fit, worthy

The Greek that is rendered into “worthy” or “fit” in English versions is translated into Sierra Totonac as “proper” / “chief” — “I am not proper / chief enough.” (2nd translation into Sierra Totonac of 1999.)

See also worthy and not worthy / not fit.

untie sandals

The Greek that is translated as “(not worthy to) untie sandals” or similar in English is translated in various ways:

  • Awa: “because he is an important one, when he speaks I will be silent”
  • Yatzachi Zapotec: “I am not worthy to be his servant”
  • Alekano: “if unworthy I should even carry his burden, it would not be right”
  • Tenango Otomi: “I don’t compare with him” (source for this and above: M. Larson / B. Moore in Notes on Translation February 1970, p. 1-125.)
  • Ayutla Mixtec: “I am too unworthy to perform even the lowliest of tasks for him” (“to avoid the wrong meaning of playing a trick by tying the sandals”)
  • Choapan Zapotec “I am not even important to carry his pack” (source for this and one above: B. Moore / G. Turner in Notes on Translation 1967, p. 1ff.)
  • Mairasi: “loosening the strap of His foot thing as His slave would do” (source: Enggavoter 2004)
  • Bariai: “untie the string of his shoe, because he surpasses me very much” (source: Bariai Back Translation)
  • Tenango Otomi: “He is greater than I. I don’t compare with him.” (Source: Tenango Otomi Back Translation)

    • In the German New Testament translation by Berger / Nord (publ. 1999) with auf Knien die Riemen seiner Sandalen zu lösen or “to loosen the straps of his sandals on my knees.”

    See also sandal (illustration)

sandal (illustration)

The Hebrew and Greek that is translated as “sandal” in English is illustrated for use in Bible translations in East Africa by Pioneer Bible Translators like this:

Image owned by PBT and Jonathan McDaniel and licensed with the Creative Commons Attribution 3.0 Unported License.

See also untie sandals.

sandal / shoe

The Hebrew and Greek that is translated as “sandal” or “shoe” similar in English is translated in Noongar as djena-bwoka or “feet kangaroo skin” (source: Bardip Ruth-Ang 2020) and in Mairasi as “foot thing” (source: Enggavoter 2004).

Click or tap here to see a short video clip about sandals (source: Bible Lands 2012)

See also cloth.

Mark 1:1-8 in Russian Sign Language

Following is the translation of Mark 1:1-8 into Russian Sign Language with a back-translation underneath:


Source: Russian Bible Society / Российское Библейское Общество

Now I am going to tell you the good news about Jesus, the Son of God. God chose Him to come from Heaven to us.

A long time ago there was a man called Isaiah. He was a prophet and had a relationship with God. Everything that God spoke to him, Isaiah wrote down. Isaiah said that in the future in a wilderness land God would choose a man and that man would be a messenger. That man will call all people to be ready to meet God. He would call all people to prepare their heart. That’s the way it was written down.

Many, many years have passed and it has definitely come true.

In Israel, in the wilderness, near the Jordan River, there walked a man, a messenger, named John. He dressed in a camel skin garment covered with fur and wore a leather belt. He would take locusts and honey and eat them. He went all over Judea. People came to him from different places, and many people from the city of Jerusalem came to him. John called to them and said to them many times:

— You are sinners! You are doing evil deeds! Change yourselves! Stop committing sins and evil deeds! Become one with God! Repent of your sins and evil deeds, dip yourself in this water, and then God will forgive your sins and bad deeds.

People listened, thinking:

— We are sinful, but God will forgive our sins.

And many people came to him, dipped in the water and repented.

John said to everyone:

— There is a man, he is coming very soon. He is much greater than I am and much more powerful. I am insignificant compared to him, I am lower than him. I am dipping you in water, but He is different. Only He will cleanse your hearts forever with the Holy Spirit.

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

Сейчас я расскажу хорошую новость об Иисусе, сыне Божьем. Бог избрал Его, чтобы Он пришел с небес к нам.

Давно-давно был один человек по имени Исайя. Он был пророк и имел связь с Богом. Все, что Бог говорил ему, Исайя записывал. Исайя говорил, что в будущем на земле пустынной Бог изберет человека и тот человек будет вестником. Этот человек будет призывать всех людей, чтобы они были готовы к встрече с Богом. Он будет призывать всех людей, чтобы они приготовили свое сердце. Так было записано.

Прошло много-много лет, и все точно сбылось.

В Израиле, в пустыне, рядом с рекой Иордан, ходил человек, вестник, по имени Иоанн. Он одевался в одежду из кожи верблюда, покрытой шерстью, и надевал кожаный пояс. Он брал саранчу и мед и ел их. Он ходил по всей Иудее. Из разных мест приходили к нему люди, и множество людей из города Иерусалима приходили к нему. Иоанн призывал их и много раз говорил им:

— Вы грешники! Вы совершаете злые дела! Изменитесь! Перестаньте совершать грехи и злые дела! Соединитесь с Богом! Покайтесь в грехах и злых делах, погрузитесь в эту воду, и тогда Бог простит вам ваши грехи и плохие дела.

Люди слушали, думали:

— Мы грешные, но Бог простит наши грехи.

И многие люди приходили к нему, окунались в воду и каялись.

Иоанн всем говорил:

— Есть человек, он очень скоро придет. Он гораздо выше меня и гораздо могущественнее. Я незначителен по сравнению с ним, я ниже Его. Я окунаю вас в воду, но Он совсем другой. Только Он Святым Духом навсегда очистит ваши сердца.

Back-translation by Luka Manevich

Mark 1:9-13 in Russian Sign Language >>

Mark 1:4-8 in Mexican Sign Language

Following is the translation of Mark 1:4-8 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)

Después exactamente llegó a ser, un hombre caminaba en el desierto, este era Juan el Bautista, era su costumbre poner ropa de piel de camello y también su cinturón, comía langostas y miel que tomaba de las colmenas que buscaba.

En el lugar del río Jordán Juan el Bautista siempre predicaba que las personas debían arrepentirse y bautizarse y que Dios perdonaría sus pecados y los borraría.

Del estado de Judea y de la ciudad de Jerusalén la gente oyó y más y más iban a verlo. Una persona iría diciendo: yo confeso mis pecados y Juan el Bautista lo miraría y lo bautizaría, luego otra persona, uno por uno eran bautizados.

(Diciendo): Yo los advierto yo no soy superior, otro hombre que viene después él es muy superior, yo no puedo quitar sus sandalias, yo soy menos.

Uds se acercan a mi y yo los bautizo con agua nada mas, pero en el futuro uds se acercarán a este hombre y él los dará el Espíritu Santo, en la misma manera como el bautismo en agua.


Afterwards this happened exactly, a man walked in the desert, this was John the Baptist, it was his habit to wear clothes made of camel skin and also his belt, and to eat locusts and honey that he searched and took out of beehives.

At the river Jordan John the Baptist always preached that the people needed to repent and be baptized and that God would forgive their sins and wipe them off.

From the state of Judea, from the city of Jerusalem people heard about it and more and more came to see. Someone would go up and say: I confess my sins and John the Baptist would look at him and baptize him, then another person, and one by one they would be baptized.

(Saying): “I am telling you, I am not exalted, another man who comes after, he is highly exalted, I cannot even take off his sandals, I am so much less.

You come to me and I baptize you with water, that’s all, but in the future you will go to this man and he will give you the Holy Spirit, in the same way as the baptism in water.”

Source: La Biblia en LSM / La Palabra de Dios

<< Mark 1:2-3 in Mexican Sign Language
Mark 1:9-8 in Mexican Sign Language >>

complete verse (Mark 1:7)

Following are a number of back-translations of Mark 1:7:

  • Uma: “He spread this news: ‘After me will come one whose power is greater than me/mine. Even to kneel to undo his shoe I am not worthy.” (Source: Uma Back Translation)
  • Yakan: “And he proclaimed like this: ‘There is (someone),’ he said, ‘coming after me, (who is) more powerful than I. I am not even worthy to bend down to loosen the string of his shoes.” (Source: Yakan Back Translation)
  • Western Bukidnon Manobo: “Then John preached to the people saying, ‘There is a person coming who will take my place. That person is very much greater than I, because even to take off his shoes, I am not yet worthy to be his servant.” (Source: Western Bukidnon Manobo Back Translation)
  • Kankanaey: “He was telling the many-people, ‘There is someone greater (lit. higher) than I who is following-me. And because of this greatness of his, I am not worthy to even untie the laces of his shoes.” (Source: Kankanaey Back Translation)
  • Tagbanwa: “He was always saying when he was teaching, ‘The one following me will come who is far superior to me. Even to undo the tie of his footwear to remove them is not possible/acceptable for me to do, for his greatness/importance it really very much.” (Source: Tagbanwa Back Translation)
  • Shipibo-Conibo: “Then he told them a word: Back of me comes one surpassing me in strength. I am not equal, though I bend down, to untie his shoe string.” (Source: James Lauriault in The Bible Translator 1951, p. 32ff. )
  • Balinese: “Then he preached to the people as follows: ‘After me there comes one mightier than. Even to stoop down to loose the strings of His sandal I feel not fit at all.” (Source: J.L. Swellengrebel in The Bible Translator 1950, p. 75ff. )