mystery

The Greek that is translated as “mystery” in English is translated as “wisdom which was hidden” in Mezquital Otomi, as “that was not possible to be understood before” in Huehuetla Tepehua, and as “which was not known in time past” in Central Tarahumara. (Source: Waterhouse / Parrott in Notes on Translation October 1967, p. 1ff.)

inclusive vs. exclusive pronoun (Eph. 1:9)

Many languages distinguish between inclusive and exclusive first-person plural pronouns (“we”). (Click or tap here to see more details)

The inclusive “we” specifically includes the addressee (“you and I and possibly others”), while the exclusive “we” specifically excludes the addressee (“he/she/they and I, but not you”). This grammatical distinction is called “clusivity.” While Semitic languages such as Hebrew or most Indo-European languages such as Greek or English do not make that distinction, translators of languages with that distinction have to make a choice every time they encounter “we” or a form thereof (in English: “we,” “our,” or “us”).

For this verse, translators typically select the inclusive form (including the addressee).

Source: Velma Pickett and Florence Cowan in Notes on Translation January 1962, p. 1ff.

complete verse (Ephesians 1:9)

Following are a number of back-translations of Ephesians 1:9:

  • Uma: “According to his own desire, he made-known-to us his plan/intention that was not yet known by mankind from long ago. That intention of his: that every [kind of] thing, both what is in heaven and what is on earth, he will unite/make-at-peace in/by their connection with Kristus, and Kristus becomes like the Head of every thing. From long ago he made certain beforehand his intention that he would do with Kristus, and that intention of his he will make come to pass when the time comes.” (Source: Uma Back Translation)
  • Yakan: “he has already/now made known to us (incl.) what he planned beforehand/of old. Formerly nobody knew this. And beforehand he thought/had-in-mind that Almasi should be the-one-to-fulfill all these (things) that he wanted to do.” (Source: Yakan Back Translation)
  • Western Bukidnon Manobo: “He has explained to us that which was formerly hidden which He was going to do, because this is His purpose and desire. And He decided beforehand that by means of Christ,” (Source: Western Bukidnon Manobo Back Translation)
  • Kankanaey: “Because he made-known to us his plan which was not made-known previously which he decided (lit. his thought) would be fulfilled because-of Cristo.” (Source: Kankanaey Back Translation)
  • Tagbanwa: “For now, because this is his will, he has made known his determined-plan which, for this time, he had still been hiding, that determined-plan that he would cause to be fulfilled in Cristo.” (Source: Tagbanwa Back Translation)
  • Tenango Otomi: “And God, concerning this word which was not known about, caused that it become known about what was determined to be done.” (Source: Tenango Otomi Back Translation)

Christ, Messiah

Click here to view graphically

The Greek Christos (Χρηστός) is typically transliterated when it appears together with Iésous (Ἰησοῦς) (Jesus). In English the transliteration is the Anglicized “Christ,” whereas in many other languages it is based on the Greek or Latin as “Kristus,” “Cristo,” or similar.

When used as a descriptive term in the New Testament — as it’s typically done in the gospels (with the possible exceptions of for instance John 1:17 and 17:3) — Christos is seen as the Greek translation of the Hebrew mashiaḥ (המשיח‎) (“anointed”). Accordingly, a transliteration of mashiaḥ is used, either as “Messiah” or based on the Greek or Latin as a form of “Messias.”

This transliteration is also used in the two instances where the Greek term Μεσσίας (Messias) is used in John 1:41 and 4:25.

In some languages and some translations, the term “Messiah” is supplemented with an explanation. Such as in the German Gute Nachricht with “the Messiah, the promised savior” (Wir haben den Messias gefunden, den versprochenen Retter) or in Muna with “Messiah, the Saving King” (Mesias, Omputo Fosalamatino) (source: René van den Berg).

In predominantly Muslim areas or for Bible translations for a Muslim target group, Christos is usually transliterated from the Arabic al-Masih (ٱلْمَسِيحِ) — “Messiah.” In most cases, this practice corresponds with languages that also use a form of the Arabic Isa (عيسى) for Jesus (see Jesus). There are some exceptions, though, including modern translations in Arabic which use Yasua (يَسُوعَ) (coming from the Aramaic Yēšūa’) alongside a transliteration of al-Masih, Hausa which uses Yesu but Almahisu, and some Fula languages (Adamawa Fulfulde, Nigerian Fulfulde, and Central-Eastern Niger Fulfulde) which also use a form of Iésous (Yeesu) but Almasiihu (or Almasiifu) for Christos.

In Indonesian, while most Bible translations had already used Yesus Kristus rather than Isa al Masih, three public holidays used to be described using the term Isa Al Masih. From 2024 the government will use Yesus Kristus in those holiday names instead (see this article in Christianity Today ).

Other solutions that are used by a number of languages include these:

  • Dobel: “The important one that God had appointed to come” (source: Jock Hughes)
  • Noongar: Keny Mammarap or “The One Man” (source: Warda-Kwabba Luke-Ang)
  • Mairasi: “King of not dying for life all mashed out infinitely” (for “mashed out,” see salvation; source: Lloyd Peckham)
  • Western Bukidnon Manobo: “One chosen by God to rule mankind” (source: Western Bukidnon Manobo Back Translation)
  • Bacama: Ma Pwa a Ngɨltən: “The one God has chosen” (source: David Frank in this blog post )
  • Binumarien: Anutuna: originally a term that was used for a man that was blessed by elders for a task by the laying on of hands (source: Desmond Oatridges, Holzhausen 1991, p. 49f.)
  • Noongar: Keny Boolanga-Yira Waangki-Koorliny: “One God is Sending” (source: Warda-Kwabba Luke-Ang)
  • Uab Meto: Neno Anan: “Son of heaven” P. Middelkoop explains: “The idea of heavenly power bestowed on a Timorese king is rendered in the title Neno Anan. It is based on the historical fact that chiefs in general came from overseas and they who come thence are believed to have come down from heaven, from the land beyond the sea, that means the sphere of God and the ghosts of the dead. The symbolical act of anointing has been made subservient to the revelation of an eternal truth and when the term Neno Anan is used as a translation thereof, it also is made subservient to a new revelation of God in Jesus Christ. The very fact that Jesus came from heaven makes this translation hit the mark.” (Source: P. Middelkoop in The Bible Translator 1953, p. 183ff. )

In Finnish Sign Language both “Christ” and “Messiah” are translated with sign signifying “king.” (Source: Tarja Sandholm)


“Christ / Messiah” in Finnish Sign Language (source )

Law (2013, p. 97) writes about how the Ancient Greek Septuagint‘s translation of the Hebrew mashiah was used by the New Testament writers as a bridge between the Old and New Testaments (click or tap here to read more):

“Another important word in the New Testament that comes from the Septuagint is christos, ‘Christ.’ Christ is not part of the name of the man from Nazareth, as if ‘the Christs’ were written above the door of his family home. Rather, ‘Christ’ is an explicitly messianic title used by the writers of the New Testament who have learned this word from the Septuagint’s translation of the Hebrew mashiach, ‘anointed,’ which itself is often rendered in English as ‘Messiah.’ To be sure, one detects a messianic intent on the part of the Septuagint translator in some places. Amos 4:13 may have been one of these. In the Hebrew Bible, God ‘reveals his thoughts to mortals,’ but the Septuagint has ‘announcing his anointed to humans.’ A fine distinction must be made, however, between theology that was intended by the Septuagint translators and that developed by later Christian writers. In Amos 4:13 it is merely possible we have a messianic reading, but it is unquestionably the case that the New Testament writers exploit the Septuagint’s use of christos, in Amos and elsewhere, to messianic ends.”

pronoun for "God"

God transcends gender, but most languages are limited to grammatical gender expressed in pronouns. In the case of English, this is traditionally confined to “he” (or in the forms “his,” “him,” and “himself”), “she” (and “her,” “hers,” and “herself”), and “it” (and “its” and “itself”).

Modern Mandarin Chinese, however, offers another possibility. Here, the third-person singular pronoun is always pronounced the same (tā), but it is written differently according to its gender (他 is “he,” 她 is “she,” and 它/牠 is “it” and their respective derivative forms). In each of these characters, the first (or upper) part defines the gender (man, woman, or thing/animal), while the second element gives the clue to its pronunciation.

In 1930, after a full century with dozens of Chinese translations, Bible translator Wang Yuande (王元德) coined a new “godly” pronoun: 祂. Chinese readers immediately knew how to pronounce it: tā. But they also recognized that the first part of that character, signifying something spiritual, clarified that each person of the Trinity has no gender aside from being God.

While the most important Protestant and Catholic Chinese versions respectively have opted not to use 祂, some Bible translations do and it is widely used in hymnals and other Christian materials. Among the translations that use 祂 to refer to “God” were early versions of Lü Zhenzhong’s (呂振中) version (New Testament: 1946, complete Bible: 1970). R.P. Kramers (in The Bible Translator 1956, p. 152ff.) explains why later versions of Lü’s translation did not continue with this practice: “This new way of writing ‘He,’ however, has created a minor problem of its own: must this polite form be used whenever Jesus is referred to? Lü follows the rule that, wherever Jesus is referred to as a human being, the normal ta (他) is written; where he is referred to as divine, especially after the ascension, the reverential ta (祂) is used.”

In Kouya, Godié, Northern Grebo, Eastern Krahn, Western Krahn, and Guiberoua Béte, all languages of the Kru family in Western Africa, a different kind of systems of pronouns is used (click or tap here to read more):

In that system one kind of pronoun is used for humans (male and female alike) and one for natural elements, non-liquid masses, and some spiritual entities (one other is used for large animals and another one for miscellaneous items). While in these languages the pronoun for spiritual entities used to be employed when referring to God, this has changed into the use of the human pronoun.

Lynell Zogbo (in The Bible Translator 1989, p. 401ff) explains in the following way: “From informal discussions with young Christians especially, it would appear that, at least for some people, the experience and/or concepts of Christianity are affecting the choice of pronoun for God. Some people explain that God is no longer ‘far away,’ but is somehow tangible and personal. For these speakers God has shifted over into the human category.”

In Kouya, God (the Father) and Jesus are referred to with the human pronoun ɔ, whereas the Holy Spirit is referred to with a non-human pronoun. (Northern Grebo and Western Krahn make a similar distinction.)

Eddie Arthur, a former Kouya Bible translation consultant, says the following: “We tried to insist that this shouldn’t happen, but the Kouya team members were insistent that the human pronoun for the Spirit would not work.”

In Burmese, the pronoun ko taw (ကိုယ်တော်) is used either as 2nd person (you) or 3rd person (he, him, his) reference. “This term clearly has its root in the religious language in Burmese. No ordinary persons are addressed or known by this pronoun because it is reserved for Buddhist monks, famous religious teachers, and in the case of Christianity, the Trinity.” (Source: Gam Seng Shae in The Bible Translator 2002, p. 202ff.)

In Thai, the pronoun phra`ong (พระองค์) is used, a gender-neutral pronoun which must refer to a previously introduced royal or divine being. Similarly, in Northern Khmer, which is spoken in Thailand, “an honorific divine pronoun” is used for the pronoun referring to the persons of the Trinity (source: David Thomas in The Bible Translator 1993, p. 445). In Urak Lawoi’, another language spoken in Thailand, the translation often uses tuhat (ตูฮัด) — “God” — ”as a divine pronoun where Thai has phra’ong even though it’s actually a noun.” (Source for Thai and Urak Lawoi’: Stephen Pattemore)

The English “Contemporary Torah” addresses the question of God and gendered pronouns by mostly avoiding pronouns in the first five books of the Hebrew Bible/Old Testament (unless God is referred to as “lord,” “father,” “king,” or “warrior”). It does that by either using passive constructs (“He gave us” vs. “we were given”), by using the adjective “divine” or by using “God” rather than a pronoun.

Some Protestant English Bibles use a referential capitalized spelling when referring to the persons of the Trinity with “He,” “His,” “Him,” or “Himself.” This includes for instance the New American Standard Bible, but most translations, especially those published in the 21st century, do not. Two other languages where this is also done (in most Bible translations) are the closely related Indonesian and Malay. In both languages this follows the language usage according to the Qur’an, which in turn predicts that usage (see Soesilo in The Bible Translator 1991, p. 442ff. and The Bible Translator 1997, p. 433ff. ).

See also this chapter in the World Atlas of Language Structures on different approaches to personal pronouns.

Translation: Chinese

在现代汉语中，第三人称单数代词的读音都是一样的（tā），但是写法并不一样，取决于性别以及是否有生命，即男性为“他”，女性为“她”，动物、植物和无生命事物为“它”（在香港和台湾的汉语使用，动物则为“牠”）。这些字的部首偏旁表明了性别（男人、女人、动物、无生命事物），而另一偏旁通常旁提示发音。

到1930年为止，基督教新教《圣经》经过整整一百年的翻译已经拥有了十几个译本，当时的一位圣经翻译者王元德新造了一个“神圣的”代词“祂”，偏旁“礻”表示神明。一般汉语读者会立即知道这字的发音是tā，而这个偏旁表示属灵的事物，因此他们明白这个字指出，三位一体的所有位格都没有性别之分，而单单是上帝。

然而，最重要的新教圣经译本（1919年的《和合本》）和天主教圣经译本（1968年的《思高圣经》）都没有采用“祂”；虽然如此，许多其他的圣经译本采用了这个字，另外还广泛出现在赞美诗和其他基督信仰的书刊中。（资料来源：Zetzsche）

《吕振中译本》的几个早期版本也使用“祂”来指称“上帝”；这个译本的《新约》于1946年译成，整部《圣经》于1970年完成。克拉默斯（Kramers）指出：“‘他’的这种新写法（即‘祂’）产生了一个小问题，就是在指称耶稣的时候，是否一律使用这个敬语代词？《吕振中译本》遵循的原则是，在称呼耶稣这个人的时候，用一般的‘他’，而在称呼耶稣神性的时候，特别是升天之后的耶稣，则用尊称‘祂’。”

Translator: Simon Wong

Translation commentary on Ephesians 1:8 – 1:10

In Greek (see Hdb|fig:Table_EPH1-3.jpg) the last clause of verse 8 is the prepositional phrase “in all wisdom and insight.” There are two questions: Does this phrase go (1) with what precedes or (2) with what follows? And does it refer (a) to God or (b) to believers?

The following schematic arrangement shows how the various translations and commentaries have understood the Greek:

1a “in all his wisdom and insight, God lavished on us”: New International Version, Jerusalem Bible It may be observed that both translations perhaps intend the two nouns to apply to believers. According to normal rules of English usage, however, both in Jerusalem Bible (“the grace that he has showered on us in all wisdom and insight”) and in New International Version (“God’s grace that he lavished on us with all wisdom and understanding”) the two nouns refer to God. (The same would seem to be true of Bible de Jérusalem.) This also applies to Barth’s translation: “his grace which in all wisdom and prudence he has lavished upon us.”
1b “God lavished on us all wisdom and insight”: New English Bible, Twentieth Century New Testament, Phillips, Bible en français courant, Traduction œcuménique de la Bible; Caragounis, Robinson, Abbott, Beare, Westcott, Salmond
2a “in all his wisdom and insight, God made known to us”: Revised Standard Version, Good News Translation, Translator’s New Testament, Barclay, Nova Tradução na Linguagem de Hoje
2b “God gave us complete wisdom and insight into his secret plan”: Goodspeed, Die Bibel im heutigen Deutsch, New American Bible

As the chart shows, the commentators and most of the translators take the phrase to go with what precedes and refer it to the believers’ “wisdom and insight.” One of the arguments used in support of this position is that the Greek noun translated “insight” could not be used of God. This argument is advanced by most commentators, who base their definition of the word on Aristotle and others who see the Greek noun mainly as practical common sense, sagacity, prudence, of much less depth and breadth than “wisdom.” Abbott says quite dogmatically: “It is clear from this that phronēsis cannot be predicated of God.” Some commentators (especially Salmond) also make the point that “in all wisdom” does not mean “the totality of wisdom” but “the highest degree of wisdom” or “all kinds of wisdom” and is unsuited to be applied to God. But this latter argument has less weight. It is true that only very rarely is the Greek word for “insight” (elsewhere in New Testament only Luke 1.17) used of God, but it is used in the Septuagint translation of Proverbs 3.19 and Jeremiah 10.12. In both instances, which speak of God’s creating the world, the word is used parallel with and as a synonym of “wisdom.” Since it is obvious that the word can be used of God, and since here in Ephesians, as in the two Septuagint passages cited, the word is used together with “wisdom,” and since the author of Ephesians is given to using synonyms (sometimes three and more in a row, as in 1.19, 21), it is clearly impossible for anyone dogmatically to state that the author could not have used “insight” of God. The most that can be said is that it more naturally applies to man.

So the translator may choose to follow Revised Standard Version, Good News Translation, or else the majority of translations and commentaries cited.

If one renders “in all wisdom and insight” as a qualification of what precedes, it is possible to translate the phrase as “he caused us to have all wisdom and insight” or “… to be wise in all things and to understand.” If, however, this phrase is to be related to God, it may be expressed as a type of causal relationship, for example, “because God was wise in all things and understood.” In a number of languages, however, it is impossible to make a clear distinction between “wisdom” and “insight.” And the closest equivalent of this introductory phrase may simply be “because God knew all things.”

Verse 9 in Greek begins “having made known to us the mystery of his will” (see Hdb|fig:Table_EPH1-3.jpg; Good News Translation and made known to us the secret plan); this clause, governed by the aorist active participle of “to make known,” is syntactically related to the main verb “he lavished” (verse 8a; in the same way the aorist participle “predestining” in verse 5a is related to the main verb “he chose” in verse 4a). But the sense of the whole verse may be represented by beginning a new sentence here (as do Revised Standard Version, New English Bible, and others). Good News Translation connects God … and known to us in verse 9 to the end of verse 8.

The secret plan: “the mystery of his will” means “the secret (thing/plan) God decided/resolved to do.” The Greek word translated “mystery” or “secret” is succinctly defined by Robinson as “something that could not be known by men except by divine revelation, but that, though once hidden, has now been revealed in Christ and is to be proclaimed so that all who have ears may hear it.” (See especially Rom 16.25; 1 Cor 2.1; 4.1; Col 1.26.)

In some languages there may be difficulties involved in rendering “mystery” or “secret,” especially since the mystery or secret in question is something which is actually made known. Therefore, one can frequently translate “mystery” as “that which was not known before” or “that which people didn’t know before.” Accordingly, the phrase “the mystery of his will” may be rendered as “that which people did not know before, but which God decided to do.”

The following clause in Hdb|fig:Table_EPH1-3.jpg, “according to his pleasure” (Good News Translation did what he had purposed), gives the standard of God’s action in “making known to us.” The meaning may be expressed by “this is what he wanted to do.”

The last clause in verse 9 “which he purposed” (Hdb|fig:Table_EPH1-3.jpg) translates a Greek verb which means “to place forward/ahead,” and so “to plan, propose, intend”; see Romans 1.13, “I intended/purposed to visit you.”

And the final prepositional phrase “in him” means that Christ is the instrument, the means, by which God’s purpose was effected; Good News Translation by means of Christ. This expression of means may often be rendered as “Christ made this possible” or even “Christ caused this to happen.”

The first clause in verse 10, “for the administration of the fullness of time” (Hdb|fig:Table_EPH1-3.jpg; Good News Translation which God will complete when the time is right), involves several concepts. The word “administration” translates a Greek abstract noun signifying the work, office, responsibility of a steward, manager, administrator. In 1 Corinthians 9.17 Paul writes, “I have been entrusted with a stewardship” (Good News Translation God has entrusted me with this task) and in Colossians 1.25 “according to the stewardship of God which was given me” (Good News Translation God … gave me this task to perform). Here in Ephesians 1.10 the “steward,” so to speak, is God himself, and the “stewardship” is the task of putting into effect or completing the secret plan referred to in verse 9. Arndt and Gingrich comment on the meaning of the word in this verse: “certainly refers to the plan of salvation which God is bringing to reality through Christ, in the fulness of the times.” And Robinson comments: “the manner in which the purpose of God is being worked out in human history.” Barth takes Christ to be the “steward” and translates: “that he (meaning Christ) should administer the days of fulfillment.” It is as though God is carrying out the management or administration of a task that he has imposed upon himself. So Good News Translation represents the event expressed in the abstract noun “stewardship” by a verb, “(which God) will complete” (compare Bible de Jérusalem “to put it into effect”); or else verbs such as “bring about,” “achieve,” or “accomplish” may be used.

Depending upon the way in which the phrase “in him” (a phrase referring to Christ) has been translated, one can often render the Greek word for “stewardship” as “to cause to happen.” In this context God is the primary agent for causing everything to happen while Jesus Christ may be regarded as the secondary agent (or the intermediate agent) in that what is done is done through him.

The genitive phrase “of the fullness of the times” (Hdb|fig:Table_EPH1-3.jpg) is a temporal phrase defined by Robinson as “a genitive of further definition.” Good News Translation translates when the time is right. In the phrase “the fullness of the times,” the Greek abstract noun translated “fullness” (see Revised Standard Version) has been understood by some to mean “at the end” or “in the last days.” While this is possible, in this context it appears more likely that the word means “complete” in the sense of “ripe,” “appropriate,” “fitting.”

It may be difficult to translate more or less literally the phrase when the time is right, since in many languages there is no abstract term for “time,” even in a sense of “an appropriate occasion.” In some languages, however, an appropriate equivalent may be “when it will be the day to do it.”

The word translated “time” is usually defined as “crucial time, significant time, crisis.” So Westcott comments: “a space of time defined with regard to its extent and character.” Here the whole genitive phrase means simply when the time is right. It should be emphasized, however, that the “rightness” of the time is not a chance or fortuitous event but is under God’s control (see Paul’s use of a synonymous phrase in Gal 4.4 which Good News Translation translates when the right time finally came).

The next clause, “to head up all things in Christ” (Hdb|fig:Table_EPH1-3.jpg), is the climax, the final definition of the goal of the whole process of salvation, “the mystery of his will” (verse 9a), which the author has been describing in verses 3-10a. The Greek verb translated “to head up” occurs only here and in Romans 13.9 in the New Testament (in Rom 13.9 it means “to sum up, summarize”). In this passage the mere idea of “summarizing, summing up” does not do justice to the verb; it includes the idea of Christ as “head,” as supreme over all things (see verses 20-23). Barth translates: “All things are to be comprehended under one head.” So Good News Translation to bring all creation together … with Christ as head (so also Bible de Jérusalem, Bible en français courant, and other translations).

In a number of languages there are problems involved in translating to bring all creation together … with Christ as head, since all creation must often be expressed as “everything that has been created,” and head may not be an adequate figurative expression for being supreme over or controlling. Accordingly, it may be necessary to render this expression as “to cause everything that has been created to unite and to look to Christ as chief” or “… to be related to Christ as one who rules everything.”

The “all things” is further defined as “those in heaven and those on earth” (Good News Translation everything in heaven and on earth), in other words, the whole universe, all of creation. Translations should take care to convey this total meaning.

Verse 10 in Greek ends with the prepositional phrase “in him,” and verse 11 begins with the relative phrase “in whom,” both referring to Christ. This is parallel to the beginning of verse 7 “in whom,” and so a major break is indicated here also, inasmuch as there is a main verb in verse 11, “we were selected.”

Quoted with permission from Bratcher, Robert C. and Nida, Eugene A. A Handbook on Paul’s Letter to the Ephesians. (UBS Handbook Series). New York: UBS, 1982. For this and other handbooks for translators see here .