covenant

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The Hebrew, Greek, Ge’ez, and Latin that are translated as “covenant” in English are translated in a variety of ways. Here are some (back-) translations:

  • Mossi: “helping promise”
  • Vai: “a thing-time-bind” (i.e. “an arrangement agreed upon for a period of time”)
  • Loma (Liberia): “agreement”
  • Northwestern Dinka: “agreement which is tied up” (i.e. “secure and binding”)
  • Chol: “a word which is left”
  • Huastec: “a broken-off word” (“based on the concept of ‘breaking off a word’ and leaving it with the person with whom an agreement has been reached”)
  • Tetelcingo Nahuatl: “a death command” (i.e. “a special term for testament”)
  • Piro: “a promised word”
  • Eastern Krahn: “a word between”
  • Yaka: “promise that brings together” (source for this and all above: Bratcher / Nida)
  • Nabak: alakŋaŋ or “tying the knot” (source: Fabian 2013, p. 156)
  • Kâte: ʒâʒâfic or “tie together” (source: Renck 1990, p. 108)
  • Nyamwezi: ilagano: “agreement, contract, covenant, promise” (source: Pioneer Bible Translators, project-specific translation notes in Paratext)
  • Bariai: “true talk” (source: Bariai Back Translation)
  • Q’anjob’al: “put mouths equal” (representing agreement) (source: Newberry and Kittie Cox in The Bible Translator 1950, p. 91ff. )
  • Manikion, Indonesian: “God’s promise” (source: Daud Soesilo)
  • Natügu: nzesz’tikr drtwr: “oneness of mind” (source: Brenda Boerger in Beerle-Moor / Voinov, p. 164)
  • Tagalog: tipan: mutual promising on the part of two persons agreeing to do something (also has a romantic touch and denotes something secretive) (source: G. Henry Waterman in The Bible Translator 1960, p. 24ff. )
  • Tagbanwa: “initiated-agreement” (source: Tagbanwa Back Translation)
  • Guhu-Samane: “The concept [in Mark 14:24 and Matthew 16:28] is not easy, but the ritual freeing of a fruit and nut preserve does afford some reference. Thus, ‘As they were drinking he said to them, ‘On behalf of many this poro provision [poro is the traditional religion] of my blood is released.’ (…) God is here seen as the great benefactor and man the grateful recipient.” (Source: Ernest Richert in The Bible Translator, 1965, p. 81ff. )
  • Chichewa: pangano. This word can also be translated as a contract, agreement, or a treaty between two parties. In Chewa culture, two people or groups enter into an agreement to help each other in times of need. When entering into an agreement, parties look at the mutual benefits which will be gained. The agreement terms are mostly kept as a secret between the parties and the witnesses involved. (Source: Mawu a Mulungu mu Chichewa Chalero Back Translation)
Law (2013, p. 95) writes about how the Ancient Greek Septuagint‘s translation of the Hebrew berith was used by the New Testament writers as a bridge between the Old and New Testaments (click or tap here to read more):

“Right from the start we witness the influence of the Septuagint on the earliest expressions of the Christian faith. In the New Testament, Jesus speaks of his blood being a kaine diatheke, a ‘new covenant.’ The covenant is elucidated in Hebrews 8:8-12 and other texts, but it was preserved in the words of Jesus with this language in Luke 22:20 when at the Last Supper Jesus said, ‘This cup that is poured out for you is the new covenant in my blood. Jesus’s blood was to provide the grounds for the ‘new covenant,’ in contrast to the old one his disciples knew from the Jewish scriptures (e.g., Jeremiah 31:31-34). Thus, the earliest Christians accepted the Jewish Scriptures as prophecies about Jesus and in time began to call the collection the ‘Old Testament’ and the writings about Jesus and early Christianity the ‘New Testament,’ since ‘testament’ was another word for ‘covenant.’ The covenant promises of God (berith in Hebrew) were translated in the Septuagint with the word diatheke. In classical Greek diatheke had meant ‘last will, testament,’ but in the Septuagint it is the chosen equivalent for God’s covenant with his people. The author of Hebrews plays on the double meaning, and when Luke records Jesus’ announcement at the Last Supper that his blood was instituting a ‘new covenant,’ or a ‘new testament,’ he is using the language in an explicit contrast with the old covenant, found in the Jewish scriptures. Soon, the writings that would eventually be chosen to make up the texts about the life and teachings of Jesus and the earliest expression of the Christian faith would be called the New Testament. This very distinction between the Old and New Testaments is based on the Septuagint’s language.”

See also establish (covenant) and covenant (book).

Learn more on Bible Odyssey: Covenant in the Hebrew Bible .

complete verse (Psalm 132:12)

Following are a number of back-translations as well as a sample translation for translators of Psalm 132:12:

  • Chichewa Contempary Chichewa translation, 2002/2016:
    “if your children (continue) keeping my agreement
    and the laws that I teach them,
    then their children will sit on a chair
    yours of kingship forever and ever.’” (Source: Mawu a Mulungu mu Chichewa Chalero Back Translation)
  • Newari:
    “If your sons observe my covenant
    and the decrees which I teach them
    their sons will sit on your throne forever.” (Source: Newari Back Translation)
  • Hiligaynon:
    “If your (sing.) descendants who (are) kings will-fulfill my agreement and the teachings which I have-taught to them,
    their descendants will- also -reign forever/[lit. until whenever].’” (Source: Hiligaynon Back Translation)
  • Laarim:
    “if then your sons keep my covenant,
    and they follow the way I teach,
    then their sons will rule
    from your chair forever.’” (Source: Laarim Back Translation)
  • Nyakyusa-Ngonde (back-translation into Swahili):
    “Watoto wako iwapo wanalishika agano langu,
    na kuzifuata sheria ambazo nawafundisha,
    ndipo na watoto wao pia,
    watakuja kukaa katika kiti chako cha enzi milele na milele.’” (Source: Nyakyusa Back Translation)
  • English:
    “If they keep my agreement with them
    and obey all the commands that I will give them,
    the line of kings descended from you will never end.’” (Source: Translation for Translators)

1st person pronoun referring to God (Japanese)

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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 Japanese shows different degree of politeness is through the choice of a first person singular and plural pronoun (“I” and “we” and its various forms) as shown here in the widely-used Japanese Shinkaiyaku (新改訳) Bible of 2017. The most commonly used watashi/watakushi (私) is typically used when the speaker is humble and asking for help. In these verses, where God / Jesus is referring to himself, watashi is also used but instead of the kanji writing system (私) the syllabary hiragana (わたし) is used to distinguish God from others.

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

See also pronoun for “God”.

Translation commentary on Psalm 132:11 - 132:12

In these verses the psalmist refers to Yahweh’s promise to David (see 2 Sam 7.12-16). Good News Translation, connecting verse 10 to verses 11-12, has kept in verse 11 the direct form of address, “You,” that is used in verse 10; in Hebrew Yahweh is spoken of in the third person. The sense of verse 11a-b is that Yahweh made a firm promise to David which he will not break.

The language in verse 11c-d is literally “from the fruit of your body I will place on your throne,” which means that one of David’s sons, or a succession of David’s direct male descendants (your sons in verse 12a), will succeed David as king of Israel. The translation should not appear to mean that David would be replaced in his own lifetime by one of his sons; this is why Good News Translation has “he will rule after you.”

The promise is extended to later descendants of David (verse 12); the Davidic dynasty will continue forever to rule the people of Israel. In verse 12 the plural your sons (Revised Standard Version and Good News Translation) may be difficult, for in the nature of the case only one son at a time was to succeed David as king. If necessary, the verse can read “If your son who succeeds you as king is true to my covenant and to the commands I give him, then the succeeding male descendants will succeed you as king for all time.” But it may not be worth the trouble to make it that clear and explicit.

The divine promise will be kept on condition that David’s descendants always keep Yahweh’s covenant with them and obey his commands. Yahweh himself will teach them his testimonies, that is, the rules and laws the people of Israel must follow. For the sake of clarity it may be necessary in some languages to modify the order in verses 11-12 so that “a promise you will not take back” is placed at the end of verse 12. In this way the quoted promise follows directly; that is, “You swore to David when you said ‘I will make one of your sons king … for all times as kings’; this is an oath that you will not break.”

Quoted with permission from Bratcher, Robert G. and Reyburn, William D. A Handbook on the Book of Psalms. (UBS Helps for Translators). New York: UBS, 1991. For this and other handbooks for translators see here .