sin

The Hebrew, Ge’ez, and Greek that is typically translated as “sin” in English has a wide variety of translations.

The Greek ἁμαρτάνω (hamartanō) carries the original verbatim meaning of “miss the mark” and likewise, many translations contain the “connotation of moral responsibility.”

  • Loma: “leaving the road” (which “implies a definite standard, the transgression of which is sin”)
  • Navajo (Dinė): “that which is off to the side” (source for this and above: Bratcher / Nida)
  • Toraja-Sa’dan: kasalan, originally meaning “transgression of a religious or moral rule” and in the context of the Bible “transgression of God’s commandments” (source: H. van der Veen in The Bible Translator 1950, p. 21ff. )
  • Kaingang: “break God’s word”
  • Bariai: “bad behavior” (source: Bariai Back Translation)
  • Sandawe: “miss the mark” (like the original meaning of the Greek term) (source for this and above: Ursula Wiesemann in Holzhausen / Riderer 2010, p. 36ff., 43)
  • Nias: horö, originally a term primarily used for sexual sin. (Source: Hummel / Telaumbanua 2007, p. 256)
  • Mauwake: “heavy” (compare forgiveness as “take away one’s heaviness”) (source: Kwan Poh San in this article )

In Shipibo-Conibo the term is hocha. Nida (1952, p. 149) tells the story of its choosing: “In some instances a native expression for sin includes many connotations, and its full meaning must be completely understood before one ever attempts to use it. This was true, for example, of the term hocha first proposed by Shipibo-Conibo natives as an equivalent for ‘sin.’ The term seemed quite all right until one day the translator heard a girl say after having broken a little pottery jar that she was guilty of ‘hocha.’ Breaking such a little jar scarcely seemed to be sin. However, the Shipibos insisted that hocha was really sin, and they explained more fully the meaning of the word. It could be used of breaking a jar, but only if the jar belonged to someone else. Hocha was nothing more nor less than destroying the possessions of another, but the meaning did not stop with purely material possessions. In their belief God owns the world and all that is in it. Anyone who destroys the work and plan of God is guilty of hocha. Hence the murderer is of all men most guilty of hocha, for he has destroyed God’s most important possession in the world, namely, man. Any destructive and malevolent spirit is hocha, for it is antagonistic and harmful to God’s creation. Rather than being a feeble word for some accidental event, this word for sin turned out to be exceedingly rich in meaning and laid a foundation for the full presentation of the redemptive act of God.”

In Warao it is translated as “bad obojona.” Obojona is a term that “includes the concepts of consciousness, will, attitude, attention and a few other miscellaneous notions.” (Source: Henry Osborn in The Bible Translator 1969, p. 74ff. ). See other occurrences of Obojona in the Warao New Testament.

Martin Ehrensvärd, one of the translators for the Danish Bibelen 2020, comments on the translation of this term: “We would explain terms, such that e.g. sin often became ‘doing what God does not want’ or ‘breaking God’s law’, ‘letting God down’, ‘disrespecting God’, ‘doing evil’, ‘acting stupidly’, ‘becoming guilty’. Now why couldn’t we just use the word sin? Well, sin in contemporary Danish, outside of the church, is mostly used about things such as delicious but unhealthy foods. Exquisite cakes and chocolates are what a sin is today.” (Source: Ehrensvärd in HIPHIL Novum 8/2023, p. 81ff. )

See also sinner.

complete verse (Numbers 8:7)

Following are a number of back-translations as well as a sample translation for translators of Numbers 8:7:

  • Kupsabiny: “like this: Sprinkle them with the water for cleansing, let them shave themselves all over and wash their clothes. Then they have become ceremonially clean.” (Source: Kupsabiny Back Translation)
  • Newari: “To make them pure you are to do like this — Sprinkle them with water for purification. Then, they must be made ceremonially clean by having them shave their whole body [and] wash their clothes.” (Source: Newari Back Translation)
  • Hiligaynon: “This is what you (sing.) should do to clean them: You (sing.) sprinkle them with water that is-used for becoming-clean, and have them shave their whole body and have their clothes wash. Then they will-be-considered clean.” (Source: Hiligaynon Back Translation)
  • English: “Do that by sprinkling them with water which will symbolize their being freed/cleansed from the guilt of their sins. Then they must shave off all the hair on their bodies and wash their clothes.” (Source: Translation for Translators)

Translation commentary on Numbers 8:6 - 8:7

Take the Levites from among the people of Israel: A translation should not imply that any force was applied in the action here, or that there was even any physical contact. This clause refers simply to a positive process of ritual selection and separation. Good News Translation renders it well with “Separate the Levites from the rest of the people of Israel.”

And cleanse them: In this context the Hebrew verb for cleanse refers to ritual purification. It does not refer to the ordinary washing of bodies. New International Version makes this clear by rendering cleanse them as “make them ceremonially clean.”

And thus you shall do to them, to cleanse them: This clause introduces how Moses is to purify the Levites.

First, Moses must sprinkle the water of expiation upon them. The idea of sprinkle (that is, scatter droplets of water) as opposed to “wash” should be kept here. The Levites had to be “sprinkled” with water at their consecration, but the priests were “washed” (see Exo 29.4; 40.12; Lev 8.6). The water of expiation (literally “water of sin offering”) refers to water that removes ceremonial impurity. La Nouvelle Bible Segond says “the water for the sin,” and Contemporary English Version has “the water that washes away their sins.” But sin in the sense of moral wrongdoing is not in view here, so better models are “the water of purification” (Good News Translation, New Jewish Publication Society’s Tanakh), “the water of cleansing” (New International Version), and “the water that purifies.”

And let them go with a razor over all their body: Next Moses must have the Levites “shave their whole bodies” (Good News Translation). A literal rendering of this instruction will probably be quite unnatural in the target language. Good News Translation‘s model with the verb “shave” may be helpful for many languages. For razor see the comments on 6.5.

Finally, Moses must have the Levites wash their clothes.

And cleanse themselves: This clause expresses the result of sprinkling the water of purification on the Levites, shaving their bodies, and washing their clothes. By doing these things, they will become ritually pure. Good News Translation says “Then they will be ritually clean.”

Quoted with permission from de Regt, Lénart J. and Wendland, Ernst R. A Handbook on Numbers. (UBS Helps for Translators). Miami: UBS, 2016. For this and other handbooks for translators see here .