complete verse (Exod. 3:14-15)

The translation into Pijin (published in 2008) translates Exodus 3:14-15 this way:

14 God answered like this, “My name is like this, I [Myself] I Live Always. You must tell them like this, ‘God who sent me to you, his “taboo” name is I [Myself] I Live Always.’ 15 And you must tell them like this, ‘Yahweh, who is the God of our ancestors before, he is the God of Abraham, and Isaac, and Jacob, and he [himself] he sent me to you.’ My name is Yahweh, and all people must call me by this name always.

Two footnotes in the translation add the following information (also back-translated from Pijin):

3:14: ‘I [Myself] I Live Always’ In the Hebrew language, the words that mean I [Myself] I Live Always, it is the taboo name of God. (…) 3:15: ‘Yahweh’ In the Hebrew language, this name is like YHWH, and it means something like ‘He [himself] he lives always,’ which is a taboo name of God. Before, the people of the line of Israel believed that this name of God was very taboo, so they were afraid to say it, and because of this, the way to say the name was lost. But many people think the way to say this name is, ‘Yahweh.’ In our Bible, we use ‘Yahweh’ to say the name YHWH. In some English Bibles they use ‘Lord‘ to mean YHWH. This is the name that God gave to us to call him, because only God can allow us to use his taboo name.

Bob Carter (former Translation Advisor, Solomon Islands Pijin Old Testament Project) who back-translated the verses and footnotes above, adds this:

“The translation of the Divine Name in verse 14 was decided on many years ago based on what the translation team understood at that time. We would likely not make the same decision now because of new input from scholars. The ‘taboo name’ is an ancient cultural concept having to do with people having a special name that is known or shared with only trusted people, because with the knowledge of the taboo name comes power. At the time of translation, the concept was broad enough to use in this context.”

The original of Exodus 3:14-15 in Pijin:

14 God hemi ansa olsem, “Nem blong mi hemi olsem, Mi nao Mi Stap Olowe. Yu mas talem olketa olsem, ‘God hu hemi sendem mi kam long yufala, tambu nem blong hem nao, Mi nao Mi Stap Olowe.’ 15 An yu mas talem olketa olsem, ‘Yawe, hu hemi God blong olketa grani blong yumi bifoa, hemi God blong Ebraham, an Aesak, an Jekob, an hem nao hemi sendem mi kam long yufala.’ Nem blong mi nao Yawe, an bae evri pipol mas kolem mi long disfala nem olowe nao.

See also tetragrammaton (YHWH) and holy / sacred / taboo.

complete verse (Dan. 8:11-12)

Following is the back-translation of the verses Daniel 8:11 and 12 from Solomon Islands Pijin (publ. 2008):

11This male goat, he made himself high (exalted) and he also desired to oppose God who is the Chief of the army of heaven. He also stopped the sacrifices that the people of God made every day to worship him, and he destroyed his Temple. 12This evil way that the horn did: it took over [control] of their sacrifices, and it threw true-talk to become absolutely nothing. And it will be happy because of everything that it does following its own thinking.

Source: Bob Carter

Verses in the original Pijin:

11Disfala man nanigot ya hemi haemapem hem seleva an hemi laek fo agensim tu God hu hemi Sif blong ami ya long heven. Hemi stopem tu olketa sakrifaes wea olketa pipol blong God i mekem evri de fo wosipim hem, an hemi spoelem nao Tambuhaos blong hem. 12Disfala nogud wei wea hon ya hemi duim nao: hemi tekova long olketa sakrifaes blong olketa, an hemi torowem trutoktok fo kamap samting nating nomoa. An bae hemi hapi long evrisamting wea hemi duim falom tingting blong hem seleva.

dove, pigeon

The Hebrew and Greek that is translated as “dove” or “pigeon” in English is translated in Pijin with the onomatopoeia kurrukurru. (Source: Bob Carter)

inclusive vs. exclusive pronoun (Psalm 117:2)

Many languages distinguish between inclusive and exclusive first-person plural pronouns (“we”). (Click or tap here to see more details)

The inclusive “we” specifically includes the addressee (“you and I and possibly others”), while the exclusive “we” specifically excludes the addressee (“he/she/they and I, but not you”). This grammatical distinction is called “clusivity.” While Semitic languages such as Hebrew or most Indo-European languages such as Greek or English do not make that distinction, translators of languages with that distinction have to make a choice every time they encounter “we” or a form thereof (in English: “we,” “our,” or “us”).

For this verse, translators in Pijin chose the inclusive form (including everyone).

Source: Bob Carter

steadfast love

The Hebrew that is translated as “steadfast love,” “lovingkindness” or similar in English is translated in Vidunda as “love of enduring.” (Source: Pioneer Bible Translators, project-specific translation notes in Paratext)

In Bura-Pabir it is translated as hyirkur na a palidzi wa or “love which cannot be-changed” and in the Hausa Common Language Ajami Bible as kaunarsa marar canjawa or “his love without changing.” (Source: Andy Warren-Rothlin)

In Pijin tinghevi long or “think heavy about” is used. “The Pijin expression ‘think heavy about’ is very much within the domain of committed relationships. The relationship between father and child, husband and wife, God and His people. There is a very strong element of ‘loyalty’ in this expression.” (Source: Bob Carter)

See also mercy and pain-love.