complete verse (Romans 12:21)

Following are a number of back-translations of Romans 12:21:

  • Uma: “Don’t pay back the evil behavior of others with evil behavior too. If it’s like that, we end up being defeated because we have been defeated by evil. Rather, repay evil behavior with good behavior, in order that we defeat evil with goodness.” (Source: Uma Back Translation)
  • Yakan: “If evil/bad has been done to you (pl.), let your repayment not be evil/bad. But repay with good and/so-that the bad/evil is defeated.” (Source: Yakan Back Translation)
  • Western Bukidnon Manobo: “Even though someone harms us in a very evil way, let’s not pay back with evil. Because if we pay it back, we are defeated because we are influenced by evil. What we should do is pay back with good, and because of this it will be our enemy who is defeated, because he will be influenced by good.” (Source: Western Bukidnon Manobo Back Translation)
  • Kankanaey: “Don’t permit evil to defeat you (pl.) but rather defeat evil with the good that you do.” (Source: Kankanaey Back Translation)
  • Tenango Otomi: “Don’t let evil conquer you in that you do like your enemies do. Rather conquer evil in that you do good to your enemies.” (Source: Tenango Otomi Back Translation)

Translation commentary on Romans 12:21

The translation of this verse is not difficult, though it may be necessary in some languages to fill out certain elliptical elements—for example, “conquer what is evil by doing what is good.” This verse is best taken as a summary statement of what Paul has said in verses 17-20.

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 12:21

12:21a

Do not be overcome by evil: This clause is passive. Some languages must use an active clause. For example:

Evil must not overcome you
-or-
Do not let evil defeat you (Good News Translation)

overcome: This word refers to winning a fight or contest. Here it indicates that evil could become the ruler over our deeds and words, and so we do and say evil things. Here are other ways to translate this word:

conquered (New American Bible, Revised Edition)
-or-
gain victory

evil: The Greek word here refers to harm that someone has done to you. See how you translated this word at 12:17.

12:21b

but: Some languages will not see “overcome evil with good” as contrasting with “do not be overcome by evil.” For example, the Western Bukidnon Manobo Back Translation omits this word.

overcome evil with good: The believer is to do and say good things. That defeats the evil that tries to rule his life.

evil: The Greek word here refers to harm that someone has done to you, as in 12:21a.

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Commentaire sur la traduction de la lettre aux Romains 12.21

Ce verset est en quelque sort le résumé de ce que Paul a dit en Rom 12.17. En fait, la structure du texte est similaire à celle du Rom 12.17, Rom 12.19, avec un ordre négatif suivi d’un ordre positif. En Rom 12.7 Paul exhorte les chrétiens à ne pas rendre le mal par le mal. Ici, il leur demande de ne pas se laisser vaincre par le mal. Les mots vaincre et mal apparaissent deux fois chacun.

Paul passe ici du « vous » de Rom 12.9 au « tu » (Ne te laisse pas…), peut-être sous l’influence du pronom de Rom 12.20 : « si ton ennemi a faim… » mais si cela est plus naturel, les traducteurs pourront reprendre vous ici : « Ne vous laissez pas… mais soyez… »

Ne te laisse pas vaincre par le mal : le verbe νικάω nikaô signifie « dominer » ou « vaincre ». Cet impératif peut être rendu tel quel dans la langue cible. La La Bible du Semeur est très emphatique « Ne te laisse jamais dominer par le mal ». Pour mal, voir Rom 1.30. Dans certaines langues, cette formulation sera difficile. On sera donc obligé de dire « que le mal ne te domine/vainc pas ».

mais sois vainqueur du mal par le bien : mais rend la conjonction ἀλλά alla, qui offre une alternative. La Bible en français courant dit « Sois au contraire vainqueur du mal par le bien ». On pourrait aussi dire « Plutôt sois vainqueur… » le bien rend le mot grec ἀγαθός agathos, mais il ne semble pas y avoir une différence de sens avec le mot καλὰ kala, ci-dessus. L’expression par le bien posera un problème dans certaines langues. On pourrait alors dire « mais domine ce qui est mal en faisant ce qui est bien » ou « au lieu de faire cela, fais le bien et comme cela, tu vas vaincre le mal ».

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