The Hebrew, Aramaic, Latin, and Greek that is translated in English typically as “obedience” or “obey” is translated in Tepeuxila Cuicatec as “thing hearing.” “For to hear is to obey.” (Source: Marjorie Davis in The Bible Translator 1952, p. 34ff. )
In Huba it is translated as hya nǝu nyacha: “follow (his) mouth.” (Source: David Frank in this blog post )
In Central Mazahua it is translated as “listen-obey” and in Huehuetla Tepehua as “believe-obey” (source: Waterhouse / Parrott in Notes on Translation October 1967, p. 1ff.), and in Noongar as dwangka-don, lit. “hear do” (source: Portions of the Holy Bible in the Nyunga language of Australia, 2018).
Following are a number of back-translations of 2 Corinthians 7:15:
Uma: “And he himself, he has grown to love you even more, for he remembers that you followed his commands. Even though you were half afraid, you received him and submitted to him.” (Source: Uma Back Translation)
Yakan: “Therefore his love to you increases when he remembers that you really obeyed/followed what he commanded you and that you were afraid lest he was not pleased with you.” (Source: Yakan Back Translation)
Western Bukidnon Manobo: “That’s why he loves you even more, because he can remember how you obeyed my commands and how you welcomed him in spite of the fact that you were somewhat nervous when he arrived, because you were afraid that there was something that you had not obeyed.” (Source: Western Bukidnon Manobo Back Translation)
Kankanaey: “Therefore Tito loves you even-more now, for he remembers that you were pleased to obey all that he said and you also thoroughly respected/esteemed him on his arrival there.” (Source: Kankanaey Back Translation)
Tagbanwa: “Right now, Tito holds you all the more dear, for he remembers that you listened well to and obeyed with much fear all that he warned/advised you about.” (Source: Tagbanwa Back Translation)
Tenango Otomi: “So now Titus loves you even more. Because he remembers that all the words which he said to you were all paid attention to. All the words which he said to you, you earnestly did.” (Source: Tenango Otomi Back Translation)
Heart translates the Greek word “bowels” (see comments on 6.12). Even King James Version, which is normally quite literal, here translates “inward affection.” The whole expression his heart goes out … to you is more literally “his bowels are abundantly toward you.” This simply means that his love for the Christians at Corinth has grown stronger. New American Bible reads “His heart embraces you with an expanding love.” And Contemporary English Version conveys the same idea with the common language equivalent “Titus loves all of you very much.”
The word obedience is a noun in Greek. Some languages may need to use a verb and make explicit who obeyed whom, as does Good News Translation (Revised English Bible: “how ready you all were to do what he asked”).
Paul uses the words fear and trembling in 1 Cor 2.3; Eph 6.5; and Phil 2.12. Pointing to passages such as Exo 15.16 and Psa 2.11, where human beings respond with “fear and trembling” in awareness of God’s presence, some interpreters think Paul means here with “fear and trembling in the sight of God” (see 7.1, 12). More likely Titus was the object of their fear and trembling.
In some languages it may be more natural to restructure the ideas of this verse along the following lines: “Therefore, when he thinks of the way all of you obeyed him and how you received him with great respect, his love for you increases.”
Quoted with permission from Omanson, Roger L. and Ellingworth, Paul. A Handbook on Paul’s Second Letter to the Corinthians. (UBS Handbook Series). New York: UBS, 1993. For this and other handbooks for translators see here .
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