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.”
Many languages distinguish between inclusive and exclusive first-person plural pronouns (“we”). (Click or tap here to see more details)
The inclusive “we” specifically includes the addressee (“you and I and possibly others”), while the exclusive “we” specifically excludes the addressee (“he/she/they and I, but not you”). This grammatical distinction is called “clusivity.” While Semitic languages such as Hebrew or most Indo-European languages such as Greek or English do not make that distinction, translators of languages with that distinction have to make a choice every time they encounter “we” or a form thereof (in English: “we,” “our,” or “us”).
For this verse, translators typically select the inclusive form (including the addressee).
Source: Velma Pickett and Florence Cowan in Notes on Translation January 1962, p. 1ff.
Following are a number of back-translations of 3 John 1:8:
Uma: “So, it is so appropriate we help them, so that it is like we accompany them in their work carrying the true news.” (Source: Uma Back Translation)
Yakan: “Therefore we (incl.) the disciples of Isa, should help them so that we (incl.) will be included in their work preaching the true teaching.” (Source: Yakan Back Translation)
Western Bukidnon Manobo: “And because of that, it is necessary that we (incl.) who are believers give to them so that we might help in their spreading the true doctrine.” (Source: Western Bukidnon Manobo Back Translation)
Kankanaey: “So it is necessary that we who believe be the ones to help them so that we will share-in their work of making-known the true teaching.” (Source: Kankanaey Back Translation)
Tagbanwa: “Therefore it’s necessary that we regard this as our job/responsibility to look after their needs, so that we can also help to spread this truth.” (Source: Tagbanwa Back Translation)
Tenango Otomi: “Therefore it is necessary that we help those who speak the word which is true in order that all of us help in the spread of the word.” (Source: Tenango Otomi Back Translation)
Yatzachi Zapotec: “We then must help all our brethren who travel thus and thus unite with them as they proclaim the truth.”
Eastern Highland Otomi: “So we must help them, and take care of them, and same (equally) thus we will help each other in the work of the Word of God.”
Isthmus Zapotec: “This is the way it is necessary for us to help people like them, in order to do the work of God with them.” (Source for this and two above: John Beekman in Notes on Translation 12, November 1964, p. 1ff.)
In So we ought to support, the particle So introduces the conclusion based on what precedes. The same is the case in verse 10.
We is emphatic and contrasts with the heathen. The intention is “if the preachers accept nothing from the heathen, it is clearly our duty to provide for them”; hence “we Christians” (Good News Translation). For ought see comments on 1 John 2.6.
To support: the Greek verb means “to welcome as guests,” then generally “to support,” “to give help and assistance to.” Both meanings are defensible here, but the second fits best because of verse 6b.
That may refer here either to purpose, “in order that,” or to expected result, “so that.”
We may be fellow workers in the truth: the Greek noun rendered fellow workers literally means “those-who-are-working-together,” “those-who-are cooperating (or helping/assisting).” This word is followed here by the noun truth. In the Greek this noun is in a form that here serves to mark the person with whom one is cooperating. This implies that the truth (in the sense of “God’s truthfulness,” compare comments on 1 John 1.8) functions here as a personified quality of God, with which the traveling preachers are working together. sunergos.
In the opinion of the present authors, this interpretation best fits the construction used in the Greek. It is represented in such renderings of the clause as ‘we may be cooperating with (or be helpers of) the truth,’ ‘we may work together with (or join in the work of) the truthful One.’
Many versions, however, perhaps even the majority, follow another interpretation. They take truth in the sense of “the cause of truth” or “the true cause,” indicating the field in which, or the aim for which, we are to work. Then the persons with whom they are to cooperate are the traveling preachers and must be understood from the context.
This interpretation has led to renderings like “we may share in their (that is, the preachers’) work for the truth” (Good News Translation, compare also Bible de Jérusalem), ‘we may unite with them as they proclaim the truth,’ ‘we as well as they may spread the true work,’ ‘we will help them in (their work of) teaching true things.’
Quoted with permission from Haas, C., de Jonge, M. and Swellengrebel, J.L. A Handbook on The Third Letter of John. (UBS Handbook Series). New York: UBS, 1972. For this and other handbooks for translators see here .
we:(Pronoun Reference) John is referring to himself and Gaius and all other Christians. See Good News Translation.
support such men:(Meaning) This means Christians should help these people by welcoming them to stay in their homes and giving them whatever they need to continue their work for Christ.
8b
that we may be fellow workers:(Pronoun Reference) John means that by helping these brothers, he and Gaius and all other Christians will be sharing in their work.
8c
for the truth:(Alternative Interpretations) There are different ideas about the meaning of the Greek phrase used here:
(1) It probably refers to working with the traveling preachers in spreading God’s truth to other people. (Good News Translation, Berean Standard Bible, The Jerusalem Bible, New English Bible)
(2) Some think it refers to working together with God’s truth as it spreads among people. (King James Version, Phillips’ New Testament in Modern English)
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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.
Living Water is produced for the Bible translation movement in association with Lutheran Bible Translators. Lyrics derived from the ESV® Bible (The Holy Bible, English Standard Version®).
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