firstborn

The Hebrew and Greek that is translated as “firstborn” in English is translated in a number of ways:

  • “he/she that opens the gown” in Batak Toba (because formerly a woman stopped wearing a gown and started using a bodice after the birth of her first child)
  • “he/she that damages the stalk (i.e. the body)” in Uab Meto (source for this and above: Reiling / Swellengrebel)
  • “the oldest son of all” in Mezquital Otomi
  • “oldest child” in Isthmus Zapotec (source for this and one above: Waterhouse / Parrott in Notes on Translation October 1967, p. 1ff.)
  • “firstborn child, who was a boy” in Elhomwe (to make clear, without ambiguity, that Mary did not have daughters before) (source: project-specific translation notes in Paratext)

In Bawm Chin, the term can imply the existence of younger siblings, so a translation is needed that brings out the fact that Jesus is superior to all else, not just the first of a series. (Source: David Clark)

See also only begotten son / (one and) only son and firstborn.

pour out Spirit

The Greek and Hebrew that is translated as “pour out (my) Spirit” in English is translated in the following ways:

  • “spread Spirit” (has idea of distribution without exhausting the source, as light may be spread from person and the total amount of light increased) in Coatlán Mixe
  • “send Spirit, he will enter the hearts of all people” in Central Pame and Lalana Chinantec
  • “give Spirit” in Isthmus Mixe
  • “send Spirit to possess people” in Teutila Cuicatec
  • “put on you the Holy Spirit of God” in Eastern Highland Otomi
  • “give-down Spirit” in Chuj(source: Viola Waterhouse in Notes on Translation August 1966, p. 86ff.)

compassion

The Hebrew, Greek, Ge’ez, and Latin that is typically as “compassion” in English (“compassion” comes from the Latin compatior and means suffering with) is translated in various ways:

  • Shilluk´: “cries in the soul” (source: Nida, 1952, p. 132)
  • Q’anjob’al: “crying in one’s stomach” (source: Newberry and Kittie Cox in The Bible Translator 1950, p. 91ff. )
  • Aari: “has a good stomach” (=”sympathetic”) (source: Loren Bliese)
  • Una: “has a big liver” (source: Kroneman 2004, p. 471)
  • Uma: “heart is moved (lit., far-away)” (source: Uma Back Translation)
  • Chitonga: “to have the intestines twisting in compassion/sorrow for someone” (kumyongwa) (source: Wendland 1987, p. 128f.)

See also pain-love, moved with compassion (pity), and Seat of the Mind for traditional views of “ways of knowing, thinking, and feeling.”

mourn

The Hebrew, Latin, and Greek that is translated as “mourn” or similar in English is translated in Newari as “have one’s heart broken” or “have a bursting heart” (source: Newari Back Translation).

In Cherokee it is translated as “going around feeling badly” (source: Bender / Belt 2025, p. 16).

the one whom they have pierced

The Hebrew in Zechariah 12:10 that is translated as “the one whom they have pierced” in English is translated into Tibetan with a honorific for “the one” or “him,” with a view to allowing for the quotation in John 19:37 (In the English New Revised Standard Version: “And again another passage of scripture says, ‘They will look on the one whom they have pierced.'”).

Jerusalem

The name that is transliterated as “Jerusalem” in English is signed in French Sign Language with a sign that depicts worshiping at the Western Wall in Jerusalem:


“Jerusalem” in French Sign Language (source: La Bible en langue des signes française )

While a similar sign is also used in British Sign Language, another, more neutral sign that combines the sign “J” and the signs for “place” is used as well. (Source: Anna Smith)


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

Learn more on Bible Odyssey: Jerusalem .

complete verse (Zechariah 12:10)

Following are a number of back-translations as well as a sample translation for translators of Zechariah 12:10:

  • Kupsabiny: “I shall fill the descendants of David and the people of Jerusalem with a spirit that makes them show mercy and of prayer. Then, they shall look with hope to the person that they pierced and mourn over him like when one mourns for an only child that has died. Those people shall mourn a lot like one mourns when a firstborn son has died.” (Source: Kupsabiny Back Translation)
  • Newari: “I will fill the House of David and the people of Jerusalem with a spirit of mercy and prayer. They will look upon me, the man they themselves have pierced. And people will mourn for him as people mourn for an only son, as they mourn for a first-born son.” (Source: Newari Back Translation)
  • Hiligaynon: “‘I will-give the descendants of David and the residents of Jerusalem the spirit of kindness and prayerfulness. They will-look-at me the one they have-stabbed and they will-cry like a parent who is-crying of/due-to the death of their only child or a oldest child.” (Source: Hiligaynon Back Translation)
  • English: “‘I, Yahweh, will cause the descendants of King David to act very kindly and mercifully. They will look at me, the one who has been stabbed, and they will cry bitterly, like people cry for a firstborn son who has died.” (Source: Translation for Translators)