liar

The Greek that is translated as “liar” in English is translated in Low German idiomatically Windbütel or “cream puff” (originally to a bag filled with wind) (translation by Johannes Jessen, publ. 1933, republ. 2006).

complete verse (Titus 1:12)

Following are a number of back-translations of Titus 1:12:

  • Uma: “There was a prophet of the Kreta people long ago who said like this: "Those Kreta people, they are all liars, vicious dogs, greedy/gluttonous and lazy."” (Source: Uma Back Translation)
  • Yakan: “One of their fellow countrymen, an important person of the Kerete tribe said, ‘These Kerete people, they always lie, they are cruel like wild animals, they are gluttons, and they are yet lazy.'” (Source: Yakan Back Translation)
  • Western Bukidnon Manobo: “There is a famous prophet, a fellow Cretian of theirs, who said, ‘Liars and very wicked are the people here on Crete. They really hate work, but they really love to eat.'” (Source: Western Bukidnon Manobo Back Translation)
  • Kankanaey: “There is a countryman of theirs who is a prophet who said, ‘Starting-from back-then, it has been reported that those-from-Creta are liars. They are cruel/malicious like a vicious animal. They are lazy to work but having-an-excessive-appetite to eat.'” (Source: Kankanaey Back Translation)
  • Tagbanwa: “In the past there was a fellow-countryman of theirs being from Creta who was a famous thinker/wise-person, who testified. He said, ‘As for people from Creta, they’re all habitual-liars and their ways are like wild animals. They’re habitually-lazy and yet/too gorge themselves.'” (Source: Tagbanwa Back Translation)
  • Tenango Otomi: “A wise person in the land of Crete said how his fellow inhabitants live. He said: ‘The inhabitants of Crete live in lying. They live like (evil) animals. And they only look for what they can eat, they are very lazy,’ he said.” (Source: Tenango Otomi Back Translation)

prophet

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Eugene Nida wrote the following about the translation of the Hebrew, Aramaic and Greek terms that are typically translated with “prophet” in English:

“The tendency in many translations is to use ‘to foretell the future’ for ‘prophesy,’ and ‘one who foretells the future’ for ‘prophet.’ This is not always a recommended usage, particularly if such expressions denote certain special native practices of spirit contact and control. It is true, of course, that prophets of the Bible did foretell the future, but this was not always their principal function. One essential significance of the Greek word prophētēs is ‘one who speaks forth,’ principally, of course, as a forth-teller of the Divine will. A translation such as ‘spokesman for God’ may often be employed profitably.” (1947, p. 234f.)

Following is a list of (back-) translations from other languages (click or tap for details):

  • San Blas Kuna: “one who speaks the voice of God”
  • Central Pame and Vai: “interpreter for God”
  • Kaqchikel, Navajo (Dinė), Yaka: “one who speaks for God”
  • Northern Grebo: “God’s town crier” (see more about this below)
  • Sapo: “God’s sent-word person”
  • Shipibo-Conibo, Ngäbere: “one who speaks God’s word”
  • Copainalá Zoque: “one who speaks-opens” (a compound meaning “one who discloses or reveals”)
  • Sierra Totonac: “one who causes them to know” (in the sense of “revealer”)
  • Batak Toba: “foreteller” (this and all the above acc. to Nida 1961, p. 7)
  • Western Bukidnon Manobo: “one who is inspired of God” (Source: Western Bukidnon Manobo Back Translation)
  • Alekano: “the true man who descended from heaven” (source: Ellis Deibler in Notes on Translation June 1986, p. 36ff.)
  • Aguaruna: “teller of God’s word” (source: M. Larson / B. Moore in Notes on Translation February 1970, p. 1-125)
  • Ekari: “person who speaks under divine impulse”
  • Mandarin Chinese: 先知 xiānzhī — “one who foreknows” (or the 1946/1970 translation by Lü Zhenzhong: 神言人 shényánrén — “divine-word-man”)
  • Uab Meto: “holy spokesman” (source for this and two above: Reiling / Swellengrebel)
  • Kouya: Lagɔɔ gbʋgbanyɔ — “the one who seeks God’s affairs” (source: Saunders, p. 269)
  • Kafa: “decide for God only” (source: Loren Bliese)
  • Martu Wangka: “sit true to God’s talk” (source: Carl Gross)
  • Eastern Highland Otomi: “word passer” (source: John Beekman in Notes on Translation November 1964, p. 1-22)
  • Obolo: ebi nriran: “one with power of divine revelation” (source: Enene Enene)
  • Mairasi: nonondoai nyan: “message proclaimer” (source: Enggavoter 2004)
  • Highland Totonac: “speaker on God’s behalf”
  • Central Tarahumara: “God’s preacher” (source for this and above: Waterhouse / Parrott in Notes on Translation October 1967, p. 1ff.)
  • Coatlán Mixe: “God’s word-thrower”
  • Ayutla Mixtec: “one who talks as God’s representative”
  • Isthmus Mixe: “speaker for God” (source for this and two above: Viola Waterhouse in Notes on Translation August 1966, p. 86ff.)
  • Mezquital Otomi / Paasaal: “God’s messenger” (source: Waterhouse / Parrott in Notes on Translation October 1967, p. 1ff. and Fabian N. Dapila in The Bible Translator 2024, p. 415ff.)
  • Noongar: Warda Marridjiny or “News Traveling” (source: Warda-Kwabba Luke-Ang)
  • Kutu: mtula ndagu or “one who gives the prediction of the past and the future” (Source: Pioneer Bible Translators, project-specific translation notes in Paratext)
  • Ebira: ọnịsẹ, a neologism that combines the prefix ọn for “a person” with ịsẹ for “prediction” (source: Scholz /Scholz 2015, p. 49)
  • French 1985 translation by Chouraqui: inspiré or “inspired one” (“someone in whom God has breathed [Latin: in + spiro]) (source: Watson 2023, p. 45)

In Ixcatlán Mazatec a term is used that specifically includes women. (Source: Robert Bascom)

About the translation into Northern Grebo:

“In some instances these spiritual terms result from adaptations reflecting the native life and culture. Among the Northern Grebo people of Liberia, a missionary wanted some adequate term for ‘prophet,’ and she was fully aware that the native word for ‘soothsayer’ or ‘diviner’ was no equivalent for the Biblical prophet who spoke forth for God. Of course, much of what the prophets said referred to the future, and though this was an essential part of much of their ministry, it was by no means all. The right word for the Gbeapo people would have to include something which would not only mean the foretelling of important events but the proclamation of truth as God’s representative among the people. At last the right word came; it was ‘God’s town-crier.’ Every morning and evening the official representative of the chief goes through the village crying out the news, delivering the orders of the chief, and announcing important coming events. ‘God’s town-crier’ would be the official representative of God, announcing to the people God’s doings, His commands, and His pronouncements for their salvation and well-being. For the Northern Grebo people the prophet is no weird person from forgotten times; he is as real as the human, moving message of the plowman Amos, who became God’s town-crier to a calloused people.” (source: Nida 1952, p. 20)

In American Sign Language it is a person who sees into the future:


“Prophet” in American Sign Language (source )

In British Sign Language it is is translated with a sign that depicts a message coming from God to a person (the upright finger) and then being passed on to others. (Source: Anna Smith)


“Prophet” in British Sign Language (source: Christian BSL, used with permission)

See also prophesy and prophesy / prophetic frenzy.

Learn more on Bible Odyssey: How to Recognize a Biblical Prophet .

See also seer.

Translation commentary on Titus 1:12 – Titus 1:13

Paul supports his denunciation of these rebellious people by quoting from a Cretan poet. One of themselves does not mean one of the rebels but one of the Cretans, and he is described as a prophet. It may be that Paul considered him a prophet because of the correctness of what he wrote about the Cretans, or else that the Cretans themselves regarded him as a prophet. There may be a problem in translating prophet here, especially if the term used in the receptor language refers to one who speaks for God, and such a term may not be appropriate for a Cretan poet-philosopher. If this be the case, then prophet can be qualified; for example, “one whom they consider as a prophet”; or else it can be translated in a different way; for example, “a great teacher” or “a wise man.”

The philosopher quoted is Epimenides, who lived sometime in the sixth century B.C. According to writings at that time, the Cretans were considered liars because they claimed that Zeus had a tomb in Crete, and Zeus, of course, being the chief of the gods, could not have died!

The quotation itself is in poetic form, although it may not be possible to retain the form in translation. If it is desired to translate the quotation as poetry, a better approach would be to use indigenous poetic forms appropriate to the nature of the quotation and its content. See further on the translation of poetry under 1 Tim 3.16.

The three descriptions of Cretans in the quotation correspond to three descriptions of the false teachers in verses 10 and 11. Liars (for which see 1 Tim 1.10) corresponds to “deceivers”; evil beasts is used metaphorically to describe ferocity and wildness, and thus corresponds to “insubordinate” in verse 10. Finally, lazy gluttons refers back to the preoccupation of the false teachers in “making money” (for lazy see the same term rendered “idlers” in 1 Tim 5.13). Contemporary English Version has a good translation model which some translators may wish to follow:
“The people of Crete
always tell lies.
They are greedy and lazy
like wild animals.”

It should be noted that Good News Translation has combined and shortened verses 12 and 13 in order to make clear that the clause This testimony is true refers back to the truth of what Epimenides said. If translators wish to follow Revised Standard Version‘s model, however, one may begin verse 13 with “What the prophet said is true!”

Since Epimenides is correct, and Cretans are what he said they are, Titus is therefore commanded to rebuke them sharply. It is not clear what them refers to; it could be all the Cretans, but more likely it is a reference to the false teachers. So one may express this as “And you should reprimand such people (or, these false teachers) sharply.” For rebuke see 1 Tim 5.20. Sharply is derived from a verb that means “to act harshly toward someone.” The combination of this adverb with the imperative indicates the seriousness and severity with which Titus is supposed to deal with these heretical teachers. Translations try to capture this intensity in many ways; for example, “correct them rigorously” (An American Translation), “reprimand them sharply” (Phillips), “be severe in correcting them” (New Jerusalem Bible).

The purpose of rebuking them is so that they may be sound in the faith. For sound see 1 Tim 1.10. The faith (with the definite article) refers either to a body of teaching (doctrine) or the Christian faith as a religious movement. The whole clause can be restructured as “they may be correct in what they believe.”

Quoted with permission from Arichea, Daniel C. and Hatton, Howard A. A Handbook on Paul’s Letter to Titus. (UBS Handbook Series). New York: UBS, 1995. For this and other handbooks for translators see here .

SIL Translator's Notes on Titus 1:12

1:12a

As one of their own prophets has said: The words has said here indicate that this prophet spoke the words of 1:12b–d some time before Paul wrote this letter to Titus. He probably spoke and wrote this several hundred years beforehand. Use an appropriate way to indicate that. For example:

One of Crete’s own prophets said this long ago

one of their own prophets: This phrase indicates that this man was from, or lived in, the island of Crete.

prophets: Here the word prophets refers to people who spoke on behalf of one of the gods of Crete. The usual meaning of prophets in the New Testament refers to people who speak on behalf of God. Your translation should not indicate or imply that this person spoke on behalf of God. You may need to make it explicit that Paul was referring to spokesmen of the idols whom the people of Crete worshiped. For example:

spokesmen of their gods
-or-

pagan prophets

1:12b

Cretans are always liars: This clause is an exaggeration. It means that the people who lived in Crete had the habit of telling lies.

The prophet who was speaking was himself a Cretan. But he was not saying that he was telling a lie. So in some languages it may be necessary to remove the exaggeration in order to convey the correct meaning. For example:

Cretans are habitual liars
-or-

We Cretans certainly tell many lies

Cretans: This word means “the people of Crete.”

1:12c

evil beasts: The phrase “Cretans are” is implied from 1:12b. In some languages it is more natural to make this a clause. For example:

and they are evil brutes

This phrase compares Cretans to wild animals who do bad things. This is a figure of speech, a metaphor. It means that they acted without self-control or good morals. There are several ways to translate this figure of speech:

• Keeping the metaphor. For example:

they are wicked wild animals

• Using a simile. For example:

they are like wicked wild animals

• Explaining the meaning of the figure of speech. For example:

they are wicked and unrestrained, like wild animals

• Translate only the meaning of the metaphor. For example:

they are wicked and wild people

If you do this, you may then want to give a literal translation of the Greek in a footnote. Here is an example footnote:

Literally, “wicked wild animals.”

Translate this figure of speech in the way that is most natural in your language and allows your readers to understand the correct meaning.

1:12d

lazy gluttons: The Greek phrase that the Berean Standard Bible translates as lazy gluttons is more literally “lazy/idle stomachs.” It refers to people who are focused on eating and drinking rather than working. Their lives are centered around eating and drinking.

Here are some other ways to translate this phrase:

lazy people who are always eating
-or-
too lazy to work but not too lazy to eat
-or-
They are lazy but love to eat.
-or-
They eat/consume a lot but do not work.

This phrase concludes the quotation from the Cretan prophet.

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All Scripture quotations in this publication, unless otherwise indicated, are from The Holy Bible, Berean Standard Bible. BSB is produced in cooperation with Bible Hub, Discovery Bible, OpenBible.com, and the Berean Bible Translation Committee.