complete verse (Romans 8:13)

Following are a number of back-translations of Romans 8:13:

  • Uma: “For if we follow the evil desires of our hearts, the end will be we will die and be separated from God. But if we release/give-up our evil behavior by the power of the Holy Spirit, we will receive good life with God.” (Source: Uma Back Translation)
  • Yakan: “Because if we (dual) really obey/follow the will/wish of our (dual) greedy-desire, our (dual) destiny is to die and go to hell. But if we (dual) really now abandon our (dual) deeds which are evil by the help of God’s Spirit to us (dual), we (dual) will live forever.” (Source: Yakan Back Translation)
  • Western Bukidnon Manobo: “For if what we obey are the desires of our body, we will be punished with death which is forever. But if by the help of the Holy Spirit, we abandon the evil actions of our bodies, we will be given life forever.” (Source: Western Bukidnon Manobo Back Translation)
  • Kankanaey: “Because if we are obeying our human minds, it is unavoidable (lit. forced) that we be separated from God forever. But if we accept the help of the Holy Spirit in order to turn-our-backs on the evil that we are doing, we will have the life that has no end.” (Source: Kankanaey Back Translation)
  • Tenango Otomi: “Because should we continue along with the evil we committed before, then we will go to punishment. But if we do what we are taught by the Holy Spirit to do, that we separate from evil, then we will be given the new life which is forever.” (Source: Tenango Otomi Back Translation)

flesh (human nature)

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The Greek that is often translated as “flesh” in English (when referring to the lower human nature) can, according to Nida (1947, p. 153) “very rarely be literally translated into another language. ‘My meat’ or ‘my muscle’ does not make sense in most languages.” He then gives a catalog of almost 30 questions to determine a correct translation for that term.

Accordingly, the translations are very varied:

The Toraja-Sa’dan translation uses a variety of terms for the translation of the same Greek term (click or tap here to see the rest of this insight)

  • A form of kale tolinona or “corporeal” is for instance used in Romans 9:5 or Colossians 1:22 (and also in Genesis 6:3 and Exodus 30:32)
  • A form of mentolinona or “the human” is for instance used in Matthew 16:17 or John 1:14
  • Phrases that include pa’kalean or “bodiliness” (also: “human shape”) are for instance used in Romans 6:6 or 1 Peter 2:11 (as well as in Isa 52:14, Isa 53:2, and Lamentations 4:7)

(Source: H. van der Veen in The Bible Translator 1952, p. 207ff. )

See also spirit / flesh, old self, and flesh (John 1:14).

formal 2nd person plural pronoun (Japanese)

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Like a number of other East Asian languages, Japanese uses a complex system of honorifics, i.e. a system where a number of different levels of politeness are expressed in language via words, word forms or grammatical constructs. These can range from addressing someone or referring to someone with contempt (very informal) to expressing the highest level of reference (as used in addressing or referring to God) or any number of levels in-between.

One way Japanese shows different degree of politeness is through the choice of a formal plural suffix to the second person pronoun (“you” and its various forms) as shown here in the widely-used Japanese Shinkaiyaku (新改訳) Bible of 2017. In these verses, anata-gata (あなたがた) is used, combining the second person pronoun anata and the plural suffix -gata to create a formal plural pronoun (“you” [plural] in English).

(Source: S. E. Doi, see also S. E. Doi in Journal of Translation, 18/2022, p. 37ff. )

Translation commentary on Romans 8:13

Paul moves from the use of the first person we to the second person you, though in meaning these are the same; this also holds true for his use of the third person those who in the following verse. In verse 13 Paul uses a Greek form which is much stronger than the simple future (see Revised Standard Version “you will die”), and for this reason the Good News Translation translates his words by you are going to die. In the Jerusalem Bible this appears as “you are doomed to die” and in the New English Bible as “you must die.” The death referred to is, of course, not physical death, but rather the final death.

By the particles which he uses, Paul makes a strong contrast between the way of death and the way of life (for if … but if).

Kill your sinful actions is literally “kill the deeds of the body.” Paul’s meaning is easily understood. He is affirming that life lived under the leadership of God’s Spirit will show itself in the way that one conducts himself.

The metaphor kill your sinful actions is a very forceful one and should be retained if at all possible. In some languages one may retain something of this figure, but in an altered form—for example, “cease your sinful actions as though you were killing them.” In other languages one may have to eliminate the metaphor and employ a nonmetaphorical equivalent—for example, “stop completely your sinful deeds.”

The phrase by the Spirit indicates agency, but it must often be expressed as “with the help of the Spirit.” In some languages one may even have “but if the Spirit helps you to cease completely your sinful actions.”

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 8:13

8:13a

For: Here this word introduces a sentence in support of believers having no obligation to live according to the flesh (8:12).

if you live according to the flesh: Here Paul spoke about the possibility that the believers in Rome might be living according to the flesh. He did not expect it to be true. But if it was true, 8:13b tells the result of such a life.

The if caused the believers in Rome to examine their lives to see how they are living.

if you live: The verb is present tense. Previous verses imply that Paul did not expect this to be true. Translate in a way that makes it clear that Paul did not expect that the believers in Rome were living this way. For example:

should you live
-or-
if you might be living

you: This is a letter to the believers in Rome, so the you here primarily applies to them. But the you here also allows a general application to anyone.

8:13b

you will die: The Greek expresses certainty here. For example:

you will certainly die
-or-
you are destined/doomed to die

8:13c

but if: Here Paul spoke about the possibility that the believers in Rome might be living by the Spirit. He expected this to be true. 8:13d tells the result of such a life. The if caused the believers in Rome, and causes all believers since this is Scripture, to examine their lives to see how they are living.

by the Spirit you put to death the deeds of the body: Here the word by indicates that the Holy Spirit enables believers to put to death the deeds of the body. Here are other ways to translate this clause:

by/through ⌊the power of⌋ the ⌊Holy⌋ Spirit you put to death the deeds of the body
-or-
with ⌊the help of⌋ the ⌊Holy⌋ Spirit you put to death the deeds of the body

The phrase by the Spirit is emphasized by being first in the clause. In some languages it must be in its normal place. It may be possible to emphasize the phrase in some other way. For example:

you put to death the deeds of the body by ⌊the power of⌋ the ⌊Holy⌋ Spirit
-or-
you put to death the deeds of the body in this way alone: with ⌊the help of⌋ the ⌊Holy⌋ Spirit

you put to death the deeds of the body: This is a metaphor. The metaphor indicates that believers are to work at ending the deeds of the body. The verb is present tense, which here indicates an ongoing effort. Here are other ways to translate this clause:

you are killing the deeds of the body
-or-
you are causing the deeds of the body to die

Some languages must translate without this metaphor for the correct meaning. For example:

you are ending/abandoning the deeds of the body
-or-
you are turning your backs to the deeds of the body

the deeds of the body: The word body refers to our physical being and implies its desires. In some languages a literal translation would be too general. If that is true in your language, indicate the correct meaning. For example:

the deeds of ⌊the desires of⌋ the body

8:13d

you will live: Here the word live is in contrast to “die” in 8:13b. Just as the body “dies” (8:10), we live by the Holy Spirit when we believe (8:11). For example:

you will have true life (New Century Version)
-or-
you will definitely obtain life which has no ending

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