cause to stumble, offend

“The word ‘offend’ as a translation of the Greek skandalizó seems to cause all sorts of trouble for translators. The difficulty is that the meaning of this word covers such a wide area. The basic meaning of the Greek is ‘to cause to stumble by putting some impediment in the way.’ The present central meaning of English ‘offend’ is often quite different. In some languages there is no metaphorical value in a translation ‘to cause someone to stumble.’ If the language permits no such metaphor, the translator should not attempt to force it. In Highland Totonac, the metaphor ‘to show the wrong road to’ is used in a manner almost exactly parallel to the Greek idiom.” (Source: Nida 1947)

In San Blas Kuna the translation is “spoil the heart” (source: Claudio and Marvel Iglesias in The Bible Translator 1951, p. 85ff.).

See also fall away, stumble.

eternity, forever, forever and ever

The Greek that is typically translated as “eternity,” “forever,” or “forever and ever” in English are translated in Mairasi as “mashed out infinitely.” Lloyd Peckham explains: “Bark cloth required pounding. It got longer and wider as it got pounded. Similarly, life gets pounded or mashed to lengthen it into infinity. Tubers also get mashed into the standard way of serving the staple food, like the fufu of Uganda, or like poi of Hawaii. It spreads out into infinity.” (Source: Lloyd Peckham)

In Lisu the phrase “forever and ever” is translated as ꓕꓲꓽ ꓞꓲꓼ ꓕꓲ ꓑ — thi tsi thi pa, verbatim translated as “one – lifetime – one – world.” This construction follows a traditional four-couplet construct in oral Lisu poetry that is usually in the form ABAC or ABCB. (Source: Arrington 2020, p. 57f.)

See also forever, eternal life and salvation.

lame

The Greek that is translated as “lame” in English is translated in various ways:

complete verse (Matthew 18:8)

Following are a number of back-translations of Matthew 18:8:

  • Uma: “‘If for instance one of our (incl.) hands or one of our (incl.) feet causes [lit., carries] us (incl.) to sin, just cut it off and throw it away. It is better to have just one hand or one foot, as long as we (incl.) receive goodness of life with God. It is better that way, than to have both hands and both feet, but finally/at the end we (incl.) are thrown into the fire that continually flames.” (Source: Uma Back Translation)
  • Yakan: “‘If your hand or your foot influences you to sin, leave/give up your sin. Figuratively as if you cut off your hand and your foot and throw it away. It is better for you to enter heaven even (if) you (have a limb) cut off than (if) you (have) two hands or two feet but are thrown into the fire which cannot be put out.” (Source: Yakan Back Translation)
  • Western Bukidnon Manobo: “If your hand or your foot is the thing by which you are successfully tempted, cut it off and throw it away, because it is better if you are maimed and given eternal life rather than to have two hands or feet and be thrown into the fire which is forever.” (Source: Western Bukidnon Manobo Back Translation)
  • Kankanaey: “Therefore if your (sing.) hand/arm or your (sing.) foot/leg is your (sing.) means-of-sinning, cut it off to throw it away. Because it is better if you (sing.) go join-in-experiencing the life in heaven with one of your (sing.) hands/arms or legs cut-off than that you (sing.) have two arms or legs and you (sing.) are thrown into the place of fire that never goes-out.” (Source: Kankanaey Back Translation)
  • Tagbanwa: “Therefore supposing your (sing.) hand or your foot is where the sin you do originates, you had better just cut it off and throw it away. For it doesn’t matter even if one hand or foot is cut off, as long as life which is without ending will be yours. Certainly (better) than still having both hands and feet and be thrown into the fire which never dies down.” (Source: Tagbanwa Back Translation)
  • Tenango Otomi: “Therefore if you should say that it is the sin of your hand or the sin of your foot that you committed sin, then cut it off. Throw it far away. It is better that you are without a hand or without a foot when you enter where you will live with God than that you should have both your hands or both your feet and thus you go to where there is the fire forever.” (Source: Tenango Otomi Back Translation)

Translation commentary on Matthew 18:8-9

These two verses are similar to 5.29-30; therefore, only a few additional comments need be made: (1) The body parts differ. In 5.29-30 the arrangement is “right eye … right hand”; here it is your hand or your foot … eye. (2) The place of final punishment is described in slightly different terms. In 5.29-30 it is “hell” as opposed to eternal fire … hell of fire of the present passage. (3) The expression enter life, absent from the earlier passage, is used twice here.

The expression enter life is difficult, because for many readers it will mean simply “enter into this life,” that is, “be born.” The reference is to eternal life, and Die Bibel im heutigen Deutsch translates “to live with God” (verse 8) and “to live eternally” (verse 9). INCL translates both times as “to live with God.” “To receive real life” or “to have the life that doesn’t end” are also good. Traduction œcuménique de la Bible provides a footnote, indicating that the meaning is eternal life, and at the same time noting that the word “life” is used in the same sense as in 7.14; 19.16, 29; 25.46.

The majority of translators and commentators understand both eternal fire and hell of fire as references to the place of final destruction. Phillips, however, wrongly distinguishes between the two: “the everlasting fire … the fire of the rubbish-heap.” One way to avoid a false distinction is to render eternal fire by “hell, where the fire doesn’t go out (or, burns forever)” and hell of fire as “the fire of hell” or “hell, where the fire is.” For more comments on the terms hell and “Gehenna,” see also 5.22, 29.

Quoted with permission from Newman, Barclay M. and Stine, Philip C. A Handbook on the Gospel of Matthew. (UBS Handbook Series). New York: UBS, 1988. For this and other handbooks for translators see here .