Barclay Newman, a translator on the teams for both the Good News Bible and the Contemporary English Version, translated passages of the New Testament into English and published them in 2014, “in a publication brief enough to be non-threatening, yet long enough to be taken seriously, and interesting enough to appeal to believers and un-believers alike.” The following is the translation of Matthew 2:1-12:
They came from the east when Herod was king in Judea.
They were authorities themselves, authorities about stars, and they asked in Jerusalem,
“Where is the child born to be king of your nation?
In the east we saw the star that signaled his birth,
and we have come to worship him.”
This news worried King Herod and everyone else in town.
So Herod called together the religious authorities and asked,
“Where is this new king supposed to be born?”
They replied, “In Bethlehem, just as the prophet wrote:
‘Bethlehem — so important in Judea—from you will come
One with absolute authority over God’s flock.’”
Herod was sly, and after he had sent for the star-authorities,
he said, “Go to Bethlehem and return with all the details,
so I can worship this new king.”
The eastern authorities followed the star
until it had settled over the child’s home —
they were overwhelmed with joy…
When they entered the house,
they saw him with Mary his mother.
So they knelt down and worshiped the child,
placing at his feet the treasures they had brought.
Later — after being warned in a dream –
they returned home by a different route.
Some languages do not have a concept of kingship and therefore no immediate equivalent for the Greek, Hebrew, Aramaic, and Latin that is translated as “king” in English. Here are some (back-) translations:
Ninia Yali: “big brother with the uplifted name” (source: Daud Soesilio in Noss 2007, p. 175)
Nyamwezi: mutemi: generic word for ruler, by specifying the city or nation it becomes clear what kind of ruler (source: Pioneer Bible Translators, project-specific translation notes in Paratext)
Ghomála’: Fo (“The word Fo refers to the paramount ruler in the kingdoms of West Cameroon. He holds administrative, political, and religious power over his own people, who are divided into two categories: princes (descendants of royalty) and servants (everyone else).” (Source: Michel Kenmogne in Theologizing in Context: An Example from the Study of a Ghomala’ Christian Hymn))
Faye Edgerton retells how the term in Navajo (Dinė) was determined:
“[This term was] easily expressed in the language of Biblical culture, which had kings and noblemen with their brilliant trappings and their position of honor and praise. But leadership among the Navajos is not accompanied by any such titles or distinctions of dress. Those most respected, especially in earlier days, were their headmen, who were the leaders in raids, and the shaman, who was able to serve the people by appealing for them to the gods, or by exorcising evil spirits. Neither of these made any outward show. Neither held his position by political intrigue or heredity. If the headman failed consistently in raids, he was superceded by a better warrior. If the shaman failed many times in his healing ceremonies, it was considered that he was making mistakes in the chants, or had lost favor with the gods, and another was sought. The term Navajos use for headman is derived from a verb meaning ‘to move the head from side to side as in making an oration.’ The headman must be a good orator, able to move the people to go to war, or to follow him in any important decision. This word is naat’áanii which now means ‘one who rules or bosses.’ It is employed now for a foreman or boss of any kind of labor, as well as for the chairman of the tribal council. So in order to show that the king is not just a common boss but the highest ruler, the word ‘aláahgo, which expresses the superlative degree, was put before naat’áanii, and so ‘aláahgo naat’áanii ‘anyone-more-than-being around-he-moves-his-head-the-one-who’ means ‘the highest ruler.’ Naat’áanii was used for governor as the context usually shows that the person was a ruler of a country or associated with kings.”
The Greek Iēsous is “only” a proper name but one with great importance. The following quote by John Ellington (in The Bible Translator1993, p. 401ff. ) illustrates this:
“In Matthew’s account of the birth of Jesus Christ, Joseph is told that when Mary gives birth to a son ‘you will name him Jesus, because he will save his people from their sins’ (1:21). This name is a Greek transliteration of the Hebrew name [Yeshua (יֵשׁוּעַ) which is a short form of a name meaning] ‘the Lord [Yahweh] saves.’ The name is very significant and is in itself especially dear to Christians around the world. (…) Unquestionably great importance is attached to the name of Jesus by Christians of all persuasions and backgrounds.”
While Iēsous (pronounced: /i.ɛː.suːs/) is transliterated as “Jesus” (pronounced /ˈdʒiːzəs/) in English (but was translated as “Hælend” [the “healing one”] in Old English — see Swain 2019) it is transliterated and pronounced in a large variety of other ways as well, following the different rules of different languages’ orthographies, writing systems and rules of pronunciation. The following is a (partial) list of forms of Jesus in Latin characters: aYeso, Azezi, Boiyesuq, Cecoc, Chesús, Chi̍i̍sū, Chisɔsi, Ciisahs, Ciise, Ciisusu, Djesu, Ɛisa, Ƹisa, Eyesu, Gesù, Gesû, Gesü, Ġesù, Ghjesù, Giêsu, ꞌGiê‑ꞌsu, Giê-xu, Gyisɛse, Hesu, Hesús, Hisus, Hisuw, Ià-sŭ, Iesen, Ié:sos, Iesu, Iesui, Iesusɨn, Iesusiva, Ié:sos, Ihu, Īhu, Iisus, Iisussa, Ijeesu, iJisọsị, Iji̍sɔ̄ɔsi, Iosa, Íosa, Ìosa, İsa, I’sa, Isiso, Isõs, Ísu, Isus, Isusa, Iisussa, Isuthi, Itota, Îtu, Isuva, Izesu, Izesuq, Jasus, Jeeju, Jeesus, Jeesuse, Jeezas, Jehu, Jeisu, Jeju, Jejus, Jesesi, Jeshu, Jeso, Jesoe, Jesosa, Jesoshi, Jesosi, Jesosy, Jesu, Jesû, Jesua, Jesuh, Jesuhs, Jesuo, Jesús, Jésus, Jesúsu, Jethu, Jezed, Jezi, Jézi, Ježiš, Jezu, Jezus, Jézus, Jėzus, Jēzus, Jezusi, Jėzus, Jezuz, Jiijajju, Jíísas, Jiisusi, Jiizas, Jíìzọ̀s, Jisas, Jisase, Jisasi, Jisasɨ, Jisaso, Jisesi, Jisɛ̀, Jisos, Jisọs, Jisɔs, Jisu, Jiszs, Jizọs, Jizɔs, Jizọsi, Jizọsu, Jòso, Jusu, Jweesus, Ketsutsi, Njises, ọYẹsọ, Sesi, Sisa, Sísa, Sisas, Sises, Sīsū, Sizi, Txesusu, uJesu, Ujísɔ̄si, ŵaYesu, Xesosi, ´Xesús, Xesús, Yasu, Ya:su, yasuɛ, Yasuuⓐ, Ɣaysa, Yecu, Yeeb Sub, Yeeh Suh, Yeesey, Yeeso, Yeesso, Yēēsu, Yehsu, Yëësu, Yeiqsul, Yeisu, Yeisuw, Yeshu, Yē shú, Yeso, Yéso, Yesò, Yëso, Yɛso, ye-su, Yésu, Yêsu, Yẹ́sụ̃, Yěsù, Yésʉs, Yeswa, Yet Sut, Yetut, Yexus, Yezo, Yezu, Yiesu, Yiisa, Yiisu, Yiitju, Yis, Yisɔs, Yisufa, Yitati, Yusu, ‑Yusu, :Yusu’, Zeezi, Zezi, Zezì, Zezuz, Zezwii, Ziizɛ, Zisas, Zîsɛ, Zjezus, Zozi, Zozii, and this (much more incomplete) list with other writings systems: ᔩᓱᓯ, ᒋᓴᔅ, Հիսուս, ᏥᏌ, ኢየሱስ, ያሱስ, ܝܫܘܥ, Ісус, Їисъ, 耶稣, იესო, ईसा, イエス, イイスス, イエスス, 예수, येशू, येशो, ਈਸਾ, ພຣະເຢຊູ, ජේසුස්, যীশু, ଯୀଶୁ, ཡེ་ཤུ་, ‘ঈছা, இயேசு, ಯೇಸು, ພຣະເຢຊູ, ယေရှု, ઇસુ, जेजू, येसु, เยซู, យេស៊ូ, ᱡᱤᱥᱩ, ယေသှု, యేసు, ᤕᤧᤛᤢ᤺ᤴ, އީސާގެފާނު, ਯਿਸੂ, ꕉꖷ ꔤꕢ ꕞ, ⵏ⵿ⵗⵢⵙⴰ, ଜୀସୁ, يَسُوعَ,ㄧㄝㄙㄨ, YE-SU, ꓬꓰ꓿ꓢꓴ, 𖽃𖽡𖾐𖼺𖽹𖾏𖼽𖽔𖾏, ꑳꌠ, ᠶᠡᠰᠦᠰ (note that some of these might not display correctly if your device does not have the correct fonts installed).
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In some languages the different confessions have selected different transliterations, such as in Belarusian with Isus (Ісус) by the Orthodox and Protestant churches and Yezus (Езус) by the Catholic church, Bulgarian with Iisus (Иисус) by the Orthodox and Isus (Исус) by the Protestant church, Japanese with Iesu (イエス) (Protestant and Catholic) and Iisusu (イイスス) (Orthodox), or Lingala with Yesu (Protestant) or Yezu (Catholic). These differences have come to the forefront especially during the work on interconfessional translations such as one in Lingala where “many hours were spent on a single letter difference” (source: Ellington, p. 401).
In Literary and Mandarin Chinese where transliterations of proper names between the Catholic and Protestant versions typically differ vastly, the Chinese name of Jesus (Yēsū 耶稣) remarkably was never brought into question between and by those two confessions, likely due to its ingenious choice. (Click or tap here to see more).
The proper name of God in the Old Testament, Yahweh (YHWH), is rendered in most Chinese Bible translations as Yēhéhuá 耶和華 — Jehovah. According to Chinese naming conventions, Yēhéhuá could be interpreted as Yē Héhuá, in which Yē would be the family name and Héhuá — “harmonic and radiant” — the given name. In the same manner, Yē 耶 would be the family name of Jesus and Sū 稣 would be his given name. Because in China the children inherit the family name from the father, the sonship of Jesus to God the Father, Jehovah, would be illustrated through this. Though this line of argumentation sounds theologically unsound, it is indeed used effectively in the Chinese church (see Wright 1953, p. 298).
Moreover, the “given name” of Sū 稣 carries the meaning ‘to revive, to rise again’ and seems to point to the resurrected Jesus. (Source: J. Zetzsche in Malek 2002, p. 141ff., see also tetragrammaton (YHWH))
There are different ways that Bible translators have chosen historically and today in how to translate the name of Jesus in predominantly Muslim areas: with a form of the Arabic Isa (عيسى) (which is used for “Jesus” in the Qur’an), the Greek Iēsous, or, like major 20th century Bible translations into Standard Arabic, the Aramaic Yēšūaʿ: Yasua (يَسُوعَ). (Click or tap here to see more.)
Following are languages and language groups that use a form of Isa include the following (note that this list is not complete):
In Indonesian, while most Bible translations had already used Yesus Kristus rather than Isa al Masih, three public holidays used to be described using the term Isa Al Masih. From 2024 on the government is using Yesus Kristus in those holiday names instead (see this article in Christianity Today ).
Some languages have additional “TAZI” editions (TAZI stands for “Tawrat, Anbiya, Zabur, and Injil” the “Torah, Prophets, Psalms and Gospel”) of the New Testament that are geared towards Muslim readers where there is also a translation in the same language for non-Muslims. In those editions, Isa is typically used as well (for example, the Khmer TAZI edition uses Isa (អ៊ីសា) rather than the commonly used Yesaou (យេស៊ូ), the Thai edition uses Isa (อีซา) rather than Yesu (เยซู), the Chinese edition uses Ěrsā (尔撒) vs. Yēsū (耶稣), and the English edition also has Isa rather than Jesus.)
In German the name Jesus (pronounced: /ˈjeːzʊs/) is distinguished by its grammatical forms. Into the 20th century the grammatical rules prescribed a unique Greek-Latin declination: Jesus (nominative), Jesu (genitive, dative, vocative), Jesum (accusative), from which today only the genitive case “Jesu” is still in active use. Likewise, in Seediq (Taroko), the morphological treatment of “Jesus” also occupies a special category by not falling under the normal rule of experiencing a vowel reduction when the object-specific suffix an is added “since it was felt that the readers might resent that the name has been changed that drastically.” (Compare Msian for “Moses” (Mosi) as an object, but Yisuan for “Jesus” (Yisu).) (Source: Covell 1998. p. 249)
In Lamba the name ŵaYesu consists of a transliteration Yesu and the prefix ŵa, a plural form for “proper names when addressing and referring to persons in any position of seniority or honor.” While this was avoided in early translations to avoid possible misunderstandings of more than one Jesus, once the church was established it was felt that it was both “safe” and respectful to use the honorific (pl.) prefix. (Source C. M. Doke in The Bible Translator 1958, p. 57ff. )
In virtually all sign languages, “Jesus” is signed with the middle finger of each hand pointing to the palm (or wrist) of the other in succession (signing the nails of the cross). In the context of Bible translation this has been pointed out as theologically problematic since the “semantic connections of the original name Jesus do point towards ‘salvation,’ they do not naturally lead to crucifixion.” (Source: Phil King in Journal of Translation 1 (2020), p. 33ff.)
Following is the oldest remaining Ethiopian Orthodox icon of Jesus from the 14th or possibly 13th century (found in the Church of the Saviour of the World in Gurji, Ethiopia). As in many Orthodox icons, Jesus’ right hand forms the Greek letters I-C-X-C for IHCOYCXPICTOC or “Jesus Christ.” Another interpretation of the right hand is that it shows three fingers pointing to the Trinity, while the two other fingers point to Jesus’ two natures.
Orthodox icons are not drawings or creations of imagination. They are in fact writings of things not of this world. Icons can represent our Lord Jesus Christ, the Virgin Mary, and the Saints. They can also represent the Holy Trinity, Angels, the Heavenly hosts, and even events. Orthodox icons, unlike Western pictures, change the perspective and form of the image so that it is not naturalistic. This is done so that we can look beyond appearances of the world, and instead look to the spiritual truth of the holy person or event. (Source )
The following is the so-called “Wales Window for Alabama.” It is a stained-glass window by the artist John Petts from Carmarthenshire, Wales, created in response to the 16th Street Baptist Church bombing which took place in 1963:
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 )
The style of the following drawing of Jesus by Annie Vallotton is described by the artist as this: “By using few lines the readers fill in the outlines with their imagination and freedom. That is when the drawings begin to communicate.” (see here ; see also We All are One in Christ)
Illustration by Annie Vallotton, copyright by Donald and Patricia Griggs of Griggs Educational Service.
Now is a word that indicates a new section is starting and does not indicate time. Good News Translation does not find it necessary in English to have such a word or expression, but many other languages will, as in “Now then.”
Matthew identifies Bethlehem as the one in Judea (there was another Bethlehem in Zebulun); Bibel im heutigen Deutsch, 1st edition further identifies Bethlehem as “a place,” and Good News Translation as “the town of.” Herod the Great is the king referred to. The Roman Senate appointed him king in 40 B.C., but he actually reigned only from 37 B.C. to 4 B.C. Neither Bethlehem nor Judea will be known to many readers, and translators can help these readers by using classifiers, as in “the town of Bethlehem in the region of Judea.”
When translates a participial construction in Greek, which may also mean “After” (New Jerusalem Bible) or “Soon afterward” (Good News Translation, Die Bibel im heutigen Deutsch). Some languages will say “After Jesus was born…” or “When Jesus was born…,” but others will find it more natural to do it this way: “Jesus was born in the town of Bethlehem in Judea when Herod was the king. After that….” However, when needs to be examined in its relationship with the word behold. This word will not be expressed at all in some languages, but in others the ideas “behold” and “when” come together in a phrase like “Soon afterward” as in Good News Translation, or “And it happened that…,” or simply as “Then.”
In the days of Herod the king may be “during the time when Herod was the king there.” But in some languages a separate sentence will be better, as in “At that time, Herod was king there” or “At that time, the king there was named Herod.”
Wise men translates a Greek noun which originally referred to Persian priests who were experts in astrology and in the interpretation of dreams. But the word may also be used in a derogatory sense of “magician” or “charlatan,” a meaning which it has in its only other New Testament occurrences outside Matthew’s nativity narrative (Acts 13.6, 8). Matthew most likely has Babylonian astrologers in mind. “Astrologers” (New American Bible, New English Bible, Phillips) is perhaps the nearest technical term, but in light of its intended readership Good News Translation has chosen the more lengthy phrase: “some men who studied the stars.” Note also Barclay (“scholars who were students of the stars”), which is very good because in the present context the word is not intended to have a derogatory or negative meaning such as “astrologers” may have. Moffatt‘s “magicians” misses the target in the present context, though it is well suited for the passage in Acts. It may not be sufficient to say “studied the stars,” since this would mean the wise men were astronomers, and translators in these languages will have to add “to know things.” This is even expressed sometimes as “men who knew things from studying the stars.”
What is meant by the East is not known precisely, though most commentators assume Babylonia is intended (present-day Iran).
East: “from the direction where the sun rises” is a very common way to express this, or “from a country that is in the direction where the sun rises.”
Jerusalem, as with “Bethlehem,” will not be known to some readers. In those languages the translators will specify “the city Jerusalem.”
Saying may be “They said” or “When they reached Jerusalem, they asked people….” But it can mean “They asked the authorities (or, responsible people).”
Quoted with permission from Newman, Barclay M. and Stine, Philip C. A Handbook on the Gospel of Matthew. (UBS Handbook Series). New York: UBS, 1988. For this and other handbooks for translators see here .
(a) Jesus was indeed born in Bethlehem as scripture predicted (even though he would later move to Nazareth, and people considered him to be a Nazarene).
(b) The Jewish religious teachers who knew the law did not go to worship the king of the Jews. It was the Gentile wise men who worshiped him.
Here are some other possible headings for this section:
The Visit of the Wise Men (NET Bible)
-or-
Visitors from the East (Good News Translation)
Paragraph 2:1–2
2:1a
This verse part begins with the Greek conjunction that many English versions translate as “Now” here. Here “Now” means “at that time.” It does not mean “today.” Many English versions, including the Berean Standard Bible, do not translate the Greek conjunction here, but rather let the context indicate that what follows took place at that time. In some languages, it may be natural to begin 2:1a by translating this Greek conjunction to show that what happens in this section happened after the preceding section and “during the time of Herod” as 2:1b indicates. For example:
Now (English Standard Version)
After Jesus was born: The Greek clause that the Berean Standard Bible translates as After Jesus was born tells us the setting of the time that the wise men came.
Here are some other ways to begin this section:
⌊One day,⌋ after Jesus was born
-or-
When Jesus was born (Contemporary English Version)
The main clause in this verse is in 2:1c. In some languages, it may be more natural to translate the main clause before the background information. See the General Comment after 2:1c for some ideas.
Jesus was born: The Greek word that the Berean Standard Bible translates as was born is passive.
Here are some other ways to translate this word:
• As a passive verb. For example:
Jesus was born
• As an active verb. For example:
⌊Mary⌋ gave birth to Jesus
-or-
⌊Mary⌋ bore Jesus
in Bethlehem: The word Bethlehem is the name of a village about eight kilometers (five miles) south of Jerusalem. Another way to translate this word is:
in ⌊the village/town of⌋ Bethlehem
in Judea: The word Judea is the name of a province in the country of Israel. Another way to translate this word is:
⌊the province/region of⌋ Judea
2:1b
during the time of King Herod: The phrase during the time of King Herod refers only to the time when Herod was king. It does not refer to the thirty or so years of his life before he became king.
Here are some other ways to translate this phrase:
during the reign of King Herod (New Jerusalem Bible)
-or-
during the time when Herod was king (Good News Translation)
-or-
when/while King Herod was ruling
This phrase is also background information. See the General Comment after 2:1c for other ways to translate this phrase.
2:1c
The Greek of 2:1c begins with a word that is often translated as “behold.” It literally means “look” or “see.” This word focuses attention on what follows. It indicates that what follows is important, unexpected, or amazing. In this passage, the wise men unexpectedly arrived in Jerusalem. The Berean Standard Bible omits this word.
If you have a term that gets the attention of people and is natural in this context, you should consider using it here. Here are some examples:
suddenly
-or-
Look!
-or-
unexpectedly
This word also occurs in 1:20 and 1:23. Consider how you translated it there.
Magi: The Greek word that the Berean Standard Bible translates as Magi refers to men who studied the movement of stars and planets. They believed that the movement of stars and planets could predict future events.
Here are some other ways to translate this word:
astrologers (Revised English Bible)
-or-
men who studied the stars (Good News Translation)
-or-
men who watched the stars to learn the future
-or-
men who could tell the meaning of the stars
Some English versions such as the Berean Standard Bible transliterate this Greek word as Magi.
from the east: The phrase from the east means that the wise men came from a country or countries that were east of Jerusalem. Their journey probably took a long time. Your translation should not indicate that they were from nearby.
Here are some other ways to translate this phrase:
from eastern lands (New Living Translation (2004))
-or-
from a country to the east
arrived in Jerusalem: The word Jerusalem is the name of the main city of the province of Judea. It was the most important and largest city in that region. Strangers such as the wise men would naturally go there when searching for someone.
Here is another way to translate this phrase:
arrived in ⌊the city of⌋ Jerusalem
General Comment on 2:1a–c
In verse 2:1, 2:1c is the main clause and 2:1a–b add background information. You may want to change the order of the clauses in this verse to better show what is the main clause and what is background information. One way to do this is to put 2:1c earlier in the verse. For example:
⌊One day,⌋ 1csome astrologers from the east arrived in Jerusalem. 1a⌊This happened⌋ after Jesus was born in Bethlehem in Judea. 1bAt that time, Herod was the king of Judea.
-or-
⌊One day,⌋ 1aafter Jesus was born in Bethlehem in Judea, 1csome astrologers from the east arrived in Jerusalem. 1bAt that time, Herod was the king of Judea.
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