The Greek, Hebrew, Latin, and Aramaic that is translated into English as “(to) bless” or “blessed” is translated into a wide variety of possibilities.
The Hebrew term barak (and the Aramaic term berak) also (and originally) means “kneel” (a meaning which the word has retained — see Gen. 24:11) and can be used for God blessing people (or things), people blessing each other, or people blessing God. While English Bible translators have not seen a stumbling block in always using the same term (“bless” in its various forms), other languages need to make distinctions (see below).
In Bari, spoken in South Sudan, the connection between blessing and knees/legs is still apparent. For Genesis 30:30 (in English: “the Lord has blessed you wherever I turned”), Bari uses a common expression that says (much like the Hebrew), ‘… blessed you to my feet.'” (Source: P. Guillebaud in The Bible Translator 1965, p. 189ff. .)
Other examples for the translation of “bless” when God is the one who blesses include (click or tap here to see the rest of this insight):
“sprinkle with a propitious (lit. cool) face” (a poetic expression occurring in the priests’ language) (Toraja Sa’dan) (source for this and above: Reiling / Swellengrebel)
“give good things” (Mairasi) (source: Enggavoter 2004)
“ask good” (Yakan) (source: Yakan Back Translation)
“praise, say good things” (Central Yupik) (source: Robert Bascom)
“showing a good heart” (Kutu) (source: Pioneer Bible Translators, project-specific translation notes in Paratext)
“good luck — have — good fortune — have” (verbatim) ꓶꓼ ꓙꓳ ꓫꓱꓹ ꓙꓳ — ɯa dzho shes zho (Lisu). 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. 58)
Chichewa: wodala — denoting a person who is considered fortunate because he/she has something good that the majority of people do not have. It also acknowledges someone as a causative agent behind “being blessed.” (Source: Mawu a Mulungu mu Chichewa Chalero Back Translation)
In Tagbanwa a phrase is used for both the blessing done by people and God that back-translates to “caused to be pierced by words causing grace/favor” (source: Tagbanwa Back Translation).
Ixcatlán Mazatec had to select a separate term when relating “to people ‘blessing’ God” (or things of God): “praise(d)” or “give thanks for” (in 1 Cor. 10:16) (“as it is humans doing the ‘blessing’ and people do not bless the things of God or God himself the way God blesses people” — source: Robert Bascom). Eastern Bru and Kui also use “praise” for this a God-directed blessing (source: Bru back translation and Helen Evans in The Bible Translator 1954, p. 40ff. ) and Uma uses “appropriate/worthy to be worshipped” (source: Uma back translation).
When related to someone who is blessing someone else, it is translated into Tsou as “speak good hopes for.” In Waiwai it is translated as “may God be good and kind to you now.” (Sources: Peng Kuo-Wei for Tsou and Robert Hawkins in The Bible Translator 1962, pp. 164ff. for Waiwai.)
Some languages associate an expression that originally means “spitting” or “saliva” with blessing. The Bantu language Koonzime, for instance, uses that expression for “blessing” in their translation coming from either God or man. Traditionally, the term was used in an application of blessing by an aged superior upon a younger inferior, often in relation to a desire for fertility, or in a ritualistic, but not actually performed spitting past the back of the hand. The spitting of saliva has the effect of giving that person “tenderness of face,” which can be translated as “blessedness.” (Source: Keith Beavon)
Martin Ehrensvärd, one of the translators for the DanishBibelen 2020, comments on the translation of this term: “As for ‘blessing’, in the end we in most instances actually kept the word, after initially preferring the expression ‘giving life strength’. The backlash against dropping the word blessing was too hard. But we would often add a few words to help the reader understand what the word means in a given context — people often understand it to refer more to a spiritual connection with God, but in the Hebrew texts, it usually has to do with material things or good health or many children. So when e.g. in Isaiah 19:25 the Hebrew text says ‘God bless them’, we say ‘God bless them’ and we add: ‘and give them strength’. ‘And give them strength’ is not found in the overt Hebrew text, but we are again making explicit what we believe is the meaning so as to avoid misunderstanding.” (Source: Ehrensvärd in HIPHIL Novum 8/2023, p. 81ff. )
Retrotraducciones en español (haga clic o pulse aquí)
Jesús y los discípulos estaban caminando y vieron enfrente de ellos el Monte de los Olivos.
Allá cerca estaba el pueblo de Betania y más allá Betfagé, cerca de Jerusalén.
Jesús dijo a dos discípulos: Uds dos vayanse al pueblo de Betfagé y verán que hay un burro chico que todavía no ha sido montado por nadie.
El burro está atado, quiten la cuerda y si alguien les dice: “¿porqué toman el burro?” uds dos digan: “espera un poco, Jesús necesita el burro, nosotros dos lo tomamos y después vendremos otra vez aquí y dejaremos el burro.”
Jesús (dijo): “¿entienden?” Y los discipulos lo afirmaron y se fueron a Betfagé y yendo por el camino vieron una casa y a la puerta había un burro atado.
Los dos lo desataron y alguien los vio y dijo: ¿Porqué toman el burro? Los dos discípulos se dieron cuenta de que era exactamente lo que Jesús había dicho antes y dijeron: “Mira” y lo explicaron, y las personas (dijeron): “Sí, tienen permiso, vayanse.”
Los dos discípulos tomaron el burro y lo llevaron, y pusieron sus mantos en la espalda del burro.
Jesús montó el burro y fueron y una multitud de personas vino y caminaba con ellos y punían sus mantos en la calle, y cortaban ramas de los árboles y las ponían en el camino.
Jesús estaba andando el burro y muchas personas caminaban enfrente de él y atrás de él caminaba mucha gente y estaban alegres y gritaban: “alabado sea Dios que ya ha entregado la autoridad a Jesús, Dios bendiga su familia, la descendencia del Rey David de mucho antes, este es el rey bendito, ¡huy! Dios, salvanos ahorita.”
La multitud estaba caminando y Jesús estaba andando en el burro y llegaron al templo de Jerusalén y Jesús miró al templo, y como ya era tarde Jesús regresó al pueblo de Betania.
Jesus and the disciples were walking and they saw in front of them the Mount of Olives.
Over there close by was the village of Bethany and further on Bethphage, near Jerusalem.
Jesus said to two disciples: “You two go off to the village of Bethphage and you will say that there is a little donkey there that nobody has ridden yet.
“The donkey is tied up, take off the rope and if anyone says to you: ‘Why are you taking the donkey?’ tell them: ‘Wait a little, Jesus needs the donkey, we will take it and afterwards we will come here again and leave the donkey.'”
Jesus (said): “understood?” And the disciples affirmed and went to Bethphage, and going on their way they saw a house and at the door there was a donkey tied up.
The two of them untied it and someone saw them and said: “Why are you taking the donkey?” The disciples realized that it was exactly what Jesus had just said and they said: “Look” and they explained it and the people (said): “Yes, you have permission, off you go.”
The two disciples took the donkey and led it away and they put their mantles on the back of the donkey.
Jesus got on the donkey and they went and a multitude of people came and walked with them and they put their mantles on the road and cut branches of the trees and put them on the road.
Jesus was riding on the donkey and many people walked in front of him and behind him came many people and they were happy and shouted: “Praise be to God who has given the authority to Jesus, God bless his family, the descendants of King David of long ago, this is the blessed king, wow. God, save us now.”
The multitude was walking and Jesus was riding on the donkey and they arrived at the temple in Jerusalem and Jesus looked around in the temple, and since it was already late he went back to the village of Bethany.
Jesus and His twelve disciples were approaching the city of Jerusalem. In front of Jerusalem there is a mountain called the Mount of Olives. There are two villages near the mountain, Bethphage and Bethany. Jesus called the two disciples to him and said to them:
— Go to that village over there. There is a young donkey there. None of the people have ever ridden it before. The donkey will be tied up. You will untie him and bring him here. If, when you untie him, people will be displeased and will ask, “What is this for? Why are you untying him? What are you doing?”, answer them, “Our master needs this donkey,” and then people will allow it.
The two disciples went to the village, and there they saw a donkey tied at the gate. The disciples began to untie it. People saw it, started to come up and asked, “Why are you doing this? Why do you untie it?” The disciples answered as Jesus told them to. Then the people allowed it. The disciples brought the young donkey to Jesus. The disciples took off their cloaks and put them on the back of the donkey. Jesus sat on top and rode on top of the donkey. Many people gathered around. Many took off their cloaks and laid them on the road in front of Jesus. Others cut palm branches and laid them on the road. Jesus was riding on a donkey, and the people crowded around him, shouting:
— Jesus! Glory to you! May God bless you! You have come by the will of the Lord God! God bless you! You will reign! You are a descendant of King David. You will also reign! God’s glory is in heaven!
And Jesus continued to ride on the young donkey. Then Jesus entered Jerusalem. He went into the temple and looked around. It was late in the evening. Jesus and the 12 disciples traveled back to the village of Bethany.
Original Russian back-translation (click or tap here):
Иисус с двенадцатью учениками подходили к городу Иерусалим. Перед Иерусалимом есть гора, называемая «Масличная». Возле горы есть две деревни — Вифагия и Вифания. Иисус подозвал к себе двух учеников и сказал им:
— Идите вон в ту деревню. Там есть молодой ослик. Никто из людей еще не ездил на нем верхом. Ослик будет привязан. Вы отвяжите его и приведите его сюда. Если, когда вы будете его отвязывать, люди будут недовольны и будут спрашивать: «Зачем это? Зачем вы его отвязываете? Что вы делаете?», ответьте им: «Нашему хозяину нужен этот осел», и тогда люди разрешат.
Два ученика отправились в деревню, там они увидели осла, привязанного у ворот. Ученики стали отвязывать его. Люди увидели это, стали подходить, стали спрашивать: «Зачем вы это делаете? Зачем отвязываете?» Ученики отвечали так, как велел им Иисус. Тогда люди разрешили. Ученики привели молодого осла к Иисусу. Ученики сняли с себя плащи и положили на спину осла. Иисус сел сверху и поехал верхом на осле. Множество людей собралось вокруг. Многие снимали свои одежды и стлали их по дороге, перед Иисусом. Другие срезали пальмовые ветви и клали их на дорогу. Иисус ехал верхом на осле, а вокруг толпились люди, и они кричали:
— Иисус! Слава тебе! Пусть Бог благословит тебя! Ты пришел по воле Господа Бога! бог благословляет тебя! Ты будешь царствовать! Ты потомок царя Давида. Ты также будешь царствовать! На небесах Божья слава!
А Иисус продолжал ехать верхом на молодом осле. И вот Иисус вступил в Иерусалим. Он вошел в храм, все там обошел и осмотрел. Был уже поздний вечер. Иисус и 12 учеников отправились обратно в деревню Вифания.
In the GermanGute Nachricht (Good News) translation of 1982, this occurrence of the Greek term which is translated in most English versions of “kingdom (of God or heaven)” is translated with a form of “God establishes his rule” (Gott richtet seine Herrschaft auf) or “God’s rule” (Herrschaft). For an explanation of the differentiated translation in German as well as translation choices in a number of languages, see Kingdom (of God / heaven).
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