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).

scribe

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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: “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”
  • English translation by Scot McKnight (in 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)

Judas (the disciple)

The term that is transliterated as “Judas” in English is translated in American Sign Language with the sign for the letter J and the sign signifying holding a bag of money, referring to John 12:6. (Source: Ruth Anna Spooner, Ron Lawer)


“Judas” in American Sign Language, source: Deaf Harbor

In Spanish Sign Language it is translated with with the sign for “kiss,” referring to Matthew 26:49 et al. (Source: Steve Parkhurst)


“Judas” in Spanish Sign Language, source: Sociedad Bíblica de España

Learn more on Bible Odyssey: Judas .

Mark 14:43 - 52 in Mexican Sign Language

Following is the translation of Mark 14:43-52 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)

Los líderes de los sacerdotes, los maestros de la ley y los ancianos mandaron a los soldados a que fueran en grupo llevando espadas y bastones, y todos fueron.

Un discípulo, Judas, les había advertido antes: “Al que yo me acerco y beso, este es Jesús, uds arrestenlo y llevenlo, y vigilenlo.

Allá Jesús estaba hablando y platicando y se volvió a ver a Judas que vino y se acercó diciendo “Maestro” y lo besó.

Las personas arrestaron a Jesús.

El siervo del sumo sacerdote, una persona sacó su espasa y lo agredió y quitó la oreja del siervo. Después Jesús dijo: “Yo diario iba al templo de Jerusalén y estaba enseñando en la plaza afuera, uds me veían pero jamás me han arrestado, ¿porqué ahora me arrestan?

Hace mucho un profeta lo ha escrito en el rollo, y lo que dijo (se ha cumplido) exactamente. ¿Porqué traen espadas y bastones de madera? ¿Parezco igual que un ratero, un ladrón?”

Los soldados lo arrestaron y se fueron llevandolo y todos los discípulos lo dejaron y se piraron y esparcieron.

Un hombre jóven que estaba envuelto en una sábana siguió al grupo, y los soldados lo vieron y lo arrestaron, pero el hombre dejó la sábana con ellos y se piró corriendo completamente desnudo.


The leaders of the priests, the teachers of the law and the elders sent soldiers out and they went as a group carrying swords and wooden rods.

One disciple, Judas, had warned them before: “The one that I approach and kiss, that is Jesus, you arrest him and take him away, and keep watch.”

Over there Jesus was talking and he turned around to see Judas coming, he approached him and said: “Teacher” and kissed him.

The people arrested Jesus.

The servant of the high priest, a person drew his sword and attacked him and cut off the ear of the servant. Then Jesus said: “Daily I went to the temple in Jerusalem and was preaching in the square outside, you saw me but you have never arrested me. Why are you arresting me now?

Long ago a prophet has written it in the scroll and what he said (has come to pass) exactly. Why do you bring swords and wooden rods? Do I appear to be a pickpocket, a thief?”

The soldiers arrested him and took him away and all the disciples left him and they went away and scattered.

A young man who was wrapped in a sheet followed the group, and the soldiers saw him and arrested him, but the man left the sheet in their hands and ran off completely naked.

Source: La Biblia en LSM / La Palabra de Dios

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Mark 14:53-65 in Mexican Sign Language >>

Mark 14:43-52 in Russian Sign Language

Following is the translation of Mark 14:43-52 into Russian Sign Language with a back-translation underneath:


Source: Russian Bible Society / Российское Библейское Общество

Jesus said to his disciples:

— There goes a man approaching.

It was a man named Judas. He was one of the 12 disciples. He was approaching. And with him was a large crowd of people with swords, spears, and wooden clubs. Why were they walking with Judas? The leaders, the high priests, and the teachers of the law had assigned these people to follow Judas, the real traitor. He had agreed with them that whoever he kissed should be seized and tied up. That was his agreement with them. Judas approached Jesus, greeted him as “teacher,” and kissed him on the cheek. And immediately the people around Judas attacked Jesus. One of the disciples, who was standing next to Jesus, cut off the ear of the high priest’s servant.

Jesus said to the crowd:

— Why did you attack me? Am I a robber? Why do you need swords, wooden stakes? If you decided to seize me, when I taught openly in the temple before, why didn’t you seize me then? What is happening now was definitely written in the Scriptures in ancient times.

The disciples, seeing all this, ran away in fear. Jesus was left alone. The crowd seized him. There was a young man there. He had only a cloak on his naked body. He was watching Jesus. They seized the young man, but he wriggled away, threw off his cloak, and ran away naked. And the crowd led Jesus away.

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

Иисус сказал ученикам:

— Вон приближается человек.

Это был человек по имени Иуда. Он был один из 12 учеников. Он приближался. А вместе с ним шла большая толпа народу с мечами, копьями, а также деревянными дубинами. Почему они шли вместе с Иудой? Начальники, первосвященники и учителя закона поручили этим людям следовать за Иудой, настоящим предателем. Он договорился с ними, что тот человек, которого он поцелует, его нужно схватить и связать. Так он с ними условился. Иуда подошел к Иисусу, поприветствовал «учитель» и поцеловал в щеку. И тут же люди вокруг Иуды напали на Иисуса. Один ученик, который стоял рядом с Иисусом, отсек слуге первосвященника ухо.

Иисус сказал толпе:

— Почему вы напали на меня? Разве я разбойник? Зачем вам мечи, деревянные колья? Если вы решили схватить меня, то ведь и раньше в храме я открыто учил, почему же вы меня не хватали? То, что происходит сейчас, точно было написано в Писании еще в древности.

Ученики, видя все это, в страхе разбежались. Иисус остался один. Толпа схватила его. Там был один юноша. Из всей одежды у него был только плащ, надетый на голое тело. Он наблюдал за Иисусом. Юношу схватили, но он вывернулся, сбросив плащ, и убежал голый. А толпа повела Иисуса.

Back-translation by Luka Manevich

<< Mark 14:32-42 in Russian Sign Language
Mark 14:53-65 in Russian Sign Language >>

complete verse (Mark 14:43)

Following are a number of back-translations of Mark 14:43:

  • Uma: “While Yesus was still speaking, Yudas, one of his twelve disciples, arrived. And with him were many other people who were carrying swords and clubs. They had been sent by the leading priests, religion teachers and Yahudi elders.” (Source: Uma Back Translation)
  • Yakan: “So-then while Isa was still speaking, Judas arrived. He was one of the twelve disciples of Isa. Very many people followed Judas having swords (barung) and carrying clubs. They had been commanded to go by the leaders of the priests and the teachers of the religious law and the elders.” (Source: Yakan Back Translation)
  • Western Bukidnon Manobo: “While Jesus was still talking, Jduas, one of the twelve apostles, came to him. With him were people armed with swords and clubs. They had been sent by the high priests, the teachers of the law, and the elders of the Jews.” (Source: Western Bukidnon Manobo Back Translation)
  • Kankanaey: “While Jesus was still speaking, Judas arrived who was one of those who were his twelve disciples. He had many accompanying-him whom the leaders of the priests and the elders of the Jews had sent who were carrying swords and clubs.” (Source: Kankanaey Back Translation)
  • Tagbanwa: “Jesus was still speaking when Judas arrived who was indeed one of those twelve discples. He was being accompanied by lots of people, each one having a weapon (usually a blade), clubs being what some held. They had been sent by the chiefs of the priests, the explainers of law and the important tribal leaders.” (Source: Tagbanwa Back Translation)