put his arms around him and kissed him

The Greek that is translated as “put his arms around him and kissed him” or similar in English is translated in the Pfälzisch translation by Walter Sauer (publ. 2012) as is em um de Hals gfalle un hot en abgekisst or “he flung his arms around his neck and smothered him with kisses.” (Source: Zetzsche)

In Elhomwe it is translated as “greeted him by hugging.” (Source: project-specific translation notes in Paratext)

See also kiss.

The following is a contemporary stained glass window depicting the father hugging his son in the Catholic Church of the Resurrection in Bryanston, New Zealand:

Photo by Catholic Church of the Resurrection in Bryanston

The Window of Reconciliation: The Father ran to his son and clasped him in his arms (Luke 15:21). This window portrays the reconciliation of God and ourselves: His grace (shown as brilliant light at the centre of united figures) transforms our hearts. The reconciliation we strive for in our country and our world is also portrayed — and there is no easy road to achieving peace on earth and goodwill to all (Luke 2:14). The modern window shows reconciling figures against a desert-like background that symbolises the death and desolation that threaten us. As the great 20th century poet WH Auden wrote: ‘We must love one another or die.’ (Source: Catholic Church of the Resurrection in Bryanston )

Stained glass is not just highly decorative, it’s a medium which has been used to express important religious messages for centuries. Literacy was not widespread in the medieval and Renaissance periods and the Church used stained glass and other artworks to teach the central beliefs of Christianity. In Gothic churches, the windows were filled with extensive narrative scenes in stained glass — like huge and colorful picture storybooks — in which worshipers could ‘read’ the stories of Christ and the saints and learn what was required for their religious salvation. (Source: Victoria and Albert Museum )

compassion, moved with compassion

The Greek that is translated with “moved with compassion (or: pity)” in English is translated as “to see someone with sorrow” in Piro, “to suffer with someone” in Huastec, or “one’s mind to be as it were out of one” in Balinese (source: Bratcher / Nida).

The English translation by Michael Pakaluk (2019) uses “was keenly affected” in Mark 1:41.

See also compassion.

kiss

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The Hebrew and the Greek that is usually directly translated as “kiss” in English is translated more indirectly in other languages because kissing is deemed as inappropriate, is not a custom at all, or is not customary in the particular context (see the English translation of J.B. Phillips [publ. 1960] in Romans 16:16: “Give each other a hearty handshake”). Here are some examples:

  • Pökoot: “greet warmly” (“kissing in public, certainly between men, is absolutely unacceptable in Pökoot.”) (Source: Gerrit van Steenbergen)
  • Southern Birifor: puor or “greet” (source: Andy Warren-Rothlin)
  • Chamula Tzotzil, Ixcatlán Mazatec, Tojolabal: “greet each other warmly” or “hug with feeling” (source: Robert Bascom)
  • Afar: gaba tittal ucuya — “give hands to each other” (Afar kiss each other’s hands in greeting) (source: Loren Bliese)
  • Roviana: “welcome one another joyfully”
  • Cheke Holo: “love each other in the way-joined-together that is holy” (esp. in Romans 16:16) or “greet with love” (esp. 1 Thessalonians 5:26 and 1 Peter 5:14)
  • Pitjantjatjara: “when you meet/join up with others of Jesus’ relatives hug and kiss them [footnote], for you are each a relative of the other through Jesus.” Footnote: “This was their custom in that place to hug and kiss one another in happiness. Maybe when we see another relative of Jesus we shake hands and rejoice.” (esp. Rom. 16:16) (source for this and two above: Carl Gross)
  • Kamba: “greet with the greeting of love” (source: Andy Warren-Rothlin)
  • Balanta-Kentohe and Mandinka: “touch cheek” or “cheek-touching” (“sumbu” in Malinka)
  • Mende: “embrace” (“greet one another with the kiss of love”: “greet one another and embrace one another to show that you love one another”) (source for this and two above: Rob Koops)
  • Gen: “embrace affectionately” (source: John Ellington)
  • Kachin: “holy and pure customary greetings” (source: Gam Seng Shae)
  • Kahua: “smell” (source: David Clark) (also in Ekari and Kekchí, source: Reiling / Swellengrebel)
  • San Blas Kuna: “smell the face” (source: Claudio and Marvel Iglesias in The Bible Translator 1951, p. 85ff. )
  • Chichewa: “suck” (“habit and term a novelty amongst the young and more or less westernized people, the traditional term for greeting a friend after a long absence being, ‘clap in the hands and laugh happily'”)
  • Medumba: “suck the cheek” (“a novelty, the traditional term being ‘to embrace.'”)
  • Shona (version of 1966) / Vidunda: “hug”
  • Elhomwe: “show respect by hugging” (source: project-specific translation notes in Paratext)
  • Balinese: “caress” (source for this and three above: Reiling / Swellengrebel; Vidunda: project-specific translation notes in Paratext)
  • Tsafiki: earlier version: “greet in a friendly way,” later revision: “kiss on the face” (Bruce Moore [in: Notes on Translation 1/1992, p. 1ff.] explains: “Formerly, kissing had presented a problem. Because of the Tsáchilas’ [speakers of Tsafiki] limited exposure to Hispanic culture they understood the kiss only in the eros context. Accordingly, the original translation had rendered ‘kiss’ in a greeting sense as ‘greet in a friendly way’. The actual word ‘kiss’ was not used. Today ‘kiss’ is still an awkward term, but the team’s judgment was that it could be used as long as long as it was qualified. So ‘kiss’ (in greeting) is now ‘kiss on the face’ (that is, not on the lips).)
  • Kwere / Kutu: “show true friendship” (source: Pioneer Bible Translators, project-specific translation notes in Paratext)

In the German New Testament translation by Berger / Nord (publ. 1999) it is translated as heiliger Kuss or “holy kiss” in the epistles. The translators note (p. 62): “It is possible that this is an early practice in which Christians communicate the Holy Spirit to one another or rekindle it.”

See also The kiss of Christian love (image), Let him kiss me with the kisses of his mouth and kissed (his feet).

parable of the prodigal son (image)

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Image taken from the Wiedmann Bible. For more information about the images and ways to adopt them, see here .

For other images of Willy Wiedmann paintings in TIPs, see here.

welcoming the prodigal son

The story of welcoming home the son as part of The Prodigal Son is illustrated for use in Bible translations in West Africa by Wycliffe Cameroon like this:

Illustration 1999 Mbaji Bawe Ernest, © Wycliffe Bible Translators, Inc. Used with permission.

Following is a painting by Chen Yuandu 陳緣督 (1902-1967):

Housed in the Société des Auxiliaires des Missions Collection – Whitworth University.

Image taken from Chinese Christian Posters . For more information on the “Ars Sacra Pekinensis” school of art, see this article , for other artworks of that school in TIPs, see here.

compassion

The Hebrew, Greek, Ge’ez, and Latin that is typically as “compassion” in English is translated in various ways:

  • Shilluk´: “cries in the soul” (source: Nida, 1952, p. 132)
  • Q’anjob’al: “crying in one’s stomach” (source: Newberry and Kittie Cox in The Bible Translator 1950, p. 91ff. )
  • Aari: “has a good stomach” (=”sympathetic”) (source: Loren Bliese)
  • Una: “has a big liver” (source: Kroneman 2004, p. 471)
  • Uma: “heart is moved (lit., far-away)” (source: Uma Back Translation)
  • Chitonga: “to have the intestines twisting in compassion/sorrow for someone” (kumyongwa) (source: Wendland 1987, p. 128f.)

See also pain-love, moved with compassion (pity)Seat of the Mind for traditional views of “ways of knowing, thinking, and feeling.”

complete verse (Luke 15:20)

Following are a number of back-translations of Luke 15:20:

  • Noongar: “‘So he got up and went home to his father. When he was far away, his father saw him. His father’s heart was full of pity, and he ran, he took his son and embraced him and kissed him.” (Source: Warda-Kwabba Luke-Ang)
  • Uma: “He left, going to his father. ‘While he was still far from his house, his father saw. From his love, he ran going to meet his child, he hugged him and kissed him.” (Source: Uma Back Translation)
  • Yakan: “Then he left and went back to his father. ‘But when he was still far, his father saw him. His father really pitied him and he ran there and embraced his son.” (Source: Yakan Back Translation)
  • Western Bukidnon Manobo: “And that was that, and then he started out straight for home. While he was still afar off his father saw him and his father, looking at him, pitied him greatly and he ran and met him and hugged and kissed his son.” (Source: Western Bukidnon Manobo Back Translation)
  • Kankanaey: “‘Upon his thinking that, he set-out to return to where his plural father were. While he was still far-away, his father whose mercy/pity toward him was great saw-him-from-a-distance. So he ran to go meet him and hugged him while-also kissing-him.” (Source: Kankanaey Back Translation)
  • Tagbanwa: “When he had thought/decided that, he truly went home to his father. But when he was still far away, he was seen by his father. He really pitied him. His father ran to meet him, hugged and kissed him.” (Source: Tagbanwa Back Translation)