truly truly - I tell you

The Greek that is often translated in English as “truly, truly, I tell you” or similar is translated in the Russian BTI translation (publ. 2015) as Поверьте Мне (Pover’te Mne) or “trust me.” (Source: Andy Warren-Rothlin)

See also Amen.

complete verse (Matthew 5:18)

Following are a number of back-translations of Matthew 5:18:

  • Uma: “Really-really I say to you: every word that is written in the Book of the Law of the Lord definitely must happen/be-fulfilled. As long as there still is this sky and earth, not one word in the Law of the Lord will not happen, not even a very small one.” (Source: Uma Back Translation)
  • Yakan: “Truly I tell you as long as earth and sky is still here not even one letter or one dash/diacritic will be removed from the law. It is not possible that the law should have no value as long as the end of the world has not yet come.” (Source: Yakan Back Translation)
  • Western Bukidnon Manobo: “Because until heaven and earth do not yet go out of existence, it is not possible that will be taken away even one proposition alone of the sayings in the system of commands. Until everything is not yet fulfilled, the system of laws cannot also be removed. Don’t you forget this.” (Source: Western Bukidnon Manobo Back Translation)
  • Kankanaey: “This that I tell you is true that until the earth and heaven cease-to-exist, absolutely nothing contained in God’s law will cease-to-exist, even the shortest word or a single period, until all the purposes of God are fulfilled.” (Source: Kankanaey Back Translation)
  • Tagbanwa: “For this that I will say to you is true. Sky/heaven and the world will indeed be removed, however there’s really no removing even the smallest bit of the laws of God until all will be fulfilled.” (Source: Tagbanwa Back Translation)
  • Tenango Otomi: “Truly I tell you that while the heavens and the earth continue in existence, that concerning all the words written in the law, not even one letter nor even one period can be removed until all the written words have happened.” (Source: Tenango Otomi Back Translation)

heaven

Greek, Hebrew, Latin, and Aramaic all have one term only that refers to what can be expressed in English as “sky” or “heaven(s)” (as a physical and spiritual entity). While there is a slight overlap between the meaning of the two English terms, “sky” (from Old Norse sky meaning “cloud”) typically refers to the physical entity, and “heaven” (from Old English heofon meaning “home of God”) typically refers to the spiritual entity. While this enriches the English lexicon, it also forces English Bible translators to make decisions that can be found only in the context in the Greek, Hebrew, and Aramaic texts. Most versions tend to use “heaven(s)” even if the meaning is likely “sky,” but the Contemporary English Version (NT: 1991, OT: 1995, DC: 1999) is an English translation that attempted to be more specific in the separation of the two meanings and was used as the basis for the links to verses used for this and this story (“sky”).

Norm Mundhenk (in The Bible Translator 2006, pp. 92-95) describes the difficulty that English translations face (click here to see more):

“A number of years ago an old lady asked me a question. What did Jesus mean when he said, ‘Heaven and earth will pass away, but my words will never pass away’? I do not remember what answer I gave, but I was surprised at how concerned she seemed to be about the verse. It was only later, after I had left her, that I suddenly realized what it was that she was so concerned about. She knew that death could not be far away, and all her life she had looked forward to being with God in heaven. But this verse said that ‘heaven will pass away’! What did that mean for her hopes? In fact, of course, in this verse Jesus was talking about the skies or the heavens, not about Heaven as the place of God’s presence. If I had realized the problem in time, I could easily have set the lady’s mind at rest on this question that was troubling her so much. However, I suspect that she is not the only person to be misled by the wording of this verse. Therefore, it is very surprising to find that even today many English versions (including the New International Version, New Revised Standard Version, Revised English Bible, Good News Translation) still say ‘heaven and earth’ in verses like Matt 24:35 and its parallels (Mark 13:31 and Luke 21:33). The Contemporary English Version (CEV) and Phillips’ translation seem to be aware of the problem, and in Mark 13:31 both of these have ‘earth and sky’ instead of ‘heaven and earth.’ But in some other passages (such as Matt 5:18) the traditional wording is still found in both of those translations. The New Century Version (NCV) does have ‘earth and sky’ more consistently, and the New Jerusalem Bible (NJB) has ‘sky and earth’ in these passages. (Although ‘sky and earth’ is closer to the Greek, it seems more natural in English to say ‘earth and sky’; but either way, at least the meaning is correct.)

“Louw and Nida’s Lexical Semantics of the Greek New Testament (publ. 1992) suggests that the Greek expression being translated here, ho ouranos kai he ge is ‘a more or less fixed phrase equivalent to a single lexical unit’ and that it means everything that God created, that is, the universe. They then quote Mark 13:31 as an example, using ‘heaven and earth’ in their translation of it. However, they go on to say that there ‘may be certain complications involved in rendering ho ouranos kai he ge as ‘heaven and earth,’ since ‘heaven’ might be interpreted in some languages as referring only to the dwelling place of God himself. The referents in this passage are ‘the sky and the earth,’ in other words, all of physical existence, but not the dwelling place of God, for the latter would not be included in what is destined to pass away.’ In my opinion, English itself is one of the languages where the word ‘heaven’ will be interpreted as referring only to the dwelling place of God himself, and translations into English should not use ‘heaven’ in these passages. It is probably because these passages are so very familiar that translators do not realize the meaning they are giving their readers when they use the expression ‘heaven and earth’ here. In modern English we might talk about a rocket ‘soaring into the heavens,’ but we would certainly not describe it as ‘soaring into heaven,’ because ‘heaven’ is not another way of referring to the sky or to outer space.

“In fact, it is surely important in all languages to have some way of distinguishing the concept of ‘sky’ from the concept of ‘dwelling place of God.’ In these passages translators should never use a term meaning ‘the dwelling place of God.’ It may not be necessary to use a term meaning ‘sky’ either, if there is some other expression in the language which gives the correct meaning of ‘everything that has been created’ or ‘the universe.’ There are of course places in the New Testament where Heaven, as the place where God lives, is contrasted with the earth. In these passages, translators should be careful to give the correct meaning. A good example of this is in the Lord’s Prayer, in Matt 6:10: ‘Your will be done, on earth as it is in heaven.’ Similarly, 1 Cor 15:47 says that ‘the first man [a reference to Adam] was from the earth, a man of dust; the second man is from heaven.’ Passages like these are referring to Heaven, not to the sky. Other NT passages where heaven refers to God’s dwelling place, in contrast with earth, are Matt 5:34-35, 16:19, 18:18, Acts 7:49, James 5:12, and Rev 5:3.
“Sometimes in the New Testament, the word ‘heaven’ is used because of the Jewish reluctance to use the name of God. ‘Heaven’ in these cases is used in place of ‘God’ and refers to God himself. This is the case in the many references in Matthew to ‘the kingdom of heaven’ where other gospels have ‘the kingdom of God’ (e.g., compare Matt 4:17 with its parallels in Mark 1:15 and Luke 10:9). It is also most likely the case in references like Matt 16:1, Luke 20:4, 5, John 3:27, and even perhaps Col 1:5.

“There are some places, such as Matt 11:25, where God is called ‘Lord of heaven and earth.’ Since God is of course the Lord of Heaven as well as of the universe, it may not matter so much which interpretation is given in these passages (others are Luke 10:21 and Acts 17:24). Nevertheless, the intended meaning here is likely to be ‘the universe.’ This is because this expression in Greek, as Louw and Nida say, is a set expression referring to everything that has been created. Acts 17:24 in fact combines the idea of the creation of the universe with the idea of God as Master or Lord of the universe. (…)

“Old Testament background The use of ‘heaven and earth’ in the New Testament is very similar to what we find in the Old Testament, because it is largely based on the Old Testament.

“The Old Testament begins with the story of creation, which is presented as the creation of the heavens and the earth, with lights to shine in the heavens and give light to the earth. Birds are created to live in the heavens, animals to live on earth, and fish to live in the sea (Gen 1:1-2:4).

“As we can see from the way the creation story is told, it is meant to be understood as the creation of the universe. Although in English the regions above the earth have traditionally been called ‘the heavens’ in the story of creation, they cannot be called ‘Heaven,’ in the sense of the place where God dwells. In terms of modern English, it would probably be better to say ‘the sky and the earth’ or ‘the earth and the sky.’ The story of creation then becomes an important theme throughout the Old Testament. (…)

“In most passages, whether in the Old Testament or the New Testament, when ‘heaven and earth’ or ‘the heavens and the earth’ are mentioned, the meaning is the created universe. It is not a reference to Heaven, as the dwelling place of God. In English, translators have not been careful to keep this distinction clear, and this is probably true in many other languages as well. However, as we have seen, this can lead to real confusion for ordinary Bible readers. It is better if translators find ways to make the meaning clear in these passages. ‘Heaven’ should be mentioned only in passages which clearly mean the dwelling place of God. In other passages, an expression should be used which means only ‘sky.’ Or else, the whole expression ‘heaven and earth’ can be translated in a way to show that the whole universe is meant.”

Other languages that have a semantic distinction similar to English include (click here to see more):

  • Hungarian: ég — “sky”; menny — “heaven”
  • Tagalog: kalawakan — “sky”; langit/kalangitan — “heaven”
  • Swedish: sky — “sky”; Himmel — “heaven”
  • Loma: “up” — “sky”; “God’s place” — heaven”
  • Mossi: saase — “sky”; nyingeri — “the up above”(source for Loma and Mossi: Bratcher/Nida)
  • Roviana: mamaṉa — “sly”; maṉauru — “heaven” (an old word, meaning “empty, open space of the sky”) (source: Carl Gross)
  • Kayaw: mô̄la or “canopy-under”/mô̄khû̄la or “canopy-above-under” — “sky” (atmosphere where there is just air); mô̄khû̄ or “canopy-on/above” — “heaven” (invisible abode of God and angels)
  • Burmese: မိုး ကောင်း ကင်/moe kaungg kain — “sky”; ကောင်း ကင်/kaungg kain — “sky” or “heaven”; ကောင်း ကင်ဗုံ/kaungg kain bone — “heaven”
  • Mairasi: Sinyavi — an indigenous term that is used for both “sky” and heaven”; Surga — loanword from Sanskrit via Indonesian referring to “heaven” (source: Enggavoter 2004)
  • Noongar: worl — “sky”; Boolanga-Yirakang Boodjer — “Country of God” (source: Warda-Kwabba Luke-Ang)

Many languages follow the original biblical languages in not making that distinction, such as (click here to see more):

In some languages, such as Wandala, the vocabulary for terms for either “heaven” or “sky” is much richer than just to include those two distinction. While zhegela, the term that is specifically used for the physical sky was only used in early translations of the New Testament for “sky,” other terms such as samaya (used for both “sky” and “heaven”), zlanna (specifically used for the perfect abode of God and the goal of the faithful, as in Matthew 8:11), kwárá (a locational term used to speak of a chief’s rule [lit., “voice”] such as Matthew 3:2), or sleksire (“chieftaincy,” “kingship,” or “royalty” [originally from slekse “chief”] and used where there are no locational overtones, such as in Matthew 16:28) are used. (Source: Mona Perrin in Notes on Translation 1/1999, p. 51ff.)

The English translation by Sarah Ruden (2021) uses “sky” throughout. Ruden explains (p. li): “The Greek word ouranos refers evenhandedly to the physical sky and the place—often pictured as a royal court — where supreme divinity resides. ‘Sky’ seems generally better, first of all in avoiding the wackier modern imagery that comes with the English ‘heaven.’ And even when a supernatural realm is meant, ‘sky’ will often do, because the divine realm was thought to be located there, in addition to the weather and the heavenly bodies, whereas ‘heaven’ to us is fundamentally a religious term, and the ancients did not tend to separate linguistic domains in this way. I have retained the plural ‘skies’ where I see it in the Greek, because it is a Hebraism familiar in English translations of scripture and (I hope) not too archaic or jarring.”

law

The Greek that is translated in English as “Law” or “law” is translated in Mairasi as oro nasinggiei or “prohibited things” (source: Enggavoter 2004) and in Noongar with a capitalized form of the term for “words” (Warrinya) (source: Warda-Kwabba Luke-Ang).

In Yucateco the phrase that is used for “law” is “ordered-word” (for “commandment,” it is “spoken-word”) (source: Nida 1947, p. 198) and in Central Tarahumara it is “writing-command.” (wsource: Waterhouse / Parrott in Notes on Translation October 1967, p. 1ff.)
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Translation commentary on Matthew 5:18

For truly, I say to you translates a solemn formula which appears in the Gospels only in the mouth of Jesus. It denotes a solemn assertion of divine truth. Die Bibel im heutigen Deutsch translates “I assure you” (so Good News Bible in 10.15), and Good News Translation has “Remember.” Translators can also say “I tell you the truth,” “I declare to you in truth,” or “Remember, the fact (or, truth) is.”

Till heaven and earth pass away may reflect the Jewish conviction that the Law and all of its parts were eternal and possessed eternal value. After the destruction of Jerusalem this developed into an unshakable affirmation of faith, held to firmly by the homeless Jewish people. Good News Translation states this negative affirmation in a positive form: “as long as heaven and earth last.” Other translations that can be used include “till heaven and earth are destroyed (or, come to an end),” “till the whole universe is gone,” “till the end of the world,” or “as long as there is a heaven and an earth.”

Iota (Good News Translation “least point”) is the name of the smallest letter in the Greek alphabet. It substitutes here for yod, the smallest letter in the Hebrew alphabet. The dot (Good News Translation “smallest detail of the Law”) is generally taken to refer to a tiny mark (literally “horn”) attached to some Hebrew letters to keep them from being confused with others. But some scholars affirm that we cannot know for certain whether this is the reference or not, since archaeological evidence is inconclusive. New English Bible translates “not a letter, not a stroke.” Die Bibel im heutigen Deutsch combines the two terms into “the dot of an i.” Barclay has “not the smallest letter, not the smallest part of a letter.”

Translators have found different ways to express this. Some prefer to keep the image of the text and say “not one letter or part of a letter” or “not even a part of the writing of one word.” Others have used expressions such as “not one part of the Law,” “not one detail of the Law,” or “not in any way at all.” This is less vivid and not as good, since the imagery Jesus uses here tends to dramatize forcefully the point he is making.

To pass from the law means that it “will be removed from the law,” “be changed,” “will stop being valid,” or “be destroyed.”

Much controversy surrounds the interpretation of the clause until all is accomplished. Good News Translation translates this clause as “not until the end of all things,” with an alternative rendering in the margin (“until all its teaching come true”). The Greek expression is literally “until all things happen,” which basically offers two possibilities of interpretation:
(1) “All things” may be interpreted as a reference to events which must happen before the end of time; this seems to be the approach taken by most translations: “until all that must happen has happened” (New English Bible), “until history comes to an end” (Barclay), “not before the end of this world” (Bibel im heutigen Deutsch, 1st edition). The Traduction œcuménique de la Bible (footnote) qualifies this as a “difficult expression” but prefers the meaning “until the end of the world.”
(2) “All things” may also be interpreted as a reference to the demands of the Law: “until all its teachings come true” (Good News Translation alternative rendering), “before all that it stands for is achieved” (New English Bible alternative rendering), “until its purpose is complete” (Phillips), “until all its purpose is achieved” (New Jerusalem Bible). Moffatt (“until it is all in force”), and An American Translation (“until it is all observed”) seem also to accept this exegesis.

It is difficult to believe that the first of these possibilities is what is meant, for this would simply be repeating what is said at the first of the verse. Moreover, the contextual demands are met much better by the second of these alternative possibilities.

Taking this second interpretation, translators can have “until everything in the Law is fulfilled,” “until everything the Law speaks of comes true,” “until the whole purpose of the Law is achieved,” or “until everything happens as the Law says it will.”

Translators may structure this verse in different ways: “For I assure you, until the very end of the world, not even one part of one word of the writing of the law will be done away with until everything in it is fulfilled” or “For I tell you in truth, not one part of the writing of the law will be destroyed before everything happens as the law says it will, not as long as heaven and earth last.”

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 .