The Hebrew and Greek that is transliterated as “Cain” in English is transliterated as Kaḭ in Ngambay. In a translatory coincidence Kaḭ is very similar to the Ngambay word kain or “to flee” which is what Cain does according to Genesis 4:14. (Source: Andy Warren-Rothlin)
In the Protestant tradition of Mandarin Chinese it is transliterated as Gāiyǐn (该隐) which can be understood as “should hide” or “should be hidden.” (Source: Zetzsche)
In Spanish Sign Language it is translated with a sign that signifies “bad.” (Source: Steve Parkhurst)
Following are a number of back-translations of Jude 1:11:
Uma: “Disaster-on-them!/They-are-doomed! They follow the road that Kain went-on long ago. They take-after the behavior of Bileam, for although they know what they are doing is wrong, they do it anyway because they desire money. They oppose God like Korah long ago, and because of their opposition they also will die, punished by God like Korah long ago.” (Source: Uma Back Translation)
Yakan: “They are really to be pitied. They imitate/join-in the customs of Kabil, the child/son of Grandfather Adam. They also follow the doings of Bala’am. Because of his craving for money he was willing to lead the people astray from God if only he was paid for it. And like Kora who stood-up/rebelled against Musa in the old times, they also stand-up/rebel against God and they will finally be destroyed/perish like Kora.” (Source: Yakan Back Translation)
Western Bukidnon Manobo: “Pity them! They have imitated the behavior of Cain long ago. They have imitated the way of Balaam which was a great mistake, for even though they know that what they are doing is evil, they do it just the same for they are lovers of money. Just like Corah rebelled against God, they have rebelled also, and they will be punished just as Corah also was punished.” (Source: Western Bukidnon Manobo Back Translation)
Kankanaey: “They are to-be-pitied because their punishment is fearful! Because they are following-the-example-of Cain’s evil behavior, they persist also in sinning like Balaam’s going-astray because of their greediness-for (lit. grabbing-after) money, and they moreover oppose their leaders like Kora’s opposition to Moses back before. In-the-future indeed (prophetic formula) they will be punished forever just like the punishment of Kora.” (Source: Kankanaey Back Translation)
Tagbanwa: “What will happen to these people really makes- one’s hair -stand-on-end(fig.), because they haven’t deviated from the trail/way of evil which was followed by Cain. They are also like Balaam , for just so that they can get money, they easily/quickly cause others to fall(fig.) into sin. They are rebelious, like Core who challenged Moises. As for that Core, he was sentenced to very heavy/severe punishment. Well these people will be like that too, for they certainly will be punished so that they won’t be able to stand (fig., meaning thoroughly defeated).” (Source: Tagbanwa Back Translation)
Tenango Otomi: “These people now, how great the suffering they will have! Because they follow the evil Cain did. And now they commit sin in order to gain money, like Balaam did. But they will perish like Korah perished because of not wanting to do what God said to do.” (Source: Tenango Otomi Back Translation)
In this verse Jude continues his attack on the godless people, pronouncing a curse on them and comparing them with three Old Testament characters who are well known for their wickedness and rebellion against God.
Woe to them! is a common expression in the Gospels, but outside the Gospels it is used only here and in 1 Cor 9.16. This expression functions as a formula that states the certainty of God’s punishment and condemnation. So Woe to them can be translated “How horrible it will be for them,” “How severely they will be punished by God,” or “God will surely punish them.”
The punishment is directly related to, and is in fact a result of, their actions, which are similar in nature to the sins of which the three Old Testament characters mentioned are guilty. This is the significance of the word For at the beginning of the second sentence, which here gives the sense: “They are being punished because….” In certain languages it will be helpful to state this directly. However, the idea of punishment may be included clearly in the previous sentence, Woe to them (compare Good News Translation); for example, “God will severely punish them!”
The first example given is Cain, who is known from the Old Testament for killing his brother Abel. In first-century Jewish thought, Cain was described as a person of treachery, lust, avarice, self-indulgence; he was the unloving person who cared for nothing except his own self-interest; he was a cynical, skeptical, materialistic person who had little faith in God or in morality, and who therefore did everything according to his own whims and wishes. Furthermore Cain was also represented in the tradition as a false teacher who led the people into licentiousness and immorality. Among the early church fathers Cain is represented as an example of those who through jealousy, dissatisfaction, and rebellion against society lead their fellow believers to death (1 Clement 4.1-7). It is of course rather unlikely that Jude had all of this in mind; but at any rate it was easy to take Cain as the first clear example of an evil person.
The people Jude is attacking are therefore accused of walking in the way of Cain. The word translated “walk” is literally “go” or “proceed,” but here it is used figuratively to mean “conduct oneself,” “live.” In some languages translators may keep this metaphor and say “they walk on the same path as Cain,” which means “they live the same kind of life that Cain lived.” The way of Cain actually means the kind of life Cain lived, including his thinking, feeling, and actions. To walk in the way of Cain then means to live as Cain lived, to follow his example, to act as he acted. And if Cain is as bad as Jewish tradition pictures him, then certainly those who follow his example deserve God’s curse and punishment.
The second example given is Balaam. The godless people are said to have abandoned themselves to Balaam’s error. The word translated error can also mean “delusion,” “deceit,” “deception.” What was Balaam’s error? The references are in the book of Numbers, chapters 22-24, and in particular 31.16, where Balaam leads Israel to worship other gods, and all because of a bribe from Balak. Jewish tradition remembers Balaam primarily as a man of greed, who was prepared to commit sin and lead others to sin, for the sake of gaining a reward for himself. In other parts of the tradition, Balaam is represented as a false teacher who perverted the youth of Israel and led them into idolatry and immorality.
The word translated abandon themselves can also mean “plunge in,” “wallow in,” or “devote themselves to.” The picture is that of a person who in utter and selfless abandon gives himself or herself to some activity. And the godless ones have done just that; they have devoted themselves to doing exactly what Balaam did, committing sin and leading others to commit sin, all for the sake of monetary or material gain. For the sake of gain means “in order to get money” or “in order to enrich themselves.”
As a result of their imitating Cain and following the example of Balaam, these people are said to perish in Korah’s rebellion. The reference here is to Num 16.1-35, where Korah, son of Izhar, together with over two hundred and fifty others, rebelled against the leadership of Moses and Aaron, with the aim of getting hold of a share in the priesthood. The end result is that all those who rebelled, together with all the members of their families, were swallowed through an opening of the earth. Later tradition pictures Korah as a heretic who had utter disregard for the law or for duly constituted ecclesiastical authority. Korah therefore is a good example from Scripture for these people, for they also are disrespectful of authority and have coveted for themselves positions in the Christian community that they have no right to occupy. Perish means “to be destroyed,” “to die,” “to have their breath snuffed out,” or “to be wiped off the earth.”
Rebellion is a Greek word that can also mean “argument,” “dispute,” or “hostility”; but here it refers primarily to Korah’s rebellion against Moses. The whole expression then means that, because these people are rebelling as Korah did, they will also perish.
It should be noted that all the verbs in this verse are in the aorist tense, which is normally used to express a completed action in the past. In some contexts, however, the aorist may function as a perfect tense; that is, it describes actions that have already taken place or begun to take place, but whose effects continue in the present and even into the future. This seems to be the case here.
In translating the three expressions, they walk in the way of Cain, abandon themselves … to Balaam’s error, and perish in Korah’s rebellion, one must note that past and present events are joined together, with the present event being compared to and explained by what has happened in the past. Translators will do well to make the relationships of the events clear, as Good News Translation has done, for example.
An alternative translation model for this verse is as follows:
• God will punish them for sure! For they live the same kind of life that Cain did. For in order to enrich themselves they have devoted themselves completely to the error that Balaam committed. They have rebelled as Korah rebelled, and like him God will destroy them (or, snuff their breath out).
Quoted with permission from Arichea, Daniel C. and Hatton, Howard A. A Handbook on The Letter from Jude. (UBS Handbook Series). New York: UBS, 1993. For this and other handbooks for translators see here .
In this paragraph, Jude compared the fake Christians to three men from the Old Testament (verse 11). These three men were Cain, Balaam, and Korah. They were famous because they had sinned greatly. Jude used these three men to show that the Lord would condemn the fake Christians, because they had sinned like these three men had sinned. Jude also illustrated the wickedness of the fake Christians by comparing them to objects from nature (verses 12–13).
11
In this verse, Jude used a style of writing called a “woe oracle.” (Woe oracles are common in the Old Testament and in the Gospels. Writers used them to announce punishment for sin, and that was Jude’s purpose here.) This woe oracle has three parts. They are:
(a) the woe,
(b) the sins committed,
(c) judgment against the fake Christians.
11a
Woe to them!: The Greek phrase that the Berean Standard Bible translates here as Woe to them is often used in the Bible when people are in trouble because of their sin(s). Ways to translate this include:
How terrible it will be for them! (New Living Translation (2004 Revision))
-or-
They are doomed.
-or-
Trouble is coming to them.
-or- Their sins doom them.
11b
The Greek text of 11b begins with the conjunction, hoti. Here this conjunction means “because.” It introduces the reasons that the fake Christians would be judged and punished.
Many English versions, (English versions that make hoti implicit here include: Berean Standard Bible, Contemporary English Version, God’s Word, New Century Version, New International Version (2011 Revision), New Jerusalem Bible, Revised English Bible, Good News Translation.) like the Berean Standard Bible, do not use a connector here. Instead, they make the connection implicit. If you translate hoti, try to make it clear that it connects 11a with 11b–d, not just with 11b. The New Jerusalem Bible shows one way to translate this connection:
11aAlas for them, 11b–dbecause they have followed Cain…. (New Jerusalem Bible)
They have traveled the path of Cain: In the Bible, words like path, “road,” or “way” often refer to the type of life that a person lives, that is, to his behavior. So They have traveled the path of Cain means:
they have chosen to behave like Cain.
In Genesis chapter 4, Cain and his brother Abel offered sacrifices to God. God accepted Abel’s sacrifice, but he did not accept Cain’s sacrifice. Because of this, Cain became very angry and murdered his brother. Although Cain’s sin of murder was emphasized, he became known more generally to the Jews as someone who was selfish and who led others to sin. (Cain is mentioned in the New Testament in 1 John 3:12 as an example that we should not follow. Non-biblical Jewish literature also used Cain as an example of sinful behavior.)
Jude used Cain as an example of someone who sinned throughout his life, so your translation should not be too specific. A translation should not say or imply that Jude was referring only to Cain’s murder of his brother Abel. The idea here is of a lifetime of sin. Ways to say this include:
because they behave/live wickedly like Cain did.
-or-
because they sin the way Cain did.
If the people who will read your translation do not know who Cain is, you can tell them more about him in a footnote or perhaps in a glossary.
11c
they have rushed headlong: The fake Christians were eager to get what they wanted, and this made them very willing to sin. (Several English versions use rushed to describe the complete willingness of these fake Christians to sin in order to get what they wanted (Berean Standard Bible, God’s Word, Phillips’ New Testament in Modern English, New American Standard Bible, New International Version (2011 Revision)).) In fact, the Greek expression literally indicates that they were “carried along” by the sin. This is a figure of speech, and in some languages there may be other figures to express this idea. Other ways to express it in English include:
they have plunged into (Revised English Bible)
-or-
abandon themselves to (New Revised Standard Version)
-or-
they have given themselves (New Century Version, Good News Translation)
If your language has a special way to speak about a person who does something without hesitation and without holding himself back, you may want to use it here.
into the error of Balaam:Balaam was a prophet (Balaam is identified as a prophet in 2 Peter 2:15–16.) who lived during the time of Moses (Numbers 22–24 and Deuteronomy 23:3–6). He was not an Israelite. The leaders of Moab and Midian, (According to Numbers 22:7, the elders of Moab and the elders of Midian went to Balaam.) who were enemies of the Israelites, hired Balaam to curse the Israelites.
God did not allow Balaam to curse the Israelites, so the leaders did not pay Balaam. Because he wanted money, Balaam made a new plan. He told the enemies of the Israelites to send their women to seduce the Israelite men to sin sexually and worship idols (Numbers chapter 25 and Numbers 31:16). Many Israelite men sinned with these women. Later, the Israelites killed Balaam (Numbers 31:8).
error: Balaam’s greed caused his error. His error was sinful, not an error that he made by accident. His error has two main aspects:
(a) His error was the wrong he did, that he led others to sin. For example:
for money they have given themselves to doing the wrong that Balaam did. (New Century Version)
(b) His error was his wrong thinking. His desire for money led him to make the mistake of going against God. (He paid a big price for this mistake—death (Numbers 31:8).) For example:
they have thrown themselves into the same delusion as Balaam for a reward. (New Jerusalem Bible)
The fake Christians erred just like Balaam had erred.
One way to translate 11c that includes both aspects is:
They have wholeheartedly given themselves over to sin. Because they are greedy for money like Balaam was, they have made the mistake that he made of leading other people to sin.
11d
they have perished: The Berean Standard Bible has used a passive verb here. However, the Greek text could also be translated literally as “they have destroyed themselves.” By their rebellion, the fake Christians caused their own destruction. Other ways to say this are:
they have…destroyed themselves (God’s Word, Phillips’ New Testament in Modern English)
-or-
they have been ruined by the same rebellion as Korah—and share the same fate. (New Jerusalem Bible)
The Lord is the one who would punish the fake Christians, but this verse focuses on their sinful actions. However, in some languages it may be more natural to use a passive verb. (For translators working in a language that does not use passive verbs, it is especially appropriate to use a reflexive translation like “they have destroyed themselves.” Such a translation would not require a translator to specify “the Lord” or “God” as an agent, thus shifting the focus of the verse away from the motivation and actions of the fake Christians. None of the English versions used in these Notes have changed the expression to an active one in such a way.) For example:
they will…be destroyed (Contemporary English Version, New Century Version)
-or-
they will…perish (NET Bible, New Living Translation (2004 Revision))
have perished: Jude spoke here as though they had already been destroyed or perished. However, he did not mean that the fake Christians had already been punished or had died. Instead, the verb form he used indicates that they had made their destruction certain (The thought is similar to the English idiomatic expression, “They are as good as dead.”) by disobeying God. In some languages it may be more natural to use a future tense. For example:
And like Korah, they will perish because of their rebellion. (New Living Translation (2004 Revision))
in Korah’s rebellion:Korah, along with some other Israelite men, led a rebellion against Moses and Aaron (Numbers chapter 16). By rebelling against the leaders whom God had chosen, Korah and his followers were rebelling against God himself. (God gave just Aaron and his sons the privilege of being priests, and God assigned just the Levites to serve in his house. Korah and his followers rebelled, by saying that Israelites from other tribes and families could also do these things.) God destroyed the leaders of this rebellion by causing the earth to open up and “swallow” them alive. He also sent fire from heaven to destroy the people who followed Korah and the other leaders.
rebellion: The Greek word that the Berean Standard Bible translates as rebellion does not refer to an armed or military conflict. Instead, it refers to disobedience. Korah disobeyed the Lord and also led other people to disobey him. The fake Christians that Jude wrote about also disobeyed the Lord and influenced others to disobey him.
Made available under the terms of a Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 License (CC BY-SA) creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0
All Scripture quotations in this publication, unless otherwise indicated, are from The Holy Bible, Berean Standard Bible. BSB is produced in cooperation with Bible Hub, Discovery Bible, OpenBible.com, and the Berean Bible Translation Committee.
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®).
Leave a Reply
You must be logged in to post a comment.