hell

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The Greek that is translated in English versions as “hell” (or “Gehenna”) is translated (1) by borrowing a term from a trade or national language (this is done in a number of Indian languages in Latin America, which have borrowed Spanish “infierno” — from Latin “infernus”: “of the lower regions”), (2) by using an expression denoting judgment or punishment, e.g. “place of punishment” (Loma), “place of suffering” (Highland Totonac, San Blas Kuna) and (3) by describing a significant characteristic: (a) the presence of fire or burning, e.g. “place of fire” (Kipsigis, Mossi), “the large bonfire” (Shipibo-Conibo), or (b) the traditionally presumed location, e.g. “the lowest place” (a well-known term in Ngäbere), “the place inside” long used to designate hell, as a place inside the earth (Aymara). (Source for this and above: Bratcher / Nida)

In Noongar it is translated as Djinbaminyap or “Punishing place” (source: Warda-Kwabba Luke-Ang) and in Tagbanwa as “the fire which had no dying down” (source: Tagbanwa Back Translation).

The Mandarin Chinese dìyù (地獄 / 地狱), literally “(under) earth prison,” is a term that was adopted from Buddhist sources into early Catholic writings and later also by Protestant translators. (Source: Zetzsche 1996, p. 32)

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.

complete verse (Matthew 5:30)

Following are a number of back-translations of Matthew 5:30:

  • Uma: “If for example our (incl.) right hand causes us (incl.) to sin, cut it off and throw it away. It is far better that one of our (incl.) hands is lost, than our whole body be throw into hell.” (Source: Uma Back Translation)
  • Yakan: “And if your right hand influences you to sin, leave that sin of yours. Figuratively as if you chop off your hand and throw it away. It is better if one of your hands is chopped off than that your whole body goes to hell.'” (Source: Yakan Back Translation)
  • Western Bukidnon Manobo: “If it is your right hand that causes you to sin, cut it off and throw it away. It is better for you not to have a hand than for you to be thrown into hell with the whole body.” (Source: Western Bukidnon Manobo Back Translation)
  • Kankanaey: “And if it is your (sing.) right hand that is the cause-of-your (sing.) -sinning, cut it off to throw it away. Because it’s-preferable if your (sing.) body has a part taken-from-it than that your (sing.) body have no lack and you (sing.) be thrown into hell.'” (Source: Kankanaey Back Translation)
  • Tagbanwa: “It’s like that too with your hand/arm, even if it’s your right one, that you should cut it off if that’s where you are getting sin from, and throw it away. Because it’s really better to have a subtraction from the body, rather than a whole body which will be thrown into the fire which has no dying down, which is punishment by God.” (Source: Tagbanwa Back Translation)
  • Tenango Otomi: “If you say that it is the fault of your hand, the right one, that you commit sin, then cut off your hand and throw it far away. It is better that you have lost a hand rather than you go to hell with all your body.” (Source: Tenango Otomi Back Translation)
  • Martu Wangka: “‘If you are thinking about doing bad with your hand, and you are thinking like that with the intention of doing bad, then as a result of that, you should chop off your hand and throw it away. You should do like that, and then you will be with one hand but you will sit well and you will not do bad so that you can avoid the fire if you did do bad.'” (Source: Carl Gross)

Translation commentary on Matthew 5:30

The structure of this verse is basically the same as that of verse 29. Here the right hand is used in place of the right eye as an application of the teaching about adultery, and there is a shift in the verb from “be thrown into” to go into. Both verbs are very common, and they generally are translated similarly to the way that Revised Standard Version has done. In some languages it may be necessary to shift the first three verbs to an active form. If the meaning of “hell” is accepted for Gehenna, then God may be made the subject of the active verb. One should not assume that the reference is to the valley outside of Jerusalem and to the individual’s body being thrown into that after death. This would make little sense in the context, for then the verse would lose its impact, which is the threat of punishment for the offender. In order for this verse to carry through its full impact, the reference must be to hell as a place of punishment, rather than to the garbage pile outside of Jerusalem, where the worst that can happen is for the person’s body to be consumed after death.

Translators will generally translate this verse very much as they did verse 29. As with “right eye,” right hand may in some languages be “one of your hands,” “your hand,” or “your hands.”

One slight difference from verse 29 is that here the text says go into hell, not “be thrown into hell,” but the meaning is essentially the same. Thus the phrase may be “than that your whole body go to hell (or be sent to hell, or be sent by God to hell)” or “than that God send you to hell.”

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 .