Hades / Sheol

The Hebrew, Latin and Greek that is often translated in English as “Hades” or “Sheol” is translated in the German Luther Bible 2017 (and pre-1912) as Totenreich or “realm (or: kingdom) of the dead” in these verses. (Source: Jost Zetzsche)

Learn more on Bible Odyssey: Sheol .

soul

The Hebrew, Greek, 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) 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 Wisdom 16:14

A man in his wickedness kills another, but he cannot bring back the departed spirit, nor set free the imprisoned soul: This contrasts human limitations with God’s power. God may bring a person back from the brink of death, but a person, if he kills someone, cannot undo what he has done. The comparison is not quite accurate, since verse 13 does not speak of even God bringing a dead person back to life—which God could certainly do, but ordinarily does not. The imprisoned soul refers to a person being imprisoned in the world (place) where dead people stay. For spirit and soul, see 15.11. The Good News Translation model for this verse will be helpful for many translators.

Some translators may wish to combine verses 13 and 14, reversing them for effect:

• A wicked person can kill another person, but cannot bring a dead person back to life, or rescue a soul imprisoned in the world of the dead. But you, Lord, have power over life and death. You can bring a person to the brink of death and back again.

Quoted with permission from Bullard, Roger A. and Hatton, Howard A. A Handbook on The Wisdom of Solomon. (UBS Helps for Translators). New York: UBS, 2004. For this and other handbooks for translators see here.