wisdom

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The Hebrew, Aramaic, Ge’ez, Latin, and Greek that is translated as “wisdom” in English is rendered in various ways:

  • Amganad Ifugao / Tabasco Chontal: “(big) mind”
  • Bulu / Yamba: “heart-thinking”
  • Tae’: “cleverness of heart” (source for this and all above: Reiling / Swellengrebel)
  • Palauan: “bright spirit (innermost)” (source: Bratcher / Hatton)
  • Ixcatlán Mazatec: “with your best/biggest thinking” (source: Robert Bascom)
  • Noongar: dwangka-boola, lit. “ear much” (source: Portions of the Holy Bible in the Nyunga language of Australia, 2018 — see also remember)
  • Kwere “to know how to live well” (source: Pioneer Bible Translators, project-specific translation notes in Paratext)
  • Dobel: “their ear holes are long-lasting” (in Acts 6:3) (source: Jock Hughes)
  • Gbaya: iŋa-mgbara-mɔ or “knowing-about-things” (note that in comparison to that, “knowledge” is translated as iŋa-mɔ or “knowing things”) (source: Philip Noss in The Bible Translator 2001, p. 114ff. )
  • Chichewa: nzeru, meaning both “knowledge” and “wisdom” (source: Mawu a Mulungu mu Chichewa Chalero Back Translation)
  • Uma: “clearness” (source: Uma Back Translation)
  • Kako: “heart thinking” (source: Reyburn 2002, p. 190)

In Hungarian Sign Language it is translated with a hand gesture referring to God to indicate a human quality to communicate that wisdom does not originate from man but is linked to and connected with the fear of God (source: Jenjelvi Biblia and HSL Bible Translation Group):


“Wisdom” in Hungarian Sign Language (source )

See also wisdom (Proverbs) and knowledge.

soul

The Hebrew, Greek, Ge’ez, and Latin that is translated as “soul” in English is translated in Chol with a term that refers to the invisible aspects of human beings (source: Robert Bascom), in Yagaria with oune or “shadow, reflection” (source: Renck, p. 81), and in Elhomwe as “heart” (source: project-specific translation notes in Paratext).

The Mandarin Chinese línghún (靈魂 / 灵魂), literally “spirit-soul,” is often used for “soul” (along with xīn [心] or “heart”). This is a term that was adopted from Buddhist sources into early Catholic writings and later also by Protestant translators. (Source: Zetzsche 1996, p. 32, see also Clara Ho-yan Chan in this article )

In Chichewa, moyo means both “soul” and “life.” (Source: Mawu a Mulungu mu Chichewa Chalero Back Translation)

See also heart, soul, mind.

Translation commentary on Sirach 51:19

My soul grappled with wisdom: Good News Translation‘s rendering here does not mean “I fought on behalf of Wisdom” but “I fought to obtain Wisdom.” Another possible model is “I struggled hard to become wise.”

And in my conduct I was strict: Revised Standard Version and Good News Translation appear to give a straightforward translation of the Greek text. New Jerusalem Bible, however, sees a textual problem here and translates “I have been scrupulous in keeping the Law” (similarly An American Translation, Traduction œcuménique de la Bible, La Bible Pléiade). The word “Law” is only a conjecture; although it is adopted by both Rahlfs and Ziegler, it appears in no Greek manuscript. (But compare 19.20. The difference in Greek is only the presence or absence of two letters. The Hebrew text is altogether different.) We prefer to stay with the Greek text, following Revised Standard Version and Good News Translation. We do not believe the Greek is unusual enough to merit a note saying the meaning of the Greek is unclear.

I spread out my hands to the heavens, and lamented my ignorance of her: Spreading out one’s hands toward heaven was a traditional posture of prayer. Good News Translation “When I prayed” expresses the meaning adequately. The last line indicates that in prayer, the author confessed to God how lacking in wisdom he was. Good News Translation has good idiomatic English here, but it will be difficult as a model for many languages. Perhaps we could say “and said to the Lord, ‘I am sorry I know so little of Wisdom.’ ” For the last two lines we could translate “When I prayed, I would sadly admit to the Lord how little wisdom I had.”

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.