fat, oil

The different Hebrew and Greek terms that are translated as “(olive) oil” and “(animal) fat” in English are translated in Kwere with only one term: mavuta. (Pioneer Bible Translators, project-specific translation notes in Paratext)

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.

Translation commentary on Isaiah 43:24

In this verse Yahweh accuses his people of sinning instead of providing sacrifices that pleased him.

You have not bought me sweet cane with money: The Hebrew word rendered sweet cane is the same one translated “reeds” in 19.6 (see the comments there). Since it is a sacrifice in this context, New Revised Standard Version, King James Version, and New American Bible say “sweet reed,” as in Revised Standard Version. New Jewish Publication Society’s Tanakh is similar with “fragrant reed,” and so is New Jerusalem Bible with “expensive reed.” Revised English Bible has “aromatic cane.” Since the precise identification of this offering is not known, Good News Translation uses the generic term “incense,” which fits this context well. In this line Yahweh seems to be saying that his people did not buy incense as an offering for him. This is irony again since they purchased incense for him, but they offered it with a sinful attitude.

Or satisfied me with the fat of your sacrifices: The Hebrew verb rendered satisfied points to someone or something that is totally full. Translators may use a verb that refers to being satisfied after eating a large meal. The fat was the best part of an animal offering and had to be burned completely as a gift to Yahweh (see the comments on 1.11 and 34.6). In languages where fat is not something attractive, translators may render the fat of your sacrifices as say “the best part of your sacrifices.”

As in the first two lines of the previous verse, there is a chiasmus in the first two lines of this verse also, which is evident in the following literal rendering: You have not brought me > sweet cane with money > < or [with] the fat of your sacrifices < you have not satisfied me. But you have burdened me with your sins: Even though Yahweh did not make the demands of worship burdensome for his people, they burdened him with their sinfulness. This burden of sin implies that there are many sins requiring God’s forgiveness.

You have wearied me with your iniquities is parallel to the previous line. God became utterly exhausted because of the numerous sins of his people. Good News Translation preserves the parallelism here with “you wore me out with the wrongs you have committed.” For the parallel words sins and iniquities, see the comments on 1.4. This word pair also occurs in 5.18 and 40.2.

Since there is a play on the verbs “to be weary” and “to burden” between this verse and the previous two verses, translators should use consistent expressions if possible.

For the translation of this verse consider the following examples:

• You never used your money to buy incense to offer me,
nor did you burn the fat of animals to satisfy me.
But you laid the heavy burden of your sins on me,
and made me tired with your iniquities.

• You never bought incense to bring as an offering to me,
nor did you burn the fat of animals for my satisfaction.
Instead, you placed the burden of your sins on me,
making me weary with all your iniquities.

Quoted with permission from Ogden, Graham S. and Sterk, Jan. A Handbook on Isaiah. (UBS Helps for Translators). New York: UBS, 2011. For this and other handbooks for translators see here .