repent, repentance

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The Greek and Hebrew that is often translated as “repent” or “repentance” is (back-) translated in various ways (click or tap here to see the rest of this insight):

  • Western Kanjobal: “think in the soul”
  • Kekchí: “pain in the heart”
  • Northwestern Dinka: “turn the heart”
  • Pedi: “become untwisted”
  • Baoulé: “it hurts to make you quit it” (source for this and above: Nida 1952, p. 137)
  • Balinese: “putting on a new mind”
  • Chicahuaxtla Triqui: “be sorry on account of one’s sins”
  • Uab Meto: “turn the heart upside down” (source for this and the two above: Bratcher / Nida)
  • Central Mazahua / Chichimeca-Jonaz: “turn back the heart” (source: Nida 1952, p. 40)
  • Suki: biaekwatrudap gjaeraesae: “turn with sorrow” (source: L. and E. Twyman in The Bible Translator 1953, p. 91ff. )
  • Yamba and Bulu: “turn over the heart” (source: W. Reyburn in The Bible Translator 1959, p. 1ff. )
  • Chichewa: kutembenuka mtima (“to be turned around in one’s heart”) (source: Ernst Wendland in The Bible Translator 2002, p. 319ff.)
  • Caribbean Javanese: mertobat (“tired of old life”)
  • Saramaccan: bia libi ko a Massa Gadu (“turn your life to the Lord God”)
  • Sranan Tongo: drai yu libi (“turn your life”) or kenki libi (“change life”)
  • Eastern Maroon Creole: dai yu libi (“turn your life”) (source for this and 3 above: Jabini 2015)
  • Eggon: “bow in the dust” (source: Kilgour, p. 80)
  • Embu: “change heart” (“2 Cor. 7:10 says ‘For godly grief produces a repentance that leads to salvation and brings no regret, but worldly grief produces death.’ In ordinary speech the terms ‘repent’ and ‘regret’ are used interchangeably in Embu, so that this verse comes out as: ‘godly grief produces a repentance that leads to salvation and brings no repentance,’ which is contradictory. The problem was solved by using ‘changing heart’ in the first, and ‘sadness’ in the second.”) (source: Jan Sterk)
  • Anuak: “liver falls down”
  • Kafa: “return from way of sin to God” (source for this and the one above: Loren Bliese)
  • Latvian: atgriezties (verb) / atgriešanās (noun) (“turn around / return” — see turn around / convert) (source: Katie Roth)
  • Obolo: igwugwu ikom: “turn back (from evil)” (source: Enene Enene)
  • Mairasi: make an end (of wrongdoing) (source: Enggavoter 2004)
  • Luchazi: ku aluluka mutima: “turn in heart” (source: E. Pearson in The Bible Translator 1954, p. 160ff. )
  • Chokwe: kulinkonyeka: “fold back over” or “go back on oneself” (source D.B. Long in The Bible Translator 1953, p. 135ff. ).
  • Muna: dofetompa’ao dhosa bhe dodoli ne Lahata’ala: “radically-end sin and to turn to God” (source: René van den Berg)
  • Bacama: por-njiya: “fetch sand” (“Before the coming of Christianity 100 years ago, when the elders went to pray to the gods, they would take sand and throw it over each shoulder and down their backs while confessing their sins. Covering themselves with sand was a ritual to show that they were sorry for what they had done wrong, sort of like covering oneself with sackcloth and ashes. Now idol worship for the most part is abandoned in Bacama culture, but the Christian church has retained the phrase por-njiya to mean ‘repent, doing something to show sorrow for one’s sins’” — source: David Frank in this blog post .)
  • “In Tzotzil two reflexive verbs to communicate the biblical concept of repentance are used. Xca’i jba means to know or to reflect inwardly on one’s self. This self inquiry or self examination is similar to the attitude of the prodigal son where Luke 15:17 records that ‘he came to his senses.’ Broke, starving, and slopping hogs, the prodigal admitted to himself that he was in the wrong place. The second reflexive verb ‘jsutes jba’ means turning away from what one is and turning to something else. In a sense, it is deciding against one’s self and toward someone else. It is similar to the attitude of the prodigal son when he said, ‘I will get up and go to my father’ (v. 18).” (source: Aeilts, p. 118)
  • Enlhet “exchange innermosts.” “Innermost” or valhoc is a term that is frequently used in Enlhet to describe a large variety of emotions or states of mind (for other examples see here). (Source: Jacob Loewen in The Bible Translator 1969, p. 24ff. )
  • San Blas Kuna: “sorry for wrong done in the heart” (source: Claudio and Marvel Iglesias in The Bible Translator 1951, p. 85ff. )
  • Desano: “change your bad deeds for good ones”
  • Isthmus Mixe: “put your hearts and minds on the good road”
  • Eastern Highland Otomi: “change your thinking about evil and walk in the way of God”
  • San Mateo del Mar Huave: “just remember that you have done wicked, in order that you might do good”
  • Coatlán Mixe: “heart-return to God” (source for this and four above: Viola Waterhouse in Notes on Translation August 1966, p. 86ff.)
  • Sierra de Juárez Zapotec: “get on the right road”
  • Isthmus Zapotec: “heart becomes soft” (source for this and above: Waterhouse / Parrott in Notes on Translation October 1967, p. 1ff.)
  • Tibetan: ‘gyod tshangs byed (འགྱོད་​ཚངས་​བྱེད།), lit. “regret + pure” (source: gSungrab website )

See also: convert / conversion / turn back and see Seat of the Mind for traditional views of “ways of knowing, thinking, and feeling.”

complete verse (Revelation 2:5)

Following are a number of back-translations of Revelation 2:5:

  • Uma: “That is why I say to you: consider! you have fallen so far/deep. Repent! Do like you did at first. Because if not, I will come take away your lampstand from its standing place.” (Source: Uma Back Translation)
  • Yakan: “Therefore remember your love for me in the beginning and repent (lit. regret and leave) now your sin. And do the good works that you did in the beginning because if you don’t leave your sin, I will come and remove your lampstand from it’s place.” (Source: Yakan Back Translation)
  • Western Bukidnon Manobo: “Remember how big your breath was for me long ago; and forsake the bad doing; do the good that you used to do because if you don’t, I will come to you and I will take away your lamp from where it is placed if you do not return to your former doing.” (Source: Western Bukidnon Manobo Back Translation)
  • Kankanaey: “You must therefore remember the strong love you had at first. Repent so that you will again do what you were doing at first. Because if you don’t repent, I will go there (near addressee) to remove the place-on-which-your light -is-put from its proper place.” (Source: Kankanaey Back Translation)
  • Tagbanwa: “Hopefully you will indeed remember the big-size of your holding me dear when you had newly submitted to me. And then think about how much is lacking of it now, so that you may repent/be-sorry for this. It is necessary that what you will again do is like what you did in the past. For as long as you don’t truly repent/be-sorry, I really will come there to you for I will remove your lamp with its stand from its position. I will write- you -off/give-up-on-correcting you.” (Source: Tagbanwa Back Translation)
  • Tenango Otomi: “Remember how it was that you loved me. And turn your hearts now and love me like you did before. if you should not want to love me, I will got there and take away your candle holder from where it is.” (Source: Tenango Otomi Back Translation)

Translation commentary on Revelation 2:5

The earnest warning to repent is emphasized by the use of the verb twice. The church in Ephesus runs the danger of being no church at all because of this lack of Christian love.

Remember then from what you have fallen: the present tense of the imperative Remember stresses a continuous state of mind: “Keep on remembering,” “Keep on thinking about,” or “Never forget.” The command is that they keep in mind what they used to be when they became Christians. The literal representation of the figure from what you have fallen may give the wrong impression of an actual place; this is how New Jerusalem Bible can be understood: “Think where you were before you fell.” Revised Standard Version‘s rendering can have a similar meaning. So it is better to render this clause as “Remember how far you have fallen” (An American Translation, Phillips, New American Bible, Revised). The verb “to fall” is also used of moral or spiritual downfall in Rom 11.11; 1 Cor 10.12. In English the verb “to backslide” is used by some Christian groups to designate Christians who have committed serious crimes.

Repent: this can be rendered “change your ways,” “Turn from your sins” (Good News Translation), “turn your back on sinning,” or “stop sinning.” The aorist imperative designates a decisive act: “change your attitude” (Bible en français courant); “turn back to God” (Biblia Dios Habla Hoy). There are various ways of expressing repentance, and a translator should use one that denotes a thorough, radical change, and not just a temporary feeling of regret or remorse that does not include a determination to abandon the sin. A translator should consult the Handbooks on Matthew 3.2 and Mark 1.4 for further comments on the translation of the word repent. See 1.5b of this Handbook for ways to translate “sin,” or “sinfulness.”

And do the works you did at first: as in verse 2, the works here is a way of speaking of their way of life, their Christian behavior. Barclay has “live again the life you lived, when you first became Christians,” and Bible en français courant “act as you did at the beginning.” Revised English Bible “do as once you did” is too brief and vague.

In the warning, for emphasis, the text has If not at the beginning of the sentence, followed by unless you repent at the end. In many languages it will be stylistically more natural to combine the two, as New Jerusalem Bible does, “or else, if you will not repent, ….” However, in other languages it will be sufficient to say “If you will not do this.”

I will come to you and remove your lampstand from its place: this “coming” of Christ is not the final coming in glory, but his immediate coming to punish these unfaithful believers. In certain languages, if Christ is considered the focus of attention, come should be translated as “go”; for example, “I will go to you.” The threat remove your lampstand means the end of this community of believers as a church. The figurative language must not be abandoned in translation. The question as to where the lampstand will be moved to is not addressed by the text. See 1.12 on the translation of lampstand. Its place may also be expressed as “where it was standing.”

An alternative translation model for this verse is:

• Never forget (or, Remember) how far you have fallen into sin! You must stop sinning and live your life as you did when you first believed in me. If you continue sinning, I will come (or, go) to you and punish you by taking away your lampstand from where it has been standing (or, situated).

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 .