elder (of the community)

The Hebrew, Aramaic, and Greek that is typically translated as “elders” in English is translated in the Danish Bibelen 2020 as folkets ledere or “leaders of the people.”

Martin Ehrensvärd, one of the translators, explains: “The term ‘elder’ turned out to pose a particularly thorny problem. In traditional bibles, you can find elders all of over the place and they never pose a problem for a translator, they are just always elders. But how to find a contemporary term for this semi-official, complex position? This may have been our longest-standing problem. A couple of times we thought we had the solution, and then implemented it throughout the texts, only to find out that it didn’t work. Like when we used city council or village council, depending on the context. In the end we felt that the texts didn’t work with such official terms, and throughout the years in the desert, these terms didn’t make much sense. Other suggestions were ‘the eldest and wisest’, ‘the respected citizens’, ‘the Israelites with a certain position in society’, ‘the elder council’ –- and let me point out that these terms sound better in Danish than in English (‘de fremtrædende borgere,’ ‘de mest fremtrædende israelitter,’ ‘alle israelitter med en vis position,’ ‘de ældste og de klogeste,’ ‘ældsterådet’). In the end we just said ‘leaders of the people.’ After a lot of hand-wringing, it turned out that we actually found a term that worked well. So, we had to give up conveying the fact that they were old, but the most important point is that they were community leaders.” (Source: Ehrensvärd in HIPHIL Novum 8/2023, p. 81ff. )

The German das Buch translation by Roland Werner (publ. 2009-2022) translates likewise as “leader of the people” (Anführer des Volkes).

See also elders of Israel (Judah).

Mark 11:27 - 33 in Mexican Sign Language

Following is the translation of Mark 11:27-33 into Mexican Sign Language with back-translations into Spanish and English underneath:


© La Biblia en LSM / La Palabra de Dios

Retrotraducciones en español (haga clic o pulse aquí)

Jesús y los discípulos fueron otra vez a Jerusalén y cuando Jesús estaba caminando frente al templo algunos líderes de los sacerdotes y maestros de la ley y ancianos vinieron hacia él.

Dijeron: “Jesús, ¿quién te dio permiso, te mandó a quitar las mesas y tirarlas y a predicar y enseñar diferentes cosas? ¿Quién te entregó la autoridad? Dinos.”

Jesú (dijo): “Alto, primero yo tengo una pregunta, uds diganme (la respuesta) y después yo les diré. Oigan, ¿quién mandó a Juan el Bautista a que bautizara con agua? ¿Dios o personas? Diganme.”

¡Caray! Fueron a dialogar juntos. “¿Cómo (vamos a responder)? Si nosotros decimos que Dios mandó a Juan el Bautista a que bautizara con agua a la gente sabemos que seguramente Jesús nos insultará (preguntandonos) porqué no hemos creído a Juan el Bautista.

Si decimos que un hombre le mandó…..” Dijeron: “No sabemos.” Jesús (dijo): “Si uds no me dicen, yo tampoco les diré nada.”

Porque tenían miedo porque todas las personas creían que Juan el Bautista era un verdadero profeta.


Jesus and the disciples went again to Jerusalem and when Jesus was walking in front of the temple some leaders of the priests and teachers of the Law and elders came up to him.

They said: “Jesus, who gave you permission, who ordered you to throw over the tables and to preach and teach all kinds of things? Who gave you the authority? Tell us.”

Jesus (said): “Stop, first I have a questions, you tell me (the answer) and then I will tell you. Listen, who ordered John the Baptist to baptize with water? God or people? Tell me.”

Oh no! They went to discuss it together. “How (are we going to answer)? If we say that God ordered John the Baptist to baptize people with water we know that Jesus will surely insult us by asking us why we haven’t believed John the Baptist.

“If we say that a man ordered him….” They said: “we don’t know.” Jesus (said): If you don’t tell me then I won’t tell you anything either.”

Because they were afraid because all the people believed that John the Baptist was a true prophet.

Source: La Biblia en LSM / La Palabra de Dios

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Mark 12:1-12 in Mexican Sign Language >>

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The Greek that is usually translated as “scribe” in English “were more than mere writers of the law. They were the trained interpreters of the law and expounders of tradition.”

Here are a number of its (back-) translations:

  • Yaka: “clerk in God’s house”
  • Amganad Ifugao: “man who wrote and taught in the synagogue”
  • Navajo (Dinė): “teaching-writer” (“an attempt to emphasize their dual function”)
  • Shipibo-Conibo: “book-wise person”
  • San Blas Kuna: “one who knew the Jews’ ways”
  • Loma: “educated one”
  • San Mateo del Mar Huave: “one knowing holy paper”
  • Central Mazahua: “writer of holy words”
  • Indonesian: “expert in the Torah”
  • Pamona: “man skilled in the ordinances” (source for this and all above: Bratcher / Nida)
  • Sinhala: “bearer-of-the-law”
  • Marathi: “one-learned-in-the-Scriptures”
  • Shona (1966): “expert of the law”
  • Balinese: “expert of the books of Torah”
  • Ekari: “one knowing paper/book”
  • Tboli: “one who taught the law God before caused Moses to write” (or “one who taught the law of Moses”) (source for this and 5 above: Reiling / Swellengrebel)
  • Noongar: Mammarapa-Warrinyang or “law man” (source: Warda-Kwabba Luke-Ang)
  • Mairasi: “one who writes and explains Great Above One’s (=God’s) prohibitions” (source: Enggavoter 2004)
  • Chichewa: “teacher of Laws” (source: Ernst Wendland)
  • North Alaskan Inupiatun: “teachers of law”
  • Huehuetla Tepehua: “writer”
  • Yatzachi Zapotec: “person who teaches the law which Moses wrote”
  • Alekano: “man who knows wisdom” (source for this and four above: M. Larson / B. Moore in Notes on Translation February 1970, p. 1-125.)
  • Saint Lucian Creole French: titcha lwa sé Jwif-la (“teacher of the law of the Jews”) (source: David Frank in Lexical Challenges in the St. Lucian Creole Bible Translation Project, 1998)
  • Chichimeca-Jonaz: “one who teaches the holy writings”
  • Atatláhuca Mixtec: “teacher of the words of the law”
  • Coatlán Mixe: “teacher of the religious law”
  • Lalana Chinantec: “one who is a teacher of the law which God gave to Moses back then”
  • Tepeuxila Cuicatec: “one who know well the law” (Source for this and four above: Viola Waterhouse in Notes on Translation August 1966, p. 86ff.)
  • Huixtán Tzotzil: “one who mistakenly thought he was teaching God’s commandments”(Huixtán Tzotzil frequently uses the verb -cuy to express “to mistakenly think something” from the point of view of the speaker; source: Marion M. Cowan in Notes on Translation 20/1966, pp. 6ff.)
  • Sumau: “law-knowing men” (source: this blog post by Todd Owen)
  • German das Buch translation by Roland Werner (publ. 2009-2022): “theologian” and the 1998 translation by Walter Jens: “interpreter of scriptures” (Schriftausleger)
  • English translation by Scot McKnight (The Second Testament, publ. 2023): Covenant Code scholar

In British Sign Language it is translated with a sign that combines the signs for “expert” and “law.” (Source: Anna Smith)


“Scribe” in British Sign Language (source: Christian BSL , used with permission)

Mark 11:27-33 in Russian Sign Language

Following is the translation of Mark 11:27-33 into Russian Sign Language with a back-translation underneath:


Source: Russian Bible Society / Российское Библейское Общество

Jesus and his disciples came back to Jerusalem. Jesus was walking in the Temple courtyard. The older priests and the scribes and elders came up to him in a crowd. They asked Jesus:

— Behold, you recently drove the merchants out of here, overturning the tables. Who authorized you to do such things?

Jesus said to them:

— I’m going to ask you one question first. If you answer it to me, I will also tell you who authorized me to do such things. John the messenger was performing the rite of immersion over a multitude of people. Who commanded him to do this? God or people? Answer me!

The chief priests, scribes, and elders began to discuss among themselves how to answer:

— If we say that God commanded John the messenger, then Jesus would ask: “Why then did you not believe John the messenger?” No, we won’t say that. Or say that people commissioned John the messenger? No. Scary! Everyone around them thinks that John was a prophet.

They thought, they thought, how to answer — God or people? — and finally they said:

— We don’t know who commanded John the messenger, God or men.

Jesus said:

— Then I will not tell you who authorized me to do these things.

Original Russian back-translation (click or tap here):

Иисус вместе с учениками снова пришли в Иерусалим. Иисус прохаживался по двору Храма. Там к нему подошли толпой старшие священники, а также книжники и старейшины. Они спросили Иисуса:

— Вот ты недавно выгнал отсюда торговцев, столы перевернул. Кто тебе разрешил делать такие вещи?

Иисус им сказал:

— Я сначала задам вам один вопрос. Если вы мне на него ответите, то и я скажу вам, кто мне разрешил делать такие вещи. Иоанн вестник совершал обряд погружения в воду над множеством людей. Кто ему повелел это делать? Бог или люди? Ответьте мне!

Первосвященники, книжники и старейшины стали между собой совещаться, как ответить:

— Если скажем, что Бог велел Иоанну вестнику, тогда Иисус спросит: «Почему же вы тогда не поверили Иоанну вестнику?» Нет, так говорить не будем. Или сказать, что люди поручили Иоанну вестнику? Нет. Страшно! Все кругом считают, что Иоанн был пророк.

Думали они, думали, как ответить — Бог или люди? — и наконец, сказали:

— Мы не знаем, кто повелел Иоанну вестнику, Бог или люди.

Иисус сказал:

— Тогда и я вам не скажу, кто мне разрешил делать такие вещи.

Back-translation by Luka Manevich

<< Mark 11:20-25 in Russian Sign Language
Mark 12:1-12 in Russian Sign Language >>

synagogue, temple (inner), temple (outer)

In many English translations the Greek terms “hieron” (the whole “temple” in Jerusalem or specifically the outer courts open to worshippers) and “naos” (the inner “shrine” or “sanctuary”) are translated with only one word: “temple” (see also for instance “Tempel” in German [for exception see below] and “tempel” in Dutch, Danish, or Afrikaans).

Other languages make a distinction: (Click or tap here to see more)

  • Navajo (Dinė): “house in which worship is carried out” (for naos)
  • Balinese: “inner part of the Great Temple” (“the term ‘inner part’ denoting the hindmost and holiest of the two or three courts that temples on Bali usually possess”) vs. “Great Temple”
  • Telugu: “womb (i.e. interior)-of-the-abode” vs. “abode”
  • Thai: a term denoting the main audience hall of a Buddhist temple compound vs. “environs-of-the-main-audience-hall”
  • Kituba: “place of holiness of house-God Lord” vs. “house-God Lord”
  • Shipibo-Conibo: “deep in God’s house” vs. “God’s house” (source: Reiling / Swellengrebel)
  • German das Buch translation by Roland Werner (publ. 2009-2022): “inner court of the temple” (Tempelinnenhof) vs. “temple”

Languages that, like English, German, Dutch, Danish, or Afrikaans, don’t make that distinction include:

  • Mandarin Chinese: “聖殿 Shèng diàn” (“holy palace”)
  • Loma: “the holy place”
  • Pular: “the sacred house” (source for this and the one above: Bratcher / Nida)
  • Zarma: “God’s compound”
  • Eastern Highland Otomi: “big church of the Jews”
  • Yatzachi Zapotec: “big house on top (i.e. most important)”
  • Toraja-Sa’dan: “house that is looked upon as holy, that is sacred, that is taboo and where one may not set foot” (lit. “house where-the-belly-gets-swollen” — because taboo is violated — using a term that is also applied to a Muslim mosque) (source for this and the three above: Reiling / Swellengrebel)
  • Mairasi: Janav Enggwarjer Weso: “Great Above One’s (God’s) House” (source: Enggavoter 2004)
  • Noongar: Maya-maya-Kooranyi: “Sacred House” (source: Warda-Kwabba Luke-Ang)
  • Huehuetla Tepehua: “the big church of the Israelites”
  • Aguaruna: “the house for talking to God” (source for this and above: M. Larson / B. Moore in Notes on Translation February 1970, p. 1-125.)
  • Guhu-Samane: “festival longhouse of God” (“The biiri, ‘festival longhouse’, being the religious and social center of the community, is a possible term for ‘temple’. It is not the ‘poro house’ as such. That would be too closely identified with the cult of poro. The physical features of the building, huge and sub-divided, lend it further favor for this consideration. By qualifying it as ‘God’s biiri’ the term has become meaningful and appropriate in the context of the Scriptures.”) (Source: Ernest Richert in The Bible Translator, 1965, p. 81ff. )
  • Enga: “God’s restricted access house” (source: Adam Boyd on his blog )

Another distinction that tends to be overlooked in translations is that between hieron (“temple” in English) and sunagógé (“synagogue” in English). Euan Fry (in The Bible Translator 1987, p. 213ff. ) reports on this:

“Many older translations have simply used transliterations of ‘temple’ and ‘synagogue’ rather than trying to find equivalent terms or meaningful expressions in their own languages. This approach does keep the two terms separate; but it makes the readers depend on explanations given by pastors or teachers for their understanding of the text.

“Translators who have tried to find meaningful equivalents, for the two terms ‘temple’ and ‘synagogue’ have usually made a distinction between them in one of two ways (which focus on the contrasting components of meaning). One way takes the size and importance of the Temple to make a contrast, so that expressions such as ‘sacred meeting/ worship house of the Jews’ and ‘big sacred meeting/worship house of the Jews’ are used. The other way focuses on the different nature of the religious activity at each of the places, so that expressions such as ‘meeting/worship house of the Jews’ and ‘sacrifice/ceremony place of the Jews’ are used.

“It is not my purpose in this article to discuss how to arrive at the most precise equivalent to cover all the components of meaning of ‘temple’. That is something that each translator really has to work through for himself in the light of the present usage and possibilities in his own language. My chief concern here is that the basic term or terms chosen for ‘temple’ should give the reader of a translation a clear and correct picture of the location referred to in each passage. And I am afraid that in many cases where an equivalent like ‘house of God’ or ‘worship house’ has been chosen, the readers have quite the wrong picture of what going to the Temple or being in the Temple means. (This may be the case for the word ‘temple’ in English too, for many readers.)”

Here are some examples:

  • Bambara: “house of God” (or: “big house of worship”) vs. “worship house” (or: “small houses of worship”)
  • Toraja-Sa’dan: “house where-the-belly-gets-swollen” (see above) vs. “meeting house for discussing matters concerning religious customs” (and “church” is “house where one meets on Sunday”)
  • Navajo (Dinė): “house in which worship is carried out” vs. “house of gathering” (source for all above: Bratcher / Nida)

    • Bangandu: “the great house of God” vs. “house of prayer” (Source: Ervais Fotso Noumsi in Le Sycomore, 16/1, 2022 )

Click or tap here to see a short video clip about Herod’s temple (source: Bible Lands 2012)

Click or tap here to see a short video clip showing synagogues in New Testament times (source: Bible Lands 2012)

See also this devotion on YouVersion .

start of sections in Mark with the Greek καὶ

One of the distinctions of the gospel of Mark is a breathlessness of telling the story of Jesus. One way that is achieved is by using the Greek kai, normally “and” in English, at the beginning of sections. Different versions and languages have found their own ways of translating it, but the German translation by Walter Jens (publ. 1990, 1998) is unique by consistently using Und ich erzähle or “And I’m telling (you)” for every such occurrence of kai.

complete verse (Mark 11:27)

Following are a number of back-translations of Mark 11:27:

  • Uma: “Yesus and his disciples again arrived in Yerusalem. When they were walking around in the yard of the House of God, the leading priests, religion teachers and other Yahudi leaders came.” (Source: Uma Back Translation)
  • Yakan: “So-then they arrived in Awrusalam. While Isa was walking in the big prayer-house, the leaders of the priests and the teachers of the religious law and the elders went up to him.” (Source: Yakan Back Translation)
  • Western Bukidnon Manobo: “And they arrive again in Jerusalem and Jesus walked around inside the House of God. The chief priests, the teachers of the law, and the elders of the Jewish people came to him.” (Source: Western Bukidnon Manobo Back Translation)
  • Kankanaey: “They arrived again in Jerusalem. As Jesus was walking outside the Temple, the leaders of the priests, the teachers of the law and the elders (lit. fathers) went to him.” (Source: Kankanaey Back Translation)
  • Tagbanwa: “Jesus and company again returned to Jerusalem. When Jesus was walking there in the like-a-yard of the Templo, the chiefs of the priests approached him together with the explainers of law and the important tribal leaders.” (Source: Tagbanwa Back Translation)