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.

complete verse (Genesis 31:39)

Following are a number of back-translations as well as a sample translation for translators of Genesis 31:39:

  • Newari: “Without bringing cattle killed by wild animals to you, I paid their price myself. Whether lost during the day or lost at night, you took replacements from me for all cattle.” (Source: Newari Back Translation)
  • Hiligaynon: “I never brought to you (sing.) the livestock/animals that were-killed by fierce animals; I then just exchanged them. You (sing.) also had- me -pay-for the animals that were-stolen if (it was) day even yet the one stolen if (it was) night.” (Source: Hiligaynon Back Translation)
  • English: “When one of your animals was attacked and mauled/killed by a wild animal, I did not bring it to you. I replaced the dead animal with a living one of my own animals. Whenever one of your animals was stolen, during the day or during the night, you demanded that I replace it with one of my own animals.” (Source: Translation for Translators)

Translation commentary on Genesis 31:39

That which was torn by wild beasts: Speiser cites a paragraph from the code of Hammurabi (about 2000 B.C.): “If there occurs in the fold an act of god, or a lion takes a life, the shepherd shall clear himself before the deity. The owner of the fold must then accept the loss incurred.” Exo 22.13 says “If it [an animal] is torn by beasts, let him [the shepherd] bring it as evidence; he shall not make restitution for what has been torn.” Jacob claims that in such cases he did not bring the remains of the animal to Laban but rather replaced the killed animal from one of his own. Torn by wild beasts may be rendered, for example, “killed by a wild animal.”

I did not bring it to you may need to be filled out to say, for example, “I did not bring the body of the dead animal for you to see,” “I did not tell you and put the blame on that wild animal,” “I did not bring the remains so you could see how it was killed,” or “… that a wild animal had killed it.”

I bore the loss means “I replaced the dead animal with a live one of my own.”

Of my hand you required it: Laban did not live up to the requirements of the law (the current Code of Hammurabi or the later Mosaic law). Instead he imposed his own rules upon his son-in-law. For translation see Good News Translation. Or it can be “you made me replace it” or “… pay for it.”

Whether stolen by day or stolen by night: according to Exo 22.10 if the animal disappeared and there is no witness, as would likely be the case of an animal stolen at night, the shepherd could take an oath that he had not stolen the animal. In that case the owner had to accept the loss. We may translate, for example, “Whenever an animal was stolen in broad daylight or even at night, you made me replace it” or “… made me pay for it.”

Quoted with permission from Reyburn, William D. and Fry, Euan McG. A Handbook on Genesis. (UBS Helps for Translators). New York: UBS, 1997. For this and other handbooks for translators see here .