Most High

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The Hebrew, Aramaic, Latin, Ge’ez, or Greek that is translated as “(God) the Most High” or “Most High God” in English is translated in various way:

  • Eastern Highland Otomi: “he, the completely glorified God”
  • San Mateo del Mar Huave: “Father God who is high in heaven”
  • Teutila Cuicatec: “God who has such tremendous authority”
  • Chichimeca-Jonaz: “he who is the native of the highest place”
  • Palantla Chinantec: “the Big God Himself”
  • Xicotepec De Juárez Totonac: “God who has authority over all”
  • Estado de México Otomi: “most exalted God”
  • Isthmus Mixe: “God who is in heaven”
  • Teutila Cuicatec: “God who has a great rule” (source for this and above: Viola Waterhouse in Notes on Translation August 1966, p. 86ff.)
  • Sa’a: “God, the Surpassing One” (source: Carl Gross)
  • Elhomwe: Mulluku Muullupalli or “God the Great” (source: project-specific translation notes in Paratext)
  • Chichewa: Wammwambamwamba: A name of God. While this word is difficult to translate into English, its sense implies that God is highly above everything in his power and greatness. (Source: Mawu a Mulungu mu Chichewa Chalero Back Translation)

Translation commentary on Sirach 12:6

For the Most High also hates sinners: The word also here is tricky; it is ambiguous and misleading. Good News Translation has the whole line right with “The Most High himself hates sinners.” The author is saying that people should not be generous to sinners, because God himself hates sinners. Good News Translation has no equivalent for the conjunction For. This conjunction is a little unnatural here in English. “After all” would be a good way of establishing the connection of this verse with verse 5: “After all, the Most High himself hates sinners….”

And will inflict punishment on the ungodly: The ungodly and sinners are the same group of people. Good News Translation combines them in “sinners” and refers back to them with the pronoun “them.” Good News Translation‘s translation says everything the Greek says.

The Revised Standard Version footnote observes that some ancient manuscripts add the following line: “and he is keeping them for the mighty day of their punishment” (similarly New Revised Standard Version). This line is not well attested. Good News Translation and Contemporary English Version ignore it, and the Handbook suggests that translators follow them. For translators who may wish to include it, however, the following may serve as models: “He is patient with them now, but their punishment will be terrible when it comes” and “… but when he punishes them they will suffer terribly.”

Quoted with permission from Bullard, Roger A. and Hatton, Howard A. A Handbook on Sirach. (UBS Helps for Translators). New York: UBS, 2008. For this and other handbooks for translators see here.