992, p. 87)
Following are a number of back-translations of John 5:39:
Umiray Dumaget Agta: “You read the writings carefully because you mistakenly think that you will live forever because of them. These, however, are what tell of me.”
Huehuetla Tepehua: “It is necessary that you study well God’s words since you say that there you will find everlasting life up in heaven. And you will find that even there it talks about me.”
Lalana Chinantec: “You read where the word of God is written down, for you think that you will live forever because you have the word of God. But I am the one the word of God is speaking about.” (Source for this and above: M. Larson / B. Moore in Notes on Translation February 1970, p. 1-125.)
Uma: “You study the contents of the Holy Book, because you say that you receive good life forever from that Holy Book. But the Holy Book itself also talks about me.” (Source: Uma Back Translation)
Yakan: “You really persevere studying the holy-book because you think that if you study you will find/obtain life forever in heaven. And-what’s-more this holy-book tells about me.” (Source: Yakan Back Translation)
Western Bukidnon Manobo: “You study the written word of God because you suppose mistakenly that by means of this you will be able to own eternal life. The written word of God testifies about me, however you don’t believe in me.” (Source: Western Bukidnon Manobo Back Translation)
Kankanaey: “You study-and-study what God caused-to-be-written long ago, because you mistakenly-think that if you do that, you will have life that has no end. But I of-course am the one that that-aforementioned writing talks-about,” (Source: Kankanaey Back Translation)
Tagbanwa: “You keep going over and over the word of God in your writings, because you’re sure you will find there how life which has no ending may be yours. However as for these, they testify only concerning me.” (Source: Tagbanwa Back Translation)
Tenango Otomi: “You earnestly study the Holy Book you have because you thus want to find out about the new life which is forever. And the one written about in that Holy Book you study is me.” (Source: Tenango Otomi Back Translation)
Kupsabiny: “You like reading the writings so much thinking that when you do like that you will get life everlasting. But these writings talk of how I am.” (Source: Kupsabiny Back Translation)
Mairasi: “You guys already definitely regularly study what’s inside the Holy Book because you guys think/assume: ‘By doing that we will certainly see the life-fruit place [salvation]’ you guys say. In this very same Holy Book it testifies about Me Myself.'” (Source: Enggavoter 2004)
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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.
Click or tap here to see the rest of this insight.
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 formal plural suffix to the second person pronoun (“you” and its various forms) as shown here in the widely-used Japanese Shinkaiyaku (新改訳) Bible of 2017. In these verses, anata-gata (あなたがた) is used, combining the second person pronoun anata and the plural suffix -gata to create a formal plural pronoun (“you” [plural] in English).
Like many languages (but unlike Greek or Hebrew or English), Tuvan uses a formal vs. informal 2nd person pronoun (a familiar vs. a respectful “you”). Unlike other languages that have this feature, however, the translators of the Tuvan Bible have attempted to be very consistent in using the different forms of address in every case a 2nd person pronoun has to be used in the translation of the biblical text.
As Voinov shows in Pronominal Theology in Translating the Gospels (in: The Bible Translator2002, p. 210ff. ), the choice to use either of the pronouns many times involved theological judgment. While the formal pronoun can signal personal distance or a social/power distance between the speaker and addressee, the informal pronoun can indicate familiarity or social/power equality between speaker and addressee.
Here, Jesus is addressing his disciples, individuals and/or crowds with the formal pronoun, showing respect.
In most Dutch translations, Jesus addresses his disciples and common people with the informal pronoun, whereas they address him with the formal form.
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®).
The you of this verse refers back to the Jews of verse 18. In Greek the same verb form may be either an indicative (you study) or an imperative (“study!”). Only the context can indicate the difference, and most commentators and modern translators believe that the indicative better suits the context. Jesus earlier made a statement concerning the ways in which the Jews had accepted other witnesses; now he makes a statement concerning the way in which they study the Scriptures: they believe that in them they will find eternal life. He first makes the statement and then makes a contrast, indicating that the Jews had missed the true point of the Scriptures. They had missed the true point because they had sought to find eternal life in them, when the Scriptures had actually testified about Jesus, the one who brings eternal life. In Jewish thought the Law was the means by which God had ordained that men should find eternal life, and this explains the importance of the appeal that is made here to the Scriptures.
Since in many languages eternal life must be expressed by a verbal form, in them you will find eternal life may be translated “in them you will find how to live forever” or “… to live without ceasing.” What is to be found in the Scriptures is not actually eternal life, but rather the secret of eternal life, that is, the way in which this kind of life may be obtained.
The phrase these very Scriptures represents a demonstrative pronoun (“those”) in the Greek text. In many languages it is not possible to speak of “Scriptures speaking,” since “writings” are not able to “talk.” One can, however, often say “these writings have words about me” or “in these very writings there are statements about who I really am.”
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 .
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