Lord

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The Hebrew adonai in the Old Testament typically refers to God. The shorter adon (and in two cases in the book of Daniel the Aramaic mare [מָרֵא]) is also used to refer to God but more often for concepts like “master,” “owner,” etc. In English Bible translations all of those are translated with “Lord” if they refer to God.

In English Old Testament translations, as in Old Testament translations in many other languages, the use of Lord (or an equivalent term in other languages) is not to be confused with Lord (or the equivalent term with a different typographical display for other languages). While the former translates adonai, adon and mare, the latter is a translation for the tetragrammaton (YHWH) or the Name of God. See tetragrammaton (YHWH) and the article by Andy Warren-Rothlin in Noss / Houser, p. 618ff. for more information.

In the New Testament, the Greek term kurios has at least four different kinds of use:

  • referring to “God,” especially in Old Testament quotations,
  • meaning “master” or “owner,” especially in parables, etc.,
  • as a form of address (see for instance John 4:11: “Sir, you have no bucket”),
  • or, most often, referring to Jesus

In the first and fourth case, it is also translated as “Lord” in English.

Most languages naturally don’t have one word that covers all these meanings. According to Bratcher / Nida, “the alternatives are usually (1) a term which is an honorific title of respect for a high-ranking person and (2) a word meaning ‘boss’, ‘master’, or ‘chief.’ (…) and on the whole it has generally seemed better to employ a word of the second category, in order to emphasize the immediate personal relationship, and then by context to build into the word the prestigeful character, since its very association with Jesus Christ will tend to accomplish this purpose.”

When looking at the following list of back-translations of the terms that translators in the different languages have used for both kurios and adonai to refer to God and Jesus respectively, it might be helpful for English readers to recall the etymology of the English “Lord.” While this term might have gained an exalted meaning in the understanding of many, it actually comes from hlaford or “loaf-ward,” referring to the lord of the castle who was the keeper of the bread (source: Rosin 1956, p. 121).

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Following are some of the solutions that don’t rely on a different typographical display (see above):

  • Navajo (Dinė): “the one who has charge”
  • Mossi: “the one who has the head” (the leader)
  • Uduk: “chief”
  • Guerrero Amuzgo: “the one who commands”
  • Kpelle: “person-owner” (a term which may be applied to a chief)
  • Central Pame: “the one who owns us” (or “commands us”)
  • Piro: “the big one” (used commonly of one in authority)
  • San Blas Kuna: “the great one over all” (source for this and above: Bratcher / Nida)
  • Guhu-Samane: Soopara (“our Supervisor”) (source: Ellis Deibler in Notes on Translation July, 1967, p. 5ff.)
  • Balinese: “Venerated-one” (source: Reiling / Swellengrebel)
  • Yanesha’: “the one who carries us” (source: Nida 1952, p. 159)
  • Northern Emberá: Dadjirã Boro (“our Head”)
  • Rarotongan: Atu (“master or owner of a property”)
  • Gilbertese: Uea (“a person of high status invested with authority to rule the people”)
  • Rotuman: Gagaja (“village chief”)
  • Samoan: Ali’i (“an important word in the native culture, it derives from the Samoan understanding of lordship based on the local traditions”)
  • Tahitian: Fatu (“owner,” “master”)
  • Tuvalu: Te Aliki (“chief”)
  • Fijian: Liuliu (“leader”) (source for this and six above: Joseph Hong in The Bible Translator 1994, p. 329ff. )
  • Bacama: Həmə miye: “owner of people” (source: David Frank in this blog post )
  • Hopi: “Controller” (source: Walls 2000, p. 139)
  • Iyansi: Mwol. Mwol is traditionally used for the “chief of a group of communities and villages” with legal, temporal, and spiritual authority (versus the “mfum [the term used in other Bantu languages] which is used for the chief of one community of people in one village”). Mwol is also used for twins who are “treated as special children, highly honored, and taken care of like kings and queens.” (Source: Kividi Kikama in Greed / Kruger, p. 396ff.)
  • Ghomala’: Cyəpɔ (“he who is above everyone,” consisting of the verb cyə — to surpass or go beyond — and pɔ — referring to people. No human can claim this attribute, no matter what his or her social status or prestige.” (Source: Michel Kenmogne in Theologizing in Context: An Example from the Study of a Ghomala’ Christian Hymn )
  • Binumarien: Karaambaia: “fight-leader” (Source: Oates 1995, p. 255)
  • Warlpiri: Warlaljamarri (owner or possessor of something — for more information tap or click here)

    We have come to rely on another term which emphasizes God’s essential nature as YHWH, namely jukurrarnu (see tetragrammaton (YHWH)). This word is built on the same root jukurr– as is jukurrpa, ‘dreaming.’ Its basic meaning is ‘timelessness’ and it is used to describe physical features of the land which are viewed as always being there. Some speakers view jukurrarnu in terms of ‘history.’ In all Genesis references to YHWH we have used Kaatu Jukurrarnu. In all Mark passages where kurios refers to God and not specifically to Christ we have also used Kaatu Jukurrarnu.

    New Testament references to Christ as kurios are handled differently. At one stage we experimented with the term Watirirririrri which refers to a ceremonial boss of highest rank who has the authority to instigate ceremonies. While adequately conveying the sense of Christ’s authority, there remained potential negative connotations relating to Warlpiri ceremonial life of which we might be unaware.

    Here it is that the Holy Spirit led us to make a chance discovery. Transcribing the personal testimony of the local Warlpiri pastor, I noticed that he described how ‘my Warlaljamarri called and embraced me (to the faith)’. Warlaljamarri is based on the root warlalja which means variously ‘family, possessions, belongingness’. A warlaljamarri is the ‘owner’ or ‘possessor’ of something. While previously being aware of the ‘ownership’ aspect of warlaljamarri, this was the first time I had heard it applied spontaneously and naturally in a fashion which did justice to the entire concept of ‘Lordship’. Thus references to Christ as kurios are now being handled by Warlaljamarri.” (Source: Stephen Swartz, The Bible Translator 1985, p. 415ff. )

  • Mairasi: Onggoao Nem (“Throated One” — “Leader,” “Elder”) or Enggavot Nan (“Above-One”) (source: Enggavoter 2004)
  • Obolo: Okaan̄-ene (“Owner of person(s)”) (source: Enene Enene)
  • Angami Naga: Niepu (“master,” “owner”)
  • Lotha Naga: Opvui (“owner of house / field / cattle”) — since both “Lord” and YHWH are translated as Opvui there is an understanding that “Opvui Jesus is the same as the Opvui of the Old Testament”
  • Ao Naga: Kibuba (“human master,” “teacher,” “owner of property,” etc.) (source for this and two above: Nitoy Achumi in The Bible Translator 1992 p. 438ff. )
  • Seediq: Tholang, loan word from Min Nan Chinese (the majority language in Taiwan) thâu-lâng (頭儂): “Master” (source: Covell 1998, p. 248)
  • Thai: phra’ phu pen cao (พระผู้เป็นเจ้า) (divine person who is lord) or ong(kh) cao nay (องค์เจ้านาย) (<divine classifier>-lord-boss) (source: Stephen Pattemore)
  • Arabic often uses different terms for adonai or kurios referring to God (al-rabb الرب) and kurios referring to Jesus (al-sayyid الـسـيـد). Al-rabb is also the term traditionally used in Arabic Christian-idiom translations for YHWH, and al-sayyid is an honorary term, similar to English “lord” or “sir” (source: Andy Warren-Rothlin).
  • Tamil also uses different terms for adonai/kurios when referring to God and kurios when referring to Jesus. The former is Karttar கர்த்தர், a Sanskrit-derived term with the original meaning of “creator,” and the latter in Āṇṭavar ஆண்டவர், a Tamil term originally meaning “govern” or “reign” (source: Natarajan Subramani).
  • Burunge: Looimoo: “owner who owns everything” (in the Burunge Bible translation, this term is only used as a reference to Jesus and was originally used to refer to the traditional highest deity — source: Michael Endl in Holzhausen / Riderer 2010, p. 48)
  • Yagaria: Souve, originally “war lord” (source: Renck, p. 94)
  • Aguacateco: Ajcaw ske’j: “the one to whom we belong and who is above us” (source: Rita Peterson in Holzhausen / Riderer 2010, p. 49)
  • Konkomba: Tidindaan: “He who is the owner of the land and reigns over the people” (source: Lidorio 2007, p. 66)
  • Chichewa: Ambuye Ambuye comes from the singular form Mbuye which is used to refer to: (1) someone who is a guardian or protector of someone or group of people — a grandparent who has founded a community or village; (2) someone who is a boss or master over a group of people or servants and has absolute control over them; (3) owner of something, be it a property, animals and people who are bound under his/her rule — for people this was mostly commonly used in the context of slaves and their owner. In short, Mbuye is someone who has some authorities over those who call him/her their “Mbuye.” Now, when the form Ambuye is used it will either be for honorific when used for singular or plural when referring to more than one person. When this term is used in reference to God, it is for respect to God as he is acknowledged as a guardian, protector, and ruler of everything. (Source: Mawu a Mulungu mu Chichewa Chalero Back Translation).
  • Hdi uses rveri (“lion”) as a title of respect and as such it regularly translates adon in the Old Testament. As an address, it’s most often with a possessive pronoun as in rvera ɗa (“my lion” = “my lord” or “sir”). So, for example, Genesis 15:2 (“O Lord God”) is Rvera ɗa Yawe (“My lion Yahweh”) or Ruth to Boaz in Ruth 2:13: “May I find your grace [lit. good-stomach] my lion.” This ties in nicely with the imagery of the Lord roaring like a lion (Hosea 11:10; Amos 3:8; Joel 3:16). Better still, this makes passages like Revelation 5:5 even richer when we read about rveri ma taba məndəra la Yuda, “the Lion of the tribe of Judah”. In Revelation 19:16, Jesus is rveri ta ghəŋa rveriha “the lion above lions” (“lord of lords”). (Source: Drew Maust)

Law (2013, p. 97) writes about how the Ancient Greek Septuagint‘s translation of the Hebrew adonai was used by the New Testament writers as a bridge between the Old and New Testaments: “Another case is the use of kurios referring to Jesus. For Yahweh (in English Bibles: ‘the Lord‘), the Septuagint uses kurios. Although the term kurios usually has to do with one’s authority over others, when the New Testament authors use this word from the Septuagint to refer to Jesus, they are making an extraordinary claim: Jesus of Nazareth is to be identified with Yahweh.”

See also Father / Lord.

Translation commentary on Luke 1:15

Exegesis:

Vv. 15-17 form one series of co-ordinate clauses, together stating the reason for the rejoicing of Zechariah and the ‘many.’ Hence all clauses are determined by gar ‘for’ in v. 15. V. 15 describes John personally, vv. 16f describe his work.

megas enōpion [tou] kuriou ‘great in the sight of the Lord.’

megas ‘great,’ here in a figurative sense of rank and dignity as also indicated by enōpion tou kuriou.

enōpion preposition with genitive, ‘before’ of place, ‘in the presence of,’ ‘in the sight,’ or, ‘the judgment of.’ Here equivalent to enantion in v. 6.

kai oinon kai sikera ou mē piē ‘and wine and strong drink he shall not drink.’ There is no reason to take this clause and the next one as explaining megas enōpion tou kuriou. The relationship between the clauses is rather that the first describes the rank or dignity, the second the behavior and the last the spiritual endowment of the promised child.

oinos ‘wine,’ i.e. the fermented juice of the grape.

sikera transliteration of an Aramaic word meaning ‘strong drink.’ The abstinence from wine and strong drink marks John as a Nazirite, i.e. a man who by a special vow had devoted himself completely to God and as an illustration of this devotion abstained from everything “that is produced by the grapevine” (cf. Num. 6.1-4).

ou mē piē ‘he shall not drink.’ ou mē with aorist subjunctive or future indicative is “the most definite form of negation regarding the future”.

pinō ‘to drink.’

pneumatos hagiou plēsthēsetai ‘he will be filled with the Holy Spirit.’ The endowment with the Holy Spirit characterizes John as a prophet since, according to Jewish interpretation, the Spirit was the “Spirit of prophecy” (cf. Strack-Billerbeck II, 127ff).

pneuma ‘spirit’ with the following meanings: (1) with hagion with or without article ‘the Holy Spirit’; (2) to pneuma ‘the Spirit,’ identical with (1); (3) the ‘human spirit’ (cf. on 1.47, 80), or ‘life-spirit’ (cf. 8.55); (4) ‘evil spirit,’ causing bodily and/or mental illness.

pimplēmi ‘to fill,’ except 5.7 always in the passive and here and 1.41, 67 of being filled with the Holy Spirit, i.e. the Spirit takes possession of the person who is filled by him (cf. Judg. 6.34) and enables him to prophesy.

eti ek koilias mētros autou ‘even from his mother’s womb,’ either ‘from his leaving his mother’s womb,’ i.e. “from his very birth” (New English Bible, cf. The Four Gospels – a New Translation, Brouwer), or ‘from the time when he was still in his mother’s womb,’ i.e. “still in his mother’s womb” (Willibrord; Revised Standard Version, Translator’s New Testament, Bible de Jérusalem, La Sainte Bible: Nouvelle version Segond révisée, Zürcher Bibel seem to follow this interpretation), preferably the latter (cf. Is. 49.1, 5; Jer. 1.5 LXX.

Translation:

Great. Often physical size is not a metaphor for rank. Thus Shipibo-Conibo, in view of John’s function as a prophet, has ‘he will have great thought,’ i.e. great power and ability, commanding respect; if John had been a governmental or economic figure, the rendering would have been ‘precious,’ which refers to real or attributed worth.

For some special problems in rendering to drink (also in 5.30, 33, 39; 7.33f; 10.7; 12.19, 45; 13.26; 17.8, 27f; 22.18, 30).

Wine and strong drink. If “wine” is rendered by a local equivalent, it is sometimes better given in a comparison, e.g., ‘a drink like pulque (fermented agave juice)’ (Mezquital Otomi); if a borrowed term is used, its meaning will become clearer when the second part of the phrase is rendered by, ‘and other things that cause-to-become-dizzy/drunk’ (Tboli, similarly Kituba). Chinese versions have, ‘light wine and strong wine,’ corresponding to the culturally well known pair ‘rice wine and millet-gin.’ If it is impossible to find two appropriate terms, the translator may have to use one phrase meaning ‘all drinks that intoxicate,’ ‘all fermented juices.’

He will be filled with the Holy Spirit. This clause refers to something that will happen and will induce an enduring condition. In some receptor languages ‘to be full/filled’ can be said only of material things; hence renderings such as, ‘the H. Sp. shall be with him’ (cf. Tboli), ‘the H. Sp. shall entirely possess him, or shall permeate him’ (the latter in Shipibo-Conibo, using a term said of medicines), ‘he shall be under the control of the H. Sp.’ (cf. Cuyono, for 4.1), ‘the full strength of the H. Sp. shall stay in him’ (cf. Ngäbere, for Acts 2.4), ‘he shall carry the H. Sp. in his inner being’ (cf. Tae’ 1933). Instead of a reference to the person himself, one may have to use a term designating the centre of personality such as, ‘heart’ (Tzeltal). Care should be taken not to choose an expression suggesting demonic possession.

From his mother’s womb. The first interpretation given in Exegesis may result in, ‘from the moment he will come out of his mother’s womb,’ ‘from (the moment of) his birth’ (Southern Subanen, Tagalog), ‘from the time his mother gives birth (to him)’; the second in, ‘from the time he is/shall be in his mother’s womb,’ ‘from inside (or, beginning from when he lay in) his mother’s womb’ (Navajo, Apache), ‘from the time his mother is-pregnant-of-him’ (Toraja-Sa’dan), ‘when he has not yet been born’ (Kituba), ‘from the time he (i.e. the child) causes-to-be-pregnant his mother.’ Terms sounding vulgar in the receptors’ ears should certainly be avoided, but the translator should keep in mind that what sounds rather too outspoken in his own ears may be perfectly acceptable and appropriate to his hearers or readers.

Quoted with permission from Reiling, J. and Swellengrebel, J.L. A Handbook on the Gospel of Luke. (UBS Handbook Series). New York: UBS, 1971. For this and other handbooks for translators see here . Make sure to also consult the Handbook on the Gospel of Mark for parallel or similar verses.

SIL Translator’s Notes on Luke 1:15

1:15a

for: The Greek conjunction that the Berean Standard Bible translates as for introduces the reasons why Zechariah and many other people would be happy about John’s birth (1:14). These reasons are given in 1:15–17. The main reason is that John would prepare the way for the Lord. Express these reasons in a natural way in your language.

he will be great in the sight of the Lord: The Greek clause that the Berean Standard Bible translates as he will be great in the sight of the Lord is an idiom. It means that God would consider John to be a very important man. God would think highly of him. Some other ways to translate this are:

The Lord will consider him to be very great
-or-
He will be very important in the Lord’s estimation/view
-or-
The Lord will recognize/esteem him as a great man

in the sight of the Lord: The Greek phrase that the Berean Standard Bible translates as in the sight of the Lord is literally “before the Lord.” The phrase “before the Lord” or “before God” is used four other times in Luke 1 (1:17, 1:19, 1:75, 1:76).

Lord: For further discussion of the term Lord, see the Note at 1:6b. See also Lord, Context 2, in the Glossary.

1:15b

He shall never take wine or strong drink: This is a command. John must not drink wine or any other drink that could make him drunk. A requirement like this is described in Numbers 6:1–4. It would be a sign to that person and to others that he was dedicated to the Lord in a special way. In some translations it may be helpful to include a footnote about this. For example:

John was dedicated to the Lord to fulfill a very important purpose. As a sign of that dedication, the Lord commanded that John should not drink wine.

never: The Greek phrase that the Berean Standard Bible translates as never means “definitely not.” The angel meant that John must not ever drink these things.

take: The Greek verb that the Berean Standard Bible translates as take is literally “drink.” Most English versions say “drink.”

wine or strong drink: The Jews had two basic terms for alcoholic drinks. The Berean Standard Bible translates these terms as wine and strong drink. In some languages it may be necessary to use one general term for all alcoholic drinks. For example:

all fermented/alcoholic drinks
-or-
any drink that causes someone/people to become drunk

wine: The word wine refers to an alcoholic drink. It is made from the juice of a fruit called grapes. When grape juice ferments, it becomes wine.

In some areas, people may not be familiar with grapes or with wine. If that is true in your area, some other ways to translate wine are:

• Use a specific term for another alcoholic drink made from fruit. For example:

pomegranate wine
-or-
palm wine

• Use a descriptive phrase. For example:

fermented fruit juice/water
-or-
grape juice
-or-
fermented grape juice

strong drink: The Greek phrase that the Berean Standard Bible translates as strong drink refers to alcoholic beverages other than wine that the Jews made from either fruit or grain. The most common of these was beer made from barley or from barley and millet.

Some ways to translate this are:

• Use a term for an alcoholic drink made from grain, even if it is not made from barley or millet.

• Use a general term for alcoholic drinks.

• Use a descriptive phrase. For example:

other drinks that make (people) drunk

1:15c

he will be filled with the Holy Spirit: The Greek expression that the Berean Standard Bible translates as filled with the Holy Spirit is a common figure of speech in the New Testament. It implies that the Holy Spirit would guide or control John and give him the power to do all that God wanted him to do. Some ways to translate this are:

the Holy Spirit will guide/empower him
-or-
he will be full of the Holy Spirit
-or-
the power of the Holy Spirit will be with him (Contemporary English Version)

The verb will be filled is passive. Notice that the examples above do not use passive verbs. Translate the clause in a natural way in your language.

The context indicates that John would be “filled” during his entire life. This figure also occurs in 1:41b and 1:67a, but there the “filling” is momentary.

the Holy Spirit: The Greek phrase that the Berean Standard Bible translates as Holy Spirit refers to the Spirit of God. The Holy Spirit is God, together with God the Father and God the Son. The Holy Spirit is Spirit in the sense that he is a living being who does not have a physical body. He is Holy in the sense that he is divine. He is perfect in every way and is completely pure and sinless. Because of these qualities, he is worthy of awe.

Some ways to translate Holy Spirit are:

Spirit/Breath of God
-or-
Holy/Sacred Spirit

Do not imply that the Holy Spirit is like the ghost of a dead person or that God has died.

See holy, sense A2, in Key Biblical Terms.

even from his mother’s womb: The Greek phrase that the Berean Standard Bible translates as even from his mother’s womb is literally “even from/out-of his mother’s womb/belly.” Scholars interpret the phrase “from his mother’s womb” in one of two ways:

(1) It refers to the time when John was in his mother’s womb. This means before he was born. For example:

while yet in his mother’s womb (New American Standard Bible)

(Berean Standard Bible, Revised Standard Version, New American Standard Bible, NET Bible, God’s Word, New Living Translation (2004))

(2) It refers to the time when John was born. For example:

From his very birth (Good News Translation)

(New International Version, Good News Translation, Revised English Bible, New Century Version, Contemporary English Version, Phillips’ New Testament in Modern English)

English versions that use the phrase “from his mother’s womb” are somewhat ambiguous (New Jerusalem Bible, King James Version, Revised Standard Version). In some languages it may be possible to use a general expression that could be interpreted in either way. If that is true in your language, it is good to use that term. If you must choose one of the interpretations, it is recommended that you follow interpretation (1).

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