intercede for the saints according to the will of God

The Greek in Romans 8:27 that is translated into English as “(the Spirit) intercedes for the saints according to the will of God” is translated into Bilua as “(he) prays like God himself” (source: Carl Gross)

In the German New Testament translation by Berger / Nord (publ. 1999) it is translated as tritt für alle Christen bei Gott als ihr Anwalt ein or “intercedes for all Christians before God as their advocate.”

saint

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The Greek that is translated as “saint” in English is rendered into Highland Puebla Nahuatl as “one with a clean hearts,” into Northwestern Dinka as “one with a white hearts,” and into Western Kanjobal as “person of prayer.” (Source: Nida 1952, p. 146)

Other translations include:

complete verse (Romans 8:27)

Following are a number of back-translations of Romans 8:27:

  • Uma: “And God who inspects the heart of man, knows the purpose of the Holy Spirit: the Holy Spirit prays according to the desire of God, praying for all people who believe in God.” (Source: Uma Back Translation)
  • Yakan: “God is the one who knows (what is) in our (dual) livers, he knows also what is the meaning of what the Holy Spirit said. Because if the Holy Spirit is the one who asks for us (incl.) the ones trusting Isa Almasi, all which he asked is really also what God wills/wants for us (incl.).” (Source: Yakan Back Translation)
  • Western Bukidnon Manobo: “And as for our Father God who knows what’s in our thinking, He knows also what is in the mind of the Holy Spirit. That which the Holy Spirit begs for because of us, the children of God, that’s also what God wants to give us.” (Source: Western Bukidnon Manobo Back Translation)
  • Kankanaey: “And God who knows what is in our minds, he also of course knows the mind of his Spirit, because what he prays to God for us who are his people is based on what God wants.” (Source: Kankanaey Back Translation)
  • Tenango Otomi: “For God already knows what word is in our heart. He finds what word the Holy Spirit intends to say. Because that word which God wants to be said to him, that is what the Holy Spirit asks for on behalf of us.” (Source: Tenango Otomi Back Translation)

will (of God) (Japanese honorifics)

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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 to do this is through the usage (or a lack) of an honorific prefix as shown here in the widely-used Japanese Shinkaiyaku (新改訳) Bible of 2017. When the referent is God, the “divine” honorific prefix mi- (御 or み) can be used, as in mi-kokoro (みこころ) or “will (of God)” in the referenced verses. Two verses (Ezra 10:11 and Ephesians 1:9) use mi-mune (みむね) with the same honorific prefix and meaning.

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

See also will and doing the will of God.

Japanese benefactives (torinashite)

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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 benefactive construction as shown here in the widely-used Japanese Shinkaiyaku (新改訳) Bible of 2017. Here, torinashite (とりなして) or “intercede” is used in combination with kudasaru (くださる), a respectful form of the benefactive kureru (くれる). A benefactive reflects the good will of the giver or the gratitude of a recipient of the favor. To convey this connotation, English translation needs to employ a phrase such as “for me (my sake)” or “for you (your sake).”

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

Honorary "rare" construct denoting God ("knowing")

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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 usage of an honorific construction where the morpheme rare (られ) is affixed on the verb as shown here in the widely-used Japanese Shinkaiyaku (新改訳) Bible of 2017. This is particularly done with verbs that have God as the agent to show a deep sense of reverence. Here, shitteo-rare-ru (知っておられる) or “knowing” is used.

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