brother (fellow believer)

The Greek that is translated in English as “brother” or “brother and sister” (in the sense of fellow believers), is translated with a specifically coined word in Kachin: “There are two terms for brother in Kachin. One is used to refer to a Christian brother. This term combines ‘older and younger brother.’ The other term is used specifically for addressing siblings. When one uses this term, one must specify if the older or younger person is involved. A parallel system exists for ‘sister’ as well. In [these verses], the term for ‘a Christian brother’ is used.” (Source: Gam Seng Shae)

In Matumbi is is translated as alongo aumini or “relative-believer” (source: Pioneer Bible Translators, project-specific notes in Paratext), in Martu Wangka as “relative” (this is also the term that is used for “follower”) (source: Carl Gross), and in Mairasi as “in-law” (source: Enggavoter 2004).

In the German New Testament translation by Berger / Nord (publ. 1999) it is often translated as Mitchristen or “fellow Christians.” The German translation by Roland Werner (publ. 2009-2022) alternates between “brothers and sisters,” “sisters and brothers,” and “siblings” (Geschwister).

See also brothers.

complete verse (Romans 1:13)

Following are a number of back-translations of Romans 1:13:

  • Uma: “Relatives, so that you know: many times I have made-plans to go visit you, but there was always something that hindered me. My intention in visiting you is so that there will be fruit of my work in your village, just as there is fruit of my work among the non-Jews in other villages.” (Source: Uma Back Translation)
  • Yakan: “My brothers who trust Isa Almasi, my desire is that you know that I often planned to go-there to visit you but there was something preventing me so that I could not go-there. I want to go-there so that I can proclaim to you so that there are some people there whom I can carry/influence to follow/obey Isa Almasi like I influenced/carried people from other tribes not Jews (Yahudi).” (Source: Yakan Back Translation)
  • Western Bukidnon Manobo: “I want, brethren, that you should know that my desire to go there never leaves my thinking. However, I cannot yet go there because there’s something which hinders me. I want to go there because by means of my teaching, there might be some people there who will believe in Jesus just like by means of my teaching, there are some people who aren’t Jews also in other towns who have believed in him.” (Source: Western Bukidnon Manobo Back Translation)
  • Kankanaey: “My siblings/cousins (henceforth rendered brothers), I want you to know that I have often planned/decided to go see you, but until now, something has been sidetracking/preventing me. I want to visit you so that there will also be those among you there whom I persuade to believe so that it will be like what has happened to the Gentiles in other towns.” (Source: Kankanaey Back Translation)
  • Tenango Otomi: “Listen brothers, I want you to know that many times I had decided to go see you. But up until now I haven’t been able to go. The reason I want to go is that I want to bring about that more people will believe in Jesus Christ like I am doing to people who live everywhere.” (Source: Tenango Otomi Back Translation)

gentiles / nations

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The Hebrew, Aramaic, Greek, and Latin that is often translated as “gentiles” (or “nations”) in English is often translated as a “local equivalent of ‘foreigners,'” such as “the people of other lands” (Guerrero Amuzgo), “people of other towns” (Tzeltal), “people of other languages” (San Miguel El Grande Mixtec), “strange peoples” (Navajo (Dinė) (this and above, see Bratcher / Nida), “outsiders” (Ekari), “people of foreign lands” (Kannada), “non-Jews” (North Alaskan Inupiatun), “people being-in-darkness” (a figurative expression for people lacking cultural or religious insight) (Toraja-Sa’dan) (source for this and three above Reiling / Swellengrebel), “from different places all people” (Martu Wangka) (source: Carl Gross).

Tzeltal translates it as “people in all different towns,” Chicahuaxtla Triqui as “the people who live all over the world,” Highland Totonac as “all the outsider people,” Sayula Popoluca as “(people) in every land” (source: Waterhouse / Parrott in Notes on Translation October 1967, p. 1ff.), Chichimeca-Jonaz as “foreign people who are not Jews,” Sierra de Juárez Zapotec as “people of other nations” (source of this and one above: Viola Waterhouse in Notes on Translation August 1966, p. 86ff.), Highland Totonac as “outsider people” (source: Waterhouse / Parrott in Notes on Translation October 1967, p. 1ff.), Uma as “people who are not the descendants of Israel” (source: Uma Back Translation), “other ethnic groups” (source: Newari Back Translation), and Yakan as “the other tribes” (source: Yakan Back Translation).

In Chichewa, it is translated with mitundu or “races.” (Source: Mawu a Mulungu mu Chichewa Chalero Back Translation)

See also nations.

formal 2nd person plural pronoun (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 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).

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

Translation commentary on Romans 1:13

You must remember this is in Greek a double negative (“I don’t want you to be ignorant”), which many translations render as a positive statement (see New English Bible “but I should like you to know” and An American Translation* “I want you to understand”). A typical equivalent of you must remember this may be “I want you to know this” or “be assured that.” It is important to avoid a term which might suggest that the people had forgotten something.

The phrase my brothers may be rendered in two quite different ways: (1) by some generic kinship term such as “my relatives” or “my family” (if such a term may be employed for an extended in-group much larger than a family or clan), or (2) by some designation which specifies mutual faith—for example, “you who also trust Jesus Christ” or “you who are fellow believers” or “those who believe together with me.” The use of “brothers” in this type of context is a clear reference to the Christian community, and one should employ as a translation the corresponding expression which has been generally adopted by the church in the receptor language in question.

Something has always kept me from doing so is in Greek a passive construction, meaning something like “I was always kept from doing so.” The Greek is not clear as to whom or what has kept Paul from visiting the Romans, though it is possible that this is a Semitic idiom with God as the unexpressed subject. The most natural equivalent of this passive expression without specific indication of means of agent may simply be “I have not been able to….”

I want to win converts among you is literally “in order that I might have some fruit among you.” The word “fruit” is often used figuratively of spiritual results (see John 15.1-8; also see Romans 6.21-22; Galatians 5.22; Philippians 1.11; 4.17), and the Good News Translation takes it in the specific sense of “winning people to the Christian way.” Other translations take it in a more general sense (see Jerusalem Bible “that I might work as fruitfully among you”; Moffatt “to have some results among you”; and New English Bible “in the hope of achieving something among you”).

In most languages it is impossible to render the final clause of verse 13 in a literal manner since “fruit” is rarely used in the sense of “result.” It is therefore better to employ some such expression as the Good News Translation, but one should be cautioned against translating win converts literally. A more natural equivalent in many languages is “cause people to believe” or “cause people to follow Jesus Christ.”

Among other Gentiles is more literally “among the other nations” (see La Sainte Bible: Nouvelle version Segond révisée) and is translated by the Jerusalem Bible as “among the other pagans” and by the New English Bible as “in other parts of the world.” The reference would seem to be to other Gentile (non-Jewish) peoples than those in Rome (see Revised Standard Version “among the rest of the Gentiles”).

Quoted with permission from Newman, Barclay M. and Nida, Eugene A. A Handbook on Paul’s Letter to the Romans. (UBS Handbook Series). New York: UBS, 1973. For this and other handbooks for translators see here .

SIL Translator’s Notes on Romans 1:13

Paragraph 1:13–15

1:13a

I do not want you to be unaware, brothers: The address brothers occurs in the middle of the sentence. In some languages, it is more natural to have the address first. For example:

Brothers and sisters, I want you to know (New Century Version)

I do not want you to be unaware: The Greek clause here is literally “I do not want you to be ignorant.” It emphasizes what he was about to say. Here are other ways to translate this clause:

I want you to know (New Revised Standard Version)
-or-
my desire is that you know

brothers: Here the word brothers refers to believers in Jesus, both men and women. The word indicates a close relationship because all believers are considered spiritual children of God. For example:

my fellow believers

In some languages brothers would be understood as literal brothers. If that is true in your language, you may want to translate differently. For example:

my brothers ⌊and sisters⌋ ⌊who believe⌋ ⌊in Jesus/Christ⌋
-or-
my family of believers
-or-
my friends (Contemporary English Version)

1:13b

how often I planned to come to you: The Greek word that the Berean Standard Bible translates as planned probably refers to Paul making plans to go to Rome. The word often indicates that he made those plans at various times but was unable to go for some reason.

1:13c

but have been prevented from visiting until now: This clause is passive. Here Paul implied that either God or Paul’s work among the churches that he started or something else has prevented him from going to Rome. Some languages must use a non-passive clause here. For example:

something has always kept me from doing so (Good News Translation)
-or-

⌊something⌋ has always blocked me
-or-
the way to come to you was closed, from earlier until today

1:13d

in order that: This phrase introduces the purpose for Paul’s plan to go to Rome.

I might have a harvest among you: The phrase have a harvest is a metaphor. It refers to there being results of his ministry in Rome. There are a number of possible results that Paul could have been thinking of, so your translation should indicate that Paul wanted something to occur that would build God’s kingdom but does not say what possibilities he had in mind.

Some languages must translate without part or all of the metaphor for the correct meaning. For example:

I might work as fruitfully among you (New Jerusalem Bible)
-or-
I want to work among you and see spiritual fruit (New Living Translation (2004))
-or-
have some of the results of working among you

1:13e

just as I have had among the other Gentiles: There are two ways to interpret the Greek word that the Berean Standard Bible translates as just as :

(1) It indicates that Paul compared his hope for a harvest in Rome to what he had already done among Gentiles in other places. For example:

as I have among other Gentiles (Good News Translation)

(Berean Standard Bible, New International Version, Good News Translation, New Jerusalem Bible, New American Standard Bible, King James Version, New Revised Standard Version, New Living Translation (2004), God’s Word, Contemporary English Version, NET Bible, Revised English Bible, New Century Version)

(2) It indicates that Paul wanted to add to the harvest at Rome with a harvest among Gentiles elsewhere. For example:

as well as among the rest of the Gentiles (Revised Standard Version)

(Revised Standard Version, English Standard Version)

It is recommended that you follow interpretation (1), because that is the usual meaning of the Greek word.

I have had: The Berean Standard Bible adds these words, but they are clearly implied from the rest of the sentence. Here is another way to translate this:

I have (Good News Translation)

among the other Gentiles: The Greek word that the Berean Standard Bible translates as the other indicates that Paul thought of the group of believers at Rome were mostly Gentiles, and Paul had preached among other Gentiles and some believed in Jesus. Here are other ways to translate this phrase:

among the rest of the Gentiles (Revised Standard Version)
-or-
among other Gentiles (Good News Translation)

The Greek word probably implies all other Gentiles. Paul had not gone to all other Gentiles, but used this as a figure of speech to imply that he visited many Gentiles. The Good News Translation example above avoids the exaggeration in English. You should avoid indicating or implying “all” other Gentiles.

Gentiles: The word Gentiles refers to non-Jewish people. Here are other ways to translate this word:

• Use a descriptive phrase. For example:

non-Jews
-or-
those who were not Jewish

• Use a word or phrase from another language that is well known to the people in your language. If you choose this option, you may want to add a footnote. Here is an example footnote:

The Jews considered all other people and nations to be outside of God’s plan to save them. The word used here describes all people who were not Jews.

General Comment on 1:13a–e

The words “but have been prevented from visiting” (1:13c) interrupt the words “how often I planned to come to you…in order that I might have a harvest among you” (1:13b,d). The Berean Standard Bible indicates that by putting parentheses around the words. In some languages it is more natural to have the words of 1:13c either before or after the words of 1:13b,d. For example:

13a I do not want you to be unaware, brothers, that 13c I have been prevented from visiting, but 13b I often planned to come to you 13d in order that I may have a harvest among you 13e as well as among the rest of the Gentiles.
-or-

13a I do not want you to be unaware, brothers, 13b that I often planned to come to you 13d in order that I may have a harvest among you 13e as well as among the rest of the Gentiles, 13c but have been prevented from visiting.

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Commentaire sur la traduction de la lettre aux Romains 1.13

Je ne veux pas vous laisser ignorer : ce verset commence par la conjonction δέ de qui, avec le vocatif frères, signale que Paul débute une nouvelle pensée. Il s’agit d’une négation double : ne veux pas… ignorer. Paul suggère que cette communauté a besoin de sa présence et de son enseignement pour atteindre une vraie maturité chrétienne. Cette formulation négative Je ne veux pas peut être exprimée sous une forme positive comme « Je veux que vous sachiez… » (Bible en français courant), « Je tiens à ce que vous le sachiez… » (La Bible du Semeur).

frères : c’est la première fois que Paul utilise le terme ἀδελφοί adelphoi dans cette lettre. Son premier sens est « frères de sang », c’est-à-dire, des enfants issus du même père ou de la même mère (ou des deux). Voir, par exemple, Matt 1.2 où il s’agit de « Juda et ses frères ». Mais à travers le NT, le mot a un sens très large, s’appliquant aux liens moins directs comme les cousins et même les compatriotes venant du même village, ville ou pays. Dans ce contexte précis, et très souvent dans les écrits de Paul, le mot renvoie aux personnes qui partagent la même foi. Comme les communautés chrétiennes comprenaient des femmes aussi bien que des hommes, la Parole de Vie précise « Frères et sœurs chrétiens ». Le mot est au vocatif, une forme utilisée pour interpeller l’auditoire. Dans beaucoup de langues, le terme frères ou l’expression « vous mes frères » pourrait figurer au début du verset.

j’ai souvent projeté de me rendre chez vous : en grec, on trouve le mot souvent au début de la proposition et il semble souligner cette notion.

projeté : ce verbe peut être rendu de plusieurs manières : « j’ai souvent fait le projet… » (Bible en français courant), « j’ai eu plusieurs fois l’intention… » (Parole de Vie). Pour me rendre chez vous, voir Rom 1.10.

jusqu’ici j’en ai été empêché : en grec, cette proposition commence par la conjonction, καί kai, non rendue dans la traduction de la Traduction œcuménique de la Bible. Plusieurs versions la rendent par « mais » (La Bible du Semeur, Bible de Jérusalem, Parole de Vie, Nouvelle Bible Segond). Malgré ses bonnes intentions, Paul a été empêché d’aller à Rome. Le texte ne précise pas ce qui l’a empêché de faire ce voyage. Certains supposent que c’est Dieu qui est l’agent de ce verbe passif, mais rien ne le prouve. Quelques versions disent « quelque chose m’a toujours empêché de le faire ».

afin de recueillir quelque fruit chez vous introduit une autre raison qui explique pourquoi Paul veut voir les chrétiens à Rome. Le texte dit littéralement « afin que j’aie quelque fruit aussi parmi vous ». Le mot fruit est souvent employé dans le NT au sens figuré (Jean 15.1-8 ; Rom 6.21-22 ; Gal 5.22 ; Phil 1.11 ; 4.17). Dans ce verset, il renvoie à ce que les prédications ou enseignements de Paul vont produire : ce sera des gens qui suivront le Christ. La Bible en français courant dit « je souhaitais que mon travail porte du fruit ». Bien que certaines versions optent pour une traduction plus générale (« J’espérais obtenir de bons résultats, chez vous » (Parole de Vie), d’autres choisissent d’être plus précis : « Je désire gagner des convertis parmi vous aussi » (Good News Translation) ; « je veux gagner des gens au Christ » (Die Gute Nachricht). Mais l’image de fruit est tellement fréquente et importante dans le NT, qu’il serait bon de garder ce langage figuré. On pourrait aussi garder l’image et la rendre explicite en disant, « pour avoir quelque fruit parmi vous, que les gens croient en Christ » ou « faire que des gens suivent Jésus-Christ ».

comme chez les autres peuples païens : en parlant des « autres nations » (Segond Révisée, Nouvelle Bible Segond, Bible de Jérusalem, Osty-Trinquet) Paul fait allusion à des peuples non juifs. La Parole de Vie lie les mots chez vous à cette expression : « chez vous comme dans les autres pays ». On pourrait dire « J’aimerais cueillir des fruits chez vous, en aidant des gens à connaître Jésus-Christ, comme les gens dans les autres pays ont pu le faire ».

Source: Margot, Jean-Claude & Zogbo, Lynell. La lettre aux Romains – Manuel de traduction – Commentaire linguistique et exégétique de la Bible. Alliance biblique universelle, 2021.