leaven

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).

leaven

The Greek that is translated in English as “leaven” or “yeast” is translated in Alekano as “bile.”

Ellis Deibler (in Holzhausen 1991, p. 46f. explains): “A translation helper from the Gahuku people [one of the tribes that speak Alekano] and I had just finished translating chapter 5 of 1 Corinthians. In it, Paul gives instructions to the Corinthians on how to behave toward an immoral man in the church. In verse 6 it says ‘Do you not know that a little yeast leavens the whole batch of dough?’ Patiently, I explained to my trusted translation helper all about leaven and its function in baking bread. He shook his head in resignation and said, ‘We can try to translate it that way if you want, but people won’t understand. They don’t know how to bake bread, just as they don’t know what leaven is or what it does. How then will they understand what Paul is saying here? But …’ he added, following a sudden inspiration, ‘there would be another way. When we slaughter an animal, there’s a small part on its body that we never cut up, because otherwise when we cook it, all the rest of the meat becomes inedible.’ I could tell that he was thinking of bile. It was also clear to me that he had found a fitting example from the culture of his people. ‘We can translate it this way,’ he continued, ‘the gall bladder is a small thing, but if just a little of it is cooked together with the meat, the whole dish becomes so bitter that it cannot be eaten. Don’t you know that?’ He was quite confident in his version of translating this verse, but I had reservations. ‘What about the next verse, then, where Paul says to clean sweep out the old leaven?’, I asked. ‘Oh, that’s not difficult,’ he replied. Then he explained to me that it is customary among the Gahuku to use the word leaven figuratively to refer to an evil quality in a person, and added, ‘We can simply say, ‘Expel this disgusting stuff from your midst, and you will be truly palatable.” I thought about his suggestion for a while and discussed it at length with other colleagues. After that, I too was convinced that we had found an excellent substitute for the biblical figure of speech ‘leaven,’ and one that the Gahukus could not misunderstand. After all, they know a lot about cooking meat, but nothing at all about baking bread.”

See also leaven.

complete verse (1 Corinthians 5:6)

Following are a number of back-translations of 1 Corinthians 5:6:

  • Uma: “Do you think thus, that such behavior is good, that you are still proud? Don’t you know the words that say: ‘A little yeast makes a lot of flour rise’? That means one person who sins can wreck the harmony/fellowship of you all.” (Source: Uma Back Translation)
  • Yakan: “It does not hit-the-mark/is not right when you make yourselves great. You know hep this saying, it says, ‘A pinch of yeast (lit. for-rising) can cause the whole dough to rise.’ Those who do bad are like that yeast because if there is even only one doing bad finally the others will be influenced/carried along.” (Source: Yakan Back Translation)
  • Western Bukidnon Manobo: “Why are you so puffed up? You know the proverb which says, ‘Even if there is just a little bit of yeast, it can spread to a whole basin of flour in making bread.’ And as for evil-doing, it is just like yeast; because if one acts wickedly, he also can influence a lot of his companions.” (Source: Western Bukidnon Manobo Back Translation)
  • Kankanaey: “Your pride (lit. making-high your bodies) is bad. Don’t you know that even a little yeast/baking-powder causes-the entire mixture -to-swell?” (Source: Kankanaey Back Translation)
  • Tagbanwa: “That nature/way of yours of behaving-arrogantly is not good. What can you boast of when there is that disgusting behavior there? It would be good if you now remove it, or else it might spread among you. For do you not know that proverb which says, ‘A little raising-agent can cause to rise a whole bake-load of bread’?” (Source: Tagbanwa Back Translation)
  • Tenango Otomi: “Concerning the matter of what you are doing now, now it is not possible for you to continue being proud in that you say all is correct in how you walk. Do you not know that just a little bit of leaven will leaven all the dough?” (Source: Tenango Otomi Back Translation)

Translation commentary on 1 Corinthians 5:6

Boasting: see the comment on 4.18.

Not good: the text also suggests the meaning “not pleasant (to listen to).”

Other ways of rendering Your boasting is not good are “You should not be proud” or “You have no reason to be proud.”

Do you not know…? or “Don’t you know…?” is a phrase that Paul often used in reminding his readers of what they had already been taught (see 3.16; 6.2, 3, 9, 15, 16, 19). This rhetorical question is equivalent to a strong statement: “Surely you know…,” “Surely you have heard what is said in the past,” or “I am sure that you are familiar with the saying….”

Some biblical metaphors or figures of speech may be changed if necessary in translation, but the metaphor of leaven or “yeast” (Good News Bible) is so deeply rooted in Old Testament events and traditions that it must be kept here. If necessary the translator may have a footnote or a note in a glossary explaining this metaphor. A good example is the note on “yeast” in the Good News Bible Word List. Paul refers to some of these Jewish traditions in verses 7 and 8. In this passage, one aspect of the metaphor “yeast” suggests another aspect. In verses 6b, 7a, 7b, and 8, four different ideas are expressed with the language of “yeast” as the only link between them. Verse 6b, which may have been a proverb (compare Gal 5.9), contrasts the small amount of yeast with the much larger lump of dough that it causes to rise. The next verses go on to show that this effect is bad (contrast Matt 13.33 and Luke 13.20-21, which give a good meaning to the effect of yeast).

Quoted with permission from Ellingworth, Paul and Hatton, Howard A. A Handbook on Paul’s First Letter to the Corinthians, 2nd edition. (UBS Handbook Series). New York: UBS, 1985/1994. For this and other handbooks for translators see here .