gift

The Greek that is translated as “gift” or similar in English is transliterated in the German New Testament translation by Berger / Nord (publ. 1999) as Charisma (instead of the commonly-used Gabe or “gift”) to differentiate it from regular human gifts. The translators explain (p. 94): “According to Paul, ‘Charisma’ is an extraordinary gift, that is humanly not explainable. Basically every Christian has such a gift and is supposed to use it in mission-oriented efforts for the one who gives this gift.”

See also powers of the age to come.

transgression, trespass

The Greek that is often translated as “trespass” or “transgression” in English is translated as “missing the commandment” in Kipsigis and “to step beyond the law” in Navajo (Dinė). (Source: Bratcher / Nida 1961)

In Tepeuxila Cuicatec it is translated as “thing not reached.” Marjorie Davis (in The Bible Translator 1952, p. 34ff. ) explains: “[This] implies that the goal was not reached, the task was not finished, or of finished, it was not satisfactorily done. According to the Cuicateco way of thinking of one does not what is expected of him, he offends [or: trespasses] and is an offence.”

sin

The Hebrew, Ge’ez, and Greek that is typically translated as “sin” in English has a wide variety of translations.

The Greek ἁμαρτάνω (hamartanō) carries the original verbatim meaning of “miss the mark” and likewise, many translations contain the “connotation of moral responsibility.”

  • Loma: “leaving the road” (which “implies a definite standard, the transgression of which is sin”)
  • Navajo (Dinė): “that which is off to the side” (source for this and above: Bratcher / Nida)
  • Toraja-Sa’dan: kasalan, originally meaning “transgression of a religious or moral rule” and in the context of the Bible “transgression of God’s commandments” (source: H. van der Veen in The Bible Translator 1950, p. 21ff. )
  • Kaingang: “break God’s word”
  • Bariai: “bad behavior” (source: Bariai Back Translation)
  • Sandawe: “miss the mark” (like the original meaning of the Greek term) (source for this and above: Ursula Wiesemann in Holzhausen / Riderer 2010, p. 36ff., 43)
  • Nias: horö, originally a term primarily used for sexual sin. (Source: Hummel / Telaumbanua 2007, p. 256)
  • Mauwake: “heavy” (compare forgiveness as “take away one’s heaviness”) (source: Kwan Poh San in this article )

In Shipibo-Conibo the term is hocha. Nida (1952, p. 149) tells the story of its choosing: “In some instances a native expression for sin includes many connotations, and its full meaning must be completely understood before one ever attempts to use it. This was true, for example, of the term hocha first proposed by Shipibo-Conibo natives as an equivalent for ‘sin.’ The term seemed quite all right until one day the translator heard a girl say after having broken a little pottery jar that she was guilty of ‘hocha.’ Breaking such a little jar scarcely seemed to be sin. However, the Shipibos insisted that hocha was really sin, and they explained more fully the meaning of the word. It could be used of breaking a jar, but only if the jar belonged to someone else. Hocha was nothing more nor less than destroying the possessions of another, but the meaning did not stop with purely material possessions. In their belief God owns the world and all that is in it. Anyone who destroys the work and plan of God is guilty of hocha. Hence the murderer is of all men most guilty of hocha, for he has destroyed God’s most important possession in the world, namely, man. Any destructive and malevolent spirit is hocha, for it is antagonistic and harmful to God’s creation. Rather than being a feeble word for some accidental event, this word for sin turned out to be exceedingly rich in meaning and laid a foundation for the full presentation of the redemptive act of God.”

In Warao it is translated as “bad obojona.” Obojona is a term that “includes the concepts of consciousness, will, attitude, attention and a few other miscellaneous notions.” (Source: Henry Osborn in The Bible Translator 1969, p. 74ff. ). See other occurrences of Obojona in the Warao New Testament.

Martin Ehrensvärd, one of the translators for the Danish Bibelen 2020, comments on the translation of this term: “We would explain terms, such that e.g. sin often became ‘doing what God does not want’ or ‘breaking God’s law’, ‘letting God down’, ‘disrespecting God’, ‘doing evil’, ‘acting stupidly’, ‘becoming guilty’. Now why couldn’t we just use the word sin? Well, sin in contemporary Danish, outside of the church, is mostly used about things such as delicious but unhealthy foods. Exquisite cakes and chocolates are what a sin is today.” (Source: Ehrensvärd in HIPHIL Novum 8/2023, p. 81ff. )

See also sinner.

complete verse (Romans 5:16)

Following are a number of back-translations of Romans 5:16:

  • Uma: “The gift of God to us is different than the sin of Adam. That one person transgressed God’s command, the result being all people are guilty in God’s sight and must be punished. But from the free gift of God to us he wiped out our transgressions and said that we were straight in his sight.” (Source: Uma Back Translation)
  • Yakan: “The love-gift of God is-not-the-same as/cannot-be-compared-with the result of the sin of Apu’ Adam. The result of that one sin of Apu’ Adam is that judgment is dropped by God on all human-beings that they are sinful and ought to be punished. But this is the love-gift of God, even-though all people sin they are forgiven and considered straight by him.” (Source: Yakan Back Translation)
  • Western Bukidnon Manobo: “In the same way also, that which Jesus did because of the becoming righteous which God makes possible, was not like the transgression that the other man, Adam, did. Because of the transgression of Adam who was only one, the whole of mankind was judged to be punished by death. And at the time when the transgressions of people were very many, God showed His kindness and He made a way so that we (incl.) might be considered righteous, just as if we had never done any transgressions.” (Source: Western Bukidnon Manobo Back Translation)
  • Kankanaey: “Another distinction between God’s gift and the result of one man’s sin is this. The result of that one sin was that all people were condemned to be punished, but because of God’s grace the many sins of all people can be forgiven and they can be counted as righteous in God’s sight.” (Source: Kankanaey Back Translation)
  • Tenango Otomi: “When sin began, God said that sin will have the payment of punishment. But when after very many people had committed sin, God said that he would do the favor of clearing people who have sin.” (Source: Tenango Otomi Back Translation)

Translation commentary on Romans 5:16

In Greek this verse begins with a negative statement (see Revised Standard Version “and the free gift is not like the effect of that one man’s sin”), which is changed into a positive statement by the Good News Translation and others (and there is a difference between God’s gift and the sin of one man; see Jerusalem Bible “the results of the gift also outweigh the results of the one man’s sin”).

The first sentence of verse 16 is essentially similar to the second clause of verse 15 and may, in fact, be translated in essentially the same way, though with perhaps slightly different wording in order to avoid an apparent duplication. But the closest equivalent may simply be “the way in which God gives freely to men is very different from the way in which one man sinned.”

At this point the analogy with Adam breaks down. After his one sin came the judgment of “Guilty”; but after so many sins comes the undeserved gift of “Not guilty!” In this way Paul demonstrates the superiority of God’s grace over Adam’s sin. Grace had a much more difficult road to travel than sin had. To use an illustration from everyday life, it is much easier for an infection to spread than it is to cure the infection once it has spread throughout the body.

Many sins refers to the sins of those persons who lived after Adam, and not to the sins of Adam himself, and so confirms the judgment reached in verse 12 regarding the clause because all men sinned.

In relation to words such as sin, judgment, and gift, one may need to introduce participants and employ verb expressions—for example, “after Adam sinned God judged him as guilty; but after so many people have sinned God shows his grace to them by saying, You are not guilty” or “… God gives them what they do not deserve by saying to them, You are not guilty.”

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 5:16

5:16a

the gift is not like the result of the one man’s sin: This clause in Greek is literally “the gift (is) not as through the one man having sinned.” There are three ways to interpret this clause:

(1) The word “through” means the results or effects of. Paul said that the gift is not like what Adam’s sin caused to happen. For example:

the free gift is not like the effect of that one man’s sin (Revised Standard Version)

(Berean Standard Bible, Revised Standard Version, New International Version, English Standard Version, New American Bible, Revised Edition, New American Standard Bible)

(2) The word “through” is to be omitted. It does not contribute to the meaning here. For example:

there is a difference between God’s gift and the sin of one man (Good News Translation)

(Good News Translation, New Jerusalem Bible, God’s Word, Contemporary English Version, NET Bible, New Century Version)

(3) The word “through” means the results or effects of, and is also implied for the gift. For example:

the result of God’s gracious gift is very different from the result of that one man’s sin (New Living Translation (2004))

(New Living Translation (2004), Revised English Bible)

It is recommended that you follow interpretation (1), because it is most consistent with the Greek text here. Here are other ways to translate this clause according to interpretation (1):

The gift is not like that which came through the one who sinned (New American Standard Bible)
-or-
Another distinction between God’s gift and the result of one man’s sin is this.
-or-
And here is another difference between this gift of God and that not good result of the sin of Adam.

the gift: The word here in Greek is the same word as in 5:15c. Translate it in the same way here.

5:16b–c

The judgment that followed one sin brought condemnation, but the gift that followed many trespasses brought justification: There are two Greek words that combined can be translated using the English idiom “on one hand” and “on the other hand.” They contrast the two clauses. For example:

on the one hand the judgment arose from one transgression resulting in condemnation, but on the other hand the free gift arose from many transgressions resulting in justification (New American Standard Bible)

A simple translation in English is but, as in the Berean Standard Bible.

5:16b

In the Greek, 5:16b begins with a word that is usually translated as “for.” It introduces an explanation of 5:16a. It does not introduce a reason here. The Berean Standard Bible does not translate this word, but many English versions do. For example:

For (English Standard Version)

The judgment that followed one sin: This refers to God judging Adam guilty of sin after Adam disobeyed God’s command. Here are other ways to translate this phrase:

after the one sin, God judged him guilty
-or-
Adam sinned and ⌊then⌋ God said that he did wrong

judgment: This word refers to God deciding that Adam had sinned. It does not refer to punishing Adam here. For that, see the note on “condemnation.”

one sin: Translate the word sin as you did in 5:13b. The word one indicates that this phrase refers to the sin in the Garden of Eden when Adam disobeyed God’s command.

brought: Here this word means “caused.” For example:

After the one sin, came the judgment of “Guilty” (Good News Translation)
-or-
resulting in (New American Standard Bible)

condemnation: This word refers to how someone is punished. Adam sinned and God punished him by saying that he would die.

5:16c

the gift that followed many trespasses brought justification: This clause indicates that after many people sinned many times, Jesus reconciled us to God (the gift), which caused God to decide that a person is acceptable to him. Here are other ways to translate this clause:

the free gift arose from many transgressions resulting in justification (New American Standard Bible)
-or-
God’s free gift leads to our being made right with God, even though we are guilty of many sins (New Living Translation (2004))
-or-
God’s free gift came after many sins, and it makes people right with God (New Century Version)

the gift: The word here in Greek is the same word as in 5:15a. Translate it as you did in 5:15a.

trespasses: Translate this word as you did in 5:15.

justification: This word indicates that God decides that a person is acceptable to him. Translate this word as you did in 4:25.

General Comment on 5:16b–c

Paul used the Greek words “from” (“followed” in the Berean Standard Bible) and “to” (“brought” in the Berean Standard Bible) in both 5:16b and 5:16c. This helps to make the differences between the two clauses more clear. If possible, use similar words in both clauses. For example:

the judicial action, following on the one offence, resulted in a verdict of condemnation, but the act of grace, following on so many misdeeds, resulted in a verdict of acquittal (Revised English Bible)
-or-

After that one man sinned ⌊once⌋, it caused God to judge him guilty. But after many sins God’s free gift came, and it caused God to make people right with him

But in some languages it is better to not have exactly the same words in both places. For example:

judgment, resulting from the one transgression, led to condemnation, but the gracious gift from the many failures led to justification (NET Bible)
-or-

following the one sin, God judged and put a burden, but following the sin of many, God’s gift came and took many people and made them righteous

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Commentaire sur la traduction de la lettre aux Romains 5.16

Paul continue son argumentation en utilisant le même vocabulaire qu’auparavant : le mot ἑνὸς enos, « un » ou « seul » (deux fois), péché, faute, don, et charisma, mais il introduit de nouveaux thèmes : le jugement et la punition.

Et il n’en va pas non plus du don comme des suites du péché d’un seul : Paul commence cette pensée par la conjonction καί kai. En effet il est en train d’ajouter des commentaires à ce qu’il vient de dire. Le grec est plus bref ici que le texte de la Traduction œcuménique de la Bible, litt. « et non pas, comme d’un seul ayant péché, le don ». Les traducteurs pourront trouver une manière naturelle et directe pour rendre cette phrase qui ressemble beaucoup à celle en Rom 5.15. La Bible en français courant la transforme en affirmation : « Et le don de Dieu a un tout autre effet que le péché d’un seul homme ». La La Bible du Semeur est dynamique et suit le sens de près : « Quelle différence entre les conséquences du péché d’un seul et le don de Dieu ! ». Le mot grec traduit par don (δώρημα dôrêma) n’est pas le même qu’en Rom 5.15, Rom 5.17 (δωρεά dôrea) mais il en est presque synonyme.

en effet à partir du péché d’un seul, le jugement aboutit à la condamnation : deux mots grecs μὲν γὰρ men gar marquent cette proposition comme importante mais plusieurs versions les omettent. Encore une fois, le grec est concis, « jugement d’un seul en vue de punition ». Selon Viard, il s’agit ici du péché d’une seule personne, celui d’Adam « pour lequel il a été jugé et condamné » (p. 137). Le mot jugement (κρίμα krima) mène à la punition ou à la condamnation (κατάκριμα katakrima), une sorte de jeu de mots.

tandis qu’à partir de nombreuses fautes, le don de grâce aboutit à la justification : le grec est encore une fois concis, litt. « de plusieurs fautes en vue de l’acquittement ». L’analogie avec Adam est interrompue, puisqu’il est question ici de la grâce accordée aux humains coupables de nombreuses fautes. Ces nombreuses fautes renvoient à celles commises par tous ceux qui ont vécu après Adam, et non à celles d’Adam lui-même (Viard, p. 137). Ceci va dans le même sens que l’affirmation en Rom 5.12 : « tous ont péché ». Paul démontre ainsi la supériorité de la grâce de Dieu par rapport au péché d’Adam. Alors que la condamnation était la conséquence d’une seule faute, la grâce intervient après de nombreuses fautes.

le don de grâce traduit le même mot grec χάρισμα charisma qu’en Rom 5.15.

aboutit à la justification : le mot justification est mis en opposition à la condamnation. Il exprime un « acquittement » (Bible en français courant, La Bible du Semeur) ou une décision de « non coupable ».

Dans plusieurs langues, des tournures verbales seront plus compréhensibles, par exemple, « Après qu’Adam a péché, Dieu l’a jugé coupable ; mais après que des gens très nombreux ont péché, Dieu leur a démontré sa grâce en les acquittant » ou « Après qu’Adam a péché une fois, il a été jugé coupable. Mais le don de Dieu est différent. Le don gratuit de Dieu est intervenu après de nombreux péchés, et il rend les gens justes aux yeux de Dieu ». Mais ce genre de traduction ne rend pas la répétition du mot « un » ou seul, qui caractérise toute cette section. Néanmoins, de telles traductions aident l’audience à mieux comprendre la logique de Paul.

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