sin

The Hebrew and Greek that is typically translated as “sin” in English has a wide variety of translations.

The Greek ἁμαρτάνω (hamartanō) carries the original verbatim meaning of “miss the mark.” Likewise, many translations contain the “connotation of moral responsibility.” Loma has (for certain types of sin) “leaving the road” (which “implies a definite standard, the transgression of which is sin”) or Navajo uses “that which is off to the side.” (Source: Bratcher / Nida). In Toraja-Sa’dan the translation is kasalan, which originally meant “transgression of a religious or moral rule” and has shifted its meaning in the context of the Bible to “transgression of God’s commandments.” (Source: H. van der Veen in The Bible Translator 1950, p. 21ff. ).

In Shipibo-Conibo the term is hocha. Nida (1952, p. 149) tells the story of its choosing: “In some instances a native expression for sin includes many connotations, and its full meaning must be completely understood before one ever attempts to use it. This was true, for example, of the term hocha first proposed by Shipibo-Conibo natives as an equivalent for ‘sin.’ The term seemed quite all right until one day the translator heard a girl say after having broken a little pottery jar that she was guilty of ‘hocha.’ Breaking such a little jar scarcely seemed to be sin. However, the Shipibos insisted that hocha was really sin, and they explained more fully the meaning of the word. It could be used of breaking a jar, but only if the jar belonged to someone else. Hocha was nothing more nor less than destroying the possessions of another, but the meaning did not stop with purely material possessions. In their belief God owns the world and all that is in it. Anyone who destroys the work and plan of God is guilty of hocha. Hence the murderer is of all men most guilty of hocha, for he has destroyed God’s most important possession in the world, namely, man. Any destructive and malevolent spirit is hocha, for it is antagonistic and harmful to God’s creation. Rather than being a feeble word for some accidental event, this word for sin turned out to be exceedingly rich in meaning and laid a foundation for the full presentation of the redemptive act of God.”

In Kaingang, the translation is “break God’s word” and in Sandawe the original meaning of the Greek term (see above) is perfectly reflected with “miss the mark.” (Source: Ursula Wiesemann in Holzhausen / Riderer 2010, p. 36ff., 43)

In Warao it is translated as “bad obojona.” Obojona is a term that “includes the concepts of consciousness, will, attitude, attention and a few other miscellaneous notions.” (Source: Henry Osborn in The Bible Translator 1969, p. 74ff. ). See other occurrences of Obojona in the Warao New Testament.

Martin Ehrensvärd, one of the translators for the Danish Bibelen 2020, comments on the translation of this term: “We would explain terms, such that e.g. sin often became ‘doing what God does not want’ or ‘breaking God’s law’, ‘letting God down’, ‘disrespecting God’, ‘doing evil’, ‘acting stupidly’, ‘becoming guilty’. Now why couldn’t we just use the word sin? Well, sin in contemporary Danish, outside of the church, is mostly used about things such as delicious but unhealthy foods. Exquisite cakes and chocolates are what a sin is today.” (Source: Ehrensvärd in HIPHIL Novum 8/2023, p. 81ff. )

See also sinner.

Translation commentary on Sirach 21:2

Flee from sin as from a snake is literally “As from the face [presence] of a snake flee from sin.” Flee indicates the vigor and certainty with which we should avoid sin, not that we should literally run. When you encounter a poisonous snake, you want to get away from it just as quickly as possible. We should treat sin the same way. In a number of languages it will be difficult to compare sin to a snake, or even to personify sin. In such cases the line may be rendered “Avoid sinning [or, disobeying the Lord’s Law] just as you avoid [or, flee from] a snake.”

For if you approach sin, it will bite you: Presumably the image here is of being bitten by the snake. Good News Translation‘s restructuring of this verse transfers the image of the bite to the lion, but the meaning of the verse is still clear, and the restructuring is effective.

Its teeth are lion’s teeth, and destroy the souls of men: The idea of sinking teeth into the soul is vivid and understandable in English, but it may be difficult in some languages. The phrase destroy the souls of men means “kill people, take the lives of people.” For lion see 4.30.

We may also restructure this verse in the following ways:

• Sin is like a deadly snake; its fangs are like a lion’s teeth. Stay away! If you come close, it will bite you.

• Avoid sinning just as you would [avoid] a snake. Sin is like a snake. Its fangs are like a lion’s teeth, and if you come too close, it will kill you.

• Avoid sinning [or, disobeying the Lord] just as you avoid a snake. If not, it will bite you as a lion does, and kill you.

• Flee from sin as though it were a snake; if you get too close, it will bite you. And the teeth of sin are like those of a lion; they can kill.

Quoted with permission from Bullard, Roger A. and Hatton, Howard A. A Handbook on Sirach. (UBS Helps for Translators). New York: UBS, 2008. For this and other handbooks for translators see here.