love (Luang)

The various Greek terms that are translated as “love” in English can be translated with various terms in Luang with different shades of meaning.

For Acts 7:46 and Titus 1:8, ralamni nala (“insides take”). “This term has the sense of finding favor with or being pleased by someone and is used for love between a man and a woman, between a parent and a much-loved child. It is also used of God’s being especially pleased with a human, such as he was with Noah and Moses. It can refer to loving objects good or bad, and to loving the world. The focus here is on some pleasing characteristic of the person or thing loved.”

For Mark 6:34, nmawaldoinla (“insides turn completely over”). “Love mixed with pity and distress. One can feel this for oneself as well as for others. Jesus felt this way when he looked at the multitudes who were like sheep without a shepherd.”

For Mark 1:11, lilili (“take care of, honor”). “Loving with special care, attention, and honor. This is the term often used for loving a dear child and God’s loving his Son.”

For 1 Thess. 2:8 and Mark 1:11, siayni (“love, pity”). “Affection for children or for those in difficult circumstances.”

For Titus 3:4 and 1 Thess. 1:2-3, ralamni kalwieda-paitiota (“good insides”). The focus of this term is the goodness of the one who loves. There is absolutely no focus whatsoever on the one loved, who may even be despicable. This term is often used for God’s love and mercy toward us especially in such verses as ‘God loved us, not because of what we have done, but because of his great mercy.'”

For 1 Thess. 1:4 and 2 Tim. 4:10, napalniana (“insides face”). “The sense of this term is very close to that of the sense of ‘ralamni nalal’ for ‘love’. It indicates something about the thing or person loved that pleases the one loving. However, the sense ‘ralamni nalal’ refers generally to love as an outcome of the loved one’s pleasing characteristics, while this term, when it collocates with human beings, is used more for love that results from the loved one’s loving actions. It is not used for the love between a man and a woman.”

The following are service-related terms for “love.” “There are several different words for love where the focus is on the act produced by love, not on the goodness of the one loving, the one being loved, or any emotion of affection or pity. These words are differentiated by the particular service given and are mainly used in verses where people are commanded to love one another.”

For 2 Thess. 1:3 and 1 Tim. 6:18, ra’a-palu (“love-widow”). “This term’s focus is on love displayed by giving to one another financially.”

For 1 Thess. 3:12, nhimpai-nmanatu (“hold out hands, place carefully”). This term’s focus is more on daily practical care of someone.

For Titus 2:2 and 1 Tim. 6:11, hima-re’a (“hold out hands”). “This term’s focus is on helping someone with their work.”

For 1 Thess. 4:9, mpiehwa-mliakta kalwiedweda (“good/careful actions”). “This term’s focus is on the proper treatment of others on meeting them. It implies being hospitable, polite, respecting.”

Source: Kathy Taber in Notes on Translation 1/1999, p. 9-16.

complete verse (1 Timothy 6:18)

Following are a number of back-translations of 1 Timothy 6:18:

  • Uma: “Advise them to always do good deeds, help others, give happily, and have good hearts [i.e., be kind].” (Source: Uma Back Translation)
  • Yakan: “Teach them also that they ought to always do good to their companions, so-then their good doings are already their riches. Tell them that they ought not to be stingy/miserly but they ought to be generous when/if they give to the ones who are in need.” (Source: Yakan Back Translation)
  • Western Bukidnon Manobo: “Tell the rich believers that they should hold tight to doing good for this is true wealth. They should be generous and helpful.” (Source: Western Bukidnon Manobo Back Translation)
  • Kankanaey: “Command them also to do good so that they will also be rich in good deeds. Also they should not hold-back/be-selfish-with their wealth (RL equivalent of generous) but rather they should share-with their companions.” (Source: Kankanaey Back Translation)
  • Tagbanwa: “Instruct them to keep on doing good works, for it’s all of these good works which they are doing which is true wealth, not that amount of money which can be accumulated. Therefore what is good is, don’t keep-for-oneself but rather they are to be generous and helpful to their fellowman.” (Source: Tagbanwa Back Translation)
  • Tenango Otomi: “Tell those people who have much money to do good. Because it is more valuable that they have done good than that they gather money. Tell them not to hold back from giving to people from what they find.” (Source: Tenango Otomi Back Translation)

Translation commentary on 1 Timothy 6:18

Doing good and being generous are here emphasized as virtues to be practiced by rich people. In the Greek this verse is not a complete sentence but is part of the sentence that started with verse 17. Therefore the main verb of this verse is “Command” at the beginning of verse 17, and this is made explicit in Good News Translation. The verse consists of two pairs, the first of which refers to doing good, and the second to being generous. To do good and to be rich in good deeds are synonymous; the repetition enhances the importance of this virtue. The second expression, to be rich in good deeds, is more emphatic and intensive than the first; once again it plays on the word rich. This would easily remind the wealthy that, in addition to being materially rich, they should also be rich in the many good deeds that they are capable of performing because of their material wealth. It may not be possible, of course, in some languages to retain the idiom, in which case the two parallel expressions can be combined in a meaningful way; for example, “do good in many ways” or “do many good deeds.”

Liberal and generous are also synonyms. Liberal is more accurately rendered as “generous” (Good News Translation, also New Revised Standard Version), while generous indicates readiness and willingness to share with others. The Greek word in this case is based on the word for “fellowship,” and this may indicate that the wealthy are being urged not only to share their material possessions with others (compare Good News Translation), but also to be involved themselves in various concerns of the Christian community. In many languages generous will be rendered figuratively; for example, “have a wide heart,” and so on.

Quoted with permission from Arichea, Daniel C. and Hatton, Howard A. A Handbook on Paul’s First Letter to Timothy. (UBS Handbook Series). New York: UBS, 1995. For this and other handbooks for translators see here .