Lord

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The Hebrew adonai in the Old Testament typically refers to God. The shorter adon (and in two cases in the book of Daniel the Aramaic mare [מָרֵא]) is also used to refer to God but more often for concepts like “master,” “owner,” etc. In English Bible translations all of those are translated with “Lord” if they refer to God.

In English Old Testament translations, as in Old Testament translations in many other languages, the use of Lord (or an equivalent term in other languages) is not to be confused with Lord (or the equivalent term with a different typographical display for other languages). While the former translates adonai, adon and mare, the latter is a translation for the tetragrammaton (YHWH) or the Name of God. See tetragrammaton (YHWH) and the article by Andy Warren-Rothlin in Noss / Houser, p. 618ff. for more information.

In the New Testament, the Greek term kurios has at least four different kinds of use:

  • referring to “God,” especially in Old Testament quotations,
  • meaning “master” or “owner,” especially in parables, etc.,
  • as a form of address (see for instance John 4:11: “Sir, you have no bucket”),
  • or, most often, referring to Jesus

In the first and fourth case, it is also translated as “Lord” in English.

Most languages naturally don’t have one word that covers all these meanings. According to Bratcher / Nida, “the alternatives are usually (1) a term which is an honorific title of respect for a high-ranking person and (2) a word meaning ‘boss’, ‘master’, or ‘chief.’ (…) and on the whole it has generally seemed better to employ a word of the second category, in order to emphasize the immediate personal relationship, and then by context to build into the word the prestigeful character, since its very association with Jesus Christ will tend to accomplish this purpose.”

When looking at the following list of back-translations of the terms that translators in the different languages have used for both kurios and adonai to refer to God and Jesus respectively, it might be helpful for English readers to recall the etymology of the English “Lord.” While this term might have gained an exalted meaning in the understanding of many, it actually comes from hlaford or “loaf-ward,” referring to the lord of the castle who was the keeper of the bread (source: Rosin 1956, p. 121).

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Following are some of the solutions that don’t rely on a different typographical display (see above):

  • Navajo (Dinė): “the one who has charge”
  • Mossi: “the one who has the head” (the leader)
  • Uduk: “chief”
  • Guerrero Amuzgo: “the one who commands”
  • Kpelle: “person-owner” (a term which may be applied to a chief)
  • Central Pame: “the one who owns us” (or “commands us”)
  • Piro: “the big one” (used commonly of one in authority)
  • San Blas Kuna: “the great one over all” (source for this and above: Bratcher / Nida)
  • Guhu-Samane: Soopara (“our Supervisor”) (source: Ellis Deibler in Notes on Translation July, 1967, p. 5ff.)
  • Balinese: “Venerated-one” (source: Reiling / Swellengrebel)
  • Yanesha’: “the one who carries us” (source: Nida 1952, p. 159)
  • Northern Emberá: Dadjirã Boro (“our Head”)
  • Rarotongan: Atu (“master or owner of a property”)
  • Gilbertese: Uea (“a person of high status invested with authority to rule the people”)
  • Rotuman: Gagaja (“village chief”)
  • Samoan: Ali’i (“an important word in the native culture, it derives from the Samoan understanding of lordship based on the local traditions”)
  • Tahitian: Fatu (“owner,” “master”)
  • Tuvalu: Te Aliki (“chief”)
  • Fijian: Liuliu (“leader”) (source for this and six above: Joseph Hong in The Bible Translator 1994, p. 329ff. )
  • Bacama: Həmə miye: “owner of people” (source: David Frank in this blog post )
  • Hopi: “Controller” (source: Walls 2000, p. 139)
  • Iyansi: Mwol. Mwol is traditionally used for the “chief of a group of communities and villages” with legal, temporal, and spiritual authority (versus the “mfum [the term used in other Bantu languages] which is used for the chief of one community of people in one village”). Mwol is also used for twins who are “treated as special children, highly honored, and taken care of like kings and queens.” (Source: Kividi Kikama in Greed / Kruger, p. 396ff.)
  • Ghomala’: Cyəpɔ (“he who is above everyone,” consisting of the verb cyə — to surpass or go beyond — and pɔ — referring to people. No human can claim this attribute, no matter what his or her social status or prestige.” (Source: Michel Kenmogne in Theologizing in Context: An Example from the Study of a Ghomala’ Christian Hymn )
  • Binumarien: Karaambaia: “fight-leader” (Source: Oates 1995, p. 255)
  • Warlpiri: Warlaljamarri (owner or possessor of something — for more information tap or click here)

    We have come to rely on another term which emphasizes God’s essential nature as YHWH, namely jukurrarnu (see tetragrammaton (YHWH)). This word is built on the same root jukurr– as is jukurrpa, ‘dreaming.’ Its basic meaning is ‘timelessness’ and it is used to describe physical features of the land which are viewed as always being there. Some speakers view jukurrarnu in terms of ‘history.’ In all Genesis references to YHWH we have used Kaatu Jukurrarnu. In all Mark passages where kurios refers to God and not specifically to Christ we have also used Kaatu Jukurrarnu.

    New Testament references to Christ as kurios are handled differently. At one stage we experimented with the term Watirirririrri which refers to a ceremonial boss of highest rank who has the authority to instigate ceremonies. While adequately conveying the sense of Christ’s authority, there remained potential negative connotations relating to Warlpiri ceremonial life of which we might be unaware.

    Here it is that the Holy Spirit led us to make a chance discovery. Transcribing the personal testimony of the local Warlpiri pastor, I noticed that he described how ‘my Warlaljamarri called and embraced me (to the faith)’. Warlaljamarri is based on the root warlalja which means variously ‘family, possessions, belongingness’. A warlaljamarri is the ‘owner’ or ‘possessor’ of something. While previously being aware of the ‘ownership’ aspect of warlaljamarri, this was the first time I had heard it applied spontaneously and naturally in a fashion which did justice to the entire concept of ‘Lordship’. Thus references to Christ as kurios are now being handled by Warlaljamarri.” (Source: Stephen Swartz, The Bible Translator 1985, p. 415ff. )

  • Mairasi: Onggoao Nem (“Throated One” — “Leader,” “Elder”) or Enggavot Nan (“Above-One”) (source: Enggavoter 2004)
  • Obolo: Okaan̄-ene (“Owner of person(s)”) (source: Enene Enene)
  • Angami Naga: Niepu (“master,” “owner”)
  • Lotha Naga: Opvui (“owner of house / field / cattle”) — since both “Lord” and YHWH are translated as Opvui there is an understanding that “Opvui Jesus is the same as the Opvui of the Old Testament”
  • Ao Naga: Kibuba (“human master,” “teacher,” “owner of property,” etc.) (source for this and two above: Nitoy Achumi in The Bible Translator 1992 p. 438ff. )
  • Seediq: Tholang, loan word from Min Nan Chinese (the majority language in Taiwan) thâu-lâng (頭儂): “Master” (source: Covell 1998, p. 248)
  • Thai: phra’ phu pen cao (พระผู้เป็นเจ้า) (divine person who is lord) or ong(kh) cao nay (องค์เจ้านาย) (<divine classifier>-lord-boss) (source: Stephen Pattemore)
  • Arabic often uses different terms for adonai or kurios referring to God (al-rabb الرب) and kurios referring to Jesus (al-sayyid الـسـيـد). Al-rabb is also the term traditionally used in Arabic Christian-idiom translations for YHWH, and al-sayyid is an honorary term, similar to English “lord” or “sir” (source: Andy Warren-Rothlin).
  • Tamil also uses different terms for adonai/kurios when referring to God and kurios when referring to Jesus. The former is Karttar கர்த்தர், a Sanskrit-derived term with the original meaning of “creator,” and the latter in Āṇṭavar ஆண்டவர், a Tamil term originally meaning “govern” or “reign” (source: Natarajan Subramani).
  • Burunge: Looimoo: “owner who owns everything” (in the Burunge Bible translation, this term is only used as a reference to Jesus and was originally used to refer to the traditional highest deity — source: Michael Endl in Holzhausen / Riderer 2010, p. 48)
  • Yagaria: Souve, originally “war lord” (source: Renck, p. 94)
  • Aguacateco: Ajcaw ske’j: “the one to whom we belong and who is above us” (source: Rita Peterson in Holzhausen / Riderer 2010, p. 49)
  • Konkomba: Tidindaan: “He who is the owner of the land and reigns over the people” (source: Lidorio 2007, p. 66)
  • Chichewa: Ambuye Ambuye comes from the singular form Mbuye which is used to refer to: (1) someone who is a guardian or protector of someone or group of people — a grandparent who has founded a community or village; (2) someone who is a boss or master over a group of people or servants and has absolute control over them; (3) owner of something, be it a property, animals and people who are bound under his/her rule — for people this was mostly commonly used in the context of slaves and their owner. In short, Mbuye is someone who has some authorities over those who call him/her their “Mbuye.” Now, when the form Ambuye is used it will either be for honorific when used for singular or plural when referring to more than one person. When this term is used in reference to God, it is for respect to God as he is acknowledged as a guardian, protector, and ruler of everything. (Source: Mawu a Mulungu mu Chichewa Chalero Back Translation).
  • Hdi uses rveri (“lion”) as a title of respect and as such it regularly translates adon in the Old Testament. As an address, it’s most often with a possessive pronoun as in rvera ɗa (“my lion” = “my lord” or “sir”). So, for example, Genesis 15:2 (“O Lord God”) is Rvera ɗa Yawe (“My lion Yahweh”) or Ruth to Boaz in Ruth 2:13: “May I find your grace [lit. good-stomach] my lion.” This ties in nicely with the imagery of the Lord roaring like a lion (Hosea 11:10; Amos 3:8; Joel 3:16). Better still, this makes passages like Revelation 5:5 even richer when we read about rveri ma taba məndəra la Yuda, “the Lion of the tribe of Judah”. In Revelation 19:16, Jesus is rveri ta ghəŋa rveriha “the lion above lions” (“lord of lords”). (Source: Drew Maust)

Law (2013, p. 97) writes about how the Ancient Greek Septuagint‘s translation of the Hebrew adonai was used by the New Testament writers as a bridge between the Old and New Testaments: “Another case is the use of kurios referring to Jesus. For Yahweh (in English Bibles: ‘the Lord‘), the Septuagint uses kurios. Although the term kurios usually has to do with one’s authority over others, when the New Testament authors use this word from the Septuagint to refer to Jesus, they are making an extraordinary claim: Jesus of Nazareth is to be identified with Yahweh.”

See also Father / Lord.

location (of God) (Japanese honorifics)

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Like a number of other East Asian languages, Japanese uses a complex system of honorifics, i.e. a system where a number of different levels of politeness are expressed in language via words, word forms or grammatical constructs. These can range from addressing someone or referring to someone with contempt (very informal) to expressing the highest level of reference (as used in addressing or referring to God) or any number of levels in-between.

One way to do this is through the usage (or a lack) of an honorific prefix as shown here in the widely-used Japanese Shinkaiyaku (新改訳) Bible of 2017. When the referent is God, the “divine” honorific prefix mi- (御 or み) can be used, as in mi-moto (みもと) referring to the location (of God) in the referenced verses.

(Source: S. E. Doi, see also S. E. Doi in Journal of Translation, 18/2022, p. 37ff. )

Translation commentary on Matthew 8:2

In Greek this verse begins with and behold, which reflects Semitic language. Elsewhere in the Gospel this phrase is used with a special emphasis at 8.24, 29, 32; 9.2, 3, 10, 20; 26.51. Scholars indicate that we cannot speak of a systematic usage of the idiom, even though Matthew enjoys using it to stress something that is important to him. See comment at 1.20. As there, it may be translated as “and then,” “all of a sudden,” or “it happened at that time.”

Leper (so most translations) is translated “man suffering from a dreaded skin disease” by Good News Translation. As scholars note, the Greek word itself provides no real clue, since it can also cover elephantiasis, psoriasis, and vitiligo (depigmentation of skin). Today the term leprosy is properly applied to Hansen’s Disease, which was first isolated in 1871. Although it is possible that the reference here is to what modern science terms leprosy, this is not a necessary conclusion. New English Bible translates “a leper” but follows with a note: “The words leper, leprosy, as used in this translation, refer to some disfiguring skin disease which entailed ceremonial defilement. It is different from what is now called leprosy.” For translation it is best to use a term which may include leprosy but which does not necessarily indicate leprosy.

It is also important to note that institutions that work with leprosy patients prefer that we avoid putting a stigma upon anyone by calling a person a “leper.” It is better to refer to the disease, “leprosy,” and then to state that someone “has leprosy,” or “suffers from leprosy,” or “is a leprosy patient,” rather than marking the individual as a “leper.” We cannot, of course, call it “Hansen’s Disease,” since it did not have that name at the time of Jesus, and to give it that name would be an anachronism.

Having said that, we should point out that in many languages this is hard advice to follow. Some languages can use a general word or phrase much like “dreaded skin disease” of Good News Translation, and if so, translators should use it. But there are many languages that do not have a general word for “disease” or “skin disease” and must therefore always specify which disease. In such cases translators must either say “leprosy” or arbitrarily name some other disease. Some have used “skin fungus,” for example. However, it is unlikely that such an ailment would ever render someone ritually unclean or make him a social outcast the way leprosy would, and for this reason translators may be forced (we hope with reluctance) to revert to using “leprosy,” even though they know it may be incorrect.

Came to him may be “approached him” or “came to where Jesus was walking.”

That the man knelt before Jesus is an acknowledgment of the power and authority of Jesus, since one normally knelt before gods and kings. And, as one commentator observes, in the Old Testament the expression “come and kneel down” often refers to a ritual form of religious adoration. Both Matthew and Mark (1.40) indicate that the man knelt before Jesus, though they each use a different term; Luke (5.12) states that the man “fell on his face.” The expression knelt before is the same as in 2.11. It may be translated here as “knelt down in front of him to show honor” or “knelt down in great respect in front of him.”

Lord is translated “Sir” by Good News Translation and a number of other modern English translations (Jerusalem Bible, New English Bible, New American Bible, Barclay, An American Translation). This noun of address here is notable for two reasons. First, it is not found in the Marcan account, and Matthew has a tendency to abbreviate Mark. Second, elsewhere in Matthew’s Gospel the noun is used only in the speech of those who believe in Jesus. It is quite likely, therefore, that the term carries the full significance of Lord. The real difficulty is that of the time perspective. It may well be that in the original situation the man meant “Sir.” However, in the context of Matthew writing for the Christian community, the meaning is most probably Lord. In light of this, it seems best to use the term here that is used for Lord elsewhere, as for example when the disciples called Jesus “Lord” (8.25 is an example).

The Christian use of Lord has been handled in many ways. Often there is in a language a respectful term of address used only with chiefs or others to whom one owes allegiance. In many West African languages, Christians have found that the best equivalent is a term which means “Owner” or “Our Owner” or “Owner of the people.” “Lord” is thus one who has authority over us, one to whom we owe allegiance. There are other languages which have a respectful term of address used only for God, and in some cases that works well for the Christian usage also.

For the more common use, the equivalent of “Sir” in English, translators usually use the polite term with which they address some elder or senior person.

If you will (New English Bible “if only you will”; Anchor Bible “if you are willing”) is translated by Good News Translation in such a manner as to leave the false impression that the man was giving Jesus permission to make him well: “if you want to.” Some scholars indicate that the man’s words must not be taken to suggest that he thought Jesus was unwilling to heal him; rather, he addresses Jesus in a complimentary way, because he views him as a miracle worker.

The use of a phrase such as if you will, “would you be willing,” or “if it pleases you” as a very polite way of requesting something, is not uncommon, so many translators will be able to use a sentence similar to the text. In other languages a phrase such as “I would ask that you be willing” is appropriate.

You can make me clean is a literal rendering of the Greek text. As the footnote in Good News Translation indicates, this was a reference to ritual purification. The laws concerning leprosy are found in Leviticus 13–14 and Deuteronomy 24.8. The notion of ritual purification may be difficult in some translations, and Die Bibel im heutigen Deutsch has rendered “you can make me well!” Jerusalem Bible has “you can cure me,” as does New American Bible. Barclay also goes in this direction: “if you want to cure me, you can.” This seems to be a better solution than the retaining of the more difficult you can make me clean.

If translators retain the form of the text, you can make me clean, readers may think only of physical cleanliness, as if the man were washed. On the other hand, if they say “you can cure me,” important cultural information is lost. Some translations have tried to convey both by using phrases such as “you can heal me and make me acceptable to mix with people (or, make me clean in regard to God’s things).” But most translations have done something similar to Good News Translation and put the cultural information in a footnote.

The idea of being ritually clean, whether expressed in the text or explained in a footnote, is itself difficult to communicate in many cultures. Some translations have said “to be seen as clean in regards to the things of God (or, in regards to ways of worshiping God)” or “to be free from things God (or, people) call unclean.” Others have had to have a fairly extensive footnote, such as “There are some things that prevent a person from mixing with others and being able to worship God properly. These things are called unclean.”

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 .

SIL Translator’s Notes on Matthew 8:2

8:2a

Suddenly: The Greek word that the Berean Standard Bible translates as Suddenly indicates that something extraordinary will happen. Here, the amazing event is that a leper came to Jesus, and Jesus healed him. If you have a way to indicate such an event, you may want to use it here.

Here is another way to translate this word:

And behold (English Standard Version)

a leper: The Greek word that the Berean Standard Bible translates as leper refers to a person who had one of several different skin diseases. One specific type of skin disease is leprosy.

People believed that these diseases were spread by contact with someone who had the disease. A person who had one of these diseases was considered ritually unclean. According to Jewish law, he was not allowed to associate with other people. He was not allowed to worship in the temple.

Here are some other ways to translate this word:

• Use a word or phrase that refers to a person who has leprosy. For example:

a leper man
-or-
a man sick with/from leprosy
-or-
a man with leprosy (Contemporary English Version)

• Use a general phrase that describes the nature or significance of the disease that this person had. For example:

a man suffering from a dreaded skin disease (Good News Translation)
-or-
a man sick with a skin disease
-or-
a man whose skin was rotting

knelt before Him: The Greek word that the Berean Standard Bible translates as knelt literally means “prostrate before.” This means kneeling and putting one’s face to the ground. Common people did this to people of great authority in order to show them great honor and submission.

Here are some other ways to translate this clause:

bowed low in front of him (New Jerusalem Bible)
-or-
got on his knees before Jesus

8:2b

Lord: The Greek word that the Berean Standard Bible translates as Lord means “master.” It was a polite title used when addressing a respected leader.

Here are some other ways to translate Lord:

Sir (Good News Translation)
-or-
Master
-or-
Big/Important person

if You are willing, You can make me clean: This statement was a polite and indirect way for the man to ask Jesus to heal him of his leprosy. In some languages it may be necessary to make the request explicit. For example:

⌊I know that⌋ if you want to, you can heal me. ⌊So please heal me.⌋

Consider how the man would express his request politely in your language.

if You are willing: The clause if You are willing here means “if you want to.” The man believed that Jesus was able to heal him, but he was not sure that Jesus was willing to do so.

Here are some other ways to translate this clause:

if you want to (Good News Translation)
-or-
if you choose (New Revised Standard Version)
-or-

⌊please,⌋ if you are willing

You can make me clean: The Greek verb that the Berean Standard Bible literally translates as make…clean has the sense of “healed” or “cured” when used with leprosy.

Here are some other ways to translate this clause:

you have the power to make me well (Contemporary English Version)
-or-
you can heal me (New Century Version)

According to Jewish law, a person became “ritually unclean” if he had certain diseases such as leprosy. A ritually “unclean” person could not live with other people. He had to live apart from the rest of society. He could not worship in the temple. If anyone came near him, the unclean person had to warn him by shouting out, “Unclean!”

So here the leper not only had a disease, he was “unclean.” (This does not mean that he was physically dirty and needed to be washed.) In order to be completely cleansed from leprosy, there were at least two steps:

(a) he had to be cured/healed, and

(b) he had to be declared clean by a priest and offer sacrifices.

When Jesus told the man to go show himself to the priest and offer the sacrifice (in 8:4b–c), Jesus commanded the man to take care of step b. This shows that when Jesus said “Be clean” (in 8:3b), he was not doing step b. He did not make the man “ritually clean” according to the law of Moses. Rather, Jesus was taking care of step a: healing. Furthermore, when the leper asked Jesus to make him “clean,” he was not asking Jesus to play the role of the priest (step b). When Jesus says “I will,” he meant “I will agree to your request to be healed.” Therefore, in this context, the Greek word is best translated as “healed/cured.”

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