joy

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The Greek, Latin, Ge’ez, and Hebrew that is translated with “joy” or “gladness” in English is translated with various strategies:

  • Baoulé: “a song in the stomach” (see also peace (inner peace))
  • Bambara: “the spirit is made sweet”
  • Kpelle: “sweet heart”
  • Tzeltal: “the good taste of one’s heart”
  • Uduk: “good to the stomach”
  • Mískito: “the liver is wide open” (“happily letting the pleasures flooding in upon it”) (source for this and above: Nida 1952)
  • Mairasi: “good liver” (source: Enggavoter 2004)
  • Noongar: koort-kwabba-djil or “heart very good” (source: Warda-Kwabba Luke-Ang)
  • Chicahuaxtla Triqui: “refreshed heart” (source: Waterhouse / Parrott in Notes on Translation October 1967, p. 1ff.).
  • Hausa Common Language Bible: farin ciki or “white stomach.” Other languages that use the same expression include Southern Birifor (pʋpɛl), Dera (popolok awo), Reshe (ɾipo ɾipuhã). (Source: Andy Warren-Rothlin)

See also Seat of the Mind for traditional views of “ways of knowing, thinking, and feeling,” happiness / joy, and exceeding joy.

complete verse (Romans 12:15)

Following are a number of back-translations of Romans 12:15:

  • Uma: “Be happy together with people who are happy, weep with people who weep.” (Source: Uma Back Translation)
  • Yakan: “Be joyful/glad together with those who are joyful/glad and grieve together with those who grieve.” (Source: Yakan Back Translation)
  • Western Bukidnon Manobo: “If there is a person and he has a cause for rejoicing, let us also rejoice because of his joy. And if there is a person who has a cause for sorrow, be sorrowful also because of his sorrow.” (Source: Western Bukidnon Manobo Back Translation)
  • Kankanaey: “Be-happy-with those who are happy, and mourn/be-sorrowful-with those who are mourning/sorrowful.” (Source: Kankanaey Back Translation)
  • Tenango Otomi: “When there is occasion for your fellowman to rejoice, also you rejoice. When your fellowman is crying, also cry with him.” (Source: Tenango Otomi Back Translation)

Translation commentary on Romans 12:15

In verses 9-13 Paul used participles, in verse 14 he switched to imperatives, and now in verse 15 he uses infinitives. However, it is evident that all of these forms are equivalent to imperatives.

Be happy with those who are happy may be rendered as “be happy with others when they are happy.” Similarly, weep with those who weep may be rendered as “weep with others when they weep” or “show sorrow for others when they have sorrow.”

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 12:15

12:15a

Rejoice with those who rejoice: When a fellow believer is happy about something, we should be happy for him.

12:15b

weep with those who weep: When a fellow believer is crying about something because he is sad, we should cry with or for him.

weep: This word refers to crying. It implies that one cries because one is sad. Here are other ways to translate this word:

cry
-or-
have tears ⌊because of sadness⌋

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