eternity, forever, forever and ever

The Greek, Hebrew and Ge’ez that is typically translated as “eternity,” “forever,” or “forever and ever” in English are translated in Mairasi as “mashed out infinitely.” Lloyd Peckham 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.” (Source: Lloyd Peckham)

In Lisu the phrase “forever and ever” is translated as ꓕꓲꓽ ꓞꓲꓼ ꓕꓲ ꓑ — thi tsi thi pa, verbatim translated as “one – lifetime – one – world.” This construction follows a traditional four-couplet construct in oral Lisu poetry that is usually in the form ABAC or ABCB. (Source: Arrington 2020, p. 57f.)

In Makonde it is often translated as navyaka or “years and years.” (Source: Pioneer Bible Translators, project-specific notes in Paratext)

See also forever, eternal life and salvation.

Learn more on Bible Odyssey: Concepts of Eternity .

complete verse (John 8:35)

Following are a number of back-translations of John 8:35:

  • Uma: “As for a slave, it is not straight/certain his remaining in the house of his nobleman. But as for the nobleman’s own son, it is certain that he remains/lives in the house of his father.” (Source: Uma Back Translation)
  • Yakan: “A slave of a person does not remain with that person. The one who remains with him is his child.” (Source: Yakan Back Translation)
  • Western Bukidnon Manobo: “And as for the slave, it is possible that he be put out of the house where he lives, but the son of the owner of the house, he is not, by contrast, put out.” (Source: Western Bukidnon Manobo Back Translation)
  • Kankanaey: “As for a slave, he will not continually be counted in the family. But by-contrast the child of the house owner, he will be counted forever.” (Source: Kankanaey Back Translation)
  • Tagbanwa: “As for a person who is just a slave, he really has no certainty that he will remain in the household of his master till forever. But as for the child/son of this master, he will remain without ending.” (Source: Tagbanwa Back Translation)
  • Tenango Otomi: “He who lives in his boss’s house will not always be resident there. But a son of the boss remains resident in his house.” (Source: Tenango Otomi Back Translation)

Translation commentary on John 8:35

The relation of this verse to the context is not at all clear. Some believe it is a parenthetical insertion, since the slave of verse 34 is quite different from the slave mentioned in this verse. New American Bible places it in curved brackets, indicating that it is a parenthetical statement. However, it is possible to see a relation between this verse and the total context. In verse 33 a discussion regarding the descendants of Abraham was initiated, and this recalls Genesis 21.10 (see Gal 4.30). Isaac remains a member of the household, while Ishmael, who was born of a slave woman, is driven out. The Jews claim to be the true sons of Abraham, while in fact they are the sons of sin, and so have lost their status as sons. In this brief parable, then, the Jews are spoken of as a slave, while Christ is referred to as the son, as elsewhere in John’s Gospel. By their rejection of the son, the Jews have lost their status in God’s household, but the son will remain there forever.

The verb belong to is literally “remains in,” the same verb discussed in verse 31.

In some languages it may not make sense to say A slave does not belong to a family. He has his own family, of course, but what is involved here is the household he serves. Therefore one may translate “A slave does not continue as a permanent member of a household” or “… may not necessarily continue as a member of a household.”

The final clause may then be translated “but a son is always a member of such a household.” In some languages, however, it is not possible to say “a son.” Such a person must be in a possessed relationship to someone. Therefore one may have to say “a man’s son always belongs to the father’s household” or “… the father’s family” or in some languages, “… his parents’ family.” There are, of course, certain problems involved in such expressions, particularly in matrilineal societies, where it would be necessary to speak of “a son belonging to his mother’s family.”

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 .