Language-specific Insights

complete verse (1 John 5:18)

Following are a number of back-translations of 1 John 5:18:

  • Uma: “What we know: all people who are-children of God, they no longer do sins, for God’s Child guards them and the King of Evil-ones is not able to defeat them.” (Source: Uma Back Translation)
  • Yakan: “We (incl.) know that if a person is a child of God, he no longer sins because he is cared for by God’s Son and he is not carried-along/influenced by the leader of demons.” (Source: Yakan Back Translation)
  • Western Bukidnon Manobo: “We (incl.) know that there is one who has become a child of God who continually does evil, for he has been stregthened about by the Son of God, and Satan can no longer meddle with him.” (Source: Western Bukidnon Manobo Back Translation)
  • Kankanaey: “Therefore there are three things that we know. The first, we know that no child of God continues to sin, because the Child of God who is Jesu Cristo protects him, and Satanas has no way of touching him.” (Source: Kankanaey Back Translation)
  • Tagbanwa: “We really know now that as for those who have been as-it-were given birth to by God, they don­t just go on doing sin, because they are now being taken care of by Jesu-Cristo who is the Son of God. It’s no longer possible/acceptable (for them) to be taken over again by Satanas.” (Source: Tagbanwa Back Translation)
  • Tenango Otomi: “We know that the person who has God for his Father does not now live in the sin that he had been doing. Because the Son of God helps him where he goes, he does not let the devil spoil the person’s heart.” (Source: Tenango Otomi Back Translation)
  • Yatzachi Zapotec: “We know that any of us if we are children of God we are not evil doers, because Jesus Christ God’s son is covering-protecting us in order that the deceiver will not win out over us (in) causing us to believe (obey) him.”
  • Eastern Highland Otomi: “We know that all whoever are born anew by God, don’t reside in sin. But God’s Son guards them, and the big-evil-one can’t remove them from God;”
  • Tzotzil: “We know that if we have been born again in the presence of God thus we do not now seek sin. Because God’s Son is caring for us thus the devil cannot molest us.”
  • Garifuna: “We know that the one who has become God’s offspring does not come to have the custom of sinning. God’s offspring will take care of that person. It is impossible for the devil to do anything with him.” (Source for this and three above: John Beekman in Notes on Translation 12, November 1964, p. 1ff.)

complete verse (1 John 5:19)

Following are a number of back-translations of 1 John 5:19:

  • Uma: “What we know: we here are-children of God, and this whole world is controlled by the King of Evil-ones.” (Source: Uma Back Translation)
  • Yakan: “We (incl.) know that we (incl.) belong to God, but all the others in the world are under-the-power/in-the-hold of the leader of demons.” (Source: Yakan Back Translation)
  • Western Bukidnon Manobo: “We (incl.) know that we are children of God, however, all of the enemies of God here on the earth, Satan controls them.” (Source: Western Bukidnon Manobo Back Translation)
  • Kankanaey: “Second, we know that even though Satanas rules all those who don’t believe, yet as for us, we are God’s children.” (Source: Kankanaey Back Translation)
  • Tagbanwa: “We know that as for us, we are now children of God. But Satanas still is the one ruling here under the heavens.” (Source: Tagbanwa Back Translation)
  • Tenango Otomi: “Now we know that we are God’s children. All the other people all over the world are in the hands of the devil.” (Source: Tenango Otomi Back Translation)
  • Yatzachi Zapotec: “We know we are God’s children, but all the people whose heads are sitting (who are concerned) about just what is happening on this earth are under the feet of (ruled by) the deceiver.”
  • Eastern Highland Otomi: “And we know that we are God’s children. But all the rest who live in the world are in the power (dominion) of the big-evil-one.”
  • Tzotzil: “We know that we are in the hand of God. We know also that all the people are in the hand of the devil.” (Source for this and two above: John Beekman in Notes on Translation 12, November 1964, p. 1ff.)

complete verse (1 John 5:20)

Following are a number of back-translations of 1 John 5:20:

  • Uma: “What we know: God’s Child arrived in the world, and he made-clear [i.e., enlightened] our hearts so that we know God who is true. We are in harmony with that God who is true, for we are in harmony with Yesus Kristus his Child. He is the God who is true. From him we get good life forever.” (Source: Uma Back Translation)
  • Yakan: “We (incl.) know that God’s Son has come and has given us (incl.) understanding therefore we (incl.) know now the true God. And we (incl.) are really now one with the true God because we (dual) are one now with his Son, Isa Almasi. He is the true God and is the one giving everlasting life.” (Source: Yakan Back Translation)
  • Western Bukidnon Manobo: “We (incl.) also know that the Son of God has come here to the world, and He has given to us (incl.) understanding so that we might be the friends of the true God. We (incl.) have become one with the true God, for we have become one with His Son Jesus Christ. He is the true God; He is the source of life without end.” (Source: Western Bukidnon Manobo Back Translation)
  • Kankanaey: “Third, we know that God’s Child came to this earth and he has illuminated our minds so that we can know the true God. Therefore we have been joined to the true God for we have been joined to his Child who is Jesu Cristo. He is the true God just the same and the source of life that has no end.” (Source: Kankanaey Back Translation)
  • Tagbanwa: “And we really know that the Son of God came down here to us, and he has now given us the ability to understand, so that we will really recognize/know the true God. Today we are now in harmony with God because we are now united/tied-together with his Son Jesu-Cristo. The truth is, as for this Jesu-Cristo, he really is the true God who is the source of life which is without ending.” (Source: Tagbanwa Back Translation)
  • Tenango Otomi: “Now we know that the Son of God has come here and given us understanding so that we know who was the true God. Now we walk with the true God, Jesus Christ, the Son of God. This one truly is God and he gives the new life forever.” (Source: Tenango Otomi Back Translation)
  • Yatzachi Zapotec: “And we know that God’s son has come and has caused us to understand in order that we know the person who is truly God. And we are joined together with the person who is truly God in that we are joined together with Jesus Christ.The true God is Jesus Christ’s father and he gives eternal life.”
  • Eastern Highland Otomi: “And we know that God’s Son really arrived in the world. And he caused us to know God, the true (who is really) God. And we live with the real God because we live with Jesus Christ. And he is truly God, He who gives us the new life of our hearts that will never end.”
  • Tzotzil: “We know also that the Son of God came. Because he has given us the wisdom of our hearts therefore we have come to know the true God. We are in the presence of the true God because we are in the presence of his Son, that is Jesus Christ. He is the true God. He gives us our life forever.”
  • Garifuna: “We know that God’s offspring has come in the world. Then he caused us to know the genuine God. We are with (progressive) the genuine God, the one who is Jesus Christ God’s offspring. That God is the genuine one. Also he is the one who gives the life which does not end to us.” (Source for this and three above: John Beekman in Notes on Translation 12, November 1964, p. 1ff.)

complete verse (1 John 5:21)

Following are a number of back-translations of 1 John 5:21:

  • Uma: “My children, be careful that you not worship lords that are not true.” (Source: Uma Back Translation)
  • Yakan: “My children-grandchildren, don’t make-into-God anything other than the true God. Wassalam” (Source: Yakan Back Translation)
  • Western Bukidnon Manobo: “My children, avoid worshipping anything which is not the true God.” (Source: Western Bukidnon Manobo Back Translation)
  • Kankanaey: “My children whom I love, be sure to distance-yourselves from false-gods/idols.” (Source: Kankanaey Back Translation)
  • Tagbanwa: “My like children, be careful what you believe-in/obey and serve. Make sure that there is nothing at all with which you will replace this true God.” (Source: Tagbanwa Back Translation)
  • Tenango Otomi: “Listen, my children, do not worship the idols which are merely manufactured.” (Source: Tenango Otomi Back Translation)
  • Yatzachi Zapotec: “My little children, do not worship anything other than only God.”
  • Eastern Highland Otomi: “My dear children, we must not believe the deceiving (untrue) gods. This is what we will think on now.”
  • Tzotzil: “Therefore, my children, idols are not useful to us in any way (means that we should not have anything to do with them). Thus let it be.”
  • Garifuna: “My children/offspring. Don’t you bow down (worship) before whatever thing that is not God.” (Source for this and three above: John Beekman in Notes on Translation 12, November 1964, p. 1ff.)

righteous, righteousness

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The Greek, Hebrew, and Latin terms that are translated in English mostly as “righteous” as an adjective or personified noun or “righteousness” (also as “upright(ness)” and “just(ice)”) are most commonly expressed with concept of “straightness,” though this may be expressed in a number of ways. (Click or tap here to see the details)

Following is a list of (back-) translations of various languages:

  • Bambara, Southern Bobo Madaré, Chokwe (ululi), Amganad Ifugao, Chol, Eastern Maninkakan, Toraja-Sa’dan, Pamona, Batak Toba, Bilua, Tiv: “be straight”
  • Laka: “follow the straight way” or “to straight-straight” (a reduplicated form for emphasis)
  • Sayula Popoluca: “walk straight”
  • Highland Puebla Nahuatl, Kekchí, Muna: “have a straight heart”
  • Kipsigis: “do the truth”
  • Mezquital Otomi: “do according to the truth”
  • Huautla Mazatec: “have truth”
  • Yine: “fulfill what one should do”
  • Indonesian: “be true”
  • Navajo (Dinė): “do just so”
  • Anuak: “do as it should be”
  • Mossi: “have a white stomach” (see also happiness / joy)
  • Paasaal: “white heart” (source: Fabian N. Dapila in The Bible Translator 2024, p. 415ff.)
  • (San Mateo del Mar Huave: “completely good” (the translation does not imply sinless perfection)
  • Nuer: “way of right” (“there is a complex concept of “right” vs. ‘left’ in Nuer where ‘right’ indicates that which is masculine, strong, good, and moral, and ‘left’ denotes what is feminine, weak, and sinful (a strictly masculine viewpoint!) The ‘way of right’ is therefore righteousness, but of course women may also attain this way, for the opposition is more classificatory than descriptive.”) (This and all above from Bratcher / Nida except for Bilua: Carl Gross; Tiv: Rob Koops; Muna: René van den Berg)
  • Central Subanen: “wise-good” (source: Robert Brichoux in OPTAT 1988/2, p. 80ff. )
  • Xicotepec De Juárez Totonac: “live well”
  • Mezquital Otomi: “goodness before the face of God” (source for this and one above: Viola Waterhouse in Notes on Translation August 1966, p. 86ff.)
  • Eastern Huasteca Nahuatl: “the result of heart-straightening” (source: Nida 1947, p. 224)
  • Eastern Highland Otomi: “entirely good” (when referred to God), “do good” or “not be a debtor as God sees one” (when referred to people)
  • Carib: “level”
  • Tzotzil: “straight-hearted”
  • Ojitlán Chinantec: “right and straight”
  • Yatzachi Zapotec: “walk straight” (source for this and four previous: John Beekman in Notes on Translation November 1964, p. 1-22)
  • Makonde: “doing what God wants” (in a context of us doing) and “be good in God’s eyes” (in the context of being made righteous by God) (note that justify / justification is translated as “to be made good in the eyes of God.” (source: Pioneer Bible Translators, project-specific notes in Paratext)
  • Aari: The Pauline word for “righteous” is generally rendered by “makes one without sin” in the Aari, sometimes “before God” is added for clarity. (Source: Loren Bliese)
  • North Alaskan Inupiatun: “having sin taken away” (Source: Nida 1952, p. 144)
  • Nyamwezi: wa lole: “just” or “someone who follows the law of God” (source: Pioneer Bible Translators, project-specific translation notes in Paratext)
  • Venda: “nothing wrong, OK” (Source: J.A. van Roy in The Bible Translator 1972, p. 418ff. )
  • Ekari: maakodo bokouto or “enormous truth” (the same word that is also used for “truth“; bokouto — “enormous” — is being used as an attribute for abstract nouns to denote that they are of God [see also here]; source: Marion Doble in The Bible Translator 1963, p. 37ff. ).
  • Guhu-Samane: pobi or “right” (also: “right (side),” “(legal) right,” “straightness,” “correction,” “south,” “possession,” “pertinence,” “kingdom,” “fame,” “information,” or “speech” — “According to [Guhu-Samane] thinking there is a common core of meaning among all these glosses. Even from an English point of view the first five can be seen to be closely related, simply because of their similarity in English. However, from that point the nuances of meaning are not so apparent. They relate in some such a fashion as this: As one faces the morning sun, south lies to the right hand (as north lies to the left); then at one’s right hand are his possessions and whatever pertains to him; thus, a rich man’s many possessions and scope of power and influence is his kingdom; so, the rich and other important people encounter fame; and all of this spreads as information and forms most of the framework of the people’s speech.”) (Source: Ernest Richert in Notes on Translation 1964, p. 11ff.)
  • German New Testament translation by Berger / Nord (publ. 1999): Gerechtheit, a neologism to differentiate it from the commonly-used Gerechtigkeit which can mean “righteousness” but is more often used in modern German as “fairness” (Berger / Nord especially use Gerechtheit in Letter to the Romans) or Gerechtestun, also a neologism, meaning “righteous deeds” (especially in Letter to the Ephesians)
  • “did what he should” (Eastern Highland Otomi)
  • “a clear man, good [man]” (Mairasi) (source: Enggavoter 2004)

See also respectable, righteous, righteous (person), devout, and She is more in the right(eous) than I.