Most High

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The Hebrew, Aramaic, Latin, or Greek that is translated as “(God) the Most High” or “Most High God” in English is translated in various way:

soul

The Hebrew, Greek, and Latin that is translated as “soul” in English is translated in Chol with a term that refers to the invisible aspects of human beings (source: Robert Bascom).

The Mandarin Chinese línghún (靈魂 / 灵魂), literally “spirit-soul,” is often used for “soul” (along with xīn [心] or “heart”). This is a term that was adopted from Buddhist sources into early Catholic writings and later also by Protestant translators. (Source: Zetzsche 1996, p. 32, see also Clara Ho-yan Chan in this article )

See also heart, soul, mind.

Translation commentary on 2 Esdras 5:22

Then my soul recovered the spirit of understanding: This clause means Ezra became calm enough to think about what he wanted to say. It may be rendered “but I recovered my ability to think” (Good News Bible) or “But soon I could think clearly again.”

And I began once more to speak words in the presence of the Most High: For the Most High, see the comments on 2 Esd 3.3.

Good News Bible provides a helpful model for this verse. Another possible one is:

• But when I was able to think clearly enough to put my thoughts into words, I spoke to God Most High again.

Quoted with permission from Bullard, Roger A. and Hatton, Howard A. A Handbook on 1-2 Esdras. (UBS Helps for Translators). Miami: UBS, 2019. For this and other handbooks for translators see here.