God forbid

The now commonly-used English idiom “God forbid” was first coined in 1560 in the Geneva Bible. (Source: Crystal 2010, p. 273)

For other idioms in English that were coined by Bible translation, see here.

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 7:13)

Following are a number of back-translations of Romans 7:13:

  • Uma: “But let’s not say like this: was it the Lord’s Law, which is good, which resulted in me dying and being separated from God? Certainly not. But the Lord’s Law was used-as-a-road by sin to bring death to me and separate me from God. From the Lord’s Law which is good, it became clear that there is sin in my heart, and it became clear that sin is evil.” (Source: Uma Back Translation)
  • Yakan: “Na, this good law of God, is this the cause of our (dual) dying and going to hell? Really not so! But our (dual) sin is the cause. It was revealed/brought-out by the law which is good how really evil our (dual) sin is and our (dual) sin is the cause of our (dual) dying and going to hell. (From) this good law is the reason (that) it became clear that sin is really very-very bad.” (Source: Yakan Back Translation)
  • Western Bukidnon Manobo: “And if the Law is good perhaps we are able to say that because of good, which is to say because of the Law, I am sentenced to death without end. Now that’s not it, for because of the evil which I did I am sentenced to death so that I might be taught that my breaking the Law is very bad.” (Source: Western Bukidnon Manobo Back Translation)
  • Kankanaey: “Does this mean to say that we will be separated from God because of his good law? It cannot also be! Because the reason is our sinfulness. But God’s plan concerning his law is that the wickedness of our sinfulness will be seen. Because due to our sins, we have turned-God’s good law -into what he uses to condemn us. Therefore because of his law, the extreme wickedness of our sinfulness is clearly (lit. thoroughly) seen.” (Source: Kankanaey Back Translation)
  • Tenango Otomi: “We cannot say that the law of God is bad because it says we must go to punishment. The reason we must go to punishment is because we have sins. Therefore by means of all the words said in the good law, it appears that our sins are very evil.” (Source: Tenango Otomi Back Translation)

Translation commentary on Romans 7:13

What is good is merely another way of speaking of the Law.

Brought about my death may be rendered as “caused me to die.” Again, one must make certain that this is understood in a metaphorical sense. If the question-answer construction must be altered, one may translate: “this does not mean that what is good brought about my death” or “… caused me to die.”

By no means (see 7.7).

It was not the Law that brought death to Paul; rather sin used what is good (the Law) to accomplish this. The outcome was that sin’s true nature was revealed (New English Bible “sin exposed its true character”; Jerusalem Bible “but sin, to show itself in its true colors”). Paul is saying that one cannot see how evil sin is until he realizes that sin takes what is good, that is, a divine command, and uses this to bring death to men. By using the commandment (to bring death to men), sin not only shows its true nature as sin, but sin is shown to be even more terribly sinful (New English Bible “sin became more sinful than ever”).

Its true nature as sin might be revealed may be translated as “in order that people might know exactly what sin is” or “in order that sin would be shown for exactly what it is.”

In Greek this verse has two purpose clauses, one of which is clearly indicated in the Good News Translation, in order that its true nature as sin might be revealed. The second purpose clause is indicated by and so. This second clause is parallel with the first, but it goes one step further to show how terribly sinful sin is. The purpose involved is God’s purpose; and Paul intimates that the reason God intended for sin to be shown up in its true nature was so that he might destroy it (see 5.20).

Though the final sentence of verse 13 does indicate purpose, it may in this context be treated as result—for example, “and hence the commandment causes sin to become even worse” or “and so because the commandment says one should not sin, sin becomes even worse.” In the latter instance, by means of the commandment is expressed as cause, if this is the only succinct way in which such expressions of means may be communicated.

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 7:13

Section 7:13–25

Sin prevents us from doing what is right

In this section Paul answered another possible wrong conclusion about the law. In 7:12 Paul said that the law is good. Now he asked if it is right to think that the law brought death. The answer is no. Sin brought death and this shows that sin is very bad. Paul then talked about his own struggle with sinning even though he agrees that the law is good. He felt he was captive to sin. But God can rescue us from that captivity.

For the use of “I” in this section, see the General Comment in the summary of Section 7:7–12.

Here are other possible headings for this section:

The way that Paul struggled to stop sinning
-or-
The power of sin

Paragraph 7:13–20

7:13a–b

Did that which is good…become death to me? Certainly not!: This is a rhetorical question and its answer. It emphasizes that the believers in Rome should not think that the law, called here that which is good, caused Paul to be marked for death. Translate this clause with that meaning. Here are some ways:

• As a rhetorical question. For example:

Do you think that the/that good thing become death to me?
-or-
Don’t you realize that the ⌊laws⌋, which/they are good, did not cause me to be marked/destined for death?

• As a statement. For example:

Indeed, that which is good did not become death to me.
-or-
Surely you understand that the laws, which/they are good, did not cause me to be marked/destined for death.

• As a command. For example:

Do not think that which is good became death to me
-or-
Understand this: the laws, which/they are good, did not cause me to be marked/destined for death.

that which is good: This phrase refers to God’s laws (7:12). In some languages it will be much clearer to make that explicit. For example:

that which is good, ⌊namely the laws,⌋
-or-

⌊the laws, and we already said⌋ that they are good

See also examples in the previous note.

become death to me: The Greek literally translates these words. They indicate that when Paul broke the law, it became as a verdict/judgment of death for him. Here are other ways to translate this phrase:

bring death to me (English Standard Version)
-or-
resulted in my dying (New Jerusalem Bible)
-or-
cause my death (New Living Translation (2004))

7:13a

Did that which is good, then, become death to me?: The word then occurs in the middle of the clause. In some languages it is more natural to be first. For example:

So then, did that which is good bring death to me?

7:13b

Certainly not!: The Greek is literally “May it not be.” It indicates a very strong “no.” The law did not bring death to Paul. See how you translated this phrase in 3:4 or 7:7. Note that “Indeed” and “Surely” in the As a statement examples in 7:13a–b translate the words Certainly not! here. If you used those words there (or something similar), do not translate these words here.

7:13c

But: This word indicates that the law did not become death to Paul, But sin did. In some languages it is natural to begin this sentence with But.

However, 7:13b says “Certainly not!” In many languages that phrase already implies contrast and so it is more natural to omit But here.

in order that sin might be exposed as sin: The phrase in order that introduces a purpose clause. In some languages a purpose clause indicates that something has not happened yet. If that is true in your language, translate this as a result clause. For example:

and so sin has been shown to be sin

sin might be exposed as sin: The phrase be exposed indicates that people will see that sin is clearly sin. Here are other ways to translate this clause:

sin might be recognized as sin (New International Version)
-or-
its true nature as sin might be revealed (Good News Translation)

This clause is passive. Some languages must translate without a passive clause. For example:

sin would clearly appear to be sin
-or-
sin might reveal itself to be sin

7:13d

it produced death in me: Here Paul continued to speak of sin as a person. Some languages cannot speak of sin in that way. If that is true in your language, you may want to make it a simile. For example:

sin ⌊was like someone who⌋ produced death in me

produced death in me: The word produced refers to causing something to exist. Here are other ways to translate this phrase:

caused my death (New Jerusalem Bible)
-or-
bring about my condemnation to death (New Living Translation (2004))
-or-
It was sin that killed me (Contemporary English Version)

See how you translated “produced” in 7:8.

through what was good: Here the word through refers to something being used as a tool to do something. Here it indicates that the commandment was like a tool that sin used to influence Paul. Here are other ways to translate this phrase:

using what is good (Good News Translation)
-or-
by that good thing

what was good: This phrase refers to the laws, like “that which is good” does in 7:13a.

7:13e

so that through the commandment sin might become utterly sinful: This clause is a second purpose for why sin produced death in Paul (7:13d). In some languages, the word sin must be repeated here, as the Berean Standard Bible does. If you changed the purpose clause in 7:13c to a result clause, you should do the same here. For example:

and through the commandment ⌊sin⌋ has become utterly sinful

through the commandment: Here the word through refers to something being used as a tool to do something. Here it indicates that the commandment was like a tool that made sin to be very bad beyond measure.

the commandment: The word commandment is singular and probably refers to the one law Paul mentioned in 7:7: “You shall not covet.” But it is probably used as an example of any of the laws in a general way.

sin might become utterly sinful: The Greek words that the Berean Standard Bible translates as utterly are literally “exceedingly far more.” It indicates that the sin of coveting is very bad. And as an example, these words indicate that all sin is very bad. Here are other ways to translate these words:

might become exceeding sinful (King James Version)
-or-
So we can see how terrible sin really is. (New Living Translation (2004))
-or-
to show that sin is very evil (New Century Version)
-or-
it became clear that sin is really very-very bad

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