sorrow

The Greek that is translated in English as “painful” or “sorrow” is translated in Huba as “cut the insides.” David Frank explains: “Huba has just one expression that covers both ‘angry’ and ‘sad.’ They don’t make a distinction in their language. I suppose you could say that the term they use means more generically, ‘strong emotional reaction.’ (Source: David Frank in this blog post )

In Enlhet it is translated as “going aside of the innermost.” “Innermost” or valhoc is a term that is frequently used in Enlhet to describe a large variety of emotions or states of mind (for other examples see here). (Source: Jacob Loewen in The Bible Translator 1969, p. 24ff. )

complete verse (John 16:6)

Following are a number of back-translations of John 16:6:

  • Uma: “You were just sad to hear my words earlier that said I am about to go.” (Source: Uma Back Translation)
  • Yakan: “Your livers are really grieved because of this which I told you.” (Source: Yakan Back Translation)
  • Western Bukidnon Manobo: “Rather, you are very troubled because I told you what you are going to have to endure later on.” (Source: Western Bukidnon Manobo Back Translation)
  • Kankanaey: “But yes, that’s-understandable (lit. so-it-is + concessive particle), because you are sad (thoughts hurt) on-account-of what I have told you.” (Source: Kankanaey Back Translation)
  • Tagbanwa: “Well now that I am telling you, your mind/inner-being really feels very bad.” (Source: Tagbanwa Back Translation)
  • Tenango Otomi: “Yet now because I told you this you are sad.” (Source: Tenango Otomi Back Translation)

Translation commentary on John 16:6

And now that I have told you is literally “Because I have told you these things.” Moffatt translates “No, your heart is full of sorrow at what I have told you.” Although Good News Translation brings in something of the temporal aspect (now that), it does retain the causative force as primary.

Hearts in the Greek text is literally “heart,” but most translators find it natural to use the plural in English. Die Bibel im heutigen Deutsch merely translates “you are sad,” while New American Bible renders “you are overcome with grief.” Although normally in Hebrew thought the “heart” relates primarily to the intellect, here it is obviously connected with the emotions. In some languages such emotions as sadness are expressed in idiomatic ways, for example, “to weep within” or “to have tears within one’s heart” or “to mourn within one’s abdomen” or “to grieve within the spleen.”

Quoted with permission from Newman, Barclay M. and Nida, Eugene A. A Handbook on the Gospel of John. (UBS Handbook Series). New York: UBS, 1980. For this and other handbooks for translators see here .