lamb

The term that is translated as “lamb” in English is typically translated as “offspring of a sheep” in Ixcatlán Mazatec since there is no specific word for “lamb.” Since this could distract readers with thoughts of God being the sheep when the “lamb” refers to Jesus the translation into Ixcatlán Mazatec chose “little (individual) sheep” for those cases. (Source: Robert Bascom)

In Dëne Súline the native term for “lamb” directly translated as “the young one of an evil little caribou.” To avoid the negative connotation, a loan word from the neighboring South Slavey was used. (Source: NCAM, p. 70)

For the Kasua translation, it took a long process to find the right term. Rachel Greco (in The PNG Experience) tells this story:

“To the Kasua people of Western Province, every four-legged animal is a pig. They call a horse a pig-horse, a cow, a pig-cow, and a sheep, a pig-sheep, because all of these animals have four legs, which is kopolo, or pig, in their language.

“When the translation team would translate the word, ‘sheep’ in the New Testament, they would translate it as ‘pig-sheep’. So when Jesus is referred to as the ‘Lamb,’ (John 1:29; Rev. 12:11; Rev. 17:14), they translated as ‘pig-sheep’ so that in John 1:29 it would read: ‘Behold, the pig-sheep of God.’

“When some members of the translation team attended the Translators Training Course, they had the opportunity to observe and study sheep for the first time. As they watched and learned more about the animals’ behavior, their understanding of these creatures—and God’s Word—rotated on its axis.

“Once during the course, Logan and Konni — the translation team’s helpers — were driving with the team to a Bible dedication when Amos, one of the team members, said passionately, ‘We can’t use the word kopolo in front of the word, ‘sheep’! Pigs know when they’re about to die and squeal and scream.’ The team had often watched villagers tie up pigs so they wouldn’t escape.

“’But,’ Amos said, ‘Jesus didn’t do that.’ The team had learned that sheep are quiet and still when death walks toward them. They had observed, as they translated the New Testament, the words of Isaiah 53 fulfilled: ‘Like a lamb led to the slaughter, he did not open his mouth.’ And now they understood what it meant. For this reason, the team decided not to put pig-sheep in the New Testament for the word ‘sheep,’ but used sheep-animal or, in their language, a:pele sipi.

“The Kasua translation team also chose to discard the word ‘pig’ before sheep because pigs are unclean animals to the Jews. The team knew that Jesus was called the ‘Lamb of God’ in the New Testament to show that he is unblemished and clean. Hopefully the Lord will open up the Kasua villagers’ eyes to these same truths about Jesus as they read of Him in their own language.”

See also sheep.

complete verse (Revelation 22:1)

Following are a number of back-translations of Revelation 22:1:

  • Uma: “That angel also pointed-out to me a stream, its water sparkled like crystal. The water of that stream gives life. Its headwaters appear from the Seat sat-on by God and the Lamb,” (Source: Uma Back Translation)
  • Yakan: “I was also shown by the angel the water/river that gives life without end. This water is clear like glass and flows from the throne of God and the Sheep,” (Source: Yakan Back Translation)
  • Western Bukidnon Manobo: “Then the angel showed me the water called the water which can give life, and that water was as clear as glass. And the water has its source at the seat of God which is also the seat of the young sheep.” (Source: Western Bukidnon Manobo Back Translation)
  • Kankanaey: “Then the angel showed me the river that is the source of water which gives life. This river, it glitters like crystal, and it comes from the throne of God and the Sheep” (Source: Kankanaey Back Translation)
  • Tagbanwa: “Shown also to me by the angel was the flowing river which gives life. It’s really very clear like first-class mirror/glass. It springs at the seat of God and the one referred to as Young Sheep in their kingship.” (Source: Tagbanwa Back Translation)
  • Tenango Otomi: “Afterwards, the angel showed me again where God was seated and also the Lamb. There where they were seated there came forth a stream of good water, it gives new life. It shone like glass.” (Source: Tenango Otomi Back Translation)

Translation commentary on Revelation 22:1

Then: as in other chapters this word indicates that the events in this verse immediately follow what happens in chapter 21. Some translators will wish to say “After the angel showed me the new city, he showed….”

He showed me: it is better to make the subject explicit, “the angel showed me” (as New Revised Standard Version has done); see 21.9.

The river of the water of life: the genitive phrase water of life is better translated “life-giving water” (see 21.6 “the fountain of the water of life”).

Bright as crystal: see expressions with a similar meaning in 4.6; 21.11.

Flowing from the throne of God and of the Lamb: as 3.21 and 22.3 make clear, God and the Lamb sit on the same throne, not on two different thrones. The idea of flowing from can be expressed by “flowing from under.”

Quoted with permission from Bratcher, Robert G. and Hatton, Howard A. A Handbook on The Revelation to John. (UBS Handbook Series). New York: UBS, 1993. For this and other handbooks for translators see here .