Following is a Russian Orthodox icon of Isaiah from the 18th century (found in the Transfiguration Church, Kizhi Monastery, Karelia, Russia). The text in the scrollis from Isaiah 2:2: “In the last days […] shall be established.”
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 )
Following are a number of back-translations of Matthew 4:14:
Uma: “Yesus dwelt there, with the result that the word that was spoken by the prophet Yesaya long ago was fulfilled, like this its sound:” (Source: Uma Back Translation)
Yakan: “What Nabi Isaya said in the holy-book was fulfilled, he said,” (Source: Yakan Back Translation)
Western Bukidnon Manobo: “He did this because that which Isaiah prophesied long ago will be fulfilled; he said,” (Source: Western Bukidnon Manobo Back Translation)
Kankanaey: “This was done so that what God caused-Isaias the prophet -to-say would be fulfilled saying,” (Source: Kankanaey Back Translation)
Tagbanwa: “Fulfilled in that is what was said by the prophet Isaias, who said,” (Source: Tagbanwa Back Translation)
Tenango Otomi: “This happened in order that there happen what was written by the prophet Isaiah who said:” (Source: Tenango Otomi Back Translation)
Eugene Nida wrote the following about the translation of the Hebrew, Aramaic and Greek terms that are typically translated with “prophet” in English:
“The tendency in many translations is to use ‘to foretell the future’ for ‘prophesy,’ and ‘one who foretells the future’ for ‘prophet.’ This is not always a recommended usage, particularly if such expressions denote certain special native practices of spirit contact and control. It is true, of course, that prophets of the Bible did foretell the future, but this was not always their principal function. One essential significance of the Greek word prophētēs is ‘one who speaks forth,’ principally, of course, as a forth-teller of the Divine will. A translation such as ‘spokesman for God’ may often be employed profitably.” (1947, p. 234f.)
Following is a list of (back-) translations from other languages (click or tap for details):
Ayutla Mixtec: “one who talks as God’s representative”
Isthmus Mixe: “speaker for God” (source for this and two above: Viola Waterhouse in Notes on Translation August 1966, p. 86ff.)
Mezquital Otomi / Paasaal: “God’s messenger” (source: Waterhouse / Parrott in Notes on Translation October 1967, p. 1ff. and Fabian N. Dapila in The Bible Translator 2024, p. 415ff.)
Noongar: Warda Marridjiny or “News Traveling” (source: Warda-Kwabba Luke-Ang)
Kutu: mtula ndagu or “one who gives the prediction of the past and the future” (Source: Pioneer Bible Translators, project-specific translation notes in Paratext)
Ebira: ọnịsẹ, a neologism that combines the prefix ọn for “a person” with ịsẹ for “prediction” (source: Scholz /Scholz 2015, p. 49)
French 1985 translation by Chouraqui: inspiré or “inspired one” (“someone in whom God has breathed [Latin: in + spiro]) (source: Watson 2023, p. 45)
In Ixcatlán Mazatec a term is used that specifically includes women. (Source: Robert Bascom)
“In some instances these spiritual terms result from adaptations reflecting the native life and culture. Among the Northern Grebo people of Liberia, a missionary wanted some adequate term for ‘prophet,’ and she was fully aware that the native word for ‘soothsayer’ or ‘diviner’ was no equivalent for the Biblical prophet who spoke forth for God. Of course, much of what the prophets said referred to the future, and though this was an essential part of much of their ministry, it was by no means all. The right word for the Gbeapo people would have to include something which would not only mean the foretelling of important events but the proclamation of truth as God’s representative among the people. At last the right word came; it was ‘God’s town-crier.’ Every morning and evening the official representative of the chief goes through the village crying out the news, delivering the orders of the chief, and announcing important coming events. ‘God’s town-crier’ would be the official representative of God, announcing to the people God’s doings, His commands, and His pronouncements for their salvation and well-being. For the Northern Grebo people the prophet is no weird person from forgotten times; he is as real as the human, moving message of the plowman Amos, who became God’s town-crier to a calloused people.” (source: Nida 1952, p. 20)
In British Sign Language it is is translated with a sign that depicts a message coming from God to a person (the upright finger) and then being passed on to others. (Source: Anna Smith)
“Prophet” in British Sign Language (source: Christian BSL, used with permission)
Living Water is produced for the Bible translation movement in association with Lutheran Bible Translators. Lyrics derived from the ESV® Bible (The Holy Bible, English Standard Version®).
In most languages translators will start a new sentence here as Good News Translation does. This will render the passage more readable for many readers.
Spoken by the prophet Isaiah may need to be expanded to “what God said through the prophet Isaiah.”
Might be fulfilled is similar in form to the quotation formula used in 1.22. The words of the quotation do not come from the Septuagint but are rather a free rendering of portions of Isaiah 9.1-2. See commentaries for details. Scriptural support for this move is not supplied by either Mark (1.14-15) or Luke (4.14-15).
Translators are referred to the comments at 1.22. Here they can follow Good News Translation or say “He did this so that the thing the prophet Isaiah said would actually take place,” or “Jesus went to live in Capernaum so that the thing would take place as the prophet Isaiah had said it would,” or “Jesus went to live in Capernaum to make come true what the prophet Isaiah had said about that.”
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 .
to fulfill what was spoken through the prophet Isaiah: The Greek word that the Berean Standard Bible translates as to indicates that 4:14 is the purpose for Jesus’ move to Galilee. He moved to Galilee, in order that scripture would be fulfilled.
In some languages, it will be more natural to begin a new sentence here. For example:
⌊Jesus moved to Galilee⌋ so that what was spoken…might be fulfilled.
-or-
⌊He did that⌋ in order that the words…might be fulfilled.
to fulfill: The Greek word that the Berean Standard Bible translates as to fulfill means “to come true” or “to happen.” God spoke the words of 4:15–16 hundreds of years before Jesus was born. And now those words were about to happen.
Here are some other ways to translate this word:
to make come true (Good News Translation)
-or-
to accomplish
-or-
would happen
what was spoken through the prophet Isaiah: The Greek phrase that the Berean Standard Bible translates as what was spoken through the prophet can also be translated as “the words that were spoken through the prophet.” Isaiah spoke words that the Lord had instructed him to tell the people. Isaiah also wrote down these words.
This clause is passive. Here are some other ways to translate this:
• As a passive. For example:
what had been spoken through the prophet Isaiah (New Revised Standard Version)
-or-
the words that were said ⌊by God⌋ through the prophet Isaiah
• As an active. For example:
what God said through the prophet Isaiah (New Living Translation (2004))
-or-
the words that the prophet Isaiah said
the prophet Isaiah: The phrase the prophet Isaiah also occurs in 3:3. You should translate this phrase the same way as you translated it there.
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