bear child / give birth

The Hebrew, Ge’ez, and Greek that is translated as “bear (a child)” or “give birth to” is translated in Mairasi as “go to the forest,” reflecting the traditional place of childbirth for Mairasi women. (Source: Enggavoter 2004)

In Spanish it is translated as dar a luz, literally “to give to light.” Likewise, in Portuguese (dar à luz) and Italian (dare alla luce). (Source: Mark Terwilliger)

See also in childbirth / travail and birth.

creation

The Greek, Ge’ez, and Latin that is translated as “creation” in English is translated in Lisu as ꓟꓵ ꓚꓰꓼ ꓟꓲ ꓚꓰꓼ — my tshe mi tshe, verbatim translated as “place — make — earth — make.” This construction follows a traditional four-couplet construct in oral Lisu poetry that is usually in the form ABAC or ABCB. (Source: Arrington 2020, p. 58)

In American Sign Language it is translated with a sign that signifies creating out of nothing. (Source: Ruth Anna Spooner, Ron Lawer)


“Creation” in American Sign Language, source: Deaf Harbor

inclusive vs. exclusive pronoun (Rom. 8:22)

Many languages distinguish between inclusive and exclusive first-person plural pronouns (“we”). (Click or tap here to see more details)

The inclusive “we” specifically includes the addressee (“you and I and possibly others”), while the exclusive “we” specifically excludes the addressee (“he/she/they and I, but not you”). This grammatical distinction is called “clusivity.” While Semitic languages such as Hebrew or most Indo-European languages such as Greek or English do not make that distinction, translators of languages with that distinction have to make a choice every time they encounter “we” or a form thereof (in English: “we,” “our,” or “us”).

For this verse, translators typically select the inclusive form (including the writer of the letter and the readers).

Source: Velma Pickett and Florence Cowan in Notes on Translation January 1962, p. 1ff.

complete verse (Romans 8:22)

Following are a number of back-translations of Romans 8:22:

  • Uma: “For we know, relatives, there is indeed much difficulty in the world. We can say that this world is continually suffering/groaning, waiting for the time God will make-new everything. That groaning of the world is like the groaning of a woman waiting for her birth-time.” (Source: Uma Back Translation)
  • Yakan: “We (dual) know that since the time when Apu’ Adam sinned until now it is as if all things created by God suffer/are in difficulties like a woman having pain when she is about to give birth.” (Source: Yakan Back Translation)
  • Western Bukidnon Manobo: “And we (incl.) know that as for all creation, it is like a woman with labor pains who’s having a difficult time. For starting with long ago up until now, all creation is having a difficult time because of the strong expectation they have of the time when God will remove their being destroyed and their being decayed.” (Source: Western Bukidnon Manobo Back Translation)
  • Kankanaey: “Because since back then until now, it is as if all that was created has been groaning like a woman who is having-a-hard-time when she gives-birth.” (Source: Kankanaey Back Translation)
  • Tenango Otomi: “Now we know that concerning all the things here in the world, all suffer, groaning as though the time had come for a woman to suffer pain to give birth to a child.” (Source: Tenango Otomi Back Translation)

Translation commentary on Romans 8:22

For we know renders essentially the same phrase that occurs in 2.2; 3.19; 7.14; 8.28. Generally this expression is used to introduce a fact of common knowledge.

Groans with pain like the pain of childbirth is literally “groans and is in birth pangs.” Each of these verbs has a prefix meaning “with” added to the regular root. Commentators agree that the force of these prefixes is to indicate that the universe is groaning and having pains “in all its parts” (New English Bible), not that it is groaning and having pains “together with us (believers).” The Good News Translation (so also Moffatt, Jerusalem Bible, New American Bible) makes this information implicit without translating the prefixes by a separate word. To translate by “together” as the Revised Standard Version (so also King James Version, An American Translation*) conveys very little meaning. The expression all of creation groans with pain may require certain modifications, not only in focus but also in a shift from metaphor to simile—for example, “all of creation, as it were, has pain and is groaning” or “all of creation groans because it has pain, so to speak.”

Like the pain of childbirth may be rendered as “just like a woman who has pain before giving birth to a child.”

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 8:22

8:22a

The Greek of 8:22a begins with a word that is usually translated as “For.” Here this word continues the reason or explanation started in 8:20. In some languages “and” would be better. In other languages, it may be more natural to omit this word and leave the connection with 8:21b implicit, as the Berean Standard Bible does.

the whole creation: Here the word whole refers to all the parts of creation as one group. Here is another way to translate this phrase:

all of creation (Good News Translation)

8:22b

has been groaning together in the pains of childbirth: The Greek is more literally “groans-together and feels-the-pain-of-childbirth-together.” Here together refers to all the things of creation groaning and feeling this pain all at the same time. The Greek present tense indicates here that creation is groaning at the present time. For example:

the whole creation groans and suffers the pains of childbirth together (New American Standard Bible)
-or-
all the parts/things of creation groan together and feel the pain of childbirth

This clause speaks of creation as if it were a person who is groaning and feeling pain. In some languages cannot use this figure of speech. If that is true in your language, translate without the figure of speech. For example:

is together ⌊like someone⌋ groaning and feeling the pain of childbirth

groaning: This word refers to the sound someone makes when in pain.

until the present time: This phrase indicates that the groaning and pain began in the past and continues until today. It does not imply that the groaning and pain stopped when Paul wrote this letter. The groaning and pain continues to today and will continue until the day when God will glorify believers. Your translation should not indicate or imply that the groaning and pain has stopped. For example:

and continues today

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Commentaire sur la traduction de la lettre aux Romains 8.22

Nous le savons en effet : le changement de personne (nous, inclusif), ainsi que la conjonction γάρ gar, rendue ici par en effet, signalent un nouveau paragraphe. Certaines versions commencent par « Or » (Nouvelle Bible Segond). Pour Nous le savons, voir Rom 2.2 ; Rom 3.19 ; Rom 7.14 ; Rom 8.28. Cette expression introduit un fait généralement admis. En grec, elle est suivie du connecteur ὅτι hoti, « que ». La Traduction œcuménique de la Bible rend ce mot par les deux points, mais les traducteurs utiliseront la transition qui convient dans leur langue.

la création tout entière gémit maintenant encore dans les douleurs de l’enfantement est litt. « toute la création gémit avec et souffre avec… » Pour création, voir Rom 8.19. Encore une fois, il ne s’agit pas seulement des êtres humains, mais de tout ce que Dieu a créé.

gémit maintenant encore dans les douleurs de l’enfantement : en grec, il y a deux verbes qui n’apparaissent qu’ici dans tout le NT. Chacun comporte un préfixe signifiant « avec », ce qui pourrait signifier « gémir ensemble et souffrir ensemble ». Mais les biblistes pensent que la création gémit et « souffre en toutes ses parties », et non qu’elle gémit et souffre avec les êtres humains ou les croyants. La Traduction œcuménique de la Bible rend le verbe gémir tel quel, mais rend le verbe « souffre avec » par l’expression « dans les douleurs de l’enfantement ». Les traducteurs pourront choisir les expressions qu’il faut. La Parole de Vie garde les deux verbes mais ajoute une comparaison : « gémit et souffre… comme une femme qui accouche ».

maintenant encore rend l’expression grecque, « jusqu’à maintenant » (Osty-Trinquet). On pourrait dire « jusqu’à ce jour » (Segond Révisée, Nouvelle Bible Segond, Bible de Jérusalem) ou « jusqu’à maintenant ».

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