worship

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The Hebrew, Aramaic and Greek terms that are often translated as “worship” (also, “kneel down” or “bow down”) are likewise translated in other languages in certain categories, including those based on physical activity, those which incorporate some element of “speaking” or “declaring,” and those which specify some type of mental activity.

Following is a list of (back-) translations (click or tap for details):

  • Javanese: “prostrate oneself before”
  • Malay: “kneel and bow the head”
  • Kaqchikel: “kneel before”
  • Loma (Liberia): “drop oneself beneath God’s foot”
  • Tepeuxila Cuicatec: “wag the tail before God” (using a verb which with an animal subject means “to wag the tail,” but with a human subject)
  • Tzotzil: “join to”
  • Kpelle: “raise up a blessing to God”
  • Kekchí: “praise as your God”
  • Cashibo-Cacataibo: “say one is important”
  • San Blas Kuna: “think of God with the heart”
  • Rincón Zapotec: “have one’s heart go out to God”
  • Tabasco Chontal: “holy-remember” (source of this and all above: Bratcher / Nida)
  • Q’anjob’al: “humble oneself before” (source: Newberry and Kittie Cox in The Bible Translator 1950, p. 91ff. )
  • Alur: rwo: “complete submission, adoration, consecration” (source: F. G. Lasse in The Bible Translator 1956, p. 22ff. )
  • Obolo: itọtọbọ ebum: “express reverence and devotion” (source: Enene Enene)
  • Ngäbere: “cut oneself down before” (“This figure of speech comes from the picture of towering mahoganies in the forest which, under the woodman’s ax, quiver, waver, and then in solemn, thunderous crashing bury their lofty heads in the upstretched arms of the surrounding forest. This is the experience of every true worshiper who sees ‘the Lord, high and lifted up.’ Our own unworthiness brings us low. As the Valientes say, ‘we cut ourselves down before’ His presence. Our heads, which have been carried high in self-confidence, sink lower and lower in worship.)
  • Tzeltal: “end oneself before God.” (“Only by coming to the end of oneself can one truly worship. The animist worships his deities in the hope of receiving corresponding benefits, and some pagans in Christendom think that church attendance is a guarantee of success in this life and good luck in the future. But God has never set a price on worship except the price that we must pay, namely, ‘coming to the end of ourselves.'”) (Source of this and the one above: Nida 1952, p. 163)
  • Folopa: “die under God” (“an idiom that roughly back-translates “dying under God” which means lifting up his name and praising him and to acknowledge by everything one does and thanks that God is superior.”) (Source: Anderson / Moore, p. 202)
  • Chokwe: kuivayila — “rub something on” (“When anyone goes into the presence of a king or other superior, according to native law and custom the inferior gets down on the ground, takes a little earth in the fingers of his right hand, rubs it on his own body, and then claps his hands in homage and the greeting of friendship. It is a token of veneration, of homage, of extreme gratitude for some favor received. It is also a recognition of kingship, lordship, and a prostrating of oneself in its presence. Yet it simply is the applicative form of ‘to rub something on oneself’, this form of the verb giving the value of ‘because of.’ Thus in God’s presence as king and Lord we metaphorically rub dirt on ourselves, thus acknowledging Him for what He really is and what He has done for us.”) (Source: D. B. Long in The Bible Translator 1952, p. 87ff. )

In Luang it is translated with different shades of meaning:

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

Translation commentary on 2 Chronicles 7:19

Verses 19-20 are a conditional sentence. Verse 19 is the “if” part, and verse 20 is the conclusion or “then” part. In some languages it will be more natural to break this complex sentence up into several sentences.

But renders the common Hebrew conjunction. Here it introduces a contrast with the previous two verses. In verses 19-22 God tells the consequences of worshiping other gods.

If you turn aside and forsake my statutes and my commandments: The pronoun for you is plural in Hebrew, but when it is translated into English it becomes ambiguous since the singular and plural forms are identical. Good News Translation makes the meaning clear by saying “you and your people.” Other English versions resort to a footnote to communicate this meaning (so Revised Standard Version, New International Version). But in most languages there will be no problem since there are distinct pronouns for the singular and plural. Translators must simply be careful not to be misled by the lack of clarity of the English.

The Hebrew verbs rendered turn aside and forsake are virtually synonymous and may be translated by a single verb if the receptor language lacks synonyms; for example, Good News Translation renders both verbs as “disobey.” Grammatically, my statutes and my commandments is the object for both these verbs. But the implied object of the first verb is taken by Bible en français courant as God, which renders turn aside as “turn away from me.” The Hebrew words for statutes and commandments have almost the same meaning in this context. See the comments on 1 Chr 29.19 for these two terms.

Which I have set before you: The Hebrew pronoun for you is plural again. This clause is left implied by Contemporary English Version, but in most languages it will be a good idea to express it. Two possible models are “which I have given to you” and “which I have established for you” (La Bible du Semeur).

And go and serve other gods and worship them: Go and serve is literally “walk and serve.” Perhaps the verb go is to be understood literally as “go to places where other gods are worshiped.” But sometimes when the Hebrew verb for “walk” is used with another verb, it functions to illustrate the following verb. New American Bible handles it in this way by saying “proceed to venerate.” Another possible model is “undertake to serve.” Good News Translation does not translate these two verbs separately but combines them with the verb “worship” as one single event.

In those languages where the word “God” can refer only to the one true God, it will be possible to translate other gods as “idols [as if they were God].”

The Hebrew verb rendered worship is literally “bow down to.” In languages where bowing down carries the meaning of worship, it may be preferable to translate literally here in order to indicate the form in which they worshiped other gods. Revised English Bible does this by saying “bow down before them.”

Quoted with permission from Omanson, Roger L. and Ellington, John E. A Handbook on 1-2 Chronicles, Volume 1. (UBS Helps for Translators). Miami: UBS, 2014. For this and other handbooks for translators see here .