truth

The Greek, Latin and Hebrew that is usually translated in English as “truth” is translated in Luchazi with vusunga: “the quality of being straight” (source: E. Pearson in The Bible Translator 1954, p. 160ff. ), in Obolo as atikọ or “good/correct talk” (source: Enene Enene), and in Ekari as maakodo bokouto or “enormous truth” (esp. in John 14:6 and 17; 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. ).

The translation committee of the Malay “Good News Bible” (Alkitab Berita Baik, see here ) wrestled with the translation of “truth” in the Gospel of John (for more information click or tap here):

“Our Malay Committee also concluded that ‘truth’ as used in the Gospel of John was used either of God himself, or of God’s revelation of himself, or in an extended sense as a reference to those who had responded to God’s self-disclosure. In John 8:32 the New Malay translation reads ‘You will know the truth about God, and the truth about God will make you free.’ In John 8:44 this meaning is brought out by translating, ‘He has never been on the side of God, because there is no truth in him.’ Accordingly Jesus ‘tells the truth about God’ in 8:45, 46 (see also 16:7 and 8:37a). Then, ‘I am the way, the truth, and the life’ becomes ‘I am the one who leads men to God, the one who reveals who and what God is, and the one who gives men life.” At 3:21 the translation reads ” … whoever obeys the truth, that is God himself, comes to the light …’; 16:13a appears as ‘he will lead you into the full truth about God’; and in 18:37 Jesus affirms ‘I came into the world to reveal the truth about God, and whoever obeys God listens to me.’ On this basis also 1:14 was translated ‘we saw his glory, the glory which he had as the Father’s only Son. Through him God has completely revealed himself (truth) and his love for us (grace)’; and 1:17 appears as ‘God gave the law through Moses; but through Jesus Christ he has completely revealed himself (truth) and his love for us (grace).'” (Source: Barclay Newman in The Bible Translator 1974, p. 432ff. )

Helen Evans (in The Bible Translator 1954, p. 40ff. ) tells of the translation into Kui which usually is “true-thing.” In some instances however, such as in the second part of John 17:17 (“your word is truth” in English), the use of “true-thing” indicated that there might be other occasions when it’s not true, so here the translation was a a form of “pure, holy.”

Translation commentary on 1 Esdras 4:37

Wine is unrighteous, the king is unrighteous, women are unrighteous …: Zerubbabel reviews the three answers given to the question being debated (wine, the king, and women), and says that all of these can be and sometimes are unrighteous, that is, unreliable. The Greek text of the first sentence of this verse does not use a verb. So when translators supply a verb, as we must in English, they must also supply some particular form of the verb. Revised Standard Version has chosen the present tense verbs is and are. But we think this is not the intent here. Zerubbabel is saying that wine, women, and the king might be deceitfully unreliable at times. You cannot rely on any of them absolutely, because reliability is not a distinguishing characteristic of anything human. We could begin this verse with “Wine can deceive [or, fool] you. The king can disappoint you. Women can deceive you….” Zerubbabel specifically includes the king, whom he is addressing. He is not accusing the king of being unrighteous or even accusing him of being deceitful. He is only saying that it is possible for the king to be unreliable. This will be important as the story unfolds.

All the sons of men are unrighteous: All the sons of men refers to all human beings. This clause may be rendered “All human beings are unreliable” or “No human being is fully reliable.”

All their works are unrighteous may be translated “Nothing they do is reliable.”

And all such things stresses what is said in the precious clause. If translators wish, they may say simply “Nothing!”

There is no truth in them means human beings are unreliable all their lives—reliability is not in their nature. This clause may be expressed as “By nature humans are unreliable” or “Reliability is not in human nature.”

And in their unrighteousness they will perish: This clause is not referring to dying in sin, but to dying as human beings, who are never completely reliable.

Here is an alternative model for this verse:

• Wine can fool you. The king can disappoint you. Women can deceive you. No human being is ever fully reliable, and nothing they do is reliable—nothing. Reliability is not in human nature, and people are unreliable all their lives.

Quoted with permission from Bullard, Roger A. and Hatton, Howard A. A Handbook on 1-2 Esdras. (UBS Helps for Translators). Miami: UBS, 2019. For this and other handbooks for translators see here.