Language-specific Insights

justified by faith

The Greek in Romans 3:28 that is translated as “justified by faith” or similar in English is translated in the German translation of Martin Luther (first edition 1522, last revised edition 2017) as gerecht wird (…) allein durch den Glauben: “justified by faith alone” (highlight added).

Luther expained his decision to add allein (“alone”) on pure linguistic grounds rather than as an attempt to emphasize justification by faith:

“I knew very well that the word solum [Latin = alone, only, solely] is not in the Greek or Latin text of Romans 3:28. (…) It’s a fact that these four letters ‘sola’ are not there (…) [But] it belongs there if the translation into German is to be clear and lucid. I wanted to speak German, not Latin or Greek, since it was German I had undertaken to speak in the translation. But it’s the nature of our German language that in speaking of two things, one of which is affirmed and the other denied, we use the word ‘solum’ (allein) along with the word ‘nicht’ (not) or ‘kein’ (no).”

Original text in German

“So habe ich hier in Röm. 3,28 sehr wohl gewußt, daß im lateinischen und griechischen Text das Wort »solum« nicht stehet (…) Wahr ists, diese vier Buchstaben ‘sola’ stehen nicht drinnen. (…) Die Absicht des Textes [ist] gleichwohl »sola« und wo mans klar und deutlich verdeutschen will, so gehöret es hinein. Denn ich habe deutsch, nicht lateinisch noch griechisch reden wollen, da ich mir beim Übersetzen deutsch zu reden vorgenommen hatte. Das ist aber die Art unserer deutschen Sprache: wenn sie von zwei Dingen redet, deren man eines bejaht und das andere verneint, so gebraucht man das Wort ‘solum’ = ‘allein’ (nur) neben dem Wort ‘nicht’ oder ‘kein’.” (source )

Other German Bible translations, including the Zürcher Bibel (which was first published just a few years after Luther’s initial publication) show that the linguistic argument alone is not sufficient. It translates in its current edition: Gerecht wird ein Mensch durch den Glauben — “A person is justified by faith.” The only other German translation that uses allein is Hoffnung für alle (publ. 1983), the German pendant of the English Living Bible.

A Lutheran Low German translation by Johannes Jessen (publ. 1933, republ. 2006) also follows Luther’s translation (alleen dörch Glowen — “by faith alone”).

The only major English translation that adopts Luther’s reading is the Good News Bible (publ. 1976 and often revised) that reads “only through faith.”

See also righteous by faith / justified by faith and Luther’s Translation of “Faith Alone” in Romans 3:28 .

Learn more on Bible Odyssey: Righteousness by Faith .

Translation: German

Der griechische Text, der direkt übersetzt etwa "aus Glauben gerechtfertigt" bedeutet, wurde von der deutschen Übersetzung von Martin Luther (Erstausgabe 1522, letzte überarbeitete Ausgabe 2017) als "gerecht wird (...) allein durch den Glauben" übersetzt (Hervorhebung nicht im Originaltext).

Luther erklärte seine Entscheidung für die Hinzufügung von allein aus rein sprachlichen Erwägungen und nicht als eine Betonung der Gerechtwerdung durch Glaube:

Original text in German: "So habe ich hier in Röm. 3,28 sehr wohl gewußt, daß im lateinischen und griechischen Text das Wort »solum« nicht stehet (...) Wahr ists, diese vier Buchstaben 'sola' stehen nicht drinnen. (...) Die Absicht des Textes [ist] gleichwohl »sola« und wo mans klar und deutlich verdeutschen will, so gehöret es hinein. Denn ich habe deutsch, nicht lateinisch noch griechisch reden wollen, da ich mir beim Übersetzen deutsch zu reden vorgenommen hatte. Das ist aber die Art unserer deutschen Sprache: wenn sie von zwei Dingen redet, deren man eines bejaht und das andere verneint, so gebraucht man das Wort 'solum' = 'allein' (nur) neben dem Wort 'nicht' oder 'kein'." (Quelle)

Andere deutsche Bibelübersetzungen, einschließlich der Zürcher Bibel (die wenige Jahre nach Luthers Übersetzung veröffentlicht wurde) zeigen, dass das linguistische Argument alleine nicht ausreicht. Hier wird in der aktuellen Ausgabe: Gerecht wird ein Mensch durch den Glauben übersetzt. Die einzige andere deutsche Übersetzung, die allein verwendet, ist die Hoffnung für alle (veröffentl. 1983).

devout

Click here to view graphically

The Greek that is often translated in English as “devout” (or “pious”) is translated in various ways:

  • Lalana Chinantec: “[people who] revere God”
  • Chichimeca-Jonaz: “[people who] obey and worship God”
  • Eastern Highland Otomi: “[people who] remember God”
  • San Mateo del Mar Huave: “worshipers of God”
  • Tzotzil: “[people who] are zealously doing what they think is God’s word”
  • Mezquital Otomi: “[people who] very much believe what they have been taught about God” (source for this and five above: Viola Waterhouse in Notes on Translation August 1966, p. 86ff.)
  • Chichewa interconfessional translation, publ. 1999: “[people who] love God” (source: Wendland 1998, p. 90)
  • Uma: “[people who] submit to Lord God” (Source: Uma Back Translation)
  • Yakan: “very religious” (source: Yakan Back Translation)
  • Western Bukidnon Manobo: “[people who] are faithful in carrying out the commands of God” (source: Western Bukidnon Manobo Back Translation)
  • Kankanaey: “[people who] are serving God” (source: Kankanaey Back Translation)
  • Tagbanwa: “[people who] are indeed devout-worshipers of God” (Source: Tagbanwa Back Translation)
  • Bariai: “[people who] respect God” (source: Bariai Back Translation)
  • Kupsabiny: “[people who] have dedicated themselves to God” (source: Kupsabiny Back Translation)
  • German: “God-fearing” (gottesfürchtig) or “pious” (fromm)
  • Low German translation by Johannes Jessen, publ. 1933, republ. 2006: “[people who] take their faith very seriously” (source for this and above: Zetzsche)
  • Hausa Common Language Bible: “owners of worshiping God” (source: Hausa Common Language Bible Back Translation)
  • Hiligaynon: “godly” (source: Hiligaynon Back Translation)

See also righteous / righteousness.

thorns

The Greek that is translated as “thorns” in English is translated in Low German with Dießeln or “thistles” which are familiar to speakers of Low German (translation by Johannes Jessen, publ. 1933, republ. 2006).

See also thistles.

with burning enthusiasm

The Greek that is translated as “with burning enthusiasm” or similar in English is translated in Low German idiomatically with the alliteration mit Feuer und Flamme, lit. “with fire and flame” (translation by Johannes Jessen, publ. 1933, republ. 2006).

In the German New Testament translation by Berger / Nord (publ. 1999) it is translated as man spürte die Glut des Heiligen Geistes or “one could sense the fervor (lit.: “glow”) of the Holy Spirit.”

apples on the tree of the knowledge of good and evil

One of the more well-known Bible translation stories is the Latin translation in the Vulgate (4th century by St. Jerome of Stridon) that supposedly creates a pun with the translation of “evil” in the “tree of the knowledge of good and evil” (translated in the Vulgate as lignumque scientiae boni et mali) and the fruit that is mentioned in Genesis 3:3, 3:6 and 3:12. According to the story, the Hebrew word that is translated as “fruit” in English was translated as mālum (“apple”), thus creating a pun with the Latin word malum which is used in the form mali in the translation for the “tree of the knowledge of good and evil” (see above). This in turn, according to the story, created the connection between the “forbidden fruit” and the apple in art history, anatomical terminology (“Adam’s apple” and similar expressions in many European languages for the laryngeal prominence) and the public imagination.

Alas, this turns out to be an urban myth. The Vulgate (as well as the older Vetus Latina) both use frūctus (“fruit”) in Genesis 3 for peri (פְרִי), the Hebrew word for fruit. While it’s possible that the use of malum in the tree of the knowledge of good and evil was implicitly understood as pointing to an apple, it’s not likely since there is a marked difference in pronunciation: /ˈmaː.lum/ (“apple”) vs. /ˈma.lum/ (“evil”). Maybe it’s more likely that the apple was the likely choice in the European imagination because of its prominence as were grapes, figs, pomegranates, or etrogs in the Jewish imagination.

With contributions by Seppo Sipilä, Reinier de Blois, and Harry Harm.

In Low German “fruit” is translated as Appeln or “apples” in Genesis 3:3 and 3:6 (translation by Johannes Jessen, publ. 1937, republ. 2006).

See also fruit and apple.

humble, lowly

The Greek that is usually translated as “humble” or “lowly” in English is translated as

  • Eastern Highland Otomi: “one who doesn’t elevate himself”
  • Yatzachi Zapotec: “those who think they aren’t worth much”
  • Alekano: “those who stay low” (source for this and above: Ellis Deibler in Notes on Translation July, 1967, p. 5ff.)
  • Mezquital Otomi: “poor brothers”
  • Isthmus Zapotec: “ones who little-honored”
  • Highland Totonac: “just ordinary people”
  • Yatzachi Zapotec: “poor people who have nothing” (source for this and three above: Waterhouse / Parrott in Notes on Translation October 1967, p. 1ff.).
  • Low German: “those who don’t account to anything in other people’s eyes” (source: translation by Johannes Jessen, publ. 1933, republ. 2006)

See also humble (mind).

Can a fig tree yield olives or a grapevine figs?

The Greek in James 3:12 that is translated as “Can a fig tree yield olives or a grapevine figs?” in English is translated as “What about orange trees? Can also guaves hang there? Or what about a blackberry bush? Do oranges hang there?” in Eastern Highland Otomi and “Think also if an apple tree can give peaches, if an avocado tree can give apples” in Tzotzil) (source: Ellis Deibler in Notes on Translation July, 1967, p. 5ff.).

In Low German, the first part is translated as “can a fig tree yield oranges” (translation by Johannes Jessen, publ. 1933, republ. 2006).