save

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The Greek term that is translated as a form of “save” in English is translated in Shipibo-Conibo with a phrase that means literally “make to live,” which combines the meaning of “to rescue” and “to deliver from danger,” but also the concept of “to heal” or “restore to health.”

In San Blas Kuna it is rendered as “help the heart,” in Laka, it is “take by the hand” in the meaning of “rescue” or “deliver,” in Huautla Mazatec the back-translation of the employed term is “lift out on behalf of,” in Anuak, it is “have life because of,” in Central Mazahua “be healed in the heart,” in Baoulé “save one’s head” (meaning to rescue a person in the fullest sense), in Guerrero Amuzgo “come out well,” in Northwestern Dinka “be helped as to his breath” (or “life”) (source: Bratcher / Nida), and in Noongar barrang-ngandabat or “hold life” (source: Warda-Kwabba Luke-Ang).

In South Bolivian Quechua it is “make to escape” and in Highland Puebla Nahuatl, it is “cause people to come out with the aid of the hand.” (Source: Nida 1947, p. 222.)

See also salvation.

teach

The Greek that is translated as a form of “teach” is translated with some figurative phrases such as “to engrave the mind” (Ngäbere) or “to cause others to imitate” (Huichol). (Source: Bratcher / Nida)

In Noongar it is translated as karni-waangki or “truth saying” (source: Warda-Kwabba Luke-Ang).

circumcise, circumcision

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The Hebrew and Greek terms that are translated as “circumcise” or “circumcision” in English (originally meaning of English term: “to cut around”) are (back-) translated in various ways:

  • Chimborazo Highland Quichua: “cut the flesh”
  • San Miguel El Grande Mixtec, Navajo: “cut around”
  • Javanese: “clip-away”
  • Uab Meto: “pinch and cut” (usually shortened to “cut”)
  • North Alaskan Inupiatun, Western Highland Purepecha: “put the mark”
  • Tetelcingo Nahuatl: “put the mark in the body showing that they belong to God” (or: “that they have a covenant with God”)
  • Indonesian: disunat — “undergo sunat” (sunat is derived from Arabic “sunnah (سنة)” — “(religious) way (of life)”)
  • Ekari: “cut the end of the member for which one fears shame” (in Gen. 17:10) (but typically: “the cutting custom”) (source for this and above: Reiling / Swellengrebel)
  • Hiri Motu: “cut the skin” (source: Deibler / Taylor 1977, p. 1079)
  • Garifuna: “cut off part of that which covers where one urinates”
  • Bribri: “cut the soft” (source for this and the one above: Ronald Ross)
  • Amele: deweg cagu qoc — “cut the body” (source: John Roberts)
  • Eastern Highland Otomi: “cut the flesh of the sons like Moses taught” (source: Ronald D. Olson in Notes on Translation January, 1968, p. 15ff.)
  • Newari: “put the sign in one’s body” (Source: Newari Back Translation)
  • Central Mazahua: “sign in his flesh”
  • Hopi: “being cut in a circle in his body” (source for this and above: Waterhouse / Parrott in Notes on Translation October 1967, p. 1ff.)
  • Mandarin Chinese: gēlǐ (割礼 / 割禮) or “rite of cutting” (Protestant); gēsǔn (割损 / 割損) or “cut + loss” (Catholic) (Source: Zetzsche)
  • Tibetan: mdun lpags gcod (མདུན་​ལྤགས་​གཅོད།), lit. “fore + skin + cut” (source: gSungrab website )
  • Kutu: “enter the cloth (=undergarments)” (source: Pioneer Bible Translators, project-specific translation notes in Paratext)

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 15:1)

Following are a number of back-translations of Acts 15:1:

  • Uma: “There were several Yahudi people from Yudea who believed in Lord Yesus who went to the town of Antiokhia. Those Yahudi people taught the followers of Yesus in Antiokhia, they taught them saying to them: ‘If you are not circumcised according to the custom in the Law of Musa, you will definitely not be freed from the punishment of your sins!'” (Source: Uma Back Translation)
  • Yakan: “Then there were some people from Yahudiya who went to Antiyok. They taught the ones trusting in Isa there. They said, ‘You cannot be saved if you are not circumcised as commanded by Musa.'” (Source: Yakan Back Translation)
  • Western Bukidnon Manobo: “At that time there were Jewish believers from the province of Judea who went to the town of Antioch. And as for these people, there was that which they taught to the believers who were not Jews who were from Antioch. They said, ‘If you do not obey what was commanded to us (incl.) in the law which Moses left behind that you be circumcised, you cannot be freed from punishment.'” (Source: Western Bukidnon Manobo Back Translation)
  • Kankanaey: “When that was so, there were those who came-from Judea who went to Antiok to teach those who believed. They said, ‘It is not possible that you will be saved if you don’t have-yourselves-circumcised to obey the custom that Moses taught.'” (Source: Kankanaey Back Translation)
  • Tagbanwa: “Well, when they were now there at Antioquia some people arrived who came from Judea. When they arrived, they began to teach those who were not Jews saying, ‘Brethren, unless you have yourselves circumcized, that being what is said in the laws of Moises, you won’t be saved.'” (Source: Tagbanwa Back Translation)

Judah, Judea

The name that is transliterated as “Judah” or “Judea” in English (referring to the son of Jacob, the tribe, and the territory) is translated in Spanish Sign Language as “lion” (referring to Genesis 49:9 and Revelation 5:5). This sign for lion is reserved for regions and kingdoms. (Source: John Elwode in The Bible Translator 2008, p. 78ff. and Steve Parkhurst)


“Judah” and “Judea” in Spanish Sign Language, source: Sociedad Bíblica de España

See also Judah.

Moses

The name that is transliterated as “Moses” in English is signed in Spanish Sign Language and Polish Sign Language in accordance with the depiction of Moses in the famous statue by Michelangelo (see here ). (Source: John Elwode in The Bible Translator 2008, p. 78ff.)


“Moses” in Spanish Sign Language, source: Sociedad Bíblica de España

American Sign Language also uses the sign depicting the horns but also has a number of alternative signs (see here).

In French Sign Language, a similar sign is used, but it is interpreted as “radiance” (see below) and it culminates in a sign for “10,” signifying the 10 commandments:


“Moses” in French Sign Language (source )

The horns that are visible in Michelangelo’s statue are based on a passage in the Latin Vulgate translation (and many Catholic Bible translations that were translated through the 1950ies with that version as the source text). Jerome, the translator, had worked from a Hebrew text without the niqquds, the diacritical marks that signify the vowels in Hebrew and had interpreted the term קרו (k-r-n) in Exodus 34:29 as קֶ֫רֶן — keren “horned,” rather than קָרַו — karan “radiance” (describing the radiance of Moses’ head as he descends from Mount Sinai).

Even at the time of his translation, Jerome likely was not the only one making that decision as this recent article alludes to.

In Swiss-German Sign Language it is translated with a sign depicting holding a staff. This refers to a number of times where Moses’s staff is used in the context of miracles, including the parting of the sea (see Exodus 14:16), striking of the rock for water (see Exodus 17:5 and following), or the battle with Amalek (see Exodus 17:9 and following).


“Moses” in Swiss-German Sign Language, source: DSGS-Lexikon biblischer Begriffe , © CGG Schweiz

In Estonian Sign Language Moses is depicted with a big beard. (Source: Liina Paales in Folklore 47, 2011, p. 43ff.)

See also Moses and Elijah during the Transfiguration.

Translation commentary on Acts 15:1

Some men is intentionally given by Luke as a vague and indefinite reference. The Greek text has “came down from Judea,” but the place to which they came is Antioch, and the Good News Translation has made this information explicit, some men came from Judea to Antioch. This mention of Antioch also serves as a transitional device to link the first part of Chapter 15 to the immediately preceding paragraph.

In this context it is not easy to translate satisfactorily the term brothers. These are, of course, the “fellow believers.” In most languages the Christian community does develop a term for relatives which is applicable to the community of believers, but this may be a highly specialized usage and can create a number of problems. In some situations one must employ an expression which is practically equivalent to “believers who formed a family” or “the family of believers,” since the term brothers implies two essential components of meaning: (1) the close relationship which the members of the Christian community felt for one another and (2) their common faith in Jesus Christ.

Started teaching is a verb tense which indicates action in progress, with emphasis upon the initiation of the action (see also New American Bible, New English Bible, Phillips “began to teach”).

In a language which cannot employ a passive expression one must make some adaptation of the phrase cannot be saved. In general this is rendered as “God will not save you unless…” or even “God cannot save you unless….” (See also 16.30.)

As the Law of Moses requires translates “according to the custom of Moses,” but “the custom of Moses” refers to the requirements of the Mosaic Law (cf. New English Bible “in accordance with Mosaic practice”). As noted previously, the expression the Law of Moses must indicate that this is the law that comes through Moses. It is not the law that he possessed. The equivalent of requires may be rendered as “you must be circumcised just like the Law of Moses says you must.”

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 .