The Hebrew, Greek, and Latin that is translated as “soul” in English is translated in Chol with a term that refers to the invisible aspects of human beings (source: Robert Bascom).
The Mandarin Chineselínghún (靈魂 / 灵魂), literally “spirit-soul,” is often used for “soul” (along with xīn [心] or “heart”). This is a term that was adopted from Buddhist sources into early Catholic writings and later also by Protestant translators. (Source: Zetzsche 1996, p. 32, see also Clara Ho-yan Chan in this article )
The Hebrew and Greek that is translated “seek God” or “seek the Lord” is translated in most Polish Bible translations as szukaɫ Boga or szukaɫ Pana.
These phrases are also being used in modern Polish as metaphors meaning “‘to look for some manifestations of the existence and activity of God in the reality which surrounds us, to seek evidence for God’s existence in the world in which we live,’ less commonly: ‘to seek reliable, convincing information about God in philosophical doctrines.’ Therefore, this metaphor describes the intellectual efforts of man with religious needs man who was unfortunate enough to have been born in an age in which the belief in the existence of God diminishes, therefore in an attempt to solidify their own faith or to regain it, religious people seek, in the surrounding world, the signs that God exists and cares about the world and humankind. (…) [This] has a more profound, more subtle meaning, and what is more important — a meaning which corresponds more accurately to the spirit and the problems of our age than the original text or its semantically faithful translation. Our age faces a different problem than the one that was faced by people in Zephaniah’s times [see Zeph 1:6]. Today the problem is not that the faithful pray to other deities instead of the one God. Today the problem is that the people do not see the manifestations of the existence and the activity of God in the world that surrounds them and that they doubt in His existence. Therefore today a translation of the Bible which encourages looking for God in the present-day understanding of this metaphor is indeed of greater utility in terms of pastoral service than a translation which would encourage people to worship God or to pray to him instead of other deities. Obviously, the only translation which is philologically correct is a translation which renders the meaning of the metaphor which was ascribed to it by the authors of the original, i.e. in this case not ‘to look for God’ but ‘to offer penitential prayers to God.’ However, in a confessional translation, which reflects the religious needs and the theological gleanings of some religious community, there are numerous instances of departure from the principles of philology. In Catholic biblical exegesis theologians acknowledge that certain passages of the Old Testament announce the coming of Jesus Christ – therefore we admit that the Old Testament expresses certain senses which were not dreamed of by its authors at the time at which they wrote these fragments of the Old Testament.” (Source: Król / Piela 2021)
The Hebrew adonai in the Old Testament typically refers to God. The shorter adon (and in two cases in the book of Daniel the Aramaic mare [מָרֵא]) is also used to refer to God but more often for concepts like “master,” “owner,” etc. In English Bible translations all of those are translated with “Lord” if they refer to God.
In English Old Testament translations, as in Old Testament translations in many other languages, the use of Lord (or an equivalent term in other languages) is not to be confused with Lord (or the equivalent term with a different typographical display for other languages). While the former translates adonai, adon and mare, the latter is a translation for the tetragrammaton (YHWH) or the Name of God. See tetragrammaton (YHWH) and the article by Andy Warren-Rothlin in Noss / Houser, p. 618ff. for more information.
In the New Testament, the Greek term kurios has at least four different kinds of use:
referring to “God,” especially in Old Testament quotations,
meaning “master” or “owner,” especially in parables, etc.,
as a form of address (see for instance John 4:11: “Sir, you have no bucket”),
or, most often, referring to Jesus
In the first and fourth case, it is also translated as “Lord” in English.
Most languages naturally don’t have one word that covers all these meanings. According to Bratcher / Nida, “the alternatives are usually (1) a term which is an honorific title of respect for a high-ranking person and (2) a word meaning ‘boss’, ‘master’, or ‘chief.’ (…) and on the whole it has generally seemed better to employ a word of the second category, in order to emphasize the immediate personal relationship, and then by context to build into the word the prestigeful character, since its very association with Jesus Christ will tend to accomplish this purpose.”
When looking at the following list of back-translations of the terms that translators in the different languages have used for both kurios and adonai to refer to God and Jesus respectively, it might be helpful for English readers to recall the etymology of the English “Lord.” While this term might have gained an exalted meaning in the understanding of many, it actually comes from hlaford or “loaf-ward,” referring to the lord of the castle who was the keeper of the bread (source: Rosin 1956, p. 121).
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Following are some of the solutions that don’t rely on a different typographical display (see above):
Iyansi: Mwol. Mwol is traditionally used for the “chief of a group of communities and villages” with legal, temporal, and spiritual authority (versus the “mfum [the term used in other Bantu languages] which is used for the chief of one community of people in one village”). Mwol is also used for twins who are “treated as special children, highly honored, and taken care of like kings and queens.” (Source: Kividi Kikama in Greed / Kruger, p. 396ff.)
Binumarien: Karaambaia: “fight-leader” (Source: Oates 1995, p. 255)
Warlpiri: Warlaljamarri (owner or possessor of something — for more information tap or click here)
We have come to rely on another term which emphasizes God’s essential nature as YHWH, namely jukurrarnu (see tetragrammaton (YHWH)). This word is built on the same root jukurr– as is jukurrpa, ‘dreaming.’ Its basic meaning is ‘timelessness’ and it is used to describe physical features of the land which are viewed as always being there. Some speakers view jukurrarnu in terms of ‘history.’ In all Genesis references to YHWH we have used Kaatu Jukurrarnu. In all Mark passages where kurios refers to God and not specifically to Christ we have also used Kaatu Jukurrarnu.
New Testament references to Christ as kurios are handled differently. At one stage we experimented with the term Watirirririrri which refers to a ceremonial boss of highest rank who has the authority to instigate ceremonies. While adequately conveying the sense of Christ’s authority, there remained potential negative connotations relating to Warlpiri ceremonial life of which we might be unaware.
Here it is that the Holy Spirit led us to make a chance discovery. Transcribing the personal testimony of the local Warlpiri pastor, I noticed that he described how ‘my Warlaljamarri called and embraced me (to the faith)’. Warlaljamarri is based on the root warlalja which means variously ‘family, possessions, belongingness’. A warlaljamarri is the ‘owner’ or ‘possessor’ of something. While previously being aware of the ‘ownership’ aspect of warlaljamarri, this was the first time I had heard it applied spontaneously and naturally in a fashion which did justice to the entire concept of ‘Lordship’. Thus references to Christ as kurios are now being handled by Warlaljamarri.” (Source: Stephen Swartz, The Bible Translator 1985, p. 415ff. )
Mairasi: Onggoao Nem (“Throated One” — “Leader,” “Elder”) or Enggavot Nan (“Above-One”) (source: Enggavoter 2004)
Obolo: Okaan̄-ene (“Owner of person(s)”) (source: Enene Enene)
Lotha Naga: Opvui (“owner of house / field / cattle”) — since both “Lord” and YHWH are translated as Opvui there is an understanding that “Opvui Jesus is the same as the Opvui of the Old Testament”
Seediq: Tholang, loan word from Min Nan Chinese (the majority language in Taiwan) thâu-lâng (頭儂): “Master” (source: Covell 1998, p. 248)
Thai: phra’ phu pen cao (พระผู้เป็นเจ้า) (divine person who is lord) or ong(kh) cao nay (องค์เจ้านาย) (<divine classifier>-lord-boss) (source: Stephen Pattemore)
Arabic often uses different terms for adonai or kurios referring to God (al-rabb الرب) and kurios referring to Jesus (al-sayyid الـسـيـد). Al-rabb is also the term traditionally used in Arabic Christian-idiom translations for YHWH, and al-sayyid is an honorary term, similar to English “lord” or “sir” (source: Andy Warren-Rothlin).
Tamil also uses different terms for adonai/kurios when referring to God and kurios when referring to Jesus. The former is Karttar கர்த்தர், a Sanskrit-derived term with the original meaning of “creator,” and the latter in Āṇṭavar ஆண்டவர், a Tamil term originally meaning “govern” or “reign” (source: Natarajan Subramani).
Burunge: Looimoo: “owner who owns everything” (in the Burunge Bible translation, this term is only used as a reference to Jesus and was originally used to refer to the traditional highest deity — source: Michael Endl in Holzhausen / Riderer 2010, p. 48)
Aguacateco: Ajcaw ske’j: “the one to whom we belong and who is above us” (source: Rita Peterson in Holzhausen / Riderer 2010, p. 49)
Konkomba: Tidindaan: “He who is the owner of the land and reigns over the people” (source: Lidorio 2007, p. 66)
Law (2013, p. 97) writes about how the Ancient GreekSeptuagint‘s translation of the Hebrew adonai was used by the New Testament writers as a bridge between the Old and New Testaments: “Another case is the use of kurios referring to Jesus. For Yahweh (in English Bibles: ‘the Lord‘), the Septuagint uses kurios. Although the term kurios usually has to do with one’s authority over others, when the New Testament authors use this word from the Septuagint to refer to Jesus, they are making an extraordinary claim: Jesus of Nazareth is to be identified with Yahweh.”
The psalmist voices his complaint; in despair he calls to God. In some languages cry aloud has the meaning of “shout.” In the present context it is often necessary to employ a verb which means to mourn or to lament. In other languages the verb phrase cry aloud must be accompanied by a direct object; for example, “I cry aloud my complaint.”
Good News Translation “and he hears me” at the end of verse 1 is what the form and tense of the Hebrew verb normally mean (see the Septuagint, New English Bible, New Jerusalem Bible, Traduction œcuménique de la Bible). But the whole strophe (verses 1-3) seems to indicate that God had not listened to the psalmist, so An American Translation and Revised Standard Versionthat he may hear me seems more appropriate (similarly New Jerusalem Bible, New International Version, Bible en français courant, Biblia Dios Habla Hoy). Dahood translates it as an imperative, “give ear at once.”
In verse 2, In the day of my trouble may also be rendered “When I am in trouble.” For seek, meaning “pray to,” see 9.10 and comments. My hand is stretched out (that is, “I lift my hands”) is the position for prayer (see comments on 28.2). Good News Translation “all night long” (verse 2b) represents the force of in the night combined with without wearying; see Bible en français courant “without relaxing.” In verse 2c my soul (see 3.2) is parallel with my spirit in verse 3b; both are ways to refer to the psalmist’s feelings and emotions. Revised Standard Versionmy soul refuses to be comforted can be expressed more naturally: “but nothing brings me any comfort.” Traduction œcuménique de la Bible and Bible en français courant translate “I don’t let anyone comfort me.” Where Revised Standard Version uses my soul refuses…, some languages will prefer to represent the whole of the person by means of another part; for example, “my heart, my liver, my throat refuses….” In cases where the part of the body representing the personality does not express volition on its own, it is better to follow Good News Translation. In languages where it is necessary to express the one who fails to provide comfort for the sufferer, it is possible to say, for example, “God does not comfort me.”
I moan in verse 3a represents discomfort, despair; Biblia Dios Habla Hoy translates “I cry.” And in verse 3b my spirit faints can be translated “I lose all hope” or “I sink into despair” (Bible en français courant “I lose courage”). In verse 3b meditate is parallel with and means the same as think in verse 3a, and in many languages they are the same expression. In languages in which think of God and meditate are expressed in the same way, it may be necessary to say, for example, “When I think of God, I moan and I feel discouraged.”
For Selah see 3.2.
Quoted with permission from Bratcher, Robert G. and Reyburn, William D. A Handbook on the Book of Psalms. (UBS Helps for Translators). New York: UBS, 1991. For this and other handbooks for translators see here .
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