forgive, forgiveness

Click here to view graphically

The concept of “forgiveness” is expressed in varied ways through translations. Following is a list of (back-) translations from some languages:

  • Tswa, North Alaskan Inupiatun, Panao Huánuco Quechua: “forget about”
  • Navajo: “give back” (based on the idea that sin produces an indebtedness, which only the one who has been sinned against can restore)
  • Huichol, Shipibo-Conibo, Eastern Highland Otomi, Uduk, Tepo Krumen: “erase,” “wipe out,” “blot out”
  • Highland Totonac, Huautla Mazatec: “lose,” “make lacking”
  • Tzeltal: “lose another’s sin out of one’s heart”
  • Lahu, Burmese: “be released,” “be freed”
  • Ayacucho Quechua: “level off”
  • Yatzachi Zapotec: “cast away”
  • Chol: “pass by”
  • Wayuu: “make pass”
  • Kpelle: “turn one’s back on”
  • Chicahuaxtla Triqui: “cover over” (a figure of speech which is also employed in Hebrew, but which in many languages is not acceptable, because it implies “hiding” or “concealment”)
  • Tabasco Chontal, Huichol: “take away sins”
  • Toraja-Sa’dan, Javanese: “do away with sins”
  • San Blas Kuna: “erase the evil heart” (this and all above: Bratcher / Nida, except Tepo Krumen: Peter Thalmann in Holzhausen / Riderer 2010, p. 25f.)
  • Eggon: “withdraw the hand”
  • Mískito: “take a man’s fault out of your heart” (source of this and the one above: Kilgour, p. 80)
  • Western Parbate Kham: “unstring someone” (“hold a grudge” — “have someone strung up in your heart”) (source: Watters, p. 171)
  • Hawai’i Creole English: “let someone go” (source: Jost Zetzsche)
  • Cebuano: “go beyond” (based on saylo)
  • Iloko: “none” or “no more” (based on awan) (source for this and above: G. Henry Waterman in The Bible Translator 1960, p. 24ff. )
  • Tzotzil: ch’aybilxa: “it has been lost” (source: Aeilts, p. 118)
  • Suki: biaek eisaemauwa: “make heart soft” (Source L. and E. Twyman in The Bible Translator 1953, p. 91ff. )
  • Warao: “not being concerned with him clean your obonja.” Obonja is a term that “includes the concepts of consciousness, will, attitude, attention and a few other miscellaneous notions” (source: Henry Osborn in The Bible Translator 1969, p. 74ff. See other occurrences of Obojona in the Warao New Testament.)
  • Martu Wangka: “throw out badness” (source: Carl Gross)
  • Mairasi: “dismantle wrongs” (source: Enggavoter 2004)
  • Nyulnyul: “have good heart” (source
  • Koonzime: “remove the bad deed-counters” (“The Koonzime lay out the deeds symbolically — usually strips of banana leaf — and rehearse their grievances with the person addressed.”) (Source: Keith and Mary Beavon in Notes on Translation 3/1996, p. 16)
  • Ngbaka: ele: “forgive and forget” (Margaret Hill [in Holzhausen & Ridere 2010, p. 8f.] recalls that originally there were two different words used in Ngbaka, one for God (ɛlɛ) and one for people (mbɔkɔ — excuse something) since it was felt that people might well forgive but, unlike God, can’t forget. See also this lectionary in The Christian Century .
  • Amahuaca: “erase” / “smooth over” (“It was an expression the people used for smoothing over dirt when marks or drawings had been made in it. It meant wiping off dust in which marks had been made, or wiping off writing on the blackboard. To wipe off the slate, to erase, to take completely away — it has a very wide meaning and applies very well to God’s wiping away sins, removing them from the record, taking them away.”) (Source: Robert Russel, quoted in Walls / Bennett 1959, p. 193)

See also this devotion on YouVersion .

sin

The Hebrew and Greek that is typically translated as “sin” in English has a wide variety of translations.

The Greek ἁμαρτάνω (hamartanō) carries the original verbatim meaning of “miss the mark.” Likewise, many translations contain the “connotation of moral responsibility.” Loma has (for certain types of sin) “leaving the road” (which “implies a definite standard, the transgression of which is sin”) or Navajo uses “that which is off to the side.” (Source: Bratcher / Nida). In Toraja-Sa’dan the translation is kasalan, which originally meant “transgression of a religious or moral rule” and has shifted its meaning in the context of the Bible to “transgression of God’s commandments.” (Source: H. van der Veen in The Bible Translator 1950, p. 21ff. ).

In Shipibo-Conibo the term is hocha. Nida (1952, p. 149) tells the story of its choosing: “In some instances a native expression for sin includes many connotations, and its full meaning must be completely understood before one ever attempts to use it. This was true, for example, of the term hocha first proposed by Shipibo-Conibo natives as an equivalent for ‘sin.’ The term seemed quite all right until one day the translator heard a girl say after having broken a little pottery jar that she was guilty of ‘hocha.’ Breaking such a little jar scarcely seemed to be sin. However, the Shipibos insisted that hocha was really sin, and they explained more fully the meaning of the word. It could be used of breaking a jar, but only if the jar belonged to someone else. Hocha was nothing more nor less than destroying the possessions of another, but the meaning did not stop with purely material possessions. In their belief God owns the world and all that is in it. Anyone who destroys the work and plan of God is guilty of hocha. Hence the murderer is of all men most guilty of hocha, for he has destroyed God’s most important possession in the world, namely, man. Any destructive and malevolent spirit is hocha, for it is antagonistic and harmful to God’s creation. Rather than being a feeble word for some accidental event, this word for sin turned out to be exceedingly rich in meaning and laid a foundation for the full presentation of the redemptive act of God.”

In Kaingang, the translation is “break God’s word” and in Sandawe the original meaning of the Greek term (see above) is perfectly reflected with “miss the mark.” (Source: Ursula Wiesemann in Holzhausen / Riderer 2010, p. 36ff., 43)

In Warao it is translated as “bad obojona.” Obojona is a term that “includes the concepts of consciousness, will, attitude, attention and a few other miscellaneous notions.” (Source: Henry Osborn in The Bible Translator 1969, p. 74ff. ). See other occurrences of Obojona in the Warao New Testament.

Martin Ehrensvärd, one of the translators for the Danish Bibelen 2020, comments on the translation of this term: “We would explain terms, such that e.g. sin often became ‘doing what God does not want’ or ‘breaking God’s law’, ‘letting God down’, ‘disrespecting God’, ‘doing evil’, ‘acting stupidly’, ‘becoming guilty’. Now why couldn’t we just use the word sin? Well, sin in contemporary Danish, outside of the church, is mostly used about things such as delicious but unhealthy foods. Exquisite cakes and chocolates are what a sin is today.” (Source: Ehrensvärd in HIPHIL Novum 8/2023, p. 81ff. )

See also sinner.

brother (fellow believer)

The Greek that is translated in English as “brother” (in the sense of a fellow believer), is translated with a specifically coined word in Kachin: “There are two terms for brother in Kachin. One is used to refer to a Christian brother. This term combines ‘older and younger brother.’ The other term is used specifically for addressing siblings. When one uses this term, one must specify if the older or younger person is involved. A parallel system exists for ‘sister’ as well. In [these verses], the term for ‘a Christian brother’ is used.” (Source: Gam Seng Shae)

In Martu Wangka it is translated as “relative” (this is also the term that is used for “follower.”) (Source: Carl Gross)

See also brothers.

complete verse (Acts 13:38)

Following are a number of back-translations of Acts 13:38:

  • Uma: “So, relatives, that’s why a announced to you this news: with what happened to Yesus, your sins may be forgiven.” (Source: Uma Back Translation)
  • Yakan: “Na, my brothers,’ Paul said, ‘you all should really know that even if you obey the law of Musa, this really cannot take away your sins. But whoever of you trusts in Isa, all your sins are taken away. Therefore this message about Isa is proclaimed to you.” (Source: Yakan Back Translation)
  • Western Bukidnon Manobo: “It is necessary, brethren, that you understand that because of Jesus we are causing you now to understand that we (incl.) are forgiven by God of our bad customs.” (Source: Western Bukidnon Manobo Back Translation)
  • Kankanaey: “Companions, here-now I want you to come-to-know correctly that by-means-of what Jesus did, it is possible for God to forgive our sins.” (Source: Kankanaey Back Translation)
  • Tagbanwa: “Therefore it’s necessary that you comprehend this, brethren, this which we (excl.) are teaching you today that, because of what Jesus did, it’s possible that all your sin be forgiven.” (Source: Tagbanwa Back Translation)

Translation commentary on Acts 13:38 – 13:39

My brothers must here refer to more persons than just Jews since Paul includes not only fellow Israelites, but also the Gentiles to whom he is speaking. Most languages permit this type of extension of a word such as “brothers” or “relatives” in view of the distinctive usage which applies such a term of lineage to those who become spiritually related through their faith in Jesus Christ.

The phrase through Jesus may be related either to the forgiveness of sins or to the verb expression is preached to you. However, the position of this phrase in the Greek text would suggest that it is related to the preaching and may be expressed in some languages as “by what Jesus himself did” or “by what Jesus experienced.”

In verse 30 Paul mentions the fact of the resurrection, which he confirmed in verse 31 by the evidence of those who had seen the risen Lord. In verses 32-37 he appeals to the Scripture as further evidence of the resurrection of Jesus, and now he shows the significance that Jesus’ resurrection holds for the life of the believers. Paul mentions two important results of the resurrection, and the Good News Translation has restructured the Greek sentence order so as to show to the reader that these are basically parallel thoughts, forgiveness of sins and set free from … sins. For an English speaker it is more natural to say the message about forgiveness of sins is preached than it would be to repeat the literal Greek expression “the forgiveness of sins is preached.” The verb translated set free appears only in this verse in Acts; it is the term, often translated “justified,” that Paul uses so often in his letters. The Greek word itself is a term from the law courts, describing the condition of a person who has been declared innocent of the charges brought against him (see An American Translation* “is cleared of every charge”) and so it may be rendered “be set free from” (Revised Standard Version), “be acquitted of” (New American Bible; see New English Bible, Barclay), or “absolve you from” (Moffatt). In the epistles, however, the emphasis is on the believer’s new relationship with God, and hence the Good News Translation usually translates the verb as “to be put right with God.”

Everyone who believes in him is set free from all the sins from which the Law of Moses could not set you free may be taken to mean one of two things: (1) the Law of Moses could set a man free from some sins though not from others, but the believer is now set free from these other sins as well; or (2) the Law of Moses cannot set a person free from any sin, but belief in Christ sets (one) free from all … sins. In light of the total New Testament message, and especially in light of what Paul says elsewhere, the second of these possibilities is much more probable.

Set free from … sins may be rendered as “caused you to be guiltless of sins,” but it is difficult to combine such an expression readily in the clause from which the Law of Moses could set you free. In some languages this last clause is combined with the previous one in the following way: “is declared innocent from all his sins, but the Law of Moses could not declare him innocent of his sins.” There is, however, an additional difficulty in shifting from the third person to the second person—everyone who believes … you. In many languages one cannot shift in this manner and therefore one must translate as “you are to know that if you believe in Jesus you are set free (or, he sets you free) from all your sins from which the Law of Moses could not set you free.”

Quoted with permission from Newman, Barclay M. and Nida, Eugene A. A Handbook on The Acts of the Apostles. (UBS Handbook Series). New York: UBS, 1972. For this and other handbooks for translators see here .