mind

The Greek that is typically translated as “mind” in English is translated in Warao as obojona, 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. )

In Elhomwe it is often translated as “heart,” “because all thoughts come from heart in Elhomwe thought.” (Source: project-specific translation notes in Paratext)

See other occurrences of Obojona in the Warao New Testament.

wisdom

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The Hebrew, Aramaic, Ge’ez, Latin, and Greek that is translated as “wisdom” in English is rendered in various ways:

  • Amganad Ifugao / Tabasco Chontal: “(big) mind”
  • Bulu / Yamba: “heart-thinking”
  • Tae’: “cleverness of heart” (source for this and all above: Reiling / Swellengrebel)
  • Palauan: “bright spirit (innermost)” (source: Bratcher / Hatton)
  • Ixcatlán Mazatec: “with your best/biggest thinking” (source: Robert Bascom)
  • Noongar: dwangka-boola, lit. “ear much” (source: Portions of the Holy Bible in the Nyunga language of Australia, 2018 — see also remember)
  • Kwere “to know how to live well” (source: Pioneer Bible Translators, project-specific translation notes in Paratext)
  • Dobel: “their ear holes are long-lasting” (in Acts 6:3) (source: Jock Hughes)
  • Gbaya: iŋa-mgbara-mɔ or “knowing-about-things” (note that in comparison to that, “knowledge” is translated as iŋa-mɔ or “knowing things”) (source: Philip Noss in The Bible Translator 2001, p. 114ff. )
  • Chichewa: nzeru, meaning both “knowledge” and “wisdom” (source: Mawu a Mulungu mu Chichewa Chalero Back Translation)
  • Uma: “clearness” (source: Uma Back Translation)
  • Kako: “heart thinking” (source: Reyburn 2002, p. 190)

In Hungarian Sign Language it is translated with a hand gesture referring to God to indicate a human quality to communicate that wisdom does not originate from man but is linked to and connected with the fear of God (source: Jenjelvi Biblia and HSL Bible Translation Group):


“Wisdom” in Hungarian Sign Language (source )

See also wisdom (Proverbs) and knowledge.

complete verse (Revelation 13:18)

Following are a number of back-translations of Revelation 13:18:

  • Uma: “We must ask for wisdom [lit., clearness of heart] from God so that we understand this figure-of-speech. Whoever has knowledge, they are able count and to understand the number of that animal. Because that number, it is the number that is a figure-of-speech for a person. That number: six hundred sixty-six (666).” (Source: Uma Back Translation)
  • Yakan: “It is difficult to find the meaning of this number. But whoever has wisdom, he can figure out what the meaning of this creature’s number is. Because it is a person’s name. This number is six hundred and sixty-six.” (Source: Yakan Back Translation)
  • Western Bukidnon Manobo: “The only one who can understand this is the one given wisdom by God. He who has a good head can understand the meaning of this number of the beast because it is the number of a person. That number is six hundred and sixty-six.” (Source: Western Bukidnon Manobo Back Translation)
  • Kankanaey: “It requires a wise/intelligent person to know/discover the meaning/significance of the number of the fearsome animal. But the one who has wisdom/intelligence, he will be able to calculate the meaning of the number, because the number, that’s the hiding-place of the person’s name. The number, it is six hundred and sixty six.” (Source: Kankanaey Back Translation)
  • Tagbanwa: “Well, this can only be comprehended if there is big wisdom/understanding. For it is indeed possible that those having understanding can know the meaning of this number, which signifies the name of that animal. Because this is the name of a man/male, this number six hundred and sixty six.” (Source: Tagbanwa Back Translation)
  • Tenango Otomi: “A person should think carefully to understand this word here. He should figure how much the number is that comes from the name of the terrible animal. The number is that which accompanies the name of a person This number is 666.” (Source: Tenango Otomi Back Translation)

Translation commentary on Revelation 13:18

This calls for wisdom: here the writer is addressing his readers (see a similar statement at the end of 13.10), and the exhortation may be made more directly in translation: “You must be wise in order to understand this (or, to figure this out).” But it is possible to take this as an affirmation, “Here is wisdom,” that is, the key to understanding the true meaning of the beast. Most translations, however, understand this as an exhortation. For the translation of wisdom see 5.12. Calls for wisdom may also be rendered as “One must use wisdom (or, great understanding)” or “It is necessary to have wisdom for this.”

Let him who has understanding reckon: this is the way in English to express a command. Another way is “Whoever has sense (or, understanding) must figure out what the number of the beast means.”

It is a human number: this is the writer’s way of telling the readers that the number stands for the name of some person. Good News Translation “stands for” means “represents.”

Six hundred and sixty-six: there are many interpretations of the name represented by the number 666. The most widely accepted one is that it stands for the Roman Emperor Nero. Written in Hebrew letters, the numerical value of the letters of the (Latin) name “Neron Caesar” adds up to 666. Some commentators are of the opinion that no one specific person was in the writer’s mind, but that by 666 the writer meant total imperfection. Number six is one short of the perfect seven, and three indicates completeness, so the imperfect number six given three times symbolizes “complete imperfection.” But the way in which the writer states the matter makes it quite probable that he had some historical person in mind. In languages where, for example, there are only two numerals, and any amount above two is thought of as “many,” translators will have to be very creative here. It may in fact in some languages be impossible to accurately represent 666.

As the RSV footnote shows, one Greek manuscript and a few ancient versions have 616, but 666 is the better attested text.

Quoted with permission from Bratcher, Robert G. and Hatton, Howard A. A Handbook on The Revelation to John. (UBS Handbook Series). New York: UBS, 1993. For this and other handbooks for translators see here .

SIL Translator’s Notes on Revelation 13:18

Paragraph 13:18

13:18a

Here is a call for wisdom: The Greek clause is literally “Here is wisdom” (as in the King James Version and New American Standard Bible). The Greek clause urges readers to be wise regarding interpreting the meaning of the number. Other ways to translate this clause are:

Wisdom is needed here (New Living Translation (2004))
-or-
This takes wisdom (New Century Version)

wisdom: The word wisdom means “be able to understand events and know what should be done.”

In some languages it is more natural to translate wisdom as a phrase. For example:

wise words
-or-
right and just thinking

See how you translated this word in 5:12 or 7:12.

13:18b

Let the one who has insight: The Greek clause is literally “The (person) having understanding.” The clause is addressed to anyone who can understand things easily or learn quickly. Other ways to translate this clause are:

him who has understanding (New American Standard Bible)
-or-
Whoever is intelligent (Good News Translation)
-or-
Any smart person
-or-
if you are smart enough (Contemporary English Version)

calculate the number of the beast: This command can mean either:

(1) Use math to relate the name to the number.

(2) Discern carefully the relationship between the name and the number.

If possible, translate this command so that it allows both meanings. Other ways to translate it are:

figure out the meaning of the number of the beast (Good News Translation)
-or-
interpret the number of the beast (New Jerusalem Bible)

13:18c

for: This word indicates that 13:18c explains “the number of the beast” in 13:18b.

it is the number of a man: There are several ways to interpret this clause. The main interpretations are:

(1) It refers to a particular man. For example:

the number stands for the name of someone (Good News Translation)

(2) It refers to mankind in general. For example:

it is a human number (Revised Standard Version)

It is recommended that you follow interpretation (1), because the beast is represented as an individual rather than as a characteristic of mankind.

13:18d

666: The Greek phrase is literally “six hundred sixty-six.” Numerals (1,2,3…) were not used in Greek at that time. Translate this number using either numerals or number words.

Some languages do not have large number words such as “hundred.” If that is true in your language, you may want to use the number from the major language. You may use numerals such as 666 or number words such as “six hundred sixty-six.”

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