Language-specific Insights

complete verse (1 John 3:12)

Following are a number of back-translations of 1 John 3:12:

  • Uma: “Don’t imitate the behavior of Kain long ago. That Kain, he was-a-child of the evil-one(s), with the result that he killed his younger-sibling. Why was it that he killed his younger-sibling? Because his behavior was evil [emphatic], yet the behavior of his younger-sibling was upright.” (Source: Uma Back Translation)
  • Yakan: “Let us (incl.) not be like Kabil. Kabil deceased (ley) belonged to Satan/demon and his brother was killed by him. Why was he killed by him? He was killed by him because the doings of his brother were good but his doings were bad/evil.” (Source: Yakan Back Translation)
  • Western Bukidnon Manobo: “We must not be like Cain, for he was the subject of Satan, and he murdered his younger brother. The reason he murdered him is because his activities were evil, and the activities of his younger brother were righteous, by contrast.” (Source: Western Bukidnon Manobo Back Translation)
  • Kankanaey: “It should not be Cain’s behavior that you imitate, because as for Cain, he was a person of Satanas and he killed his younger-sibling Abel. What was the reason that he killed him? Because what he was doing was evil but by-contrast what his younger-sibling was doing was good.” (Source: Kankanaey Back Translation)
  • Tagbanwa: “Let’s not be like that as-it-were child of Satanas who is Cain , he who killed his brother. Well, why did he kill him? Because his own doing was evil, but his brother’s doing was righteous in the sight of God. That’s why Cain hated/was-angry-with that brother of his.” (Source: Tagbanwa Back Translation)
  • Tenango Otomi: “We must not do like Cain who walked with the devil, therefore he killed his brother. Why was it that he killed him? He was killed because Cain did evil and therefore he was jealous of his brother who did good.” (Source: Tenango Otomi Back Translation)
  • Yatzachi Zapotec: “We should not do like Cain did. He was a child of the deceiver (the devil) who is very evil, and he killed his brother. Why was it he killed him? He killed him because his brother walked straight whereas he walked with evil.”
  • Eastern Highland Otomi: “And we will not do as Cain did who took the nature of the devil, and killed his brother. And why did he kill him? Because his deeds were bad, and his brother did what was good.”
  • Tzotzil: “Therefore do not do like Cain did. Because Cain was in the hand of the devil therefore he killed his younger brother. Because it was straight what his younger brother did.” (Implied that Cain’s were not straight.) (Source for this and two above: John Beekman in Notes on Translation 12, November 1964, p. 1ff.)

complete verse (1 John 3:13)

Following are a number of back-translations of 1 John 3:13:

  • Uma: “So, relatives, don’t be surprised if people who don’t believe in Yesus hate you.” (Source: Uma Back Translation)
  • Yakan: “Therefore my brothers, don’t be amazed/wonder if you are hated by the people who don’t follow/obey God.” (Source: Yakan Back Translation)
  • Western Bukidnon Manobo: “Brothers, do not be surprised if the people who are enemies of God act against you.” (Source: Western Bukidnon Manobo Back Translation)
  • Kankanaey: “So don’t be surprised, siblings/cousins if those who don’t believe hate you.” (Source: Kankanaey Back Translation)
  • Tagbanwa: “My siblings in believing, don’t let yourselves be surprised if/when you are hated by other people here under the heavens, those ones who don’t believe-in/obey Jesu-Cristo.” (Source: Tagbanwa Back Translation)
  • Tenango Otomi: “Listen, my dear brethren, do not be surprised when people here on earth hate you.” (Source: Tenango Otomi Back Translation)
  • Yatzachi Zapotec: “There are people whose heads sit (who are concerned) only about what is happening on this earth. Do not be surprised, brethren, that they hate you.”
  • Eastern Highland Otomi: “My siblings, let us not be amazed that the world hates us.”
  • Tzotzil: “My brethren, don’t be amazed when people hate you.” (Source for this and two above: John Beekman in Notes on Translation 12, November 1964, p. 1ff.)

complete verse (1 John 3:14)

Following are a number of back-translations of 1 John 3:14:

  • Uma: “If we love our relatives, we know that we have been freed from death and we have received good life forever. People who don’t love their relatives, they have not yet been freed from death.” (Source: Uma Back Translation)
  • Yakan: “We (incl.) know that now we (incl.) are no longer as if (figuratively) dead but we (incl.) really live. We (incl.) know this because we (incl.) love now our (incl.) fellow-men. The one who does not love, he is still as if figuratively dead.” (Source: Yakan Back Translation)
  • Western Bukidnon Manobo: “We (incl.) know that long ago what we were able to expect was death forever. And we know also that now we have life forever. The reason we know this is because our companions are now very dear in our breath. Anyone whose companions are not dear in his breath can still expect death forever.” (Source: Western Bukidnon Manobo Back Translation)
  • Kankanaey: “Never-mind, because we know that we will not be separated from God as (we were) previously, but rather from now on we have life that has no end. We know that that is true, because we love our companions who believe. For the one who doesn’t love his fellow human-beings, it’s like he is still dead, because he is still separated from God.” (Source: Kankanaey Back Translation)
  • Tagbanwa: “But it’s clear to us that as for us, we are no longer like dead in the sight of God, but rather we are now being given life which is without ending. We know this because we now really value our siblings in believing. As for the one who doesn’t yet value like this, it’s like he is still under the jurisdiction of death.” (Source: Tagbanwa Back Translation)
  • Tenango Otomi: “Before it seemed we lived, but it was like as though we were dead. Now we have met up with new life because we love our brethren. He who does not love his brethren seems to live yet it is like as though he were dead.” (Source: Tenango Otomi Back Translation)
  • Yatzachi Zapotec: “Because we love our fellows therefore we know we are no longer with our head-hearts like a dead person as we were before. We have eternal life now. If we do not love our fellows then we are still like dead people with our head-hearts.”
  • Eastern Highland Otomi: “We know that we have left the road of death, and we have taken the road of life. This we know because we love our siblings. He who has no love resides in the power (dominion) of death.”
  • Tzotzil: “Because we love the brethren, therefore we know that we have left behind that we die. We now belong to it, that we live forever. If we don’t love the brethren, it is because we still belong to it, that we die.”
  • Garifuna: “We are dead. Now we have come to possess life. We know it because we love our own kind ones (brethren). The one who does not love his own kind ones, he is still here (existing) in death.” (Source for this and three above: John Beekman in Notes on Translation 12, November 1964, p. 1ff.)

complete verse (1 John 3:15)

Following are a number of back-translations of 1 John 3:15:

  • Uma: “All people who hate their relatives, they are the same as killers [emphatic]. And you know, relatives, that murders do not get good life forever.” (Source: Uma Back Translation)
  • Yakan: “Whoever hates his fellow-man it is as if he has killed. And you know that a murderer has no everlasting life.” (Source: Yakan Back Translation)
  • Western Bukidnon Manobo: “Anyone who acts against his companions, God considers him to be like a murderer; and we (incl.) know that if there is a person who wants to murder, he has not yet come to own life forever.” (Source: Western Bukidnon Manobo Back Translation)
  • Kankanaey: “For the one who hates his brother/cousin is like the murderer just the same, and we know of course that the murderer, he doesn’t have the life that has no end.” (Source: Kankanaey Back Translation)
  • Tagbanwa: “Because whoever ignores/spurns his sibling in believing, he is the same as a murderer of his fellowman. Isn’t it indeed so that you know already that, whoever is a murderer of his fellowman, he really doesn’t have life which is without ending?” (Source: Tagbanwa Back Translation)
  • Tenango Otomi: “Everyone who hates his brother is like as though he were a murderer. And you know that not one murderer meets up with the new life.” (Source: Tenango Otomi Back Translation)
  • Yatzachi Zapotec: “Any of us if we hate our fellows, before God we are like murderers. And we know that no one who is like that has eternal life.”
  • Eastern Highland Otomi: “He who hates his sibling is a murderer. And you know that there is no murderer who has (possesses) the new life.”
  • Tzotzil: “If we hate the brethren, we have already become killers. You know that whoever kills he has not received life forever.” (Source for this and two above: John Beekman in Notes on Translation 12, November 1964, p. 1ff.)

complete verse (1 John 3:16)

Following are a number of back-translations of 1 John 3:16:

  • Uma: “This is a sign so that we know what is called love: Yesus gave his life so that we could have salvation/goodness. So, we also must give our lives to help our relatives.” (Source: Uma Back Translation)
  • Yakan: “We (incl.) know what true love is like, for Almasi, because of his love for us (incl.) submitted/surrendered his life and he died taking away our (incl.) sins. Therefore we (incl.) also should submit/surrender even our (dual) lives for our (incl.) fellow-men.” (Source: Yakan Back Translation)
  • Western Bukidnon Manobo: “The reason we know that God loves us (incl.) very much is because Jesus allowed himself to be killed as our substitute. And as for us (incl.) also, it is necessary that we help our companions who are believers even if that help is the means of our death.” (Source: Western Bukidnon Manobo Back Translation)
  • Kankanaey: “The way-we -know the nature/likeness of true love, Jesu Cristo gave his life for us. Therefore we also, we should be prepared to give our lives for our siblings/cousins (from here on, brothers).” (Source: Kankanaey Back Translation)
  • Tagbanwa: “Consider this, that as for Jesu-Cristo, he even gave his life/breath just because of us so that we would be saved/freed. Therein we can now comprehend what is meant by true valuing. Therefore as for us, it’s necessary for us also to help our siblings in believing, even though it could lead to our life/breath being severed.” (Source: Tagbanwa Back Translation)
  • Tenango Otomi: “Christ has shown us what it means to love a fellowman in that he gave himself to die for us. Also we must do this, when it is necessary to die for our brethren, let it be done.” (Source: Tenango Otomi Back Translation)
  • Yatzachi Zapotec: “We know that Christ loves us because he gave his life dying for us, and we know likewise we must love our fellows. If it is necessary we must forsake ourselves and die to help our fellows.”
  • Eastern Highland Otomi: “Christ showed us what it is that is really love, in that he delivered up his own life in regard to us. And we will do the same, in that we will love our siblings, we won’t be afraid to help them, even though we die.”
  • Tzotzil: “Thus we know that Jesus Christ loves us because he gave himself to be killed on our account. Thus we also, it needs that we give ourselves to be killed on account of the brethren.” (Source for this and two above: John Beekman in Notes on Translation 12, November 1964, p. 1ff.)

complete verse (1 John 3:17)

Following are a number of back-translations of 1 John 3:17:

  • Uma: “For example there is a person who has the stuff of this world, and he sees his relative lacking something, and he just looks dry at him [i.e., looks and does nothing], certainly that person does not love as God [does].” (Source: Uma Back Translation)
  • Yakan: “If there is a person who has his livelihood and sees his fellow-man in need and does not help the need of that fellow-man, that means that he does not love God.” (Source: Yakan Back Translation)
  • Western Bukidnon Manobo: “If there is anyone of us (incl.) who has the means to help his companion who is in difficulty, but he does not help him, it is not possible that God is dear in his breath.” (Source: Western Bukidnon Manobo Back Translation)
  • Kankanaey: “But if there is a person and he finds-out that he has a brother who lacks what he needs and-meanwhile he doesn’t pity-him/show-him-benevolence, is it indeed the case (RQ implying of course not) that he loves God?” (Source: Kankanaey Back Translation)
  • Tagbanwa: “But if we just ignore the hard circumstances of our siblings in believing, because even though we have the means, we are hoarding for ourselves what would be used to help them, if it’s like that how can we say we hold God dear?” (Source: Tagbanwa Back Translation)
  • Tenango Otomi: “Suppose a person who owns a lot of things sees that his brother is in need. If he does not pity him so that he gives what is needed, then how ever can he say that he loves God in his heart then?” (Source: Tenango Otomi Back Translation)
  • Yatzachi Zapotec: “If we have things and we know that our fellow is in need to use them and we do not pity him, we cannot say that we are loving God.”
  • Eastern Highland Otomi: “But if one has something that he has, but his sibling is lacking necessities, and if he doesn’t do love to him, but the love of God is not in his heart then.”
  • Tzotzil: “If there is what is ours here in the world, if we see that poor him our brother, if we do not pity him even a little, it is in vain we say that we love God.” (Source for this and two above: John Beekman in Notes on Translation 12, November 1964, p. 1ff.)

complete verse (1 John 3:18)

Following are a number of back-translations of 1 John 3:18:

  • Uma: “My children, let’s not be loving in lips only, let’s not say that we love our relatives and we not do anything to help them. We [should be] loving with our behavior, for that is really true love.” (Source: Uma Back Translation)
  • Yakan: “My children-grandchildren, don’t let us (incl.) just love with words/speech. But if we (dual) say we (dual) love our (dual) fellow-man, we (dual) should make our (dual) words true/confirm/verify them and cause good deeds to accompany (the words) toward them (the fellow-men).” (Source: Yakan Back Translation)
  • Western Bukidnon Manobo: “My dear children, it’s necessary that our love for our companions is not just mere words, but rather it is necessary that we show our love for them by means of our actions.” (Source: Western Bukidnon Manobo Back Translation)
  • Kankanaey: “You who are my children, our manner-of-loving our companions, it should not be merely in our words only, but rather it should be from-the-heart and it should be shown in what we are doing.” (Source: Kankanaey Back Translation)
  • Tagbanwa: “You who are like my children, what is good is, we are not just saying that we value one other, but rather we are showing through what we are doing that this valuing of ours is true.” (Source: Tagbanwa Back Translation)
  • Tenango Otomi: “Listen, my children, only let it not come from your mouths that we love our fellowmen, rather let it be apparent that we truly love, let us help our fellowmen.” (Source: Tenango Otomi Back Translation)
  • Yatzachi Zapotec: “My little children, we must not love our fellows just with words. We should not just say we love our fellows, but we must love them wholeheartedly and help our fellows.”
  • Eastern Highland Otomi: “My dear children, let us not just talk about love, but let us really do it.”
  • Tzotzil: “My children, don’t let it be in vain we say that we love each other, don’t let’s lie. Let our work appear that we love each other really and truly.”
  • Garifuna: “My children. Let us love each other, not just that which is speaking nor just that which we say. Let us love one another genuinely, that which we show by means of what we do.” (Source for this and two above: John Beekman in Notes on Translation 12, November 1964, p. 1ff.)

complete verse (1 John 3:19)

Following are a number of back-translations of 1 John 3:19:

  • Uma: “If we love our relatives, that is a sign so that we really know that we are God’s children, with the result that our hearts will be still/quiet to face him.” (Source: Uma Back Translation)
  • Yakan: “If we (dual) truly love our (incl.) fellow-men that is a sign that we (dual) follow the true teaching therefore it is peaceful in our (dual) livers in the presence of God.” (Source: Yakan Back Translation)
  • Western Bukidnon Manobo: “For if we do this, we (incl.) can know that we really are sons of the true God. And because of that, it is no longer necessary for us to be ashamed in his presence,” (Source: Western Bukidnon Manobo Back Translation)
  • Kankanaey: “If that is how we love-one-another, that’s how we know that it’s true that we have been joined to God. And even if our minds accuse us, we can nonetheless cause-our minds -to-be-peaceful so that we will not be ashamed to pray to him. For we know that God’s thoughts are higher/more-important than our thoughts and he totally knows everything. He knows that we have been joined to him.” (Source: Kankanaey Back Translation)
  • Tagbanwa: “Therefore herein we will know that as for us, we are under the jurisdiction of truth which comes from God. And therein also, our heads will not now be troubled when approaching him.” (Source: Tagbanwa Back Translation)
  • Tenango Otomi: “If we truly love our fellowmen, then we know for sure that we do what is said in what is truly God’s word. Then we have peace of heart because God will not be angry with us.” (Source: Tenango Otomi Back Translation)
  • Yatzachi Zapotec: “We know that we are children of God, if we love our fellows with all our hearts. And if there are times when we think in our head-hearts that we are not worthy for God to say”
  • Eastern Highland Otomi: “And if we really have love, we will know that we follow the true Word. And our hearts will rest before the face of God.”
  • Tzotzil: “Because if we love each other thus we know that we have really and truly believed. Therefore we are one-hearted (at peace) in the presence of God.”
  • Garifuna: “If we love each other thus, then we know that we are in (progressive) (united to) the true belief (faith). Also then there is tranquillity with our hearts before God. (we are not worried, upset).” (Source for this and two above: John Beekman in Notes on Translation 12, November 1964, p. 1ff.)