circumcise, circumcision

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The Hebrew and Greek terms that are translated as “circumcise” or “circumcision” in English (originally meaning of English term: “to cut around”) are (back-) translated in various ways:

  • Chimborazo Highland Quichua: “cut the flesh”
  • San Miguel El Grande Mixtec, Navajo (Dinė): “cut around”
  • Javanese: “clip-away”
  • Uab Meto: “pinch and cut” (usually shortened to “cut”)
  • North Alaskan Inupiatun, Western Highland Purepecha: “put the mark”
  • Tetelcingo Nahuatl: “put the mark in the body showing that they belong to God” (or: “that they have a covenant with God”)
  • Indonesian: disunat — “undergo sunat” (sunat is derived from Arabic “sunnah (سنة)” — “(religious) way (of life)”)
  • Ekari: “cut the end of the member for which one fears shame” (in Gen. 17:10) (but typically: “the cutting custom”) (source for this and above: Reiling / Swellengrebel)
  • Hiri Motu: “cut the skin” (source: Deibler / Taylor 1977, p. 1079)
  • Garifuna: “cut off part of that which covers where one urinates”
  • Bribri: “cut the soft” (source for this and the one above: Ronald Ross)
  • Amele: deweg cagu qoc — “cut the body” (source: John Roberts)
  • Eastern Highland Otomi: “cut the flesh of the sons like Moses taught” (source: Ronald D. Olson in Notes on Translation January, 1968, p. 15ff.)
  • Newari: “put the sign in one’s body” (Source: Newari Back Translation)
  • Central Mazahua: “sign in his flesh”
  • Hopi: “being cut in a circle in his body” (source for this and above: Waterhouse / Parrott in Notes on Translation October 1967, p. 1ff.)
  • Mandarin Chinese: gēlǐ (割礼 / 割禮) or “rite of cutting” (Protestant); gēsǔn (割损 / 割損) or “cut + loss” (Catholic) (Source: Zetzsche)
  • Tibetan: mdun lpags gcod (མདུན་​ལྤགས་​གཅོད།), lit. “fore + skin + cut” (source: gSungrab website )
  • Kutu: “enter the cloth (=undergarments)” (source: Pioneer Bible Translators, project-specific translation notes in Paratext)

Learn more on Bible Odyssey: Circumcision .

complete verse (Romans 2:26)

Following are a number of back-translations of Romans 2:26:

  • Uma: “As for the non-Jews, they are not circumcised according to the Lord’s Law. But if their behavior is straight like the behavior that is demanded in the Lord’s Law, God will certainly receive them the same as people who are circumcised according to the Lord’s Law.” (Source: Uma Back Translation)
  • Yakan: “The people not Yahudi, even if they are not circumcised but if they follow God’s law, God looks at them as if they had been circumcised.” (Source: Yakan Back Translation)
  • Western Bukidnon Manobo: “And the same way also, for example, if there is a person who is not a Jew and he thoroughly obeys the Law, God will accept Him just as if he were already circumcised.” (Source: Western Bukidnon Manobo Back Translation)
  • Kankanaey: “So also the Gentiles, even though they have not gotten-circumcised, yet if they obey God’s law, God counts them as if they are his people who have-gotten-circumcised.” (Source: Kankanaey Back Translation)
  • Tenango Otomi: “Concerning the person who isn’t a Jew, if he does what is said in the law which the Jews follow, then he is God’s person. He then becomes as though he were a Jew.” (Source: Tenango Otomi Back Translation)

law

The Greek that is translated in English as “Law” or “law” is translated in Mairasi as oro nasinggiei or “prohibited things” (source: Enggavoter 2004) and in Noongar with a capitalized form of the term for “words” (Warrinya) (source: Warda-Kwabba Luke-Ang).

In Yucateco the phrase that is used for “law” is “ordered-word” (for “commandment,” it is “spoken-word”) (source: Nida 1947, p. 198) and in Central Tarahumara it is “writing-command.” (wsource: Waterhouse / Parrott in Notes on Translation October 1967, p. 1ff.)

See also teaching / law (of God) (Japanese honorifics).

Translation commentary on Romans 2:26

The Gentile, who is not circumcised (see Revised Standard Version “a man who is uncircumcised”) is literally “the uncircumcision.” Paul uses this word “uncircumcision” in three different senses, depending on the context: (1) the foreskin of the male, (2) the state of being uncircumcised, and (3) those persons who are uncircumcised, that is, Gentiles. In a similar fashion Paul sometimes uses “circumcision” as a reference to the Jews (see Romans 3.30; 4.9, 12; 15.8). The passive verb “be regarded” (Revised Standard Version) is actually a Semitic way of speaking of God’s action without mentioning the name of God. In order to make this information clear for the reader, the Good News Translation renders the entire expression as will not God regard him as though he were circumcised?

Verse 26 involves several problems, not only because of the rhetorical question which completes the verse, but also because of the nonrestrictive attributive clause who is not circumcised. In some languages this expression must be a complete sentence, but clearly marked as contrastive—for example, “on the other hand, Gentiles are not circumcised; nevertheless, if they obey the commands of the Law, God will surely regard them as though they were circumcised.” In this manner the logical relations between the various clauses is carefully preserved and the singular is changed to plural in order to indicate clearly that all such persons are involved.

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 .