snatched away

The Greek in Revelation 12:5 that is translated as “snatched away” or similar in English is translated in Elhomwe idiomatically as “snatched from the hands of the mother.” (Source: project-specific translation notes in Paratext)

In the German New Testament translation by Berger / Nord (publ. 1999) it is translated with entrücken or “transported (often used with a spiritual application).”

bear child / give birth

The Hebrew, Ge’ez, and Greek that is translated as “bear (a child)” or “give birth to” is translated in Mairasi as “go to the forest,” reflecting the traditional place of childbirth for Mairasi women. (Source: Enggavoter 2004)

In Spanish it is translated as dar a luz, literally “to give to light.” Likewise, in Portuguese (dar à luz) and Italian (dare alla luce). (Source: Mark Terwilliger)

See also in childbirth / travail and birth.

iron scepter

The Greek that is translated as “iron scepter” or similar in English is translated in the German New Testament translation by Berger / Nord (publ. 1999) as eiserne Knute or “iron knout.” “Knute” can also mean “control/rule by force.”

scepter

The Hebrew and Greek that is translated as “scepter” in English is translated in the Hausa Common Language Bible as “stick of ruling.” (Source: Andy Warren-Rothlin)

complete verse (Revelation 12:5)

Following are a number of back-translations of Revelation 12:5:

  • Uma: “That woman did give birth, bearing a male Child. That Child, He is the one who will rule all the world with strength like the strength of an iron walking stick. The dragon was about to swallow the Child, when he was lifted up and taken to God to rule along with God in heaven.” (Source: Uma Back Translation)
  • Yakan: “Then the woman gave birth to a boy but he was not eaten by the dragon because immediately he was snatched away and brought to God, there to the throne of God. The fate of that boy was that he should rule over all tribes in the future and his ruling would be strong like iron that does not break.” (Source: Yakan Back Translation)
  • Western Bukidnon Manobo: “Then a male came out, and as for this male, in the future He will rule over all kingdoms here on the earth, and no one will be able to resist His rule over them. And this child was snatched by God and taken up to heaven to the seat of His ruling.” (Source: Western Bukidnon Manobo Back Translation)
  • Kankanaey: “But upon the birth of her child which was a male, someone snatched him to take him to where-God -was who was ruling, because he is the one who will later rule-over all nations, and he will thoroughly defeat whoever doesn’t acknowledge his authority.” (Source: Kankanaey Back Translation)
  • Tagbanwa: “Without anything further, that woman gave birth, a male being born. But it didn’t get drawn into the mouth of the dragon, because through the determined-plan of God, someone grabbed that baby and took him to him who was sitting on his seat of kingship. For as for that child, he was dedicated/secured to reign over all nations with far-from-ordinary means/ability.” (Source: Tagbanwa Back Translation)
  • Tenango Otomi: “This woman who carried the child gave birth to a son, the one who will strongly rule the people. But this son was taken by God to where he lives so that he would sit with him.” (Source: Tenango Otomi Back Translation)

throne (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-za (御座), mi-kura (みくら) (Psalm 7:7), or mi-kurai (御位) (Psalm 113:5) in the referenced verses, all relating to the “throne (or: high seat) (of God)”.

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

See also throne (of God).

location (of God) (Japanese honorifics)

Click or tap here to see the rest of this insight.

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. )