The Greek that is translated as “author of life” in English is translated as “the one who give eternal life” in Rincón Zapotec, as “the one who gave us (incl.) our life” in Chichimeca-Jonaz, as “the Lord that gives life” in Eastern Highland Otomi, as “him who causes us to live” in Morelos Nahuatl, as “that man who has caused everything to be that there is” in San Mateo del Mar Huave, or as “gives life to people” Tepeuxila Cuicatec. (Source: Viola Waterhouse in Notes on Translation August 1966, p. 86ff.)
Language-specific Insights
captain of the temple
The Greek that is often translated as “captain of the temple” in English is translated in the following ways:
- Desano: “captain of the temple chief of the persons who guard the big temple”
- Eastern Highland Otomi: “boss of the big church of the Jews”
- Chuj: “chief of the guards of God’s house”
- Isthmus Mixe: “church building leader”
- Lalana Chinantec: “boss of the soldiers of the church
- Ayutla Mixtec: “he who is over the soldiers of the temple”
- Morelos Nahuatl: “the chief of police of the big church” (source for this and above: Viola Waterhouse in Notes on Translation August 1966, p. 86ff.)
witness
The Hebrew and Greek that is translated as “witness” in English is translated as “truly have seen” in Highland Popoluca, as “telling the truth regarding something” (Eastern Highland Otomi), as “know something” in Lalana Chinantec, as “verily know something to be the truth” in San Mateo del Mar Huave, as “we ourselves saw this,” in Desano, as “tell the truth about something” in Eastern Highland Otomi, as “know something is true because of seeing it” in Teutila Cuicatec. (Source: Viola Waterhouse in Notes on Translation August 1966, p. 86ff.)
census
The Greek and Hebrew that is typically translated as “census” in English is translated in these ways:
- Teutila Cuicatec: “registration”
- Eastern Highland Otomi: “counting of the people”
- Lalana Chinantec: “writing down all the people”
- Isthmus Mixe: “writing how many people there are”
- San Mateo del Mar Huave: “when the names are given”
- Chichimeca-Jonaz: “recording of the names” (source for this and above: Viola Waterhouse in Notes on Translation August 1966, p. 86ff.)
- Uma: counting of the people” (Source: Uma Back Translation)
serve tables, wait at tables
The Greek that is often translated as “serve tables” or “wait at tables is translated in the following ways:
- Desano: “feed the people”
- Lalana Chinantec: “distribute what (the widows) will eat”
- San Mateo del Mar Huave: “distribute food”
- Ayutla Mixtec: “arrange that which we eat”
- Morelos Nahuatl: “feed our brothers”
- Tepeuxila Cuicatec: “give that they eat”
- Eastern Highland Otomi: “give what to eat to the people”
- Chichimeca-Jonaz: “watch over the tables”
- Garifuna: “attend to these things” (Source for this and above: Viola Waterhouse in Notes on Translation August 1966, p. 86ff.)
enslave and maltreat
The Greek that is translates as “enslave (them) and maltreat (them)” or similar in English is translated in the following ways:
- Lalana Chinantec: “they will become servants of other people, servant who don’t have any pay. The other people will mistreat them”
- Teutila Cuicatec: “mistreat them and force them to work for them”
- Desano: “they will help in the work like slaves and the people will scold them and beat them hard”
- Eastern Highland Otomi: “they will be servants and have suffering”
- Ayutla Mixtec: “will take your sons to be their property and will make them suffer”
- Isthmus Mixe: “would be made laborers by force and be mistreated”
- Highland Popoluca: “work them hard but not pay them” (source for this and above: Viola Waterhouse in Notes on Translation August 1966, p. 86ff.)
beautiful before God
The Greek that is translated as “beautiful before God” in English is translated in the following ways:
- Coatlán Mixe: “one whom God saw as good”
- Isthmus Mixe: “God saw Moses beautiful”
- Desano: “made God happy”
- Chichimeca-Jonaz: “pleased God’s heart”
- Lalana Chinantec: “God thought he was very good”
- Eastern Highland Otomi: “he was very beautiful and God looked well on him”
- Ayutla Mixtec: “pleasing before God”
- Morelos Nahuatl: “God liked him very much”
- Tepeuxila Cuicatec: “God saw he was acceptable” (source: Viola Waterhouse in Notes on Translation August 1966, p. 86ff.)
living oracles, living words
The Greek that is translated as “living oracles” or “living words” or similar in English is translated in the following ways:
- Eastern Highland Otomi: “word of God that will never finish”
- Copainalá Zoque: “word that told us how to live”
- Isthmus Mixe: “good words for us that we might obtain the good life”
- Ayutla Mixtec: “words of life”
- San Mateo del Mar Huave: “word of God”
- Rincón Zapotec: “the law which spoke of life” (source for this and above: Viola Waterhouse in Notes on Translation August 1966, p. 86ff.)
- Western Bukidnon Manobo: “the indestructible words of God” (source: Western Bukidnon Manobo Back Translation)