wonder

The Greek that is often translated as “wonder” into English is different from the term that is translated as “miracle” (see miracle) since it “usually involves some unusual phenomena in nature which are a portent of dire woe or extraordinary blessing.” In Huichol these are “awe-inspiring things,” in Yucateco they are “things which show what is coming,” and in Eastern Highland Otomi the expression must be cast into the form of a verb phrase “they will amaze the people.”

sign

The Greek that is typically translated in English as “sign” is translated in Huehuetla Tepehua as “thing to be marveled at” (source: Larson 1889, p. 279) and in Mairasi as “big work” (source: Enggavoter 2004).

complete verse (Mark 13:22)

Following are a number of back-translations of Mark 13:22:

  • Uma: “For many lying people will appear who will say that they are the Redeemer King, or who will say that they are prophets. They will do amazing signs and powerful signs, in order to deceive many people. If it were possible, even people God has chosen they would deceive also.” (Source: Uma Back Translation)
  • Yakan: “For in those days, there will be people appearing saying that they are Almasi but it is not true. There will also be people saying that they are prophets but it is not true. And they will show signs and wonder-causing deeds so that if possible, they would take/lead astray the people chosen by God.” (Source: Yakan Back Translation)
  • Western Bukidnon Manobo: “For lying people will appear saying that they are the king chosen by God or they will say that they are prophets of God. They will show miracles and signs in order to cause, if it were possible, even the chosen ones of God to believe their ies.” (Source: Western Bukidnon Manobo Back Translation)
  • Kankanaey: “Because deceitful people will appear saying that they reportedly are the Messiah and they reportedly are prophets. And they will show amazing signs and miracles in order to deceive koma the many-people and even the people whom God has chosen if possible.” (Source: Kankanaey Back Translation)
  • Tagbanwa: “Because there really will be those who will falsely-claim to be Cristo or a prophet. They will show signs and do amazing things, so that if it were only possible, they would mislead even those chosen by God.” (Source: Tagbanwa Back Translation)

prophet

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Eugene Nida wrote the following about the translation of the Hebrew, Aramaic and Greek terms that are typically translated with “prophet” in English:

“The tendency in many translations is to use ‘to foretell the future’ for ‘prophesy,’ and ‘one who foretells the future’ for ‘prophet.’ This is not always a recommended usage, particularly if such expressions denote certain special native practices of spirit contact and control. It is true, of course, that prophets of the Bible did foretell the future, but this was not always their principal function. One essential significance of the Greek word prophētēs is ‘one who speaks forth,’ principally, of course, as a forth-teller of the Divine will. A translation such as ‘spokesman for God’ may often be employed profitably.” (1947, p. 234f.)

Following is a list of (back-) translations from other languages (click or tap for details):

  • San Blas Kuna: “one who speaks the voice of God”
  • Central Pame and Vai: “interpreter for God”
  • Kaqchikel, Navajo, Yaka: “one who speaks for God”
  • Northern Grebo: “God’s town crier” (see more about this below)
  • Sapo: “God’s sent-word person”
  • Shipibo-Conibo, Ngäbere: “one who speaks God’s word”
  • Copainalá Zoque: “one who speaks-opens” (a compound meaning “one who discloses or reveals”)
  • Sierra Totonac: “one who causes them to know” (in the sense of “revealer”)
  • Batak Toba: “foreteller” (this and all the above acc. to Nida 1961, p. 7)
  • Western Bukidnon Manobo: “one who is inspired of God” (Source: Western Bukidnon Manobo Back Translation)
  • Alekano: “the true man who descended from heaven” (source: Ellis Deibler in Notes on Translation June 1986, p. 36ff.)
  • Aguaruna: “teller of God’s word” (source: M. Larson / B. Moore in Notes on Translation February 1970, p. 1-125)
  • Ekari: “person who speaks under divine impulse”
  • Mandarin Chinese: 先知 xiānzhī — “one who foreknows” (or the 1946/1970 translation by Lü Zhenzhong: 神言人 shényánrén — “divine-word-man”)
  • Uab Meto: “holy spokesman” (source for this and two above: Reiling / Swellengrebel)
  • Kouya: Lagɔɔ gbʋgbanyɔ — “the one who seeks God’s affairs” (source: Saunders, p. 269)
  • Kafa: “decide for God only” (source: Loren Bliese)
  • Martu Wangka: “sit true to God’s talk” (source: Carl Gross)
  • Eastern Highland Otomi: “word passer” (source: John Beekman in Notes on Translation November 1964, p. 1-22)
  • Obolo: ebi nriran: “one with power of divine revelation” (source: Enene Enene)
  • Mairasi: nonondoai nyan: “message proclaimer” (source: Enggavoter 2004)
  • Highland Totonac: “speaker on God’s behalf”
  • Central Tarahumara: “God’s preacher” (source for this and above: Waterhouse / Parrott in Notes on Translation October 1967, p. 1ff.)
  • Coatlán Mixe: “God’s word-thrower”
  • Ayutla Mixtec: “one who talks as God’s representative”
  • Isthmus Mixe: “speaker for God” (source for this and two above: Viola Waterhouse in Notes on Translation August 1966, p. 86ff.)
  • Mezquital Otomi / Paasaal: “God’s messenger” (source: Waterhouse / Parrott in Notes on Translation October 1967, p. 1ff. and Fabian N. Dapila in The Bible Translator 2024, p. 415ff.)
  • Noongar: Warda Marridjiny or “News Traveling” (source: Warda-Kwabba Luke-Ang)
  • Kutu: mtula ndagu or “one who gives the prediction of the past and the future” (Source: Pioneer Bible Translators, project-specific translation notes in Paratext)
  • French 1985 translation by Chouraqui: inspiré or “inspired one” (“someone in whom God has breathed [Latin: in + spiro]) (source: Watson 2023, p. 45)

In Ixcatlán Mazatec a term is used that specifically includes women. (Source: Robert Bascom)

About the translation into Northern Grebo:

“In some instances these spiritual terms result from adaptations reflecting the native life and culture. Among the Northern Grebo people of Liberia, a missionary wanted some adequate term for ‘prophet,’ and she was fully aware that the native word for ‘soothsayer’ or ‘diviner’ was no equivalent for the Biblical prophet who spoke forth for God. Of course, much of what the prophets said referred to the future, and though this was an essential part of much of their ministry, it was by no means all. The right word for the Gbeapo people would have to include something which would not only mean the foretelling of important events but the proclamation of truth as God’s representative among the people. At last the right word came; it was ‘God’s town-crier.’ Every morning and evening the official representative of the chief goes through the village crying out the news, delivering the orders of the chief, and announcing important coming events. ‘God’s town-crier’ would be the official representative of God, announcing to the people God’s doings, His commands, and His pronouncements for their salvation and well-being. For the Northern Grebo people the prophet is no weird person from forgotten times; he is as real as the human, moving message of the plowman Amos, who became God’s town-crier to a calloused people.” (source: Nida 1952, p. 20)

In American Sign Language it is a person who sees into the future:


“Prophet” in American Sign Language (source )

In British Sign Language it is is translated with a sign that depicts a message coming from God to a person (the upright finger) and then being passed on to others. (Source: Anna Smith)


“Prophet” in British Sign Language (source: Christian BSL, used with permission)

See also prophesy and prophesy / prophetic frenzy.

formal pronoun: Jesus addressing his disciples and common people

Like many languages (but unlike Greek or Hebrew or English), Tuvan uses a formal vs. informal 2nd person pronoun (a familiar vs. a respectful “you”). Unlike other languages that have this feature, however, the translators of the Tuvan Bible have attempted to be very consistent in using the different forms of address in every case a 2nd person pronoun has to be used in the translation of the biblical text.

As Voinov shows in Pronominal Theology in Translating the Gospels (in: The Bible Translator 2002, p. 210ff.), the choice to use either of the pronouns many times involved theological judgment. While the formal pronoun can signal personal distance or a social/power distance between the speaker and addressee, the informal pronoun can indicate familiarity or social/power equality between speaker and addressee.

Here, Jesus is addressing his disciples, individuals and/or crowds with the formal pronoun, showing respect.

In most Dutch translations, Jesus addresses his disciples and common people with the informal pronoun, whereas they address him with the formal form.

Translation commentary on Mark 13:22

Text:

Before sēmeia ‘signs’ Tischendorf, Nestle, and Kilpatrick have poiēsousin ‘they will perform’; all other editions of the Greek text, however, have dōsousin ‘they will give’ (presumably Revised Standard Version ‘show’ translates dōsousin).

Exegesis:

egerthēsontai (cf. 1.31) ‘they will arise,’ i.e. ‘will appear,’ ‘will arrive on the scene.’

pseudochristoi (only here in Mark) ‘false Christs,’ ‘pseudo Messiahs.’

pseudoprophētai (only here in Mark) ‘false prophets’: the saying about false prophets and their signs and wonders recalls the language of Deut. 13.2.

dōsousin sēmeia kai terata ‘they will give signs and wonders,’ in the sense of ‘causing (signs and wonders) to appear.’

sēmeion (cf. 8.11) ‘sign.’

terata (only here in Mark) ‘wonders,’ ‘portents,’ ‘prodigies’: in the N.T. used only in the plural and always with sēmeia ‘signs.’

pros to apoplanan ‘for the purpose of deceiving,’ ‘with a view to leading astray.’

pros here means ‘with the purpose of,’ ‘in order to.’

apoplanaō (only here in Mark; cf. planaō 13.5) ‘deceive,’ ‘lead astray.’

ei dunaton (14.35) ‘if possible’: for dunatos ‘possible’ cf. 9.23.

Translation:

False is often translatable only by some verb phrase which describes the activity of the person in question, e.g. ‘those who pretend to be Christ’ (Amganad Ifugao, Copainalá Zoque), ‘deceiving christs’ (Tzeltal), ‘christs who really are not’ (Highland Puebla Nahuatl), ‘men who say they are Christ’ (San Mateo del Mar Huave), and ‘people will come, one will say, I am Christ; another will say, I am a prophet’ (Yaka). In Mitla Zapotec false prophet has to be completely recast because of the phrasal form of the expression for prophet e.g. ‘speak lies as if speaking for God.’ In all these expressions the concept of falseness, pretence, and deceit are clearly indicated, despite the rather radical syntactic and lexical divergencies from the Greek expression. Such adaptations are quite common in languages in which activities or behavior implied by Greek (and English) adjectives plus nouns are describable only by verbs, which require a full complement of subject and object components.

Will arise may be ‘will stand,’ ‘will come into existence,’ ‘will appear,’ or ‘will become.’ It is only rarely that arise can be translated literally.

For signs see 8.11.

Wonders are different from miracles in that they usually involve some unusual phenomena in nature which are a portent of dire woe or extraordinary blessing. In Huichol these are ‘awe-inspiring things.’ In Yucateco they are ‘things which show what is coming,’ but in Eastern Highland Otomi the expression must be cast into the form of a verb phrase ‘they will amaze the people.’

Lead astray is sometimes translated in such a way as to reflect this same English metaphor, but usually one must employ some other more generic term as ‘deceive’ or ‘cause to believe a lie.’

If possible may require some expansion because of the essentially elliptical form, e.g. ‘if they can do so’ or ‘if they are able.’

The elect are ‘the chosen ones’ or where an agent is required, ‘the ones God has chosen’ (see 13.20).

Quoted with permission from Bratcher, Robert G. and Nida, Eugene A. A Handbook on the Gospel of Mark. (UBS Handbook Series). New York: UBS, 1961. For this and other handbooks for translators see here .