Language-specific Insights

complete verse (John 8:36)

Following are a number of back-translations of John 8:36:

  • Ojitlán Chinantec: “Therefore if the Son of God liberates you, you will be truly liberated.”
  • Huehuetla Tepehua: “I am the Son of my Father. If I free you from your servanthood, you truly won’t be servants.”
  • Xicotepec De Juárez Totonac: “You are like bought ones and the Son of God is able to free you and thus you will be able to rule yourselves.”
  • Yatzachi Zapotec: “And if the Son of God cause you to get out from under the foot of evil so you are no longer like slaves, then truly you will get out from under its foot.”
  • Lalana Chinantec: “So if the Son will save you, you will really be saved.”
  • Central Tarahumara: “. . . If I shall help you so that you no longer have to do wrong, then you truly shall no longer be ruled as if you were a servant of the devil.” (Source for this and above: M. Larson / B. Moore in Notes on Translation February 1970, p. 1-125.)
  • Uma: “So, if I free you from your sins, you are really free, because I am the Child of God.” (Source: Uma Back Translation)
  • Yakan: “Therefore if the Son of God is the one who frees you, you are really free for sure.” (Source: Yakan Back Translation)
  • Western Bukidnon Manobo: “Therefore if you are set free by the Son of God, it is really true that you can no longer be ruled over by your former slave owner.” (Source: Western Bukidnon Manobo Back Translation)
  • Kankanaey: “Therefore if I who am God’s Child set-you -free from sin, you will indeed by freed.” (Source: Kankanaey Back Translation)
  • Tagbanwa: “As long as I, who am the one meant by this Son, will be the one to release you from your slavery, it’s certain you will be truly released.” (Source: Tagbanwa Back Translation)
  • Tenango Otomi: “Therefore if the Son of God saves you, you truly are saved.” (Source: Tenango Otomi Back Translation)

complete verse (John 8:37)

Following are a number of back-translations of John 8:37:

  • Uma: “I know that you are the descendants of Abraham. But there are some of you who want to kill me, because you do not take-in-heart my words.” (Source: Uma Back Translation)
  • Yakan: “I know that you are the descendants of Ibrahim. But you want to kill me because you are not accepting my teaching.” (Source: Yakan Back Translation)
  • Western Bukidnon Manobo: “I know that you are the descendants of Abraham, but in spite of that, you want to kill me because my teaching to you does not fit into your breath.” (Source: Western Bukidnon Manobo Back Translation)
  • Kankanaey: “‘Now I know granted that you are Abraham’s descendants, but here you are wanting to kill-me, because you reject/dislike what I am telling you.” (Source: Kankanaey Back Translation)
  • Tagbanwa: “I am well aware that you are indeed descendants of Abraham. But even though it’s like that, because you refuse-to-listen and don’t take seriously this teaching of mine, you are persevering to get me killed.” (Source: Tagbanwa Back Translation)
  • Tenango Otomi: “I know that you are descendants of Abraham. But you want to kill me because you do not look favorably on what I say.” (Source: Tenango Otomi Back Translation)

complete verse (John 8:38)

Following are a number of back-translations of John 8:38:

  • Uma: “What I see at my Father, that is why I say to you. But you do what was taught to you by your fathers.'” (Source: Uma Back Translation)
  • Yakan: “The things I teach to you I have heard from my Father but you, you do what you have heard from your father.'” (Source: Yakan Back Translation)
  • Western Bukidnon Manobo: “That which my Father shows me is what I say. And you, by contrast, do what you heard from your own father.'” (Source: Western Bukidnon Manobo Back Translation)
  • Kankanaey: “What I am saying, it is only what my Father has shown me. And that very-thing is what you also are doing, because you also, you are following what your father said.'” (Source: Kankanaey Back Translation)
  • Tagbanwa: “I am telling the things I have seen there with my Father. It’s like that indeed with you, you are doing whatever you have heard from your father.'” (Source: Tagbanwa Back Translation)
  • Tenango Otomi: “All that I have seen there where my Father lives I have told you. But you continue to do what your father says.'” (Source: Tenango Otomi Back Translation)

complete verse (John 8:39)

Following are a number of back-translations of John 8:39:

  • Uma: “The Yahudi people said: ‘Our(excl.) father is Abraham!’ Yesus said: ‘If you are truly descendants of Abraham, certainly you follow his behavior.” (Source: Uma Back Translation)
  • Yakan: “The Yahudi said, ‘Our (excl.) father is Ibrahim.’ Isa said, ‘If you were truly descendants of Ibrahim, you would resemble Ibrahim in his deeds.” (Source: Yakan Back Translation)
  • Western Bukidnon Manobo: “And they answered, ‘Our ancestor is Abraham.’ And Jesus said, ‘I wish that you were true descendants of Abraham because then you would do what Abraham did long ago.” (Source: Western Bukidnon Manobo Back Translation)
  • Kankanaey: “Upon which the Jews said, ‘It is indeed Abraham who is our (excl.) father.’ But Jesus answered, ‘If it is the-case that you are children of Abraham, you would follow what he did.” (Source: Kankanaey Back Translation)
  • Tagbanwa: “The Judio again replied, saying, ‘Abraham is the one who is our (excl.) father.’ ‘Well, if your father is Abraham,’ said Jesus, ‘well why are you deviating from his actions?” (Source: Tagbanwa Back Translation)
  • Tenango Otomi: “Then the people said, ‘Our father is Abraham.’ Jesus said, ‘If it was Abraham who was your father, you would do just as Abraham did.” (Source: Tenango Otomi Back Translation)

complete verse (John 8:40)

Following are a number of back-translations of John 8:40:

  • Uma: “I announce to you the true teaching that I received from God, but you just want to kill me! The behavior of Abraham was not like your behavior.” (Source: Uma Back Translation)
  • Yakan: “But you, you want to kill me because I have told you the truth I have heard from God. Ibrahim did not do like that.” (Source: Yakan Back Translation)
  • Western Bukidnon Manobo: “As for me, I taught you the true doctrine that God taught me, and surprise, you want to kill me but Abraham never did anything like that.” (Source: Western Bukidnon Manobo Back Translation)
  • Kankanaey: “But here-now your minds are determined to kill-me, and I am emphatically the one who has been repeatedly-telling you the truth I heard from God. Is it indeed-the-case that (RQ implying of course not) Abraham did anything like that?” (Source: Kankanaey Back Translation)
  • Tagbanwa: “Because just look at this, you very much want to kill me, when I am only telling you the truth which I heard from God. Abraham’s actions were not like that.” (Source: Tagbanwa Back Translation)
  • Tenango Otomi: “But now you want to kill me — and here I am telling you what is true even that which I heard God speak. But Abraham didn’t do such things.” (Source: Tenango Otomi Back Translation)

complete verse (John 8:41)

Following are a number of back-translations of John 8:41:

  • Uma: “That your behavior definitely follows the behavior of your fathers!’ The Yahudi people answered: ‘But as for us (excl.), we (excl.) are not illegitimate children! Our(excl.) Father is just one, that is, God.'” (Source: Uma Back Translation)
  • Yakan: “Your doings are like the doings of your father.’ Immediately those people answered, they said, ‘Oy, we (excl.) have only one father, God. And we (excl.) are truly his children.'” (Source: Yakan Back Translation)
  • Western Bukidnon Manobo: “The thing that you do is what your father did long ago.’ And they shouted out, ‘We are not illegitimate children. As for us Jews, we know that we have one father, and he is God.'” (Source: Western Bukidnon Manobo Back Translation)
  • Kankanaey: “The one you are following then, it is your true father.’ ‘And God indeed is the one who is our (excl.) true/proper Father, no other, because he only is the one we (excl.) follow,’ they said.” (Source: Kankanaey Back Translation)
  • Tagbanwa: “Those things you do, they are indeed like the actions of your father.’ ‘It’s indeed not we (excl.) who are illegitimate,’ said their answer. ‘God indeed is our (excl.) Father.'” (Source: Tagbanwa Back Translation)
  • Tenango Otomi: “You do just like your father does.’ The people said, ‘We are not illegitimate children. We have one father, he is God.'” (Source: Tenango Otomi Back Translation)

complete verse (John 8:42)

Following are a number of back-translations of John 8:42:

  • Uma: “Yesus said: ‘If God were really your father, you would love me, because I am from God, and here I am, the one he sent. I do not come following my own will. I come following the will of God, because he is the one who sent me.” (Source: Uma Back Translation)
  • Yakan: “Isa said to them, ‘If God were truly your father, you would love me because I am from God that’s why I am here. I did not come here of my own will but I was sent by God.” (Source: Yakan Back Translation)
  • Western Bukidnon Manobo: “And Jesus said to them, ‘I wish that God were your Father because then your breath would have been big toward me. Because when I came here I came from him. It is not just my will, my coming here, but rather he sent me.” (Source: Western Bukidnon Manobo Back Translation)
  • Kankanaey: “Jesus then said, ‘If it is true that God is your Father, you would love me, because as for me, I came here from him. And it was not I who was in-charge-of my coming, but rather he who sent me.” (Source: Kankanaey Back Translation)
  • Tagbanwa: “‘Well if it’s like that,’ said Jesus next, ‘if you really are children of God, you need to hold me dear, because there with God is where I came from. Coming from him, I came here to you. I didn’t come here of my own will only, but on the contrary it’s true that he sent me.” (Source: Tagbanwa Back Translation)
  • Tenango Otomi: “Jesus said, ‘If God was truly your father, you would love me then. Because I came from God and now am here. I did not come on my own, rather God sent me.” (Source: Tenango Otomi Back Translation)

complete verse (John 8:43)

Following are a number of back-translations of John 8:43:

  • Uma: “Of course you do not know the meaning of my words, because you cannot stand to hear my teaching.” (Source: Uma Back Translation)
  • Yakan: “Why do you not understand what I am saying? The reason that you don’t understand is because you cannot endure to listen to what I am saying.'” (Source: Yakan Back Translation)
  • Western Bukidnon Manobo: “Therefore you cannot understand what I said because you do not want to do what I teach.” (Source: Western Bukidnon Manobo Back Translation)
  • Kankanaey: “Why don’t you understand what I say? Is it that you have turned-a-deaf-ear-to (lit. deafed) what I mean to say, is that it?” (Source: Kankanaey Back Translation)
  • Tagbanwa: “Why can’t you understand what I am saying? Probably it’s because you don’t want to accept this which I am teaching.” (Source: Tagbanwa Back Translation)
  • Tenango Otomi: “Why can’t you understand what I say? You do not understand because you do not want to listen to what I teach you.” (Source: Tenango Otomi Back Translation)