The Greek and Hebrew that is translated as “myrrh” in English is translated as “bitter medicine” in Michoacán Nahuatl and as “myrrh perfume” in Tzotzil (source: Ronald D. Olson in Notes on Translation January, 1968, p. 15ff.).
In Mark 15:23, Usila Chinantec translates it as “the herb myrrh which is useful so that one not feel pain in his body. (Source: B. Moore / G. Turner in Notes on Translation 1967, p. 1ff.)
See also mixture of myrrh with aloes.
The Greek and Hebrew that is translated as “leaven” (or “yeast”) in English is translated in Tzotzil as “the thing that swells the stomach of bread” and in Mairasi “bread cooking ingredient” (source: Enggavoter 2004)
In the occurrences in Mark 8:15 it is translated in Wantoat as “salt.” (Source: Ronald D. Olson in Notes on Translation January, 1968, p. 15ff.)
See also leaven (1Cor 5:6).
The Greek that is translated as “Let anyone with ears to hear listen” or similar in English was translated in Costa Rican Sign Language as “If you want to understand, understand!”
Elsa Tamez (in The Bible Translator 2008, p. 59ff.) explains: “A literal translation of this verse: ‘Let anyone with ears to hear listen!’ (Luke 8:8) is not appropriate for the Deaf community; it is difficult to understand and it can easily be misunderstood. Deaf people have ‘ears to hear’ but they cannot hear.”
In Tzotzil it is translated as “You all who with one heart want to learn, think about what I said,” in San Mateo Del Mar Huave as “Every one of you have heard this story. Now put it in your hearts,” and in Gwichʼin as “He that will hear me, let him pay attention to me.” (Source: B. Moore / G. Turner in Notes on Translation 1967, p. 1ff.)
Willy Wiedmann rendered this phrase artistically in the following way:
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Image taken from the Wiedmann Bible. For more information about the images and ways to adopt them, see here .
For other images of Willy Wiedmann paintings in TIPs, see here.
The Greek that is translated in English as “wine press” is translated in Tzotzil and in Mairasi as “a hole dug in the rock where juice is pressed out of grapes.” (Sources: Holzhausen 1991, p. 39 (Tzotzil) and Enggavoter 2004 (Mairasi).)
The Greek that is translated as “the Jews plotted to kill him” in English is translated in Tzotzil as “His own people plotted to kill him” because a more literal translation would have implied that Paul is non-Jewish (source: Callow 1972, p. 35)
See also he found a Jew named Aquila.
The Greek that is translated as “he found a Jew named Aquila” in English is translated in Tzotzil as “he found one of his own people called Aquila” because a more literal translation would have implied that Paul is non-Jewish (source: Callow 1972, p. 35)
See also the Jews plotted to kill him.
The Greek that is translated in English as “(for) the wages of sin is death” or similar had to be translated into Tzotzil much more explicitly as “Because the one who works for sin, he will be paid for his work. The payment of his work will be that he will be lost eternally.” (Source. Callow 1972, p. 84)
The Greek that is often translated in English as “devout” is translated in Lalana Chinantec as “who revered God,” in Chichimeca-Jonaz as “who obey and worship God,” in Eastern Highland Otomi as “that remembered God,” in San Mateo del Mar Huave as “worshipers of God,” in Tzotzil as “they were zealously doing God’s word they thought,” in Coatlan Mixe as “they comply with all Jewish customs” (esp. Acts 2:5) and in Mezquital Otomi as “very much believed what they had been taught about God.” (Source: Viola Waterhouse in Notes on Translation August 1966, p. 86ff.)
In Chichewa, “devout men” in Acts 8:2 is anthu ena okonda Mulungu or “some people who loved God” (interconfessional translation, publ. 1999). (Source: Wendland 1998, p. 90)
