salvation

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The Greek that is translated with “salvation” in English is translated in the following ways:

  • San Blas Kuna: “receive help for bad deeds” (“this help is not just any kind of help but help for the soul which has sinned)
  • Northwestern Dinka: “help as to his soul” (“or literally, ‘his breath'”) (source for this and the one above: Nida 1952, p. 140)
  • Central Mazahua: “healing the heart” (source: Nida 1952, p. 40)
  • Tzeltal: col: “get loose,” “go free,” “get well” (source: Marianna C. Slocum in The Bible Translator 1958, p. 49f. )
  • Aari: “the day our Savior comes” (in Rom 13:11) (source: Loren Bliese)

in Mairasi its is translated as “life fruit” or “life fruit all mashed out.” Lloyd Peckham explains: “In secret stories, not knowable to women nor children, there was a magical fruit of life. If referred to vaguely, without specifying the specific ‘fruit,’ it can be an expression for eternity.” And for “all masked out” he 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.” (See also eternity / forever)

In Lisu a poetic construct is used for this term. Arrington (2020, p. 58f.) explains: “A four-word couplet uses Lisu poetic forms to bridge the abstract concrete divide, an essential divide to cross if Christian theology is to be understood by those with oral thought patterns. Each couplet uses three concrete nouns or verbs to express an abstract term. An example of this is the word for salvation, a quite abstract term essential to understanding Christian theology. To coin this new word, the missionary translators used a four-word couplet: ℲO., CYU. W: CYU (person … save … person … save). In this particular case, the word for person was not the ordinary word (ʁ) but rather the combination of ℲO., and W: used in oral poetry. The word for ‘save’ also had to be coined; in this case, it was borrowed from Chinese [from jiù / 救]. These aspects of Lisu poetry, originally based on animism, likely would have been lost as Lisu society encountered communism and modernization. Yet they are now codified in the Lisu Bible as well as the hymnbook.”

See also save.

fear (of God)

The Hebrew and Greek that are translated as “fear (of God)” (or: “honor,” “worship,” or “respect”) is translated as “to have respect/reverence for” (Southern Subanen, Western Highland Purepecha, Navajo, Javanese, Tboli), “to make great before oneself” (Ngäbere), “fear-devotion” (Kannada — currently used as a description of the life of piety), “those-with-whom he-is-holy” (those who fear God) (Western Apache) (source for this and above: Reiling / Swellengrebel), “revere God” Lalana Chinantec, “worship God” (Palantla Chinantec) (source for this and one above: Viola Waterhouse in Notes on Translation August 1966, p. 86ff.), “obey” (Chichewa) (source: Ernst Wendland), or with a term that communicates awe (rather than fear of an evil source) (Chol) (source: Robert Bascom).

Bullard / Hatton (2008, p. 8) say the following about this concept: “As the writer of Proverbs states in 1:7, ‘The fear of the LORD is the beginning of knowledge.’ (…) ‘The fear of the Lord,’ that is, human fear of God, is an exceptionally difficult concept to express, at least in English. Other languages may have more appropriate terms. The idea probably is rooted in the most ancient days when people were indeed afraid of any deity. But in Israel the concept of fearing God was transformed by God’s revelation into a much fuller idea. Basically, as used in the Bible, the fear of God refers to the proper attitude of reverence and awe before the Holy One. To fear God is to recognize one’s own place as a mere mortal before the Creator, one’s place as a sinner before the Judge, one’s place as a child before the Father, one’s place as the recipient of God’s love. It thus involves submission, repentance, trust, and grateful love toward the One who is fearsome in holiness, in justice, in power that both protects and punishes, and in love. Using the word “fear” is sometimes as good as we can do, but often we will alternate that word with terms like ‘reverence’ or ‘awe.’”

See also fear of the LORD (Isa 11:2) and complete verse (Genesis 22:12) et al.

complete verse (Philippians 2:12)

Following are a number of back-translations of Philippians 2:12:

  • Uma: “So, relatives whom I love, I know that you follow my commands. While I was with you, you followed my commands. So, how much more now while I am far away, I request that you really work hard to be-careful-of your behavior, like is fitting for those whom God has lifted from the punishment of their sins. Submit to God, and really fear to do evil behavior.” (Source: Uma Back Translation)
  • Yakan: “So-then, my friends, when I was there with you, you always followed/obeyed my teaching/preaching. Na even more so because I am no longer there with you should you really follow/obey. You should fear God and respect him and each one of you (should) strive to finish the work which God began in your liver when he saved/rescued you.” (Source: Yakan Back Translation)
  • Western Bukidnon Manobo: “And therefore, brothers, just as you always obey my commands not only when I am with you but rather even also when I’m not with you, in just the same way also now, it’s necessary that every one of you do his utmost accompanied with fear of God, so that everything that God began when He freed you from punishment, might be finished.” (Source: Western Bukidnon Manobo Back Translation)
  • Kankanaey: “Therefore this is what I will tell you my friends. If that is what Cristo has-done, we must also be consistently-obedient. When I was where you were, you always obeyed me, but now that I have left you, the way you obey this that I am saying should be even-more. Continue then to do the good which ought to be the outcome of your faith until God’s saving you is accomplished while-meanwhile you respect (lit. have-shame-to) him properly.” (Source: Kankanaey Back Translation)
  • Tagbanwa: “Therefore this now is what I am impressing on you, siblings in believing whom I hold dear. Back then when I was there with you, your following/obeying of the will of God was good. Well now that I’m no longer there, you must all the more persevere in this following/obeying of yours. It’s necessary that you are really obedient with true honoring/respecting which has fear of God, so that all which he wants/intends to do in your lives can be completed, which is his saving you.” (Source: Tagbanwa Back Translation)
  • Tenango Otomi: “Listen brothers, when I lived there where you live, you obeyed what I told you. And now, even though I live here, it is more important that you obey the word I send to you. Now your lives have been saved. Reverence God now. Earnestly endeavor to search out how God will look well upon you.” (Source: Tenango Otomi Back Translation)

Translation commentary on Philippians 2:12

Verses 12 and 13 represent a long sentence in Greek. For the sake of clarity it is best broken into several shorter sentences.

With the connective so then Paul established the link between the Christological hymn and the practical exhortation. The Philippian Christians must have the attitude that Christ had (v. 5); thus, as Christ obeyed, so should they. The readers are addressed as dear friends (literally, “my beloved,” “my dear friends,” Goodspeed Jerusalem Bible). This expression, which appears again twice in 4.1, shows the warmth of the apostle’s affection toward his converts. It is a favorite expression, often used by Paul to introduce earnest appeals to his readers (1 Cor 10.14; 15.58; 2 Cor 7.1; 12.19, etc.).

In many languages the expression of direct address would come naturally at the beginning of the section. Therefore one may need to shift the order of so then, dear friends, employing such an expression as “dear friends, therefore, as you always obeyed me….”

In some languages, however, dear friends may seem out of place since the term friends itself would include a component of endearment, and the addition of an adjective such as dear would imply that there were other friends who were not dear. An equivalent expression of dear friends may in some languages be “you who are so friendly to me,” or “you who are so loved by me.”

The references to Paul’s presence and absence (literally, “not as in my presence only but now much more in my absence” King James Version) can be taken several ways. (1) A number of translations connect them with “work out your own salvation” (Goodspeed New American Bible Barclay Segond [Segond]). (2) Another possibility, though less likely, is seen in the Phillips rendering: “as you have always obeyed me—and that not only when I was with you—now, even more in my absence, complete the salvation….” Here he appears to connect presence with “obeyed” and absence with “work out salvation.” (3) A third possibility is to connect them both with “you have always obeyed” (Barclay Die Bibel im heutigen Deutsch New International Version). The Greek word order indicates that this is preferable to (1). However, there is a difficulty in connecting the sense of “but now” with “obeyed.” (4) To avoid this difficulty New English Bible offers a variation of (3) by making the sentence into an imperative rather than a statement, thus “… must be obedient, as always; even more, now that I am away, than when I was with you.” (5) Still another variation is suggested by Good News Translation (so also Biblia Dios Habla Hoy Bible en français courant Translator’s New Testament). It supplies a command, you obey me, to the reference to Paul’s absence, thus: it is even more important that you obey me now while I am away from you.

The aorist verb obeyed is used without an object in Greek. A number of translations accordingly render the verse without supplying an object (including Goodspeed Moffatt Revised Standard Version New English Bible Barclay). Some commentators suggest “God” to be the object, but the sense is probably that of obedience to Paul as God’s messenger and to his instructions and guidance (cf. 2 Cor 7.15; 10.6; Philemon 21), and Good News Translation makes that explicit: as you always obeyed me (so also Bruce Phillips Translator’s New Testament; cf. New American Bible “obedient as always to my urging”; Jerusalem Bible “continue to do as I tell you”).

In some languages a literal rendering of as you always obeyed me when I was with you might suggest that when Paul was with the Philippian believers he was constantly commanding them to do certain things. It may be better, therefore, to render this clause as “in the same way as you always took my advice when I was with you.”

There may be some complications in the introductory part of this verse because of the three different connectives before the principal clause, namely, so then, as, and when. In many languages, this cluster of connectives would be too heavy a “preposed” set of structures. However, one can make certain modifications, for example, “Dear friends, when I was with you, you always took my advice. Therefore, it is even more important for you to obey me now, while I am away from you,” or “… take my advice now, while I am not with you any longer.”

To bring out properly the emphasis in the Greek text, Good News Translation restructures the following phrase (literally, “but now much more in my absence”) into it is even more important that you obey me now while I am away from you. This rendering makes it clear that the contrast of presence and absence is not to be taken in the sense of “during my life” and “after my death,” as is, in fact, advocated by some commentators.

The compound Greek present imperative, rendered “work out” by most translators, has the sense of continuing a work to its conclusion, thus keep on working … to complete (Barclay “keep on toiling”; cf. Eph 6.13). Keep on working should not be rendered in such a way as to refer merely to physical toil. A more satisfactory equivalent may be “keep on striving,” “give all your strength to,” of “endeavor very much to.”

Your salvation can hardly be taken in a personal sense. In Greek both the verb “work out” and the reflexive pronoun “yourselves” are plural. It is not an exhortation to the Philippian Christians to accomplish the personal salvation of the individual members. Paul is rather concerned about the well-being of their common life together as a community (cf. 1.28; 2.4). Paul often uses salvation to refer to the ultimate saving act of God which will reach its completion at the end of the world. For him it is primarily a future reality, an attainment of final blessedness (cf. 1 Cor 5.5), and a deliverance from approaching wrath (Rom 5.9; 1 Cor 3.15; 1 Thes 5.10). In the present context, however, the word can be taken in the broader sense of the restoration of the health and the spiritual well-being of the community (Mark 3.4; Acts 4.9; 14.9; 27.34).

A literal rendering of to complete your salvation could be understood to mean that individuals had complete responsibility for their personal salvation, but Paul always speaks of personal salvation as the act of God. This expression is better interpreted in the present context as “cause your well-being to be complete,” “cause nothing to be lacking in your well-being,” or “… in your state of well-being.”

The Philippian readers are encouraged to attain this goal with fear and trembling. This is a stereotyped Old Testament expression (see Psa 2.11; Isa 19.16) denoting humble reverence, dependence, and devotion to God. It does not appear in the New Testament apart from the Pauline writings. In every instance (here and in 1 Cor 2.3; Eph 6.5) it is used to describe the spirit of reverence and humility which should characterize mutual relationships within the Christian community. It is precisely with this spirit that Paul is urging the Philippians Christians to keep on working toward the restoration of the spiritual welfare of the community (see 2.2-4, 14; 4.2). A literal rendering of with fear and trembling might suggest that the Philippian Christians should be fearful of their enemies and tremble because of them. It may even be misleading to speak of “with fear and trembling before God,” or “while you are fearing God and trembling before him.” A more appropriate equivalent in a number of languages is “with complete devotion to God,” or “with complete reverence for God.”

Quoted with permission from Luo, I-Jin. and Nida, Eugene A. A Handbook on Paul’s Letter to the Philippians. (UBS Handbook Series). New York: UBS, 1977. For this and other handbooks for translators see here .