hardened / stubborn

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The Hebrew, Ge’ez, and Greek that is typically translated in English as “hardened” or “stubborn” is translated in the Hausa Common Language Bible idiomatically as taurin kai or “tough head.”

Other languages spoken in Nigeria translate similarly: Abua uses oḅom ẹmhu or “strong head,” Bura-Pabir kəra ɓəɓal or “hard head,” Gokana agẹ̀ togó or “hard/strong head,” Igede egbeju-ọngịrị or “hard head,” Dera gɨddɨng koi or “strong head,” Reshe ɾiʃitə ɾigbaŋgba or “strong head,” and in Chadian Arabic raas gawi (رَاسْكُو قَوِي) or “hard head” (source: Andy Warren-Rothlin)

Other translation approaches include Western Bukidnon Manobo with “breath is very hard” (source: Western Bukidnon Manobo Back Translation) or Ixil with “callous heart” (source: Holzhausen / Riderer 2010, p. 40).

See also hardness of heart.

What then

In Kadiwéu, it is not possible to use a rhetorical question for the purpose of linking subjects as is done in Romans 11:7 in the Greek (and English) text. Here, it was treated by including the introductory phrase “We can say then that…” at the beginning of the next statement and by omitting the rhetorical question. The verse, therefore, begins “We can say then that the people of Israel did not find what they were looking for.” (Source: Glyn Griffiths in Notes on Translation June 1986, p. 25ff.)

complete verse (Romans 11:7)

Following are a number of back-translations of Romans 11:7:

  • Uma: “So, the summary [lit., leveling-off words] is like this: the Israel people want/wanted to become straight in God’s sight, but they did not obtain what they were searching for. There were some that obtained it, but only a few, all the ones that God had chosen all-along/beforehand. The others hardened themselves to God’s call,” (Source: Uma Back Translation)
  • Yakan: “So then, what do we (dual) say about this? The people of Isra’il searched as to how/(what-they-should-do) so that God would consider them as straight but they did not find. Only just the ones chosen by God, the ones trusting in Isa were the ones who found it. But/and-what’s more the others/the rest their heads became hard because they did not listen to God.” (Source: Yakan Back Translation)
  • Western Bukidnon Manobo: “And since that’s the way it is, we understand that the descendants of Israel, they are carefully looking for a way that they might be made righteous; however, this doesn’t do them any good; but in spite of that, there are a few of their companions who were chosen by God. And these, by contrast, he has made righteous. But as for the majority, their breaths are hard and the word of God cannot pentrate their breaths.” (Source: Western Bukidnon Manobo Back Translation)
  • Kankanaey: “What all these-things mean to say is that the majority of Jews didn’t find the righteousness they were looking for. Only the few whom God chose found it. The rest of the Jews, God hardened their minds.” (Source: Kankanaey Back Translation)
  • Tenango Otomi: “This is what happened then, that the Jews searched how to clear their sins but not many found how to have their sins cleared. Only those who were chosen were cleared. The rest of the Jews had their minds closed so that they did not understand about this matter.” (Source: Tenango Otomi Back Translation)

Translation commentary on Romans 11:7

This verse sums up the contents of Paul’s discussion in verses 2-6. What they were looking for is emphatic in the Greek sentence structure, though Paul does not explain what he means by this phrase. Nevertheless, in light of the context, it is clear that the Jews were looking for a way to be put in a right relation with God.

In some languages the introductory question What then? may be related to what follows as “obviously the people of Israel did not find what they were looking for.”

It was the small group that God chose who found it is literally “the chosen found it” (Revised Standard Version “the elect obtained it”). “The chosen” has reference to the “people that God chose,” while the context (see v. 5) indicates that this was only a small number (v. 5) or a small group (v. 7), and so the Good News Translation makes the information clear.

In indicating the contrast between the first and second sentences of verse 7, one may place a contrastive particle at the beginning of the second sentence—for example, “but a small group whom God chose found it.”

Grew deaf is literally “were hardened” (Revised Standard Version; New English Bible “were made blind”; An American Translation* “became callous”; New American Bible “became blind”). This is an aorist tense in Greek, and as can be seen from the various translations, its force is generally felt to be inceptive; that is, it places the emphasis upon the beginning of the action.

Not all authorities are agreed in regard to the significance of the passive in this passage. Normally in such a construction it would be assumed that God is the agent (“God hardened them”), and this observation is supported by what is said in verses 8-10. On the other hand, in light of what is said in verse 11, some hesitate to go this far. The Good News Translation gives this passive a middle force, and makes clear what it was that they grew deaf to, that is, to God’s call (the Jerusalem Bible uses the passive and supplies an object: “the rest were not allowed to see the truth”). It is best to take this verb form as a genuine passive and to assume that the act of hardening is God’s judgment upon these people who have refused him. That is what Paul seems to be saying in the verses following, but he evidently looks upon this action as one aspect of God’s mercy. The passive relation in the final clause of verse 7 may be expressed as “God caused the rest of the people to become deaf to his call” or “… to be unable to hear his call.”

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 11:7

Paragraph 11:7–10

11:7a

What then?: This is a rhetorical question. It introduces what Paul said in 11:7b. Translate it with that meaning. Here are some ways:

• As a rhetorical question. For example:

What does all this mean?
-or-
What shall we conclude then?
-or-
What then will we say?

• As a statement. For example:

This means that… (Contemporary English Version)
-or-
What all these things mean to say is that

See how you translated this question in 3:9 or 6:15, but note that in those verses another question follows.

11:7b

What Israel was seeking, it failed to obtain: Here the word What may refer to righteousness (9:31, 10:3–5) or something else. Your translation should imply righteousness or something similar.

seeking: There are several ways to interpret the Greek word that the Berean Standard Bible translates as seeking :

(1) It means to search for something, as in the Berean Standard Bible.

(Berean Standard Bible, Revised Standard Version, Good News Translation, New Jerusalem Bible, New American Standard Bible, King James Version, English Standard Version, New American Bible, Revised Edition, Contemporary English Version, Revised English Bible)

(2) It means to search hard for something. For example:

sought so earnestly (New International Version)

(New International Version, New Living Translation (2004), NET Bible)

(3) It means to strive for something. For example:

striving for (God’s Word)

(God’s Word)

It is recommended that you follow interpretation (1), because many Greek lexicons and scholars support it.

obtain: Here this word refers to becoming the people they wanted to be. They wanted to be right with God and looked for the way to do that, but they did not achieve it. Here are other ways to translate this word:

attain (New American Bible, Revised Edition)
-or-
achieve (God’s Word)
-or-
succeed (New Century Version)

11:7c

the elect: The word elect refers to the people who are chosen. Here it refers to those whom God has chosen to save. Here are other ways to translate this word:

those who were chosen (New Jerusalem Bible)
-or-
the ones God has chosen (New Living Translation (2004))

Here this word probably refers only to the Jews whom God has chosen to believe in Jesus as the Christ/Messiah.

11:7d

The others were hardened: This clause is passive. Some languages must translate with an active clause. For example:

⌊God⌋ hardened the rest

The others: Here the word others refers to those who are not the elect (11:7c).

hardened: This word means “to cause someone to have difficulty in understanding (something),” or “to cause someone to be completely unwilling to learn and to accept new information.” Here are other ways to translate this word:

made stubborn and refused to listen to God (New Century Version)
-or-
made their minds closed

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Commentaire sur la traduction de la lettre aux Romains 11.7

Ce verset résume l’essentiel de l’argumentation de Paul présentée en Rom 11.2. Paul choisit encore d’enseigner en posant une question.

Qu’est-ce à dire ? est litt. « Quoi donc ? » (Segond Révisée, Nouvelle Bible Segond, Osty-Trinquet). Certaines versions offrent des traductions plus longues : « Qu’en résulte-t-il ? » (Bible en français courant), « Que conclure ? » (Bible de Jérusalem), « Qu’est-ce que cela veut dire ? » (Parole de Vie).

Ce qu’Israël recherche, il ne l’a pas atteint est litt. « Ce que recherche Israël, cela il ne l’a pas obtenu ». Dans la structure du texte grec, les mots « Ce que recherche Israël » sont mis en évidence. Bien que Paul ne précise pas ce qu’il entend par là, il est néanmoins clair, d’après le contexte, que ce qu’Israël recherchait était la façon d’être rendu juste aux yeux de Dieu.

atteint signifie « obtenir », qui dans beaucoup de langues sera soit le verbe « voir », soit le verbe « gagner ». La Bible en français courant dit « Le peuple d’Israël n’a pas obtenu ce qu’il recherchait », la Parole de Vie « …il ne l’a pas trouvé ».

mais les élus l’ont atteint : mais rend la conjonction δέ de. Cette opposition est rendue par « seuls ceux… » dans la Bible en français courant. Le terme grec pour élus est singulier en grec, mais désigne un collectif ; voir Rom 9.11 ; Rom 11.5. Dans ces versets, il s’agit du « libre choix » de Dieu, mais le mot désigne les bénéficiaires de ce choix, donc « ceux qui ont été choisis » (Nouvelle Bible Segond) ou « ceux que Dieu a choisis » (Bible en français courant, La Bible du Semeur). Voir aussi Rom 8.33 où un adjectif de la même racine est traduit par la Traduction œcuménique de la Bible comme « les élus (de Dieu) ». Rom 11.5 indique que seul un petit nombre de gens ont été choisis par Dieu. Certaines versions disent « seuls ceux que Dieu a choisis » (Bible en français courant, La Bible du Semeur).

Quant aux autres, ils ont été endurcis : les autres renvoient à ceux qui ne sont pas choisis. ils ont été endurcis veut dire qu’ils « sont devenus incapables de comprendre » (Bible en français courant), « ont été rendus incapables de comprendre » (La Bible du Semeur). La forme du verbe grec à l’aoriste est interprétée en général comme mettant l’accent sur le début d’une action ou d’un processus d’endurcissement. Il s’agit d’un passif, et beaucoup maintiennent que l’agent sous-entendu serait Dieu, comme indiqué en Rom 11.8. Cet endurcissement serait la conséquence d’un jugement divin prononcé sur ceux qui ont refusé le plan de Dieu. Mais on peut aussi interpréter ce verbe comme un verbe réfléchi, « ils se sont endurcis ». Devant cette ambiguïté, Il est plus sage de ne pas spécifier Dieu comme agent. On pourrait dire, par exemple, « le reste est devenu sourd au choix de Dieu ». Mais s’il est nécessaire de citer un agent, on pourrait dire « Dieu a fait que le reste du peuple devienne sourd à son appel » ou « …soit incapable de comprendre son appel ».

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