Following are a number of back-translations of Philippians 3:7:
Uma: “All that long ago I thought/said was my blessing. But at this time I say that it just causes-loss, because Kristus is all I trust-in now.” (Source: Uma Back Translation)
Yakan: “Formerly I mistakenly-thought that all that would bring good/blessing to me. But now I do no longer trust in those (things) because I know that they are of no use. Isa Almasi is the only one I trust in.” (Source: Yakan Back Translation)
Western Bukidnon Manobo: “However, all of those things at that time that I thought mistakenly could be depended on so that I might be freed from punishment, I have abandoned so that I might come to own Christ.” (Source: Western Bukidnon Manobo Back Translation)
Kankanaey: “But on-account-of Cristo, all those-things that I thought were to-my-betterment back then, I consider that they now have no use after-all.” (Source: Kankanaey Back Translation)
Tagbanwa: “But all of this which I was trusting-in/relying-on in the past, for I thought-mistakenly that it could save me, now I regard it as worthless, for I have now caused myself to be united/tied-together with Cristo.” (Source: Tagbanwa Back Translation)
Tenango Otomi: “But all that I thought was supremely important for me to do, now, I make the judgment that it is not important because now I believe in Christ.” (Source: Tenango Otomi Back Translation)
The Greek Christos (Χρηστός) is typically transliterated when it appears together with Iésous (Ἰησοῦς) (Jesus). In English the transliteration is the Anglicized “Christ,” whereas in many other languages it is based on the Greek or Latin as “Kristus,” “Cristo,” or similar.
When used as a descriptive term in the New Testament — as it’s typically done in the gospels (with the possible exceptions of for instance John 1:17 and 17:3) — Christos is seen as the Greek translation of the Hebrew mashiaḥ (המשיח) (“anointed”). Accordingly, a transliteration of mashiaḥ is used, either as “Messiah” or based on the Greek or Latin as a form of “Messias.”
This transliteration is also used in the two instances where the Greek term Μεσσίας (Messias) is used in John 1:41 and 4:25.
In some languages and some translations, the term “Messiah” is supplemented with an explanation. Such as in the GermanGute Nachricht with “the Messiah, the promised savior” (Wir haben den Messias gefunden, den versprochenen Retter) or in Muna with “Messiah, the Saving King” (Mesias, Omputo Fosalamatino) (source: René van den Berg).
In predominantly Muslim areas or for Bible translations for a Muslim target group, Christos is usually transliterated from the Arabic al-Masih (ٱلْمَسِيحِ) — “Messiah.” In most cases, this practice corresponds with languages that also use a form of the Arabic Isa (عيسى) for Jesus (see Jesus). There are some exceptions, though, including modern translations in Arabic which use Yasua (يَسُوعَ) (coming from the Aramaic Yēšūa’) alongside a transliteration of al-Masih, Hausa which uses Yesu but Almahisu, and some Fula languages (Adamawa Fulfulde, Nigerian Fulfulde, and Central-Eastern Niger Fulfulde) which also use a form of Iésous (Yeesu) but Almasiihu (or Almasiifu) for Christos.
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 ).
Other solutions that are used by a number of languages include these:
Dobel: “The important one that God had appointed to come” (source: Jock Hughes)
Noongar: Keny Mammarap or “The One Man” (source: Warda-Kwabba Luke-Ang)
Mairasi: “King of not dying for life all mashed out infinitely” (for “mashed out,” see salvation; source: Lloyd Peckham)
Western Bukidnon Manobo: “One chosen by God to rule mankind” (source: Western Bukidnon Manobo Back Translation)
Bacama: Ma Pwa a Ngɨltən: “The one God has chosen” (source: David Frank in this blog post )
Binumarien: Anutuna: originally a term that was used for a man that was blessed by elders for a task by the laying on of hands (source: Desmond Oatridges, Holzhausen 1991, p. 49f.)
Noongar: Keny Boolanga-Yira Waangki-Koorliny: “One God is Sending” (source: Warda-Kwabba Luke-Ang)
Uab Meto: Neno Anan: “Son of heaven” P. Middelkoop explains: “The idea of heavenly power bestowed on a Timorese king is rendered in the title Neno Anan. It is based on the historical fact that chiefs in general came from overseas and they who come thence are believed to have come down from heaven, from the land beyond the sea, that means the sphere of God and the ghosts of the dead. The symbolical act of anointing has been made subservient to the revelation of an eternal truth and when the term Neno Anan is used as a translation thereof, it also is made subservient to a new revelation of God in Jesus Christ. The very fact that Jesus came from heaven makes this translation hit the mark.” (Source: P. Middelkoop in The Bible Translator 1953, p. 183ff. )
In Finnish Sign Language both “Christ” and “Messiah” are translated with a sign signifying “king.” (Source: Tarja Sandholm)
“Christ / Messiah” in Finnish Sign Language (source )
Law (2013, p. 97) writes about how the Ancient GreekSeptuagint‘s translation of the Hebrew mashiah was used by the New Testament writers as a bridge between the Old and New Testaments (click or tap here to read more):
“Another important word in the New Testament that comes from the Septuagint is christos, ‘Christ.’ Christ is not part of the name of the man from Nazareth, as if ‘the Christs’ were written above the door of his family home. Rather, ‘Christ’ is an explicitly messianic title used by the writers of the New Testament who have learned this word from the Septuagint’s translation of the Hebrew mashiach, ‘anointed,’ which itself is often rendered in English as ‘Messiah.’ To be sure, one detects a messianic intent on the part of the Septuagint translator in some places. Amos 4:13 may have been one of these. In the Hebrew Bible, God ‘reveals his thoughts to mortals,’ but the Septuagint has ‘announcing his anointed to humans.’ A fine distinction must be made, however, between theology that was intended by the Septuagint translators and that developed by later Christian writers. In Amos 4:13 it is merely possible we have a messianic reading, but it is unquestionably the case that the New Testament writers exploit the Septuagint’s use of christos, in Amos and elsewhere, to messianic ends.”
Having stated his qualifications and achievements, Paul now reassesses his spiritual life after his conversion. With the conjunction but he marks the dramatic change of perspective.
I might count as profit is literally “were gains to me.” This clause can also be taken in the sense of “were once gains to me” (New American Bible “I used to consider gain”). The tense of the verb rendered reckon is significant. It is the perfect tense (“have counted”), denoting an action in past time which continues to be effective in the present. The full force of the meaning would be something like “I counted those things as a loss, and I still reckon them as such.” Since the focus is on the present effect, Good News Translation renders the verb in the present tense (cf. 3.8, where Paul uses the same verb again, this time in the present tense). Good News Translation supplies now to strengthen the force of contrast.
Paul here uses the figure of a balance sheet, showing assets and liabilities, profit and loss. All his advantages of birth and upbringing and his personal achievements as a zealous Pharisee, he had formerly set down in the “profit” column; now he has transferred them to the “loss” column. For Christ’s sake supplies the motive for this dramatic revaluation and drastic change.
All those things can best be rendered in some languages as “all that I was and all that I did,” or “… all that I did in obeying the Law.”
It may be necessary in some languages to shift the figurative expressions of “profit and loss” and to speak of “advantage and disadvantage,” for example, “all that I used to do which I might have counted as an advantage to myself I now realize is a disadvantage,” “… has no value,” or “… is of not advantage.”
It is not easy to indicate clearly the relation of the phrase for Christ’s sake to what has preceded. In some instances one may interpret this in the sense of “because of what Christ has done for me.” Or one may render for Christ’s sake as “because of what I want to do for Christ.”
Quoted with permission from Luo, I-Jin. and Nida, Eugene A. A Handbook on Paul’s Letter to the Philippians. (UBS Handbook Series). New York: UBS, 1977. For this and other handbooks for translators see here .
Paul was continuing to write against the Judaizers. In the last paragraph he listed all the things that he used to be proud of (3:5–6). In this paragraph (3:7–9) he said that he now considered all these things to be useless. Nothing mattered to him besides knowing Jesus Christ better.
3:7a
whatever was gain to me: Paul was referring mainly to the things he had mentioned in 3:5–6. These were things that he could be proud of as a person and as a Jew. But in his relation to Jesus Christ, these things did not make him proud. They did not help him to know Jesus Christ better.
gain: This term was used in business transactions to refer to financial gain. But Paul was using the term as a metaphor to mean “advantage” in general. In some languages it may be necessary to drop the metaphor and translate this meaning. Some ways to do this are:
the things for which I thought ⌊God⌋ accepted me -or-
everything I ⌊mistakenly⌋ thought I could trust in ⌊so that God would save me⌋
3:7b
I count as loss for the sake of Christ: After he came to know Jesus Christ, Paul thought about the things he was formerly proud of in a new way. He realized that they were worthless in comparison to knowing Christ. And he chose to count them as without value so that he could belong to Christ.
I count: The Greek verb form here could be translated as:
I have come to realize -or-
I have come to regard [them]
loss: Like “gain” in 3:7a, loss was a term used in business transactions. It referred to financial loss. Paul was using the term as a metaphor to refer to the uselessness of his worldly advantages. There are two possible ways to translate this Greek word:
(1) something that does not help, that is worthless or without value. In the context of 3:7b, you could translate this as:
these things did not help me ⌊to know Christ⌋ (God’s Word, New Living Translation (2004), Contemporary English Version, New Century Version, Revised English Bible)
(2) something that harms, hinders or prevents something from happening (NET Bible). This would mean that the things Paul used to be proud of actually hindered him from knowing Christ. In the context of 3:7b, you could translate this as:
these things hindered me from knowing Christ
The immediate context (in particular 3:8) strongly supports interpretation (1). It is recommended that you follow interpretation (1).
for the sake of: The Greek preposition that the Berean Standard Bible translates as for the sake of occurs three times in 3:7 and 3:8. It could also be translated as:
because of -or-
on account of
General Comment on 3:7
Two versions give additional ideas for translation:
But Christ has shown me that what I once thought was valuable is worthless. (Contemporary English Version)
But because of Christ, I have come to consider all these advantages I had as disadvantages. (Jerusalem Bible)
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®).
Leave a Reply
You must be logged in to post a comment.