chaste behavior, pure, pure conduct

The Greek in 1 Peter 3:2 that is translated in English as “pure conduct” (or “chaste behavior”) is translated in Balanta-Kentohe as “good walk.” (Source: Rob Koops)

The standalone term that is translated as “pure” is translated in Mezquital Otomi as “that which cleanses one’s thoughts,” and in Alekano as “making our insides white.” (Source: Ellis Deibler in Notes on Translation July, 1967, p. 5ff.).

See also snow (color).

lay hands on

The Greek that is translated as “lay hands on (someone)” in English is translated in Tae’ with “‘He-pressed-down,’ a verb that in former times was used with the specific meaning of ‘to press down one’s hand on a person’s head,’ in order to fortify his soul after a dangerous experience, but in Christian usage came to refer to the gesture made when blessing a person.”

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” and likewise, many translations contain the “connotation of moral responsibility.”

  • Loma: “leaving the road” (which “implies a definite standard, the transgression of which is sin”)
  • Navajo (Dinė): “that which is off to the side” (source for this and above: Bratcher / Nida)
  • Toraja-Sa’dan: kasalan, originally meaning “transgression of a religious or moral rule” and in the context of the Bible “transgression of God’s commandments” (source: H. van der Veen in The Bible Translator 1950, p. 21ff. )
  • Kaingang: “break God’s word”
  • Bariai: “bad behavior” (source: Bariai Back Translation)
  • Sandawe: “miss the mark” (like the original meaning of the Greek term) (source for this and above: Ursula Wiesemann in Holzhausen / Riderer 2010, p. 36ff., 43)

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 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.

complete verse (1 Timothy 5:22)

Following are a number of back-translations of 1 Timothy 5:22:

  • Uma: “Don’t quickly appoint people to be religion leaders, lest [people] end up being-angry-at/taking-it-out-on you later on if/when they commit sins. Examine first their character, and then put your hands on their pate to appoint them to be a religion leader. Be careful that your own behavior is holy.” (Source: Uma Back Translation)
  • Yakan: “Don’t you (sing.) hastily choose a person to become a leader there among you (pl.) the ones who trust in Isa Almasi but observe first his customs. Because if for example the person chosen by you (sing.) sins, including you are implicated in his sin. Be careful/watch out, don’t sin in your deeds and in your thinking/mind.” (Source: Yakan Back Translation)
  • Western Bukidnon Manobo: “It is necessary that you are not in a hurry to choose someone to lead the believers. For if he sins, you are the one who will be blamed. It is necessary that you be blameless in this.” (Source: Western Bukidnon Manobo Back Translation)
  • Kankanaey: “If there is also one you (sing.) choose to serve Cristo, don’t (sing.) be in a hurry to appoint him. Because if he has a sin while meanwhile you (sing.) appoint him, you (sing.) will of-course be included in his sin. Be-careful/Do-a-good-job therefore in what you (sing.) do so that you (sing.) will distance-yourself from everything that is evil.” (Source: Kankanaey Back Translation)
  • Tagbanwa: “Be careful not to put your hands too readily on anyone’s head and pray for him to istall him to-exercize-a-responsibility/job. Rather think well whether he is fit for this responsibility/job. Be careful always that you don’t get involved/implicated in the sins of others. Make sure that you hold fast to being far from sin.” (Source: Tagbanwa Back Translation)
  • Tenango Otomi: “If you need to appoint someone to lead at the church, do not want to be in a hurry to do so. Wait and first see how that person walks. What if you appoint a person and it is known that he has sin? Do not want that the people will say that you approve of the sin the person has done whom you appoint. You yourself must never commit sin.” (Source: Tenango Otomi Back Translation)

Translation commentary on 1 Timothy 5:22

The first part of this verse deals with one of the functions of Timothy, that of the laying on of hands, for which see discussion in 4.14. The function of consecration into a particular office or function seems to be in focus here as well, except that here the office of elder is certainly what is meant. How elders were chosen and commissioned, and who has the right to commission elders, are questions about which the text is silent.

In some languages the laying on of hands is sometimes used in connection with arresting someone. A literal translation then would create some difficulty for the reader. In such cases a functional equivalent may be used; for example, “commissioning,” “consecrating”; it is also possible to add the function description to the literal translation; for example, “consecrating elders by laying your hands on them,” or “commissioning church leaders by laying your hands on them,” or even “laying your hands on people to dedicate them to the Lord as church leaders.”

Timothy is urged not to be hasty in commissioning elders. The word used here refers to an extremely short span of time, hence “quick,” “swift,” “hurried.” The intention here is perhaps to make sure that the candidates for the office of elder are screened carefully, in order to avoid the problem of erring elders that is mentioned in verses 19-20.

The second part of the verse is an admonition to Timothy not to participate in another man’s sins and to keep himself pure. The word participate is literally “to have fellowship with” or “to share in,” whereas the word for pure signifies the absence of any moral defects; in the present context it can be understood negatively as abstaining from anything that can be considered immoral and sinful, and positively as behaving in an honest, sincere, and acceptable manner.

While some hold that this second part of the verse is unrelated to the first part, it is quite clear from the Greek text that the two parts are directly related. This is especially evident in the use of the connective nor that in the Greek never begins a new topic but always introduces something that is directly connected to what has immediately preceded. This would mean that, in hastily ordaining elders without first ascertaining whether they are qualified for the office or not, and especially without ascertaining their moral standing, Timothy would in a real sense be participating in and accepting responsibility for their sins. So Timothy is urged to keep himself morally pure and blameless by making sure that those whom he ordains to the office of elder are morally blameless as well.

An alternative translation model for this verse is:
• Do not be in a hurry to lay your hands on someone to dedicate them to the Lord’s service as a church leader, for you may in a sense be participating in (or, sharing in) their sins. You must, on the other hand, keep yourself free of moral defects (or, abstain from doing immoral things).

Quoted with permission from Arichea, Daniel C. and Hatton, Howard A. A Handbook on Paul’s First Letter to Timothy. (UBS Handbook Series). New York: UBS, 1995. For this and other handbooks for translators see here .

SIL Translator's Notes on 1 Timothy 5:22

5:22a

Do not be too quick in the laying on of hands: Here Paul implied that Timothy should be careful when he chose people to appoint as new leaders for the community of believers.

Do not be too quick: Paul did not want Timothy to appoint new elders too quickly. In other words, he wanted Timothy to ensure that the person was qualified to be a good elder. Timothy was to be sure that the candidate really was “above reproach” (3:2a).

the laying on of hands: The phrase the laying on of hands refers to the way that Timothy, along with other leaders of the believers, appointed a person to be an elder. They stood around a person, placed their hands upon him and prayed for him.

5:22b

and thereby share in the sins of others: Paul did not want Timothy to appoint any man to be an elder before Timothy really knew the man’s character. If Timothy did appoint an elder and later the elder sinned, Timothy would then share in the sins of that elder. That means that Timothy would be partly responsible for the sins that the elder committed.

others: This refers in general to elders who sin.

5:22c

yourself: Paul used the emphatic pronoun that the Berean Standard Bible translates as yourself to emphasize that Timothy needed to take care not to sin himself.

pure: To be pure means to be free from sin. Timothy needed to avoid having sinful habits or sinning in any major way. If he avoided sin, he would be a good example for the other believers. If he did not stay away from sin, he would be a bad example.

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All Scripture quotations in this publication, unless otherwise indicated, are from The Holy Bible, Berean Standard Bible. BSB is produced in cooperation with Bible Hub, Discovery Bible, OpenBible.com, and the Berean Bible Translation Committee.