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Language: German
German (deu) is a(n) Indo-European language of Austria, Belgium, Switzerland, Czechia, Germany, Denmark, France, Hungary, Italy, Liechtenstein, Luxembourg, Netherlands, Poland, Romania, Slovenia, Slovakia, marked as not endangered
The Hebrew and Greek that is translated as “winnowing fork” or similar in English is translated in Matumbi as “sifter” since that’s the tool that is used to separate chaff from grain. (Source: Pioneer Bible Translators, project-specific notes in Paratext)
In the German New Testament translation by Berger / Nord (publ. 1999) with Schaufel or “shovel,” in other German translations as Worfschaufel , an outdated term for the kind of shovel that is traditionally used in German-speaking areas to separate chaff from wheat.
The Greek in John 4:35 that is translated as “Do you not say, ‘Four months more, then comes the harvest’?” or similar in English is translated in the German New Testament translation by Berger / Nord (publ. 1999) as Ihr kennt doch die alte Bauernregel: ‘Nach der Saat der Monde vier, steht die Ernte vor der Tür’ or “You know the old country lore: ‘After sowing the moons are four, then the harvest knocks at the door.'” The “country lore” is written exactly in the style of a German country lore, including the rhythm of the language and the rhyme at the end of the lines.
The Greek that is translated as “cross” or similar in English when metaphorically or actually referring to what needed to be carried to the place of crucifixion is translated in the German New Testament translation by Berger / Nord (publ. 1999) as Querbalken des Kreuzes or “crossbar of the cross.” Berger/Nord (p. 432) explain: “The cross consisted of a vertical pole that was tightly anchored in the ground, on which a crossbar had to be fastened. The crossbar had to be carried to the place of execution by the delinquents themselves.”
The Greek that is translated as “tomb” in English is translated in the German New Testament translation by Berger / Nord (publ. 1999) as Felsengrab or ” tomb hewn out of rock” at every first mention in each of the gospels.
The Greek in John 20:11 that is translated as “As she wept, she bent over to look into the tomb” or similar in English is translated in the German New Testament translation by Berger / Nord (publ. 1999) as (Maria) weinte bitterlich, von Kummer und Schmerz gebeugt or “(Mary) cried bitterly, bent over with grief and pain.”
Berger/Nord (p. 24) explain: “The open question with [the traditional] translations is why a woman who cries suddenly bends over so that she can see through the low-set opening of the tomb, deep into the interior of the tomb where the two angels sit. We know that the bent back was part of the mourning ritual of antique Judaism and therefore [the translation above] makes the connection between the mourning and seeing the angels anatomically understandable.”
The Greek that is translated as “angel with a golden censer” or similar in English in Revelation 8:3 is translated in the German New Testament translation by Berger / Nord (publ. 1999) as ein Engel füllte Feuerbrand in sein goldenes Räucherfass or “an angel filled fire into his golden censer.”
In Revelation 8:5, what is translated in English as “the angel took the censer and filled it with fire” is translated as der Engel nahm das leergebrannte Räucherfass [und] füllte es erneut mit Feuerbrand or “the angel took the burnt-out censer and filled it once again with fire.”
The translators are attempting to close a logical gap in the text (i.e., there can only be smoke in Revelation 8:3 if there is fire in the censer).
The Greek in 1 Peter 1:12 that is translated as “into which angels long to look” or similar in English is translated in the German New Testament translation by Berger / Nord (publ. 1999) as “even the angels lean forward from heaven with great longing to catch a glimpse of it.”
Amos 5.5 provides another case [of a word play]. The word from God to his people is:
“For Gilgal will surely go into exile (haggilgal galon yigleh)
and Bethel will become nothing (bet-‘el yihyeh le’aven).”
The poet plays on the sound of both place names. With “Gilgal” Amos uses the infinitive form galoh plus the imperfect form of the same root yigleh. With “Bethel” he reverses the order of the consonants ‘aleph and lamed so that bet-‘el becomes le’aven, the “House of God” becomes “nothing.” (Source: P.R. Raabe in The Bible Translator 2000, p. 201ff. ).
The GermanGute Nachricht (Good News) translation (2018 revision) uses a different, but also very effective word play by alliterating “Bet-El” with “Bettelstab” (“beggar’s staff) and “Gilgal” with “Galgen” (“gallows”):
Geht nicht nach Bet-El; denn Bet-El muss an den Bettelstab! Geht auch nicht nach Gilgal; denn Gilgal muss an den Galgen! (“Don’t go to Bet-El, for Bet-El must take up a beggar’s staff! Nor go to Gilgal, for Gilgal must go to the gallows!”)
