hypocrisy

The term that is translated as “hypocrisy” in English versions is translated with a term in Oxchuc Tzeltal that means “two hearts,” in Central Pame “two mouths” (source: Nida 1952, p. 150), and in San Miguel El Grande Mixtec “having two heads” (source: Nida 1947, p. 150).

Kituba uses a specialized idiom for “hypocrisy”: “eye under leaf” (source: Reiling / Swellengrebel) and in the Mandarin Chinese Union Version the four-character phrase jiǎmào wéi shàn (假冒为善 / 假冒為善), lit. “impersonate for good” is used (source: Zetzsche).

See also hypocrite.

envy

The Greek that is translated as “envy” in most English translations is, according to Nida (1952, p. 134), translated into Tzeltal and Tabasco Chontal in the following manner:

“Envy is bred of covetousness and self-centeredness. The Tzeltals, who recognize a covetous man as having a ‘small heart,’ say that an envious person has ‘a greedy heart.’ ‘Small hearts’ and ‘greedy hearts’ go together, and the soul shrinks in direct proportion to its greediness. The envious person is never satisfied, for he can never keep step with his own insatiable ego.

“The Chontal Indians, living in the low, swampy delta land of Tabasco in southern Mexico, regard envy in a more subtle way. They say of the man who is envious of his neighbor, ‘He did not want to see his neighbor.’ This describes the end result of envy. People cannot bear to see others enjoying the privileges which they insist should be their own. The envious man has acquired such a self-directed stare that he cannot take his eyes off self to see another’s enjoyment.”

In Central Mazahua is is translated as “jealous of each other, their fellow people” and in Sayula Popoluca as “hate those who have something.” (Source: Waterhouse / Parrott in Notes on Translation October 1967, p. 1ff.)

complete verse (1 Peter 2:1)

Following are a number of back-translations of 1 Peter 2:1:

  • Uma: “That’s why I admonish you, relatives, let go of every kind of evil deed and all lying words. Do not any longer deceive, don’t envy, don’t disparage others.” (Source: Uma Back Translation)
  • Yakan: “Therefore leave all bad doings. Don’t lie anymore. Don’t be just good on the outside but bad in your liver but/instead your behavior/conduct should be good really from inside the liver. Don’t be envious of your fellow-men/companions and don’t slander your fellow-men/companions.” (Source: Yakan Back Translation)
  • Western Bukidnon Manobo: “Now since we are new people, let us abandon every kind of harmful activity and lying. It is necessary that our following God is not a lie; we must not be jealous and we must not insult people.” (Source: Western Bukidnon Manobo Back Translation)
  • Kankanaey: “Therefore since you have new life, turn-your -backs-on all evil and all lies and trickery. Avoid also all purposes/motives and deeds that are not sincere/heartfelt and all jealousy and bad words concerning your companions.” (Source: Kankanaey Back Translation)
  • Tagbanwa: “Therefore drop habits of being hurtful to your fellowman, being deceptive, being hypocritical, envious, and all forms of fabricating-lies-about one’s fellowman.” (Source: Tagbanwa Back Translation)
  • Tenango Otomi: “Now separate yourselves from all evil. And do not want that only on the outside you appear to be good at heart, rather want it to be true what you speak. Do not be jealous. And do not speak evil of anyone.” (Source: Tenango Otomi Back Translation)
  • Martu Wangka: “You should sit well toward other people and you should not dislike them. You should sit well for other people and you should not lie to other people. You should sit well to other people and you shouldn’t criticize other people — you should sit well to other people and you shouldn’t deceive them. If another person has belongings, don’t be angry towards him.” (Source: Carl Gross)

Translation commentary on 1 Peter 2:1

This verse begins with “therefore” (Good News Translation then), thus connecting the passage closely with what precedes.

Rid yourselves (compare Revised Standard Version “put away”) translates a metaphorical expression which in the New Testament is connected with various images, such as that of wiping away dirt (James 1.21; 1 Peter 3.21), and of taking off old clothes and putting on new ones (Rom 13.12; Col 3.5; Eph 4.22; etc.). In every case, the expression is used as an appeal to stop doing something which is considered evil. To capture this meaning, many translations employ various metaphorical expressions (for example, New American Bible “strip away”; Knox “put aside”), or else, like Good News Translation, translate the expression in a non-metaphorical manner (for example, New English Bible “away with all malice…”; Jerusalem Bible “Be sure … you are never spiteful…”).

It is possible to take Rid yourselves not as imperative, but as indicative, translating the aorist participle as “having put off” (Kelly). Almost all translations, however, prefer the imperative form.

One of the difficulties involved in a literal rendering of Rid yourselves is the implication that the evil is in some measure external to the individual, but sin obviously is not something that one can simply brush away or wash off. It may therefore be necessary to restructure the expression Rid yourselves, then, of all evil as “quit, therefore, doing any kind of sin.” Since the first expression of verse 1 is a general one followed by specific instances of various kinds of sin, such a generic translation as “stop sinning in any and all ways” may be a very satisfactory introductory expression.

What follows is a list of vices to be avoided. Such lists are quite common in the New Testament (for example, Rom 1.29, 30; 2 Cor 12.20; Eph 4.31; Col 3.8; 1 Tim 1.9, 10), and were used by the early church as part of teaching new converts, a practice which was common among both Jews and Greeks. In 1 Peter, the list concentrates on evil practices which are incompatible with Christian love as mentioned in 1.22.

The word translated evil also occurs in Matthew 6.34 (Good News Bible troubles); Romans 1.29 (Good News Bible wickedness); and 1 Corinthians 14.20 (Good News Bible evil). Here, there are three possible ways of understanding it: (1) as a general term for all the specific vices mentioned after it, which is the position taken by the Good News Translation (compare Die Bibel im heutigen Deutsch “make an end to everything that isn’t right”); (2) as one vice in addition to the others. This is supported by the Greek text in that “all” (Greek panta) is used both before evil and the next vice in the list (literally “all wickedness and all deceit”), and many modern translations seem to understand it in this way (for example, Jerusalem Bible “never spiteful, or deceitful,” etc.; Phillips “all evil and deceit, all pretence,” etc.; also Barclay, Moffatt, Knox, New International Version). (3) A third possibility is to understand evil as a comprehensive term which together with the second vice in the list is made more specific by those vices enumerated after it (for example, New American Bible “everything vicious, everything deceitful; pretenses…”).

Lying is literally “deceit” or “treachery,” but refers specifically to deceitful speech. Since lying is such a universal pattern of behavior, there is no difficulty involved in finding at least one, if not several, ways of talking about verbal deception. In some languages, however, this may be expressed quite metaphorically, for example, “to speak only with the mouth” or “to use the mouth to cover the heart” or “to talk too much” (with the implication that those who talk too much are bound to say something which is not true) or “to speak with two tongues.”

Hypocrisy primarily means doing something in order to impress others, although the person doing it may not believe in what he is doing (compare Revised Standard Version “insincerity”; New English Bible “pretense”; Barclay “two-faced behavior”). In some instances hypocrisy is rendered as “to wear a mask” or “to cover up one’s faults” or “to pretend goodness.”

Jealousy should not be taken in the popular romantic sense, but in the sense of envy, the feeling of resentment or hatred over someone who has something which the other does not have (compare Barclay “envious behavior”; Knox “grudges”). It may be necessary in some instances to spell out the meaning of jealousy by a phrase, for example, “to hate someone because the person has something one wants,” but normally there are a number of metaphorical expressions which may be employed, for example, “to feel pain in the heart because of others’ prosperity” or “to desire another’s happiness” or “to have a bitter stomach because of another’s good fortune.”

Insulting language translates a Greek word which can be literally rendered “evil speech,” and primarily describes the act of speaking about others in order to belittle or defame them (compare New American Bible “disparaging remark of any kind”; Jerusalem Bible “critical of each other”; Barclay “slanderous gossip”; Biblia Dios Habla Hoy “all kinds of gossip”). Insulting language may by expressed metaphorically as “to shoot people with words” or “to harm others by whispering” or “to spoil someone’s honor with evil words.”

Quoted with permission from Arichea, Daniel C. and Nida, Eugene A. A Handbook on The First Letter from Peter. (UBS Handbook Series). New York: UBS, 1980. For this and other handbooks for translators see here .