God transcends gender, but most languages are limited to grammatical gender expressed in pronouns. In the case of English, this is traditionally confined to “he” (or in the forms “his,” “him,” and “himself”), “she” (and “her,” “hers,” and “herself”), and “it” (and “its” and “itself”).
Modern Mandarin Chinese, however, offers another possibility. Here, the third-person singular pronoun is always pronounced the same (tā), but it is written differently according to its gender (他 is “he,” 她 is “she,” and 它/牠 is “it” and their respective derivative forms). In each of these characters, the first (or upper) part defines the gender (man, woman, or thing/animal), while the second element gives the clue to its pronunciation.
In 1930, after a full century with dozens of Chinese translations, Bible translator Wang Yuande (王元德) coined a new “godly” pronoun: 祂. Chinese readers immediately knew how to pronounce it: tā. But they also recognized that the first part of that character, signifying something spiritual, clarified that each person of the Trinity has no gender aside from being God.
While the most important Protestant and Catholic Chinese versions respectively have opted not to use 祂, some Bible translations do and it is widely used in hymnals and other Christian materials. Among the translations that use 祂 to refer to “God” were early versions of Lü Zhenzhong’s (呂振中) version (New Testament: 1946, complete Bible: 1970). R.P. Kramers (in The Bible Translator 1956, p. 152ff. ) explains why later versions of Lü’s translation did not continue with this practice: “This new way of writing ‘He,’ however, has created a minor problem of its own: must this polite form be used whenever Jesus is referred to? Lü follows the rule that, wherever Jesus is referred to as a human being, the normal tā (他) is written; where he is referred to as divine, especially after the ascension, the reverential tā (祂) is used.”
In that system, one kind of pronoun is used for humans (male and female alike) and others for natural elements, non-liquid masses, and some spiritual entities (one other is used for large animals and another one for miscellaneous items). While in these languages the pronoun for spiritual entities used to be employed when referring to God, this has changed into the use of the human pronoun.
Lynell Zogbo (in The Bible Translator 1989, p. 401ff. ) explains: “From informal discussions with young Christians especially, it would appear that, at least for some people, the experience and/or concepts of Christianity are affecting the choice of pronoun for God. Some people explain that God is no longer ‘far away,’ but is somehow tangible and personal. For these speakers God has shifted over into the human category.”
In Kouya, God (the Father) and Jesus are referred to with the human pronoun ɔ, whereas the Holy Spirit is referred to with a non-human pronoun. (Northern Grebo and Western Krahn make a similar distinction.)
Eddie Arthur, a former Kouya Bible translation consultant, says the following: “We tried to insist that this shouldn’t happen, but the Kouya team members were insistent that the human pronoun for the Spirit would not work.”
In Burmese, the pronoun ko taw (ကိုယ်တော်) is used either as 2nd person (you) or 3rd person (he, him, his) reference. “This term clearly has its root in the religious language in Burmese. No ordinary persons are addressed or known by this pronoun because it is reserved for Buddhist monks, famous religious teachers, and in the case of Christianity, the Trinity.” (Source: Gam Seng Shae in The Bible Translator 2002, p. 202ff. )
In Thai, the pronoun phra`ong (พระองค์) is used, a gender-neutral pronoun which must refer to a previously introduced royal or divine being. Similarly, in Northern Khmer, which is spoken in Thailand, “an honorific divine pronoun” is used for the pronoun referring to the persons of the Trinity (source: David Thomas in The Bible Translator 1993, p. 445 ). In Urak Lawoi’, another language spoken in Thailand, the translation often uses tuhat (ตูฮัด) — “God” — ”as a divine pronoun where Thai has phra’ong even though it’s actually a noun.” (Source for Thai and Urak Lawoi’: Stephen Pattemore)
The English “Contemporary Torah” addresses the question of God and gendered pronouns by mostly avoiding pronouns in the first five books of the Hebrew Bible/Old Testament (unless God is referred to as “lord,” “father,” “king,” or “warrior”). It does that by either using passive constructs (“He gave us” vs. “we were given”), by using the adjective “divine” or by using “God” rather than a pronoun.
Some Protestant and Orthodox English Bibles use a referential capitalized spelling when referring to the persons of the Trinity with “He,” “His,” “Him,” or “Himself.” This includes for instance the New American Standard Bible or The Orthodox New Testament, but most translations do not. Two other languages where this is also done (in most Bible translations) are Twents as well as Indonesian and Malay. In the latter two languages this follows the language usage according to the Qur’an, which in turn predicts that usage (see Soesilo in The Bible Translator 1991, p. 442ff. and The Bible Translator 1997, p. 433ff. ).
Translations of the Greek and Ge’ez that are typically translated as “faith” in English (itself deriving from Latin “fides,” meaning “trust, faith, confidence, reliance, credence”) and “believe” (from Old English belyfan: “to have faith or confidence in a person”) cover a wide range of approaches.
Bratcher and Nida say this (1961, p. 38) (click or tap here to read more):
“Since belief or faith is so essentially an intimate psychological experience, it is not strange that so many terms denoting faith should be highly figurative and represent an almost unlimited range of emotional ‘centers’ and descriptions of relationships, e.g. ‘steadfast his heart’ (Chol), ‘to arrive on the inside’ (Chicahuaxtla Triqui), ‘to conform with the heart’ (Uab Meto), ‘to join the word to the body’ (Uduk), ‘to hear in the insides’ (or ‘to hear within one’s self and not let go’ — Nida 1952) (Laka), ‘to make the mind big for something’ (Sapo), ‘to make the heart straight about’ (Mitla Zapotec), ‘to cause a word to enter the insides’ (Lacandon), ‘to leave one’s heart with’ (Baniwa), ‘to catch in the mind’ (Ngäbere), ‘that which one leans on’ (Vai), ‘to be strong on’ (Shipibo-Conibo), ‘to have no doubts’ (San Blas Kuna), ‘to hear and take into the insides’ (Kare), ‘to accept’ (Pamona).”
Following is a list of (back-) translations from other languages (click or tap here to read more):
Limos Kalinga: manuttuwa. Wiens (2013) explains: “It goes back to the word for ‘truth’ which is ‘tuttuwa.’ When used as a verb this term is commonly used to mean ‘believe’ as well as ‘obey.'”
Ngiemboon: “turn one’s back on someone” (and trusting one won’t be taken advantage of) (source: Stephen Anderson in Holzhausen 1991, p. 42)
Mwera uses the same word for “hope” and “faith”: ngulupai (source: Pioneer Bible Translators, project-specific translation notes in Paratext)
Yala: ɔtū che or “place heart” (in John 5:24; 5:45; 6:35; 6:47; 12:36; 14:1); other translations include chɛ̄ or “to agree/accept” and chɛ̄ku or “to agree with/accept with/take side with” (source: Linus Otronyi)
Matumbi: niu’bi’lyali or “believe / trust / rely (on)” and imani or “religious faith” (from Arabic īmān [إيما]) (source: Pioneer Bible Translators, project-specific notes in Paratext)
Ebira: “place one’s liver on something” (source: Scholz /Scholz 2015, p. 60)
Barí: a word related to standing in a hammock. Bruce Olson (1972, p. 159f.) tells this story — click or tap here to read more)
One evening, though, Bobby began to ask questions. We were sitting around a fire. The light flickered over him. His face was serious.
‘How can I walk on Jesus’ trail?’ he asked. ‘No Motilone [speakers of Barí] has ever done it. It’s a new thing. There is no other Motilone to tell how to do it.’
I remembered the problems I had had as a boy, how it sometimes appeared impossible to keep on believing in Jesus when my family and friends were so opposed to my commitment. That was what Bobby was going through.
‘Bobby,’ I said, ‘do you remember my first Festival of the Arrows, the first time I had seen all the Motilones gathered to sing their song?’ The festival was the most important ceremony in the Motilone culture.
He nodded. The fire flared up momentarily and I could see his eyes, staring intently at me.
‘Do you remember that I was afraid to climb in the high hammocks to sing, for fear that the rope would break? And I told you that I would sing only if I could have one foot in the hammock and one foot on the ground?’
‘Yes, Bruchko.’
‘And what did you say to me?’
He laughed. ‘I told you you had to have both feet in the hammock. ‘You have to be suspended,’ I said.’
‘Yes,’ I said. ‘You have to be suspended. That is how it is when you follow Jesus, Bobby. No man can tell you how to walk His trail. Only Jesus can. But to find out you have to tie your hammock strings into Him, and be suspended in God.’
Bobby said nothing. The fire danced in his eyes. Then he stood up and walked off into the darkness.
The next day he came to me. ‘Bruchko,’ he said, ‘I want to tie my hammock strings into Jesus Christ. But how can I? I can’t see Him or touch Him.’
‘You have talked to spirits, haven’t you?’
‘Oh,’ he said. ‘I see now.’
The next day he had a big grin on his face. ‘Bruchko, I’ve tied my hammock strings into Jesus. Now I speak a new language.’
I didn’t understand what he meant. ‘Have you learned some of the Spanish I speak?’
He laughed, a clean, sweet laugh. ‘No, Bruchko, I speak a new language.’
Then I understood. To a Motilone, language is life. If Bobby had a new life, he had a new way of speaking. His speech would be Christ-oriented.
Awabakal: ngurruliko: “to know, to perceive by the ear” (as distinct from knowing by sight or by touch — source: Lake, p. 70) (click or tap here to read more)
“[The missionary translator] Lancelot Threlkeld learned that Awabakal, like many Australian languages, made no distinction between knowing and believing. Of course the distinction only needs to be made where there are rival systems of knowing. The Awabakal language expressed a seamless world. But as the stress on ‘belief’ itself suggests, Christianity has always existed in pluralist settings. Conversion involves deep conviction, not just intellectual assent or understanding. (…) Translating such texts posed a great challenge in Australia. Threlkeld and [his indigenous colleague] Biraban debated the possibilities at length. In the end they opted not to introduce a new term for belief, but to use the Awabakal ngurruliko, meaning ‘to know, to perceive by the ear,’ as distinct from knowing by sight or by touch.”
Language in southern Nigeria: a word based on the idiom “lose feathers.” Randy Groff in Wycliffe Bible Translators 2016, p. 65 explains (click or tap here to read more):
What does losing feathers have to do with faith? [The translator] explained that there is a species of bird in his area that, upon hatching its eggs, loses its feathers. During this molting phase, the mother bird is no longer able to fly away from the nest and look for food for her hungry hatchlings. She has to remain in the nest where she and her babies are completely dependent upon the male bird to bring them food. Without the diligent, dependable work of the male bird, the mother and babies would all die. This scenario was the basis for the word for faith in his language.
Teribe: mär: “pick one thing and one thing only” (source: Andy Keener)
Tiv: na jighjigh: “give trust” (source: Andy Warren-Rothlin)
Luba-Katanga: Twi tabilo: “echo” (click or tap here to read more)
“Luba-Katanga word for ‘Faith’ in its New Testament connotation is Twi tabilo. This word means ‘echo,’ and the way in which it came to be adapted to the New Testament meaning gives a very good idea of the way in which the translator goes to work. One day a missionary was on a journey through wild and mountainous country. At midday he called his African porters to halt, and as they lay resting in the shade from the merciless heat of the sun. an African picked up a stone and sent it ricocheting down the mountain-side into the ravine below. After some seconds the hollow silence was broken by a plunging, splashing sound from the depths of the dark river-bed. As the echo died away the African said in a wondering whisper ‘Twi tabilo, listen to it.’ So was a precious word captured for the service of the Gospel in its Luba Christian form. Twi tabilo — ‘faith which is the echo of God’s voice in the depths of human sinful hearts, awakened by God Himself, the answer to his own importunate call.’ The faith that is called into being by the divine initiative, God’s own gift to the responsive heart! (Source: Wilfred Bradnock in The Bible Translator 1953, p. 49ff. )
The Japanese term shin-kō (信仰) was a newly coined word for the purpose of Bible translation but is used widely today beyond its Christian origin. Junko Nakai (in: The Bible Translator 2006, p. 115ff. ) explains: “There are many words either newly created or adapted to introduce new Christian concepts distinct from the established religious ones. An example is the Sino-Japanese noun, shin-kō, as the equivalent of pistis “faith.” The existing term for “belief” or “trust” was mainly the Sino-Japanese noun, shin, often used as the stem of a verb, shin-zu ‘believe.’ The term shin-kō, formed by adding another verb aogu, to ‘look up’ with respect, or to ‘ask,’ in native Japanese, read as kō in Sino-Japanese, did exist, but not in wide use. (…) This word was used in Buddhist scriptures, but read as shin-gō in early days. During the process of translating the Bible, the Chinese compound written in the same Chinese characters (信仰) but read as shin-kō establishes itself as the term denoting Christian ‘faith.’ Later it comes to be recognized as the new term denoting ‘faith’ in general in a wider religious context. This fact attests to the impact of Bible translation on the development of modern Japanese language.”
J.A. van Roy (in The Bible Translator 1972, p. 418ff. ) discusses how a translation of “faith” in a an earlier translation into Venda created difficult perceptions of the concept of faith (click or tap here):
The Venda term u tenda, lutendo. This term corresponds to the terms ho dumela (Southern Sotho), and ku pfumela (Tsonga) that have been used in these translations of the Bible, and means “to assent,” “to agree to a suggestion.” It is important to understand this term in the context of the character of the people who use it.
The way in which the Venda use this term reveals much about the priority of interpersonal relationships among them. They place a much higher priority on responding in the way they think they are expected to respond than on telling the truth. Smooth interpersonal relationships, especially with a dominant individual or group, take precedence over everything else.
It is therefore regarded as bad form to refuse directly when asked for something one does not in fact intend to give. The correct way is to agree, u tenda, and then forget about it or find some excuse for not keeping to the agreement. Thus u tenda does not necessarily convey the information that one means what one says. One can tenda verbally while heartily disagreeing with the statement made or having no intention whatsoever to carry out what one has just promised to do. This is not regarded as dishonesty, but is a matter of politeness.
The term u sokou tenda, “to consent reluctantly,” is often used for expressing the fatalistic attitude of the Venda in the face of misfortune or force which he is unable to resist.
The form lutendo was introduced by missionaries to express “faith.”
According to the rules of derivations and their meanings in the lu-class, it should mean “the habit of readily consenting to everything.” But since it is a coined word which does not have a clearly defined set of meanings in everyday speech, it has acquired in church language a meaning of “steadfastness in the Christian life.” Una lutendo means something like “he is steadfast in the face of persecution.” It is quite clear that the term u tenda has no element of “trust” in it. (…)
In “The Christian Minister” of July 1969 we find the following statement about faith by Albert N. Martin: “We must never forget that one of the great issues which the Reformers brought into focus was that faith was something more than an ‘assensus,’ a mere nodding of the head to the body of truth presented by the church as ‘the faith.’ The Reformers set forth the biblical concept that faith was ‘fiducia.’ They made plain that saving faith involved trust, commitment, a trust and commitment involving the whole man with the truth which was believed and with the Christ who was the focus of that truth. The time has come when we need to spell this out clearly in categorical statements so that people will realize that a mere nodding of assent to the doctrines that they are exposed to is not the essence of saving faith. They need to be brought to the understanding that saving faith involves the commitment of the whole man to the whole Christ, as Prophet, Priest and King as he is set forth in the gospel.”
We quote at length from this article because what Martin says of the current concept of faith in the Church is even to a greater extent true of the Venda Church, and because the terms used for communicating that concept in the Venda Bible cannot be expected to communicate anything more than “a mere nodding of assent”. I have during many years of evangelistic work hardly ever come across a Venda who, when confronted with the gospel, would not say, Ndi khou tenda, “I admit the truth of what you say.” What they really mean when saying this amounts to, “I believe that God exists, and I have no objection to the fact that he exists. I suppose that the rest of what you are talking about is also true.” They would often add, Ndi sa tendi hani-hani? “Just imagine my not believing such an obvious fact!” To the experienced evangelist this is a clear indication that his message is rejected in so far as it has been understood at all! To get a negative answer, one would have to press on for a promise that the “convert” will attend the baptism class and come to church on Sundays, and even then he will most probably just tenda in order to get rid of the evangelist, whether he intends to come or not. Isn’t that what u tenda means? So when an inexperienced and gullible white man ventures out on an evangelistic campaign with great enthusiasm, and with great rejoicing returns with a list of hundreds of names of persons who “believed”, he should not afterwards blame the Venda when only one tenth of those who were supposed to be converts actually turn up for baptismal instruction.
Moreover, it is not surprising at all that one often comes across church members of many years’ standing who do not have any assurance of their salvation or even realise that it is possible to have that assurance. They are vhatendi, “consenters.” They have consented to a new way of life, to abandoning (some of) the old customs. Lutendo means to them at most some steadfastness in that new way of life.
The concept of faith in religion is strange to Africa. It is an essential part of a religion of revelation such as Christianity or Islam, but not of a naturalistic religion such as Venda religion, in which not faith and belief are important, but ritual, and not so much the content of the word as the power of it.
The terms employed in the Venda Bible for this vital Christian concept have done nothing to effect a change in the approach of the Venda to religion.
It is a pity that not only in the Venda translation has this been the case, but in all the other Southern Bantu languages. In the Nguni languages the term ukukholwa, “to believe a fact,” has been used for pisteuo, and ukholo, the deverbative of ukukholwa, for pistis. In some of the older Protestant translations in Zulu, but not in the new translation, the term ithemba, “trust”, has been used.
Some languages, including Santali, have two terms — like English (see above) — to differentiate a noun from a verb form. Biswạs is used for “faith,” whereas pạtiạu for “believe.” R.M. Macphail (in The Bible Translator 1961, p. 36ff. ) explains this choice: “While there is little difference between the meaning and use of the two in everyday Santali, in which any word may be used as a verb, we felt that in this way we enriched the translation while making a useful distinction, roughly corresponding to that between ‘faith’ and ‘to believe’ in English.”
Likewise, in Noongar, koort-karni or “heart truth” is used for the noun (“faith”) and djinang-karni or “see true” for the verb (“believe”) (source: Warda-Kwabba Luke-Ang).
In Hungarian Sign Language “faith” is translated with a sign that refers to the gesture of clinging to God, which expresses a certainty in things unseen (see Hebrews 11:1). (Source: Jenjelvi Biblia and HSL Bible Translation Group)
The Greek Iēsous is “only” a proper name but one with great importance. The following quote by John Ellington (in The Bible Translator1993, p. 401ff. ) illustrates this:
“In Matthew’s account of the birth of Jesus Christ, Joseph is told that when Mary gives birth to a son ‘you will name him Jesus, because he will save his people from their sins’ (1:21). This name is a Greek transliteration of the Hebrew name [Yeshua (יֵשׁוּעַ) which is a short form of a name meaning] ‘the Lord [Yahweh] saves.’ The name is very significant and is in itself especially dear to Christians around the world. (…) Unquestionably great importance is attached to the name of Jesus by Christians of all persuasions and backgrounds.”
While Iēsous (pronounced: /i.ɛː.suːs/) is transliterated as “Jesus” (pronounced /ˈdʒiːzəs/) in English (but was translated as “Hælend” [the “healing one”] in Old English — see Swain 2019) it is transliterated and pronounced in a large variety of other ways as well, following the different rules of different languages’ orthographies, writing systems and rules of pronunciation. The following is a (partial) list of forms of Jesus in Latin characters: aYeso, Azezi, Boiyesuq, Cecoc, Chesús, Chi̍i̍sū, Chisɔsi, Ciisahs, Ciise, Ciisusu, Djesu, Ɛisa, Ƹisa, Eyesu, Gesù, Gesû, Gesü, Ġesù, Ghjesù, Giêsu, ꞌGiê‑ꞌsu, Giê-xu, Gyisɛse, Hesu, Hesús, Hisus, Hisuw, Ià-sŭ, Iesen, Ié:sos, Iesu, Iesui, Iesusɨn, Iesusiva, Ié:sos, Ihu, Īhu, Iisus, Iisussa, Ijeesu, iJisọsị, Iji̍sɔ̄ɔsi, Iosa, Íosa, Ìosa, İsa, I’sa, Isiso, Isõs, Ísu, Isus, Isusa, Iisussa, Isuthi, Itota, Îtu, Isuva, Izesu, Izesuq, Jasus, Jeeju, Jeesus, Jeesuse, Jeezas, Jehu, Jeisu, Jeju, Jejus, Jesesi, Jeshu, Jeso, Jesoe, Jesosa, Jesoshi, Jesosi, Jesosy, Jesu, Jesû, Jesua, Jesuh, Jesuhs, Jesuo, Jesús, Jésus, Jesúsu, Jethu, Jezed, Jezi, Jézi, Ježiš, Jezu, Jezus, Jézus, Jėzus, Jēzus, Jezusi, Jėzus, Jezuz, Jiijajju, Jíísas, Jiisusi, Jiizas, Jíìzọ̀s, Jisas, Jisase, Jisasi, Jisasɨ, Jisaso, Jisesi, Jisɛ̀, Jisos, Jisọs, Jisɔs, Jisu, Jiszs, Jizọs, Jizɔs, Jizọsi, Jizọsu, Jòso, Jusu, Jweesus, Ketsutsi, Njises, ọYẹsọ, Sesi, Sisa, Sísa, Sisas, Sises, Sīsū, Sizi, Txesusu, uJesu, Ujísɔ̄si, ŵaYesu, Xesosi, ´Xesús, Xesús, Yasu, Ya:su, yasuɛ, Yasuuⓐ, Ɣaysa, Yecu, Yeeb Sub, Yeeh Suh, Yeesey, Yeeso, Yeesso, Yēēsu, Yehsu, Yëësu, Yeiqsul, Yeisu, Yeisuw, Yeshu, Yē shú, Yeso, Yéso, Yesò, Yëso, Yɛso, ye-su, Yésu, Yêsu, Yẹ́sụ̃, Yěsù, Yésʉs, Yeswa, Yet Sut, Yetut, Yexus, Yezo, Yezu, Yiesu, Yiisa, Yiisu, Yiitju, Yis, Yisɔs, Yisufa, Yitati, Yusu, ‑Yusu, :Yusu’, Zeezi, Zezi, Zezì, Zezuz, Zezwii, Ziizɛ, Zisas, Zîsɛ, Zjezus, Zozi, Zozii, and this (much more incomplete) list with other writings systems: ᔩᓱᓯ, ᒋᓴᔅ, Հիսուս, ᏥᏌ, ኢየሱስ, ያሱስ, ܝܫܘܥ, Ісус, Їисъ, 耶稣, იესო, ईसा, イエス, イイスス, イエスス, 예수, येशू, येशो, ਈਸਾ, ພຣະເຢຊູ, ජේසුස්, যীশু, ଯୀଶୁ, ཡེ་ཤུ་, ‘ঈছা, இயேசு, ಯೇಸು, ພຣະເຢຊູ, ယေရှု, ઇસુ, जेजू, येसु, เยซู, យេស៊ូ, ᱡᱤᱥᱩ, ယေသှု, యేసు, ᤕᤧᤛᤢ᤺ᤴ, އީސާގެފާނު, ਯਿਸੂ, ꕉꖷ ꔤꕢ ꕞ, ⵏ⵿ⵗⵢⵙⴰ, ଜୀସୁ, يَسُوعَ,ㄧㄝㄙㄨ, YE-SU, ꓬꓰ꓿ꓢꓴ, 𖽃𖽡𖾐𖼺𖽹𖾏𖼽𖽔𖾏, ꑳꌠ, ᠶᠡᠰᠦᠰ (note that some of these might not display correctly if your device does not have the correct fonts installed).
Click or tap here to read more.
In some languages the different confessions have selected different transliterations, such as in Belarusian with Isus (Ісус) by the Orthodox and Protestant churches and Yezus (Езус) by the Catholic church, Bulgarian with Iisus (Иисус) by the Orthodox and Isus (Исус) by the Protestant church, Japanese with Iesu (イエス) (Protestant and Catholic) and Iisusu (イイスス) (Orthodox), or Lingala with Yesu (Protestant) or Yezu (Catholic). These differences have come to the forefront especially during the work on interconfessional translations such as one in Lingala where “many hours were spent on a single letter difference” (source: Ellington, p. 401).
In Literary and Mandarin Chinese where transliterations of proper names between the Catholic and Protestant versions typically differ vastly, the Chinese name of Jesus (Yēsū 耶稣) remarkably was never brought into question between and by those two confessions, likely due to its ingenious choice. (Click or tap here to see more).
The proper name of God in the Old Testament, Yahweh (YHWH), is rendered in most Chinese Bible translations as Yēhéhuá 耶和華 — Jehovah. According to Chinese naming conventions, Yēhéhuá could be interpreted as Yē Héhuá, in which Yē would be the family name and Héhuá — “harmonic and radiant” — the given name. In the same manner, Yē 耶 would be the family name of Jesus and Sū 稣 would be his given name. Because in China the children inherit the family name from the father, the sonship of Jesus to God the Father, Jehovah, would be illustrated through this. Though this line of argumentation sounds theologically unsound, it is indeed used effectively in the Chinese church (see Wright 1953, p. 298).
Moreover, the “given name” of Sū 稣 carries the meaning ‘to revive, to rise again’ and seems to point to the resurrected Jesus. (Source: J. Zetzsche in Malek 2002, p. 141ff., see also tetragrammaton (YHWH))
There are different ways that Bible translators have chosen historically and today in how to translate the name of Jesus in predominantly Muslim areas: with a form of the Arabic Isa (عيسى) (which is used for “Jesus” in the Qur’an), the Greek Iēsous, or, like major 20th century Bible translations into Standard Arabic, the Aramaic Yēšūaʿ: Yasua (يَسُوعَ). (Click or tap here to see more.)
Following are languages and language groups that use a form of Isa include the following (note that this list is not complete):
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 ).
Some languages have additional “TAZI” editions (TAZI stands for “Tawrat, Anbiya, Zabur, and Injil” the “Torah, Prophets, Psalms and Gospel”) of the New Testament that are geared towards Muslim readers where there is also a translation in the same language for non-Muslims. In those editions, Isa is typically used as well (for example, the Khmer TAZI edition uses Isa (អ៊ីសា) rather than the commonly used Yesaou (យេស៊ូ), the Thai edition uses Isa (อีซา) rather than Yesu (เยซู), the Chinese edition uses Ěrsā (尔撒) vs. Yēsū (耶稣), and the English edition also has Isa rather than Jesus.)
In German the name Jesus (pronounced: /ˈjeːzʊs/) is distinguished by its grammatical forms. Into the 20th century the grammatical rules prescribed a unique Greek-Latin declination: Jesus (nominative), Jesu (genitive, dative, vocative), Jesum (accusative), from which today only the genitive case “Jesu” is still in active use. Likewise, in Seediq (Taroko), the morphological treatment of “Jesus” also occupies a special category by not falling under the normal rule of experiencing a vowel reduction when the object-specific suffix an is added “since it was felt that the readers might resent that the name has been changed that drastically.” (Compare Msian for “Moses” (Mosi) as an object, but Yisuan for “Jesus” (Yisu).) (Source: Covell 1998. p. 249)
In Lamba the name ŵaYesu consists of a transliteration Yesu and the prefix ŵa, a plural form for “proper names when addressing and referring to persons in any position of seniority or honor.” While this was avoided in early translations to avoid possible misunderstandings of more than one Jesus, once the church was established it was felt that it was both “safe” and respectful to use the honorific (pl.) prefix. (Source C. M. Doke in The Bible Translator 1958, p. 57ff. )
In virtually all sign languages, “Jesus” is signed with the middle finger of each hand pointing to the palm (or wrist) of the other in succession (signing the nails of the cross). In the context of Bible translation this has been pointed out as theologically problematic since the “semantic connections of the original name Jesus do point towards ‘salvation,’ they do not naturally lead to crucifixion.” (Source: Phil King in Journal of Translation 1 (2020), p. 33ff.)
Following is the oldest remaining Ethiopian Orthodox icon of Jesus from the 14th or possibly 13th century (found in the Church of the Saviour of the World in Gurji, Ethiopia). As in many Orthodox icons, Jesus’ right hand forms the Greek letters I-C-X-C for IHCOYCXPICTOC or “Jesus Christ.” Another interpretation of the right hand is that it shows three fingers pointing to the Trinity, while the two other fingers point to Jesus’ two natures.
Orthodox icons are not drawings or creations of imagination. They are in fact writings of things not of this world. Icons can represent our Lord Jesus Christ, the Virgin Mary, and the Saints. They can also represent the Holy Trinity, Angels, the Heavenly hosts, and even events. Orthodox icons, unlike Western pictures, change the perspective and form of the image so that it is not naturalistic. This is done so that we can look beyond appearances of the world, and instead look to the spiritual truth of the holy person or event. (Source )
The following is the so-called “Wales Window for Alabama.” It is a stained-glass window by the artist John Petts from Carmarthenshire, Wales, created in response to the 16th Street Baptist Church bombing which took place in 1963:
Stained glass is not just highly decorative, it’s a medium which has been used to express important religious messages for centuries. Literacy was not widespread in the medieval and Renaissance periods and the Church used stained glass and other artworks to teach the central beliefs of Christianity. In Gothic churches, the windows were filled with extensive narrative scenes in stained glass — like huge and colorful picture storybooks — in which worshipers could ‘read’ the stories of Christ and the saints and learn what was required for their religious salvation. (Source: Victoria and Albert Museum )
The style of the following drawing of Jesus by Annie Vallotton is described by the artist as this: “By using few lines the readers fill in the outlines with their imagination and freedom. That is when the drawings begin to communicate.” (see here ; see also We All are One in Christ)
Illustration by Annie Vallotton, copyright by Donald and Patricia Griggs of Griggs Educational Service.
Some languages do not have a concept of kingship and therefore no immediate equivalent for the Greek, Hebrew, Ge’ez, Aramaic, and Latin that is translated as “king” in English. Here are some (back-) translations:
Ninia Yali: “big brother with the uplifted name” (source: Daud Soesilio in Noss 2007, p. 175)
Nyamwezi: mutemi: generic word for ruler, by specifying the city or nation it becomes clear what kind of ruler (source: Pioneer Bible Translators, project-specific translation notes in Paratext)
Ghomála’: Fo (“The word Fo refers to the paramount ruler in the kingdoms of West Cameroon. He holds administrative, political, and religious power over his own people, who are divided into two categories: princes (descendants of royalty) and servants (everyone else).” (Source: Michel Kenmogne in Theologizing in Context: An Example from the Study of a Ghomala’ Christian Hymn))
Faye Edgerton retells how the term in Navajo (Dinė) was determined:
“[This term was] easily expressed in the language of Biblical culture, which had kings and noblemen with their brilliant trappings and their position of honor and praise. But leadership among the Navajos is not accompanied by any such titles or distinctions of dress. Those most respected, especially in earlier days, were their headmen, who were the leaders in raids, and the shaman, who was able to serve the people by appealing for them to the gods, or by exorcising evil spirits. Neither of these made any outward show. Neither held his position by political intrigue or heredity. If the headman failed consistently in raids, he was superceded by a better warrior. If the shaman failed many times in his healing ceremonies, it was considered that he was making mistakes in the chants, or had lost favor with the gods, and another was sought. The term Navajos use for headman is derived from a verb meaning ‘to move the head from side to side as in making an oration.’ The headman must be a good orator, able to move the people to go to war, or to follow him in any important decision. This word is naat’áanii which now means ‘one who rules or bosses.’ It is employed now for a foreman or boss of any kind of labor, as well as for the chairman of the tribal council. So in order to show that the king is not just a common boss but the highest ruler, the word ‘aláahgo, which expresses the superlative degree, was put before naat’áanii, and so ‘aláahgo naat’áanii ‘anyone-more-than-being around-he-moves-his-head-the-one-who’ means ‘the highest ruler.’ Naat’áanii was used for governor as the context usually shows that the person was a ruler of a country or associated with kings.”
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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. The concept of “requesting” is translated in the Shinkaiyaku Bible as o-negai (お願い), combining “request” (negai) with the respectful prefix o (お).
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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 formal plural suffix to the second person pronoun (“you” and its various forms) as shown here in the widely-used Japanese Shinkaiyaku (新改訳) Bible of 2017. In these verses, anata-gata (あなたがた) is used, combining the second person pronoun anata and the plural suffix -gata to create a formal plural pronoun (“you” [plural] in English).
This sentence in Greek also lacks a main verb (as both Revised Standard Version and Good News Translation show), and in some languages it may be better to supply a verb: “I, John, write to the seven churches….” In other languages it is more appropriate style to restructure the sentence and say “To the seven churches in the province of Asia. From John.”
Asia was the Roman province in what is now southwestern Turkey. Its most important city was Ephesus. The seven churches are named in verse 11. There were other churches in Asia: in Colossae (Col 1.2), Hierapolis (Col 4.13), Troas (Acts 20.5; 2 Cor 2.12), and possibly others. It is impossible to tell why these seven churches are listed and why they are called the seven churches, as though there were no other churches in Asia. In the New Testament the primary reference of “church” is to a group of believers. So in certain languages the term may be translated as “gathering (or, group) of believers,” or even “group of people who believe in Jesus Christ.”
This book is filled with groups of seven; in all, the number seven occurs fifty-four times. In the Bible the number seven indicates totality, completeness; commentators point to the seven nations in Ezekiel 25-32, representing all the Gentiles. So it may be assumed that the writer addresses his book to all Christians of his day, or at least to all Christians in the Roman province of Asia.
What follows is a typical Christian greeting used in letters: Grace to you and peace is the way Paul invariably begins his letters (see Rom 1.7; 1 Cor 1.3; 2 Cor 1.2, and others). Although there is no verb in the Greek text, the sentence is a normal way in Greek of expressing a wish: “May grace and peace be given to you by…” or “May you receive grace and peace from….”
Grace is God’s constant love for his people, a love affirmed by and guaranteed in the covenant he made with them, in which he promised always to bless and protect them. This very important word appears many times in the New Testament, and it is not always easy to find a natural way of expressing the meaning of the term other than to use the word “love,” usually strengthened by an adjective. In the Old Testament the equivalent word chesed is usually translated “steadfast love” by Revised Standard Version and “constant love” by Good News Bible (see Psa 13.5). Some languages will find it useful to have a fuller definition of the word in a glossary, as Brazilian Commom Language version does. Peace is not only the lack of external conflict and hostility, but also the presence of an inner sense of well-being, security, and wholeness. It results from faithful obedience to God’s commands and receiving his consequent blessings. Peace in some languages may be expressed idiomatically; for example, “live in coolness and happiness” or “have a cool heart.” In other languages this clause may be expanded as “May you receive love and peace from God.” Other languages will require a preposed expression of prayer or request; for example, “I pray (or, ask) that you receive love and peace from God” or “I pray that God will show you his love and peace.”
What follows is an invocation to the triune God, usually spoken of as “Father, Son, and Holy Spirit” (see Matt 28.19). Here the term “Father” is not used and should not appear in a translation. God is spoken of as him who is and who was and who is to come; Good News Translation, like others, has “from God, who is….” The threefold phrase describes God as the eternal one (see 1.8; 4.8; 11.17; 16.5). The first one, [he] who is, is the translation of the divine title in the Greek Septuagint translation of Exodus 3.14, where the title in Hebrew is “I AM” (see Revised Standard Version). The Greek phrase uses the nominative form of the present participle, with the definite article, “the being (one),” as though it were a proper noun; Moffatt represents this by “grace be to you and peace from HE WHO IS AND WAS AND IS COMING, and….” This rendering is somewhat awkward and should not be imitated. The second phrase is [he] who was, which in Greek is the finite form of the imperfect of the verb “to be” in the third person, “he was,” with the definite article “the” (there is no participial form of the imperfect tense of the verb). The two phrases declare God’s eternal existence and may be expressed by “… God, who exists now and has always existed” or “… God, who now lives and has always lived.” The third phrase, who is to come, expresses not only God’s living forever but also God’s continued activity on behalf of his people—God as Judge and Redeemer.
The phrase the seven spirits who are before his throne (see also 3.1; 4.5; 5.6) is a way of speaking of the Holy Spirit; the number seven is probably used in the sense of totality, completeness. As already stated, “seven” plays a very important role in this book. Unless this is the first New Testament book to be translated (a most unlikely possibility), the translation of “spirit” will have already been determined. The main thing to avoid is a word that indicates a ghost, or an evil or malevolent spirit, or the (human) spirit that survives a person’s death, or even the “soul stuff” (or, vital force) that is understood in certain cultures to inhabit plants, animals or even humans. It is also important not to borrow a term from some other language that will be practically meaningless to the reader or even give the wrong meaning. The translation of the phrase in this verse must be quite literal; as with all other symbolic figures and events in this book, the translation must accurately represent them without trying to interpret them. The translation should not say or imply “seven Holy Spirits,” nor should the word “angels” be used.
The word throne identifies God as the supreme ruler of the world, attended by the seven spirits, who are at his service. In some languages throne is rendered as “sacred chair,” and in others as “the high chief’s chair” or “the place where one sits to govern.” In the phrase who are before his throne, translators in certain languages will want to state the bodily position (standing, sitting, or bowing) of these spirits. However, this information is not at all certain. In fact in 5.6 the seven spirits are referred to as “the seven eyes” of the Lamb. Thus the translator in this context will try to keep the translation vague.
Jesus Christ is described by three phrases: (1) the faithful witness: this means that the testimony about God and God’s will for humankind that Jesus is going to give John in the visions reported in this book is true, or reliable, and can be believed. If a distinction can be drawn between the two, the word refers more to the reliability of Jesus Christ as a witness than to the truth, the reliability, of his testimony. In other words the witness of Jesus Christ can be trusted. Some languages will require an expanded phrase; for example, “the one who reveals the truth about God faithfully (or, in a way that can be trusted).” In 3.14 the title is expanded to “the faithful and true witness.” (2) Jesus Christ is the first-born of the dead, that is, the first one to “be born” to a new life by being raised from death. The use of “first” indicates that there are and will be others to be “born.” The phrase is similar to the one used in Col 1.18. The element “first” may refer to Jesus as “the firstborn Son,” as Good News Translation translates it; so also Bible en français courant “the firstborn Son, the first to have been transferred from death to life.” Die Bibel im heutigen Deutsch has “the first one of all the dead who has been born to new life,” and Biblia Dios Habla Hoy translates “who was the first one to rise from death.” (3) Jesus Christ is the ruler of kings on earth, which indicates his power over all earthly rulers (see 17.14; 19.16). Where the concept of kings is difficult to express, the translation may say “the great chief,” “the great one,” or in certain languages, “the fat (or, large) one,” or even “big (or, older) brother with uplifted name.” And the phrase the ruler of kings on earth may be expressed as “the supreme ruler of all the world” or “the one who has power over all people on earth.” Christ here is used as part of the name of Jesus, rather than a title meaning the “Messiah.”
The one sentence, verses 4-5a, is in the form of a wish, or a prayer, and the appropriate equivalent form in a given language should be used. Biblia Dios Habla Hoy translates “Receive grace and peace from the one who….” Bible en français courant and Nova Tradução na Linguagem de Hoje have “May grace and peace be given you by God, who…,” and Die Bibel im heutigen Deutsch has “I wish for you grace and peace from God, who….”
An alternative translation model for verses 4-5a is:
• I, John, write to the seven groups of believers (or, churches) in the province of Asia.
I pray that you may receive love and peace from God. He is the one who lives and has always lived, and who is coming (or, about to come). May you receive love and peace from the seven spirits in front of God’s throne, and from Jesus Christ, the one who reveals the truth about God faithfully. He was the first one to rise from death, and who also rules over all the kings (or, high chiefs) all over the world.
This last one sentence in Greek is a doxology, that is, the giving of praise to Christ, confessing his greatness and might (see other doxologies in 5.12, 13; 7.10; see also 2 Tim 4.18b; Heb 13.21b; 1 Peter 4.11b). It lacks a verb, and most English translations use the form To him … be … (Revised Standard Version, New Revised Standard Version, Revised English Bible, New American Bible, Revised, New International Version); but there are other ways of restructuring the text (see below).
This doxology is addressed to Jesus Christ, not to God; if necessary the translation can make this explicit; for example, “To Jesus, the one who loves us,” or in a similar way to Good News Translation, “He loves us….”
Him who loves us: the use of the Greek present participle “the one loving us” emphasizes the continual, never-ending love of Jesus Christ for all his people. The Greek verb agapaō occurs again at 3.9 (and see the noun agapē at 2.40); another Greek verb, phileō, is used at 3.19.
Loves: the word for “love” in some languages has very little to do with feelings of mercy or compassion, which are components of the word used in this verse, and thus it is often expressed idiomatically; for example, “His (Jesus’) heart (or, insides) is warm for us” or “He holds us in his heart.” The pronoun us includes all followers of Jesus Christ, even though the writer has in mind particularly his readers, the people of the churches to whom he will send his book.
And has freed us from our sins by his blood: the background of this description of redemption is the Old Testament sacrificial system, in which an animal was offered as the means of achieving the forgiveness of sins. The blood shed when the animal was killed represented the life being offered. In this passage his blood is a way of speaking of Christ’s sacrificial death on the cross. For similar language see Rom 5.9; Eph 2.16; Col 1.20; 1 Peter 1.18-19; 1 John 1.7. Most cultures are familiar with the concept of sin, that it refers to a violation of the teachings, laws, and traditions of the culture, or that it is an offense against some deity. In certain languages sinfulness or sins will be best expressed as “going the wrong way,” “wrong actions,” or “evil deeds,” while in others one may translate “deeds that go against God” or “actions done in disobedience against (or, that disobey) God.”
Has freed us: some Greek manuscripts and ancient versions have “washed us”; New Jerusalem Bible has followed this reading. However, there is better textual evidence for “freed” than for “washed,” and most modern translations have “freed.” The statement freed us from our sins may mean freed us from the penalty, or consequences, of our sins (see Gal 3.13; Eph 1.7; Col 1.14). It seems more likely, however, that here the author means that Christ’s death has freed us from the power of our sins, from the domination of sin in our lives (as Paul develops at length in Rom 6.16-23). In some languages this phrase will be rendered “has caused us to escape from the power of our sins,” or “has prevented our sins from having control (or, power) over us anymore,” or even “has helped us to be able to refrain from sinning.”
The preposition by may indicate the price paid for the freedom, as at 5.9, where “the blood” is the price paid. But it may indicate the means, the instrument, by which the freedom was achieved—and that is how most translations render it. In certain languages that use modal words to express instrumentality or cause, one may express this as “used his blood (or, death) to free us….”
As elsewhere, blood here is a way of speaking of Christ’s sacrificial death on the cross for the salvation of the world. So Nova Tradução na Linguagem de Hoje “by means of his death on the cross”; Bible en français courant “by his death.” Biblia Dios Habla Hoy has “by shedding his blood,” and Die Bibel im heutigen Deutsch “he has poured out his blood.”
And made us a kingdom, priests to his God and Father: the literal rendition of Revised Standard Version makes for an unnatural sentence in English. The meaning is better brought out by Good News Translation “a kingdom of priests,” the kingdom established by God and Christ, in which the followers of Christ serve as priests (see Exo 19.6 “and you shall be to me a kingdom of priests and a holy nation”; and in 1 Peter 2.9 “a royal priesthood, a holy nation” reflects the Greek Septuagint translation of Exo 19.6). The Revised Standard Version literal priests to has been improved in New Revised Standard Version to “priests serving….” In any society, especially one that has a large established religion, priests are a professional minority, the duly authorized mediators between the people and God or gods. However, in so-called animistic societies it may be difficult to find a suitable word for priest. The shaman or the medicine man is the closest equivalent and would not be recommended in translation. In certain languages one may use a descriptive phrase; for example, “sacrificer to God,” or “go-between,” or “a person who contacts God for others.” A number of different expressions for priest are used in various languages. The important thing is that the term chosen designates the correct function of priest in this context, namely, that in the coming kingdom all believers are priests, and every believer has a direct and constant access to God (see Heb 10.19-22). Where the concept of kingdom may be difficult to represent, the word for “people” or “nation” will serve, since here the idea of a king as head of the country is not in focus, but rather a unified group of people who have a common identity.
To his God and Father: the preposition to here is a way of saying “serve.” In the phrase God and Father, care must be taken that the two refer to one being, not to two. The possessive his God may cause a problem if somehow his seems exclusive—that is, the God of Jesus Christ alone and of no one else. If there is a problem, in some languages it will be helpful to restructure the phrase and say “God his Father.” As for his … Father, there should be no problem, inasmuch as it is clear here and elsewhere in the New Testament that God is the Father of Jesus Christ in a special way. Other ways of translating the whole phrase are “to serve God, who is his Father” or “to serve God, who is the Father of Jesus.”
To him be glory and dominion for ever and ever: to him repeats the opening words of the sentence (verse 5b) in order to continue the statement that began there. If necessary, either at the beginning or here, or even in both places, “Jesus Christ” may be named in order to avoid any ambiguity. The wish expressed by to him be is in effect a prayer, that for ever and ever Jesus Christ will continue to have glory and dominion. As elsewhere, glory is a difficult term to translate. It represents basically the shining light of the divine presence, manifested particularly in God’s (and Christ’s) acts on behalf of his people. Some translations may wish to treat this as a technical term, with an explanation in the glossary. In this context it means the greatness and the consequent fame, or honor, associated with Christ’s dominion, that is, his power as ruler of the world (Louw and Nida, Greek-English Lexicon of the New Testament, 76.13; 87.4; 87.23).
For ever and ever translates what is literally “to the ages of the ages,” a typical Semitic expression meaning “for all time to come” or “for all eternity.” This phrase occurs thirteen times in this book.
Amen is the Hebrew word meaning “So be it” or “May it happen this way,” a fitting conclusion to a prayer.
Revised Standard Version and others (New Revised Standard Version, New International Version, Revised English Bible, New American Bible, Revised, Traduction œcuménique de la Bible) have reproduced the Greek text, using one sentence for verses 5b-6. This makes for a long and fairly difficult passage to read, and it is recommended that a translation imitate Good News Translation and others (Nova Tradução na Linguagem de Hoje, Biblia Dios Habla Hoy, Bible en français courant, Die Bibel im heutigen Deutsch, New Jerusalem Bible), with a declarative statement first, “He loves us and…,” followed by the prayer, or wish, “To him be…” or “May he have….”
An alternative translation model for this passage is:
• He (Jesus) loves us. He has used his death (or, blood) as a sacrifice to help us escape from the power of our sins. Because of this we have become a family (tribe, nation) of priests who serve God, his Father. May Jesus Christ therefore receive glory and power always. So be it!
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 .
from Jesus Christ, the faithful witness, the firstborn from the dead, and the ruler of the kings of the earth: The three phrases the faithful witness, the firstborn from the dead, and the ruler of the kings of the earth all describe Jesus.
In some languages a literal translation would wrongly indicate that there are other people named Jesus Christ and only this one is the faithful witness, and so forth. If that is true in your language, translate these words so that they tell more about Jesus Christ. One way to do that is to start a new sentence here. For example:
Jesus Christ. He is the faithful witness. He is the firstborn from the dead, and he rules the kings of the earth. -or-
Jesus Christ. Jesus is the faithful witness, the first among those raised from the dead. He is the ruler of the kings of the earth. (New Century Version)
1:5a
and from Jesus Christ: The word from refers back to the greeting of “Grace and peace to you” (1:4c). It indicates that John also asked Jesus to give grace and peace.
In some languages it is necessary or more natural to repeat the greeting phrase here. For example:
and ⌊grace and peace to you⌋ from Jesus Christ -or-
May Jesus Christ also give you grace and peace
See other examples in the General Comment on 1:4c–5c.
faithful: Here the Greek word that the Berean Standard Bible translates as faithful refers to being worthy of trust. People can depend on that person. Here the word indicates that Jesus was completely reliable, dependable, and truthful in what he said. Other ways to translate this word are:
witness: This word refers to a person who tells what he has seen, heard, or come to know. The Greek word that means witness is closely related to “testifies” (1:2a) and “testimony” (1:2b). Other ways to translate this word are:
testifier -or-
one who speaks about what he knows -or-
one who reports/explains
1:5b
the firstborn from the dead: This phrase also describes Jesus. This phrase uses the word firstborn in a figurative way. It indicates that God resurrected Jesus first, before other people.
This phrase also implies that God will resurrect other people later. Jesus has authority over all believers, just like a Jewish firstborn son had the position of authority over his brothers and sisters.
In some languages, a literal translation would not clearly indicate the figurative meaning. If that is true in your language, you may want to:
• Explain the figure of speech in your translation. For example:
the firstborn ⌊in place/position and time⌋ from the dead -or-
the first person ⌊to return⌋ from the dead ⌊permanently/forever⌋ ⌊and he also has the authority/position of a⌋ firstborn
• Translate the meaning without the figure of speech. For example:
the first to be raised from death (Good News Translation) -or-
was the first to conquer death (Contemporary English Version) -or-
the first to rise forever from the dead -or-
the first one that ⌊God raised⌋ from death
You may then want to explain the literal word in a footnote. An example footnote is:
Literally: “firstborn.” This word indicates that God resurrected Jesus first, before other people. The word also implies that Jesus has authority over all believers, just like a Jewish firstborn son had the position of authority over his brothers and sisters.
1:5c
the ruler of the kings of the earth: This phrase also describes Jesus. It indicates that Jesus rules kings, chiefs, and all other rulers on earth. Other ways to translate this phrase are:
the commander of all the rulers of the world (New Living Translation (1996)) -or-
Jesus rules all the rulers on earth
General Comment on 1:4c–5c
This greeting is complicated. John asked God, the seven spirits, and Jesus to give grace and peace to the believers. He also described God, the seven spirits, and Jesus. In some languages it is more natural to:
• First translate the three descriptions, and then translate what John wanted each one to do. For example:
4d May he who is, and who was, and who is to come, 4e the seven spirits before his throne, 5a and Jesus Christ, the faithful witness, 5b the firstborn from the dead, 5c and the ruler of the kings of the earth 4c give grace and peace to you.
You then would need to combine the verse marking for these verses as “4–5.”
• Translate the first two descriptions as well as “Jesus Christ,” followed by what John wanted each one to do. Then translate the description of Jesus Christ. For example:
4d May he who is, and who was, and who is to come, 4e the seven spirits before his throne, 5a and Jesus Christ, 4c give grace and peace to you. 5a Jesus Christ is the faithful witness, 5b the firstborn from the dead, 5c and the ruler of the kings of the earth
You then would need to combine the verse marking for these verses as “4–5.”
• Repeat the grace and peace blessing for each person/subject. For example:
4c Grace and peace to you 4d from him who is, and who was, and who is to come. 4e ⌊Grace and peace to you⌋ from the seven spirits before his throne. 5a ⌊Grace and peace to you⌋ from Jesus Christ, who is the faithful witness, 5b the firstborn from the dead, 5c and the ruler of the kings of the earth. -or-
4c–d May he who is, and who was, and who is to come give grace and peace to you. 4e May the seven spirits before his throne ⌊give grace and peace to you⌋ . 5a And may Jesus Christ, the faithful witness, 5b the firstborn from the dead, 5c and the ruler of the kings of the earth ⌊give grace and peace to you⌋ . -or-
4c I pray that you will be blessed with kindness and peace 4d from God, who is and was and is coming. 4e May you receive kindness and peace from the seven spirits before the throne of God. 5a May kindness and peace be yours from Jesus Christ, the faithful witness. 5b Jesus was the first to conquer death, 5c and he is the ruler of all earthly kings. (Contemporary English Version)
You may need to combine the verse marking for these verses as “4–5.”
Paragraph 1:5d–7
1:5d–6b
1:5d–1:6b is one long sentence. It includes a long description of Jesus (1:5d–1:6a). At the end of the sentence (1:6b), John described glory and power as belonging to Jesus. In some languages it is more natural to use two or more shorter sentences. For example:
5d
⌊Jesus Christ⌋ loves us 5e and has freed us from our sins by his own blood. 6a He has made us to be a kingdom, priests to serve his God and Father. 6b To him be glory and power forever and ever! Amen.
For an example of how to reorder the information in these clauses, see the General Comment at the end of the notes on 1:6b.
1:5d
To Him: The pronoun Him refers to Jesus as is made clear in 1:5e–6a.
loves: The word loves refers to a strong feeling of affection and concern for a person. It also refers to an attitude of actively seeking the good of another. Your language may have a word or idiom for saying this.
1:5e
has released us from our sins by His blood: There is a textual issue here about the Greek word that the Berean Standard Bible translates as released :
(1) Some Greek manuscripts have freed. For example:
released us from our sins by His blood (Berean Standard Bible, New American Standard Bible)
(2) Some Greek manuscripts have washed. For example:
washed us from our sins in his own blood (King James Version)
It is recommended that you follow option (1). The earliest Greek manuscripts support “freed/released.”
has released us from our sins: This phrase indicates that Jesus has released believers from their sins. They are no longer guilty in God’s eyes and no longer have to suffer God’s anger.
Some commentators suggest that the phrase also refers to believers no longer being under the power of sin. If possible, translate in a way that allows both meanings. For example:
has freed us from our sins ⌊and their power⌋ -or-
released us from our sins (New American Standard Bible)
by His blood: Here the word blood refers figuratively to Jesus’ death. The phrase by His blood indicates that Jesus’ death was the way to free believers from their sins. Other ways to translate this phrase are:
by shedding his blood (New Living Translation (2004)) -or-
by his sacrificial death (Good News Translation) -or-
through his ⌊life/shed⌋ blood
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