Jesus

The Greek Iēsous is “only” a proper name but one with great importance. The following quote by John Ellington (in The Bible Translator 1993, p. 401ff. ) illustrates this:

“In Matthew’s account of the birth of Jesus Christ, Joseph is told that when Mary gives birth to a son ‘you will name him Jesus, because he will save his people from their sins’ (1:21). This name is a Greek transliteration of the Hebrew name [Yeshua (יֵשׁוּעַ) which is a short form of a name meaning] ‘the Lord [Yahweh] saves.’ The name is very significant and is in itself especially dear to Christians around the world. (…) Unquestionably great importance is attached to the name of Jesus by Christians of all persuasions and backgrounds.”

While Iēsous (pronounced: /i.ɛː.suːs/) is transliterated as “Jesus” (pronounced /ˈdʒiːzəs/) in English (but was translated as “Hælend” [the “healing one”] in Old English — see Swain 2019) it is transliterated and pronounced in a large variety of other ways as well, following the different rules of different languages’ orthographies, writing systems and rules of pronunciation. The following is a (partial) list of forms of Jesus in Latin characters: aYeso, Azezi, Boiyesuq, Cecoc, Chesús, Chi̍i̍sū, Chisɔsi, Ciisahs, Ciise, Ciisusu, Djesu, Ɛisa, Ƹisa, Eyesu, Gesù, Gesû, Gesü, Ġesù, Ghjesù, Giêsu, ꞌGiê‑ꞌsu, Giê-xu, Gyisɛse, Hesu, Hesús, Hisus, Hisuw, Ià-sŭ, Iesen, Ié:sos, Iesu, Iesui, Iesusɨn, Iesusiva, Ié:sos, Ihu, Īhu, Iisus, Iisussa, Ijeesu, iJisọsị, Iji̍sɔ̄ɔsi, Iosa, Íosa, Ìosa, İsa, I’sa, Isiso, Isõs, Ísu, Isus, Isusa, Iisussa, Isuthi, Itota, Îtu, Isuva, Izesu, Izesuq, Jasus, Jeeju, Jeesus, Jeesuse, Jeezas, Jehu, Jeisu, Jeju, Jejus, Jesesi, Jeshu, Jeso, Jesoe, Jesosa, Jesoshi, Jesosi, Jesosy, Jesu, Jesû, Jesua, Jesuh, Jesuhs, Jesuo, Jesús, Jésus, Jesúsu, Jethu, Jetsóó, Jezed, Jezi, Jézi, Ježiš, Jezu, Jezus, Jézus, Jėzus, Jēzus, Jezusi, Jėzus, Jezuz, Jiijajju, Jíísas, Jiisusi, Jiizas, Jíìzọ̀s, Jisas, Jisase, Jisasi, Jisasɨ, Jisaso, Jisesi, Jisɛ̀, Jisos, Jisọs, Jisɔs, Jisu, Jiszs, Jizọs, Jizɔs, Jizọsi, Jizọsu, Jòso, Jusu, Jweesus, Ketsutsi, Njises, ọYẹsọ, Sesi, Sisa, Sísa, Sisas, Sises, Sīsū, Sizi, Txesusu, uJesu, Ujísɔ̄si, ŵaYesu, Xesosi, ´Xesús, Xesús, Yasu, Ya:su, yasuɛ, Yasuuⓐ, Ɣaysa, Yecu, Yeeb Sub, Yeeh Suh, Yeesey, Yeeso, Yeesso, Yēēsu, Yehsu, Yëësu, Yeiqsul, Yeisu, Yeisuw, Yeshu, Yē shú, Yeso, Yéso, Yesò, Yëso, Yɛso, ye-su, Yésu, Yêsu, Yẹ́sụ̃, Yěsù, Yésʉs, Yeswa, Yet Sut, Yetut, Yexus, Yezo, Yezu, Yiesu, Yiisa, Yiisu, Yiitju, Yis, Yisɔs, Yisufa, Yitati, Yusu, ‑Yusu, :Yusu’, Zeezi, Zezi, Zezì, Zezuz, Zezwii, Ziizɛ, Zisas, Zîsɛ, Zjezus, Zozi, Zozii, and this (much more incomplete) list with other writings systems: ᔩᓱᓯ, ᒋᓴᔅ, Հիսուս, ᏥᏌ, ኢየሱስ, ያሱስ, ܝܫܘܥ, Ісус, Їисъ, 耶稣, იესო, ईसा, イエス, イイスス, イエスス, 예수, येशू, येशो, ਈਸਾ, ພຣະເຢຊູ, ජේසුස්, যীশু, ଯୀଶୁ, ཡེ་ཤུ་, ‘ঈছা, இயேசு, ಯೇಸು, ພຣະເຢຊູ, ယေရှု, ઇસુ, जेजू, येसु, เยซู, យេស៊ូ, ᱡᱤᱥᱩ, ယေသှု, యేసు, ᤕᤧᤛᤢ᤺ᤴ, އީސާގެފާނު, ਯਿਸੂ, ꕉꖷ ꔤꕢ ꕞ, ⵏ⵿ⵗⵢⵙⴰ, ଜୀସୁ, يَسُوعَ,ㄧㄝㄙㄨ, YE-SU, ꓬꓰ꓿ꓢꓴ, 𖽃𖽡𖾐𖼺𖽹𖾏𖼽𖽔𖾏, ꑳꌠ, ᠶᠡᠰᠦᠰ (note that some of these might not display correctly if your device does not have the correct fonts installed).

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In some languages the different confessions have selected different transliterations, such as in Belarusian with Isus (Ісус) by the Orthodox and Protestant churches and Yezus (Езус) by the Catholic church, Bulgarian with Iisus (Иисус) by the Orthodox and Isus (Исус) by the Protestant church, Japanese with Iesu (イエス) (Protestant and Catholic) and Iisusu (イイスス) (Orthodox), or Lingala with Yesu (Protestant) or Yezu (Catholic). These differences have come to the forefront especially during the work on interconfessional translations such as one in Lingala where “many hours were spent on a single letter difference” (source: Ellington, p. 401).

In Literary and Mandarin Chinese where transliterations of proper names between the Catholic and Protestant versions typically differ vastly, the Chinese name of Jesus (Yēsū 耶稣) remarkably was never brought into question between and by those two confessions, likely due to its ingenious choice. (Click or tap here to see more).

The proper name of God in the Old Testament, Yahweh (YHWH), is rendered in most Chinese Bible translations as Yēhéhuá 耶和華 — Jehovah. According to Chinese naming conventions, Yēhéhuá could be interpreted as Yē Héhuá, in which Yē would be the family name and Héhuá — “harmonic and radiant” — the given name. In the same manner, Yē 耶 would be the family name of Jesus and Sū 稣 would be his given name. Because in China the children inherit the family name from the father, the sonship of Jesus to God the Father, Jehovah, would be illustrated through this. Though this line of argumentation sounds theologically unsound, it is indeed used effectively in the Chinese church (see Wright 1953, p. 298).

Moreover, the “given name” of Sū 稣 carries the meaning ‘to revive, to rise again’ and seems to point to the resurrected Jesus. (Source: J. Zetzsche in Malek 2002, p. 141ff., see also tetragrammaton (YHWH))

There are different ways that Bible translators have chosen historically and today in how to translate the name of Jesus in predominantly Muslim areas: with a form of the Arabic Isa (عيسى) (which is used for “Jesus” in the Qur’an), the Greek Iēsous, or, like major 20th century Bible translations into Standard Arabic, the Aramaic Yēšūaʿ: Yasua (يَسُوعَ). (Click or tap here to see more.)

Following are languages and language groups that use a form of Isa include the following (note that this list is not complete):

  • Indo-Iranian languages: Persian, Dari, Central Pashto, Southern Pashto all use Eysa (عيسی or عيسىٰ for Southern Pashto), Sindhi uses Eysey (عيسيٰ), Southern Balochi Issa (ایسّا), Central Kurdish (Sorani) and Northern Kurdish (Kurmanji) use Îsa (عیسای and Иса respectively), Turkmen has Isa, and Tajik Isoi (Исои — compare Iso/Исо in the Tajik Qur’an)
  • Turkic languages: Turkish uses İsa, Kazakh, Kumyk, Nogai, Crimean Tatar all have Isa (Иса), Kirghiz has Iysa (Ыйса), Uzbek has Iso (Исо — compare Iiso/Ийсо in the Uzbek Qur’an), Bashkir uses Aaisa (Ғайса), North Azerbaijani İsa, Uighur uses Eysa (ئەيسا), and Kara-Kalpak İysa (Ийса)
  • Caucasian languages: Bezhta and Lezghian use Isa (Иса), Avaric has Aisa (ГІиса), and Chechen Iza (Иза)
  • Various African languages: Somali, a Cushitic language, has Ciise, Kabyle has Ɛisa and Tahaggart Tamahaq has Yeswa (both Berber languages), the Saharan languages Central Kanuri, Manga Kanuri have Isa, the Atlantic-Congo languages Dagbani, Mampruli, and Bimoba use Yisa, and the Chadian Arabic Bible has Isa (عِيسَى)
  • In Indonesian, while most Bible translations had already used Yesus Kristus rather than Isa al Masih, three public holidays used to be described using the term Isa Al Masih. From 2024 on the government is using Yesus Kristus in those holiday names instead (see this article in Christianity Today ).
  • Some languages have additional “TAZI” editions (TAZI stands for “Tawrat, Anbiya, Zabur, and Injil” the “Torah, Prophets, Psalms and Gospel”) of the New Testament that are geared towards Muslim readers where there is also a translation in the same language for non-Muslims. In those editions, Isa is typically used as well (for example, the Khmer TAZI edition uses Isa (អ៊ីសា) rather than the commonly used Yesaou (យេស៊ូ), the Thai edition uses Isa (อีซา) rather than Yesu (เยซู), the Chinese edition uses Ěrsā (尔撒) vs. Yēsū (耶稣), and the English edition also has Isa rather than Jesus.)

In German the name Jesus (pronounced: /ˈjeːzʊs/) is distinguished by its grammatical forms. Into the 20th century the grammatical rules prescribed a unique Greek-Latin declination: Jesus (nominative), Jesu (genitive, dative, vocative), Jesum (accusative), from which today only the genitive case “Jesu” is still in active use. Likewise, in Seediq (Taroko), the morphological treatment of “Jesus” also occupies a special category by not falling under the normal rule of experiencing a vowel reduction when the object-specific suffix an is added “since it was felt that the readers might resent that the name has been changed that drastically.” (Compare Msian for “Moses” (Mosi) as an object, but Yisuan for “Jesus” (Yisu).) (Source: Covell 1998. p. 249)

In Lamba the name ŵaYesu consists of a transliteration Yesu and the prefix ŵa, a plural form for “proper names when addressing and referring to persons in any position of seniority or honor.” While this was avoided in early translations to avoid possible misunderstandings of more than one Jesus, once the church was established it was felt that it was both “safe” and respectful to use the honorific (pl.) prefix. (Source C. M. Doke in The Bible Translator 1958, p. 57ff. )

In virtually all sign languages, “Jesus” is signed with the middle finger of each hand pointing to the palm (or wrist) of the other in succession (signing the nails of the cross). In the context of Bible translation this has been pointed out as theologically problematic since the “semantic connections of the original name Jesus do point towards ‘salvation,’ they do not naturally lead to crucifixion.” (Source: Phil King in Journal of Translation 1 (2020), p. 33ff.)


“Jesus” in German Sign Language (source )

Following is the oldest remaining Ethiopian Orthodox icon of Jesus from the 14th or possibly 13th century (found in the Church of the Saviour of the World in Gurji, Ethiopia). As in many Orthodox icons, Jesus’ right hand forms the Greek letters I-C-X-C for IHCOYC XPICTOC or “Jesus Christ.” Another interpretation of the right hand is that it shows three fingers pointing to the Trinity, while the two other fingers point to Jesus’ two natures.

source (c) Jacques Mercier and Alain Mathieu

Orthodox icons are not drawings or creations of imagination. They are in fact writings of things not of this world. Icons can represent our Lord Jesus Christ, the Virgin Mary, and the Saints. They can also represent the Holy Trinity, Angels, the Heavenly hosts, and even events. Orthodox icons, unlike Western pictures, change the perspective and form of the image so that it is not naturalistic. This is done so that we can look beyond appearances of the world, and instead look to the spiritual truth of the holy person or event. (Source )

The following is the so-called “Wales Window for Alabama.” It is a stained-glass window by the artist John Petts from Carmarthenshire, Wales, created in response to the 16th Street Baptist Church bombing which took place in 1963:

Stained glass is not just highly decorative, it’s a medium which has been used to express important religious messages for centuries. Literacy was not widespread in the medieval and Renaissance periods and the Church used stained glass and other artworks to teach the central beliefs of Christianity. In Gothic churches, the windows were filled with extensive narrative scenes in stained glass — like huge and colorful picture storybooks — in which worshipers could ‘read’ the stories of Christ and the saints and learn what was required for their religious salvation. (Source: Victoria and Albert Museum )

The style of the following drawing of Jesus by Annie Vallotton is described by the artist as this: “By using few lines the readers fill in the outlines with their imagination and freedom. That is when the drawings begin to communicate.” (see here ; see also We All are One in Christ)

Illustration by Annie Vallotton, copyright by Donald and Patricia Griggs of Griggs Educational Service.

Other visual representation of Jesus in TIPs include several non-Western styles of art: traditional Korean art, traditional Chinese art, modern Chinese abstract art, northern and central Thailand’s popular art, Indian Hamzanama style, traditional Vietnamese art, or Japanese prints.

See also this devotion on YouVersion .

law

The Greek, Hebrew, and Ge’ez 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.” (Source: Waterhouse / Parrott in Notes on Translation October 1967, p. 1ff.)

In a 1922 translation into Chagatai, a precursor language of both Uzbek and Uighur, it is translated with the Arabic loan word shari’at (شريعت), originally meaning “(Islamic) law (Shari’a).” (Source: F. Erbay and F.N. Küçükballı in Acta Theologica 2025 45/2, p. 133ff. )

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

Translation commentary on Romans 7:25

This verse has caused exegetes and translators considerable difficulty. Some feel that from a psychological point of view the last part of verse 25 ought to come immediately following verse 24 (so Moffatt), or that it ought to be omitted altogether. However, there is no textual evidence either for the rearrangement of these verses or for the omission of any part of the verse, and so the translator must try to render the text in the way that Paul has written it. In fact, it is not difficult to see how the first part of verse 25 follows readily upon the dramatic question that Paul raises in the last part of verse 24, Who will rescue me from this body that is taking me to death? Paul assumes that God is the one who will rescue him, and so he gives thanks to God for the victory that he knows will be his. The New English Bible (“God alone, through Jesus Christ our Lord! Thanks be to God!”) and Moffatt (“God will! Thanks be to him through Jesus Christ our Lord!”) have both made this bit of information explicit for the reader. This answer is clearly implicit in the text, and so is not beyond the bounds of what can be included in translation.

The Good News Translation understands the latter half of the verse to be a summary and so translates the transitional particle by this, then, is my condition.

Because of the real possibility that the first part of verse 25 will be related to the clause in verse 24, that is taking me to death, rather than to the question, who will rescue me?, it is important to introduce the response in a way that will indicate clearly that it is God who will rescue—for example, “it is God through our Lord Jesus Christ, and thanks be to him” or “I do thank God that through our Lord Jesus Christ he will rescue me.” The expression of secondary agency of through our Lord Jesus Christ may be introduced as “I thank God who will rescue me; our Lord Jesus Christ will do it.”

The final paragraph of this chapter should be introduced by some type of summary expression—for example, “then,” “in conclusion,” or “to say it briefly.” This … is my condition may be equivalent to “this is how I am” or “I am like this.”

In Greek “I myself” is emphatic and the Good News Translation carries this through, by myself I.

Although the word only does not appear in the Greek text as such, it is clearly implicit in what Paul says. He is contrasting the fact that it is only with his mind that he can serve God with the fact that his human nature serves the law of sin (see 7.5).

As in several places in this section, the contrast between the mind and human nature is presented. It is not always easy to discover precisely what set of terms should be used to indicate this contrast. For some languages it is “mind” versus “heart” and for others it is “mind” versus “body.” In still other languages one may choose to have “thinking” versus “desiring”—for example, “I can serve God’s law only with what I think, while with my desires I serve the law which leads to sin” or “… the law concerning sin.”

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 7:25

7:25a

This verse begins with the conjunction that is often translated as “and” or “but.” Here it introduces something more that Paul said about who saves people (7:24). Some languages will see contrast to the question of who in that verse. For example:

But

Other languages will need to indicate that 7:25a answers the question in 7:24b in a different way. For example:

Hey,
-or-
Look/Listen!

But for the connection to 7:24 here, it is more natural in many languages to omit this conjunction.

Thanks be to God:
This clause implies that the answer to Paul’s question of “who will deliver me from this body of death” is God. In some languages a literal translation would not imply that. If that is true in your language, make that meaning explicit. For example:

Thanks be to God, ⌊it is he⌋
-or-

⌊It is⌋ God ⌊who will rescue me,⌋ thanks to him

Thanks be: The Berean Standard Bible adds the verb be. This is a general thanksgiving. Paul thanked God, but the phrase allows others to join in that thanksgiving. Some languages must translate with a verb other than be. For example:

I thank God
-or-
We should thank God

through Jesus Christ: Here the word through indicates that God will rescue Paul because of what Jesus did in his death and resurrection.

our Lord: The word Lord refers to someone who has authority over people. Here it indicates that Jesus has authority over believers. See how you translated this phrase in 1:4 or 6:23.

7:25b

So then: Here this phrase introduces Paul’s conclusion of all that he said in 7:7–25. For example:

Therefore (New American Bible, Revised Edition)

with my mind I serve the law of God: The phrase with my mind is emphasized by being in front of the verb in the Greek clause. The Berean Standard Bible reflects this. Another way to translate this is:

I myself, with my mind, serve the law of God

In some languages it is more natural to have the phrase with my mind after the phrase the law of God. For example:

I myself serve the law of God with my mind (English Standard Version)

serve the law of God: Here the word serve refers to doing as the law of God says. The Greek word that the Berean Standard Bible translates as serve can also refer to acting like a slave to his or her master. A slave always does what the master tells him to do. For example:

am a slave to God’s law (New International Version)

This is a figure of speech. In some languages it is not natural to speak of people being a slave to laws. For example:

am ⌊like⌋ a slave to God’s law
-or-
obey the law of God (New Jerusalem Bible)

the law of God: See how you translated this phrase in 7:22.

7:25c

with my flesh I serve the law of sin: The phrase with my flesh is emphasized by being in front of the verb in the Greek clause. In some languages it is more natural to have this phrase in its normal place. For example:

I serve the law of sin with my flesh

my flesh: Here the word flesh refers to human nature. See how you translated this phrase in 7:18.

the law of sin: Here the word law again refers to a principle. Here it is the principle that sin bosses people, telling them to do evil things. See how you translated this phrase in 7:23.

General Comment on 7:25b–c

Both serving the law of God with the mind (7:25b) and serving the law of sin with the flesh (7:25c) occurred in Paul’s life. In some languages it is necessary to make explicit that both things were happening. For example:

I myself serve the law of God with my mind, but ⌊it is also true that⌋ with my flesh I serve the law of sin.

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Commentaire sur la traduction de la lettre aux Romains 7.25

Grâce soit rendue à Dieu par Jésus Christ, notre Seigneur ! : plusieurs constatent qu’« Il est surprenant de trouver cette exclamation triomphale immédiatement après le cri angoissé “Qui me délivrera ?” » (Bruce, p. 147). Ceci pousse certains biblistes à proposer de déplacer 25b avant 25a, c’est-à-dire de terminer le chapitre avec ce cri de louange. D’autres veulent même omettre cette phrase. Cependant, il n’existe aucune justification textuelle pour un tel changement. Par conséquent, il vaut mieux suivre le texte, car, avec réflexion, on peut comprendre cette exclamation. En fait, après avoir posé la question, « Qui me délivrera de ce corps qui m’entraîne à la mort ? », Paul exprime très rapidement sa conviction que c’est Dieu qui a le pouvoir d’accorder cette délivrance, de sorte qu’il le loue pour cette victoire. Pour exprimer cette idée, on pourrait dire « Dieu soit loué, qui réalise cela par notre Seigneur Jésus-Christ ! » (Good News Bible), « Dieu soit loué par Jésus-Christ, notre Seigneur ! Il a fait cela ! » (Die Gute Nachricht), « Je rends grâce à Dieu qui me libère par Jésus-Christ, notre Seigneur » (Parola del Signore).

Pour Grâce soit rendue à Dieu, voir Rom 6.17, où la même expression apparaît, rendue dans la Traduction œcuménique de la Bible par « Rendons grâce à Dieu ». Il s’agit du terme clé χάρις charis. Notons que la conjonction δέ de figure ici aussi, démontrant qu’il y a en fait un contraste entre Rom 7.24 et Rom 7.25.

Pour notre Seigneur, voir Rom 1.4. Le notre est inclusif.

Me voilà donc : cette conclusion est signalée par des conjonctions fortes, ἄρα οὖν ara oun, « ainsi donc », suivies de pronoms emphatiques, « moi-même » et une autre particule μέν men qui exprime la force de l’affirmation : « Ainsi donc, moi je… » (Osty-Trinquet) « moi-même, je suis » (La Bible du Semeur), « C’est donc bien moi qui… » (Bible de Jérusalem). Les traducteurs devront trouver des moyens de signaler cette conclusion qui évoque deux « parties » de Paul : son intelligence assujettie à la loi de Dieu, et sa chair, assujettie à la loi du péché.

à la fois assujetti par l’intelligence à la loi de Dieu : le verbe assujetti est en fait le verbe « être esclave de ». Plusieurs versions affaiblissent ce mot dans la traduction, mais dans cette lettre, Paul emploie cette image forte à travers le livre, voir Rom 1.1. S’il n’est pas possible de parler ainsi, on pourrait dire « je suis au service de la loi de Dieu par mon intelligence » (Bible en français courant). Pour intelligence, voir Rom 1.28. Pour loi de Dieu, voir Rom 7.22.

et par la chair à la loi du péché : pour chair, voir Rom 7.5. L’opposition entre la loi de Dieu et la loi du péché, ainsi qu’entre l’intelligence et la chair ou la « faiblesse humaine » (Bible en français courant), ressort à plusieurs endroits dans l’argumentation de Paul, voir aussi Rom 7.23. Cependant, il n’est pas toujours facile de trouver des termes qui rendent bien le contraste entre intelligence et chair. Pour certains ce serait « intelligence » opposé à « corps », la réflexion opposée au désir, ou peut-être, « je ne peux servir la loi de Dieu qu’avec ce que je pense, alors qu’avec mes désirs je sers la loi qui conduit au péché ».

Dans ce qui suit Paul va parler du rôle important de l’Esprit de Dieu dans la vie du chrétien.

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