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 58:1

In this verse God uses four imperatives, calling on the prophet to speak out. The fourth command is followed by what the prophet is to say: Yahweh orders him to make the people of Judah aware of their sins. Good News Translation, Bible en français courant, and Die Bibel im heutigen Deutsch make it explicit that the LORD is speaking.

Cry aloud, spare not, lift up your voice like a trumpet; declare …: The first command is Cry aloud, which is literally “Call out with the throat.” It is an idiom that clearly means the prophet is to shout a warning. The second command, spare not, is a call not to place any limits on the cry, not to be shy or hold back in any manner. Revised English Bible and New Jewish Publication Society’s Tanakh have “without restraint,” while New Revised Standard Version, New International Version, and New Jerusalem Bible use “do not hold back.” In the third imperative, lift up your voice like a trumpet, God orders the prophet to ensure that everybody can hear what he has to say. The phrase lift up your voice obviously refers to shouting loudly (see 40.9). This idiom is strengthened by the simile like a trumpet. The prophet’s voice has to sound as loud as the blast of a trumpet, that is, the ram’s horn used for various calls to the community (see 18.3; 27.13). The fourth imperative is declare, which may be rendered “tell” or “announce.”

The use of three or four closely-related expressions is an important feature of the writing style throughout the book of Isaiah. These four imperatives should be retained in translation if at all possible. Here the combination underlines the seriousness of the message to follow. Good News Translation reduces the four imperatives to two. Die Bibel im heutigen Deutsch uses three by beginning this verse with “The LORD says: ‘Shout as loud as you can! Let your voice resound like a trumpet! Present…!’”

To my people their transgression, to the house of Jacob their sins: These two parallel expressions identify the people the prophet is to address (the house of Jacob), and what God wants him to announce (their sins). God still refers to the Israelites as my people, suggesting that his covenant relationship with them is still in place. For the house of Jacob, see the comments on 2.5; for transgression and sins, see 43.25. An alternative rendering for the last two lines of this verse is “Tell my people of Israel how they transgress [against me / against the law], how they sin [against me].”

During this early period of Judah’s return to the land, other prophets were also ministering (for example, Micah and Haggai). This opening call in verse 1 is quite similar to the way Micah describes his mission in Micah 3.8.

For the translation of this verse consider the following examples:

• [The LORD says,] “Shout a warning, don’t hold back;
make a loud noise like a trumpet sound.
Warn my people that they have transgressed,
let the house of Jacob know of their sin.

• “Shout aloud, don’t keep silent;
like a trumpet give a blast.
Warn my people of their rebellion,
tell Judah of its sin.

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 .