angel

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The Greek, Hebrew, Ge’ez, and Aramaic that is translated as “angel” in English versions is translated in many ways:

  • Pintupi-Luritja: ngaṉka ngurrara: “one who belongs in the sky” (source: Ken Hansen quoted in Steven 1984a, p. 116.)
  • Tetela, Kpelle, Balinese, and Mandarin Chinese: “heavenly messenger”
  • Shilluk / Igede: “spirit messenger”
  • Mashco Piro: “messenger of God”
  • Batak Toba: “envoy, messenger”
  • Navajo (Dinė): “holy servant” (source for this and above: Bratcher / Nida 1961; Igede: Andy Warren-Rothlin)
  • Central Mazahua: “God’s worker” (source: Ronald D. Olson in Notes on Translation January, 1968, p. 15ff.)
  • Saramaccan: basia u Masa Gaangadu köndë or “messenger from God’s country” (source: Jabini 2015, p. 86)
  • Mairasi: atatnyev nyaa or “sent-one” (source: Enggavoter 2004)
  • Shipibo-Conibo: “word bringer” (source: James Lauriault in The Bible Translator 1951, p. 32ff. )
  • Apali: “God’s one with talk from the head” (“basically God’s messenger since head refers to any leader’s talk”) (source: Martha Wade)
  • Michoacán Nahuatl: “clean helper of God” (source: B. Moore / G. Turner in Notes on Translation 1967, p. 1ff.)
  • Noongar: Hdjin-djin-kwabba or “spirit good” (source: Warda-Kwabba Luke-Ang)
  • Wè Northern (Wɛɛ): Kea ‘a “sooa or “the Lord’s soldier” (also: “God’s soldier” or “his soldier”) (source: Drew Maust)
  • Iwaidja: “a man sent with a message” (Sam Freney explains the genesis of this term [in this article ): “For example, in Darwin last year, as we were working on a new translation of Luke 2:6–12 in Iwaidja, a Northern Territory language, the translators had written ‘angel’ as ‘a man with eagle wings’. Even before getting to the question of whether this was an accurate term (or one that imported some other information in), the word for ‘eagle’ started getting discussed. One of the translators had her teenage granddaughter with her, and this word didn’t mean anything to her at all. She’d never heard of it, as it was an archaic term that younger people didn’t use anymore. They ended up changing the translation of ‘angel’ to something like ‘a man sent with a message’, which is both more accurate and clear.”)

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 to do this is through the usage (or a lack) of an honorific prefix as shown here in the widely-used Japanese Shinkaiyaku (新改訳) Bible of 2017. When the referent is God, the “divine” honorific prefix mi- (御 or み) is used as in mi-tsukai (御使い) or “messenger (of God).” (Source: S. E. Doi, see also S. E. Doi in Journal of Translation, 18/2022, p. 37ff. )

See also angel (Acts 12:15) and this devotion on YouVersion .

complete verse (Judges 13:3)

Following are a number of back-translations as well as a sample translation for translators of Judges 13:3:

  • Kupsabiny: “Later an angel of God came to that wife and said, ‘You are barren, aren’t you? But you will become pregnant and bear a child who is a boy.” (Source: Kupsabiny Back Translation)
  • Newari: “The angel of the LORD appeared [lit.: came visibly] to that woman and said to her — "Up to now you have not had any children, but you will become pregnant [lit.: have in the womb] and give birth to a son.” (Source: Newari Back Translation)
  • Hiligaynon: “One day, the angel of the LORD appeared to his wife and said, ‘Until now you (sing.) have no child yet. But in not a-long-time you (sing.) will-get-pregnant and will-give-birth to a son.” (Source: Hiligaynon Back Translation)
  • English: “One day, Yahweh appeared to Manoah’s wife in the form of an angel, and said to her, ‘Even though you have not been able to give birth to any children until now, you will soon become pregnant and give birth to a son.” (Source: Translation for Translators)

Translation commentary on Judges 13:3

There are many connections between the situation of Manoah’s wife and that of Abraham’s wife Sarah (see Gen 18.1-15). It is even possible that the storyteller was inspired by that story in describing the situation of Manoah’s wife.

This verse begins with the Hebrew waw conjunction rendered And, which introduces the first event in the story line. Several versions omit it (Good News Translation, New International Version), but Contemporary English Version says “but one day,” which serves as a good model here.

The angel of the LORD appeared to the woman and said to her: This is not the first time that the angel of the LORD has appeared (see, for example, verse 2.1; verse 6.11). In this section Yahweh’s messenger is sometimes called “the angel of God” (verse 13.9) and at other times “a/the man of God” (verse 13. 6, 8). Here as elsewhere, this person represents the LORD, and at times seems to be the LORD himself. How the angel appeared is never described. However, it is common in the Scriptures for angels to be described in anthropomorphic or human terms. The angel speaks and converses with human beings. Appeared renders a special form of the Hebrew verb raʾah meaning “see.” It may be translated “came” or “showed himself.”

Behold, you are barren and have no children …: In his message to the woman the angel first identifies her problem and then announces its resolution. The angel begins with the Hebrew word hinneh (Behold), followed by the particle naʾ, which is a politeness marker that softens these remarks. For you are barren and have no children, see verse 13.2. Here there is mirroring of the narrator’s remarks and the words spoken by the angel. In this context Behold is used to introduce unexpected good news, so we might say “Yes, I know you are barren…,” “It’s true that you’re barren…,” or “Dear woman, I know you have no children….”

But you shall conceive and bear a son: But renders well the Hebrew waw conjunction, which introduces a contrast here. Since the woman’s problem was expressed in two clauses, so is the solution. She is barren, so she will conceive. She has no children, but she will bear a son. The Hebrew verb rendered conceive refers to getting pregnant, which many languages will express with an idiomatic expression, such as “get belly” or even “eat pregnancy.” The Hebrew expression translated bear a son refers to giving actual birth to a child. The word for son can refer to a child of either sex, but it soon becomes evident that this will be a male child. Bear a son may be rendered “you will have a son” or “you will give birth to a boy child.” These two clauses are repeated throughout this section. Unlike Sarah’s case, no time frame is given here.

Translation models for this verse are:

• Yahweh’s messenger came to the woman and said, “I know you have been unable to have children, but I have good news: you will get pregnant and have a son.

• But one day the angel of Yahweh came to the woman and told her, “It is true that you have no children, but you will indeed get pregnant and give birth to a son.

Quoted with permission from Zogbo, Lynell and Ogden, Graham S. A Handbook on Judges. (UBS Helps for Translators). Miami: UBS, 2019. For this and other handbooks for translators see here .