creation

The Greek, and Latin that is translated as “creation” in English is translated in Lisu as ꓟꓵ ꓚꓰꓼ ꓟꓲ ꓚꓰꓼ — my tshe mi tshe, verbatim translated as “place — make — earth — make.” This construction follows a traditional four-couplet construct in oral Lisu poetry that is usually in the form ABAC or ABCB. (Source: Arrington 2020, p. 58)

In American Sign Language it is translated with a sign that signifies creating out of nothing. (Source: RuthAnna Spooner, Ron Lawer)


“Creation” in American Sign Language, source: Deaf Harbor

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)

complete verse (Galatians 6:15)

Following are a number of back-translations of Galatians 6:15:

  • Uma: “Circumcised or not, that is not the main thing. The main thing is new life from God.” (Source: Uma Back Translation)
  • Yakan: “There is no use even if/whether a person is circumcised or not. That is the most valuable/precious (thing) that we (dual) have been made new by God.” (Source: Yakan Back Translation)
  • Western Bukidnon Manobo: “Circumcision is of no value, neither is not being circumcised of any value. The thing which has great value is our being made new creatures.” (Source: Western Bukidnon Manobo Back Translation)
  • Kankanaey: “It doesn’t matter if a person has gotten-circumcised or not, because what is valuable/important is God’s having-caused-us -to-become new people.” (Source: Kankanaey Back Translation)
  • Tagbanwa: “For it’s not important whether or not a person is curcumcised. What is important is, whether or not his nature/ways and mind/inner-being have been renewed by the Espiritu Santo.” (Source: Tagbanwa Back Translation)
  • Tenango Otomi: “If we now walk with Christ Jesus, then there is no value if a person is marked in his body or not. That which is of value is that we, in our thinking, are new people.” (Source: Tenango Otomi Back Translation)

Translation commentary on Galatians 6:15

This verse is quite similar to 5.6. The idea is that the matter of being circumcised or not is entirely irrelevant insofar as relationship with God is concerned. What is most important is being a new creature. The expression new creature can also be translated as “new creation” (Revised Standard Version, New English Bible). In “new creation” the emphasis is on the act of God in effecting a new thing, while in new creature it is on the result of God’s action.

It is possible to translate “circumcision” and “uncircumcision” in this verse as “Jews” and “Gentiles,” although no modern translator opts for this rendering.

The condition involved in the clause whether or not one is circumcised must often be expressed as a simple condition with an alternative, for example, “If one is circumcised or if one is not circumcised, that is not important.” A number of languages employ a substantive equivalent of such an alternative condition in a form more or less equivalent to “whether or not a person is circumcised does not matter,” or “… is not important.” Corresponding to the form of the first sentence, the second sentence in this verse may be translated as “but being a new creature is important,” “but being a new kind of person is what matters,” or “… does make a difference.” In some instances a new creature may be rendered as “being created new by God,” or “being made over again by God.”

Quoted with permission from Arichea, Daniel C. and Nida, Eugene A. A Handbook on Paul’s Letter to the Galatians. (UBS Handbook Series). New York: UBS, 1976. For this and other handbooks for translators see here .