The Greek that is translated into English as “anchor (of the soul)” in English is, due to non-existing nautical language, rendered as xuk’chotontib (“that which becomes unmovable”) in Chol (source: Steven 1979, p. 75), as “iron crab” in Bawm Chin (source: David Clark), as “foundation” in Tsou (source: Peng Kuo-Wei), in Mossi as “a strong and steadfast picketting-peg” (source: Nida 1952, p. 46) and in Enlhet as “that holds up like a rope” (source: See Jacob Loewen in The Bible Translator 1969, p. 24ff).
In Kouya the translation is “the foundation which keeps a house secure.” Eddie Arthur tells this story: “A slightly more prosaic example comes from Paul’s sea voyages in the Book of Acts. In Acts 27, when Paul’s ship was facing a huge storm, there are several references to throwing out the anchor to save the ship. Now the Kouya live in a tropical rain-forest and have no vessels larger than dug-out canoes used for fishing on rivers. The idea of an anchor was entirely foreign to them. However, it was relatively easy to devise a descriptive term along the lines of ‘boat stopping metal’ that captured the essential nature of the concept. This was fine when we were translating the word anchor in its literal sense. However, in Hebrews 6:19 we read that hope is an anchor for our souls. It would clearly make no sense to use ‘boat stopping metal’ at this point as the concept would simply not have any meaning. So in this verse we said that faith was like the foundation which keeps a house secure. One group working in the Sahel region of West Africa spoke of faith being like a tent peg which keeps a tent firm against the wind. I hope you can see the way in which these two translations capture the essence of the image in the Hebrews verse while being more appropriate to the culture.”
The Hebrew, Greek, and Latin that is translated as “soul” in English is translated in Chol with a term that refers to the invisible aspects of human beings (source: Robert Bascom).
The Mandarin Chineselínghún (靈魂 / 灵魂), literally “spirit-soul,” is often used for “soul” (along with xīn [心] or “heart”). This is a term that was adopted from Buddhist sources into early Catholic writings and later also by Protestant translators. (Source: Zetzsche 1996, p. 32, see also Clara Ho-yan Chan in this article )
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 writer and the readers of this letter).
Source: Velma Pickett and Florence Cowan in Notes on Translation January 1962, p. 1ff.
Following are a number of back-translations of Hebrews 6:19:
Uma: “That hoping of ours is like a foundation-stone that makes our hearts stay so that our faith does not shake/rock. In the Worship Tent that the prophet Musa built long ago, a cloth middle-wall blocked the way of mankind so they could not enter the More Holy Room. But we, there is nothing that blocks our way to meet-with God.” (Source: Uma Back Translation)
Yakan: “Our (incl.) expectation/hope in God’s promises is figuratively like an anchor that makes us (dual) firm/fixes us to God. It is very certain that God fulfills his promises because Isa has already gone ahead of us (dual) to heaven into the presence of God mediating for us (incl.). Like the Yahudi priests enter the temple (lit. big prayer-house) (and) go into the innermost room that is shielded by thick cloth, like that Isa has entered into the presence of God because now he is high priest forever like the priest Malkisadik of old.” (Source: Yakan Back Translation)
Kankanaey: “This hope of ours, that is what makes-firm/stable our faith, because it is certain to be fulfilled. Because of our hope, it’s as if we have already entered the exact place of God like the entering of the highest priest into the Holiest Room in the Temple which a curtain hid-from-view.” (Source: Kankanaey Back Translation)
Tagbanwa: “This hope/expectation of ours which is firmly-grounded, what it’s like is a firm anchor of our souls/spirits, so that they will not be lost. For there’s no other anchoring-place except in the presence of God, which is like in the Exceedingly Far-from-ordinary Room in the Temple , on the other side of the view-blocking curtain.” (Source: Tagbanwa Back Translation)
Tenango Otomi: “We do not doubt that there will be our part in the good which God will give. Because the one in whom we have confidence and we rest our minds on is Jesus Christ who is in heaven.” (Source: Tenango Otomi Back Translation)
The metaphors of anchor and curtain conflict, because anchor is related to the picture of a ship, while curtain is related to the Temple. Several translations modify at least one of these metaphors in some way. (a) The simplest way of doing this is to take hope rather than anchor as the subject of It is safe (Revised Standard Version, Die Bibel im heutigen Deutsch, Translator’s New Testament). This is possible and makes no difference to the basic meaning, since hope is compared to an anchor. (b) Some English translations weaken the metaphor of the anchor by using related words like “anchoring” (Moffatt) or “anchorage” (Knox). (c) Biblia Dios Habla Hoy expands the translation so as to make the clash of metaphors less abrupt: “This hope keeps our soul firm and secure, as the anchor keeps the boat firm. This anchor which we have is firmly secured behind the curtain of the heavenly temple” (a note is added on “curtain”). (d) In principle it would be possible to replace anchor by a nonfigurative expression, especially in cultures where anchors are not used. Here it may be possible to use a nonfigurative expression such as “that which we hope for makes our lives secure” or “… causes us to live secure.” It would be difficult to replace curtain, since this feature of Jewish worship is mentioned again in 9.3 and 10.20, and refers back to Leviticus 16.2-3, 12, 15.
Of these possibilities, (a) is often the best in translation, though it may not follow the grammatical structure of the original text. Grammatically, the anchor must be an image of hope, but the author is already thinking of Jesus (verse 20) as the substance or object of this hope, and this may be made explicit if it makes the translation clearer.
We have this hope must be restructured in some languages as “This is what we hope for.” The statement about hope may then be combined with anchor as “This that we hope for is like an anchor for us.”
On our lives (Revised Standard Version “the soul”), see comments on “soul” in 4.12. Good News Translation generally avoids “soul,” since this word is little used outside religious language.
There is no noticeable difference in meaning between safe and sure. They are used together for emphasis, but may be combined (“absolutely secure”) if this is more natural in the receptor language. Since safe and sure refers to hope, it is possible to translate It is safe and sure as “What we hope for makes us safe and sure” or “… causes us to be secure and certain.”
Some translations (Moffatt, Jerusalem Bible) mark “enters into the inner shrine behind the curtain” (Revised Standard Version) as a quotation (Lev 16.2). “Shrine” or sanctuary is understood. To mark the phrase as a quotation does not seem necessary for such a short phrase, but a cross reference may be useful. Indeed, the curtain here is an example of extended meaning rather than a metaphor in the strict sense.
The equivalent for curtain is in many languages an expression meaning a “hanging.” “Curtain” might be used only of something which is drawn across a window, while a “drape” or “hanging” may be employed across an entrance way, as in Hebrews. See also the comment on 9.3.
The heavenly temple may be rendered as “the temple in heaven,” and the inner sanctuary may be expressed as “the holy room on the inside,” “the most holy room on the inside of the temple,” or “the most holy room in the temple.”
It may be meaningless in some languages to speak of “hope going through the curtain of the heavenly temple.” This would make no sense, but since the object of the hope is Jesus, one may be justified in making this identification explicit. And goes through the curtain of the heavenly temple into the inner sanctuary may be rendered as “and the one in whom we place our hope is Jesus, who goes through the curtain of the heavenly temple into the inner sanctuary.”
Quoted with permission from Ellingworth, Paul and Nida, Eugene A. A Handbook on The Letter of the Hebrews. (UBS Handbook Series). New York: UBS, 1983. For this and other handbooks for translators see here .
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