2I went up in response to a revelation. Then I laid before them (though only in a private meeting with the acknowledged leaders) the gospel that I proclaim among the gentiles, in order to make sure that I was not running, or had not run, in vain.
The Greek terms that are translated into English as “preach” or “proclaim” are regularly rendered into Aari as “speaking the word of salvation.” (Source: Loren Bliese)
Other languages (back-) translate it in the following manner:
Tzeltal: “he explains, they hear” (“the goal of all preachers”)
Copainalá Zoque: “a preacher is ‘one who speaks-scatters'” (a figure based on the scattering of seed in the process of sowing) (source for this and above: Bratcher / Nida)
Shilluk: “declare the word of of God” (source: Nida 1964, p. 237)
In Luang it is translated with different shades of meaning:
For Acts 9:20, 10:42: nakotnohora: “talk about” (“The generic term for preaching.”)
For Acts 8:4, 8:5, 8:25: rodkiota-ralde’etnohora — “bring words, give news about.” (“This term is used when the preacher is moving from place to place to preach.”)
Source: Kathy Taber in Notes on Translation 1/1999, p. 9-16.
In choosing a word for the Greek that is typically translated as “gospel” in English, a number of languages construct a phrase meaning “good news,” “joyful report” or “happiness-bringing words.” In some instances such a phrase may be slightly expanded in order to convey the proper meaning, e.g. “new good word” (Tzotzil), or it may involve some special local usage:
the Germandas Buch translation by Roland Werner (publ. 2009-2022) translates as “all-transformative good news” (alles verändernde gute Botschaft), also “good news”
Vitaly Voinov tells this story about the translation into Rutul (click or tap here to see the rest of this insight):
“In Rutul, it was only during the most recent consultant checking session that I realized that the Rutul word for Gospel – Incir (from Arabic إنجيل — Injil) — sounds and looks exactly like the word that means ‘fig’ in Rutul. This is a case of homonymy, in which two completely non-related words from differing historical sources have come to sound exactly alike. Most Rutul speakers know that incir means ‘fig’ because they grow this fruit in their yard or buy it at the market every week. However, because the religious sphere of discourse was heavily disparaged during the Soviet era, most people simply never encountered Incir with the meaning of ‘Gospel.’ This meaning of the word, which Rutuls of the pre-Soviet era knew from the Koran, simply fell into disuse and never had much reason for returning into contemporary Rutul since there is no Christian church established among the people. So if the translator continues to use the term Incir as the rendering for ‘Gospel,’ he runs the risk that most readers will, at best, read the word with a smile because they know that it also means ‘fig,’ and, at worst, will completely misunderstand the word. The seemingly ‘easy’ solution in this case is for the translator to use a Rutul neologism meaning ‘Joyful Message’ or ‘Good News,’ [see above] instead of Incir; but in fact it is not all that easy to make this change if the translator himself insists on using the historical word because at least some Rutuls still understand it as meaning ‘Gospel.’ This is a situation in which the translation team has to gradually grow into the understanding that a fully intelligible translation of Scripture is preferable to one that maintains old words at the cost of alienating much of the readership.”
The Hebrew, Aramaic, Greek, and Latin that is often translated as “gentiles” (or “nations”) in English is often translated as a “local equivalent of ‘foreigners,'” such as “the people of other lands” (Guerrero Amuzgo), “people of other towns” (Tzeltal), “people of other languages” (San Miguel El Grande Mixtec), “strange peoples” (Navajo (Dinė)) (this and above, see Bratcher / Nida), “outsiders” (Ekari), “people of foreign lands” (Kannada), “non-Jews” (North Alaskan Inupiatun), “people being-in-darkness” (a figurative expression for people lacking cultural or religious insight) (Toraja-Sa’dan) (source for this and three above Reiling / Swellengrebel), “from different places all people” (Martu Wangka) (source: Carl Gross).
Tzeltal translates it as “people in all different towns,” Chicahuaxtla Triqui as “the people who live all over the world,” Highland Totonac as “all the outsider people,” Sayula Popoluca as “(people) in every land” (source: Waterhouse / Parrott in Notes on Translation October 1967, p. 1ff.), Chichimeca-Jonaz as “foreign people who are not Jews,” Sierra de Juárez Zapotec as “people of other nations” (source of this and one above: Viola Waterhouse in Notes on Translation August 1966, p. 86ff.), Highland Totonac as “outsider people” (source: Waterhouse / Parrott in Notes on Translation October 1967, p. 1ff.), Uma as “people who are not the descendants of Israel” (source: Uma Back Translation), “other ethnic groups” (source: Newari Back Translation), and Yakan as “the other tribes” (source: Yakan Back Translation).
In Chichewa, it is translated with mitundu or “races.” (Source: Mawu a Mulungu mu Chichewa Chalero Back Translation)
Following are a number of back-translations of Galatians 2:2:
Uma: “The reason I went to Yerusalem at that time is because there was a word from God that said to me that I had to go. When I arrived in Yerusalem, I told leaders of the Kristen people there what the contents of the Good News were that I take to the non-Yahudi people. I was anxious/nervous lest there be some who criticized my teaching, to the point that there would have been no more value to my having taught people the Good News, both the work I had already done, and what I was still doing. So I met just with the Kristen leaders in Yerusalem.” (Source: Uma Back Translation)
Yakan: “I went because God caused me to know that I ought to go. When we (excl.) arrived there, we (excl.) and the leaders of the ones who trust Isa Almasi had a meeting, only us. I explained to them as to what the good news was that I preached/proclaimed to the people not Yahudi. The reason I explained to them is because perhaps they were not pleased and perhaps they would say that there was no (good) result of what I had done or what I was doing that time.” (Source: Yakan Back Translation)
Western Bukidnon Manobo: “The reason I went there was because God had revealed to me that I should go. And when we arrived there, the leaders of the believers there gathered together, they alone. And I explained to them what the good news was that I was teaching to the people who aren’t Jews. It was my desire at that time that the value of what I had done, and what I was still doing, might not be removed.” (Source: Western Bukidnon Manobo Back Translation)
Kankanaey: “I went there because God showed me that’s what I should do. When we (excl.) arrived, I met-with only those who were considered leaders, and I explained/clarified to them the good news that I am preaching to the collective-people who are Gentiles. I did that in order that they would come-to-know that what I was teaching was correct lest my preaching previously and also now would be wasted.” (Source: Kankanaey Back Translation)
Tagbanwa: “I went there because that’s what the Lord had put in my mind to do, so that I could relate to the believers there what the Good News was that I was teaching in the lands of the people who weren’t Jews that we (excl.) had travelled to. Therefore on our (excl.) arrival in Jerusalem, those who were recognized there as important overseers of the believers there gathered together first, and then I explained everything to them. Those overseers were the ones I explained to first so that I could be sure that they were in harmony with what I was teaching. For if they were not in agreement, maybe it would come out that there was no worth/use in that work of mine of teaching people who are not Jews.” (Source: Tagbanwa Back Translation)
Tenango Otomi: “I went because God indicated to me that he wanted me to go to Jerusalem. Those who lead in the word gathered in order for us to talk together. I told them about the good news I preached to the people who are not Jews. I wanted it to be known that it was the same message we all told the people. Because I wanted that my work that I had done and continued to do would not be ruined.” (Source: Tenango Otomi Back Translation)
Because God revealed to me that I should go is literally “in accordance with a revelation.” The word “revelation” usually describes God’s act of making himself or his will known, and the preposition “in accordance with” is better understood here as “because of” (compare New English Bible, also Phillips “My visit on this occasion was by divine command”). How and when this revelation took place, Paul does not say. For this type of context the most appropriate equivalent of revealed is in many languages “told,” for example, “because God told me that I should go.” If, however, one can use a more general expression such as “showed” or “made me to understand,” that may be better, rather than to suggest some direct verbal communication between God and Paul.
It is possible to put verse 1 and the first part of verse 2 together, to make the meaning much clearer, for example “fourteen years later, I returned to Jerusalem at the Lord’s direction.”
In a private meeting with the leaders I explained can be literally rendered “I laid before them, but privately before those who were of repute.” “Those of repute” is an expression describing men of good and high standing in the fellowship, hence the Good News Translation rendering leaders (Jerusalem Bible “the leading men”; Phillips “church leaders”).
In a private meeting with the leaders may be expressed in some languages as “in a meeting just with the leaders.” It is also possible to be somewhat more specific and say “in a meeting with the leaders and without other people present.” The introductory prepositional expression may also be rendered as a temporal clause, for example, “when I met with just the leaders.” In a number of languages, when speaking of leaders, it may be necessary to indicate who or what is led. In such a case one may say “the leaders of the church.” An equivalent expression in some languages is “the most important people in the church,” or “those in the church who made the decisions.”
When Paul says “I laid before them,” whom does he mean by “them”? Are they to be taken as referring to the whole Christian community in Jerusalem or as synonymous with “the men of repute”? Most translators favor the second alternative, and Good News Translation restructures the sentence to make this understanding clear. Good News Bible makes the private meeting with the leaders a prepositional clause and places it at the beginning of the sentence (compare Jerusalem Bible “privately I laid before the leading men the Good News”; New American Bible “I laid out for their scrutiny the gospel … all this in private conference with the leaders”).
The gospel message (literally “the gospel”) refers to that particular version of the Good News which Paul has been preaching.
To the Gentiles can also be “among the Gentiles” (Phillips, Knox, compare New American Bible, Jerusalem Bible) referring to people who live in Gentile lands (note this expression in 1.16).
In some languages it may be necessary to indicate quite clearly the tense or aspect of the verb preach. Since Paul is here referring to his habitual practice or customary manner of preaching to the Gentiles (or “non-Jews”), one may say “I explained the good news that I have customarily been preaching to the Gentiles.”
I did not want my work in the past or in the present to be a failure translates an idiom which expresses apprehension (literally “lest somehow I should be running or had run in vain,” Revised Standard Version). What is the meaning of this idiom? It should not be understood to mean that Paul had any doubts about the truth of the gospel which he was preaching or of the course he was pursuing, an idea which seems to be implicit in some translations. Rather, Paul was presenting his message to the Jewish authorities at Jerusalem because he saw the danger of his work both past and present being rendered ineffectual if those authorities disapproved of it. Some translations therefore focus on the fear that the Jewish authorities might not see the validity of what Paul was doing (Jerusalem Bible “I did so for fear the course I was adopting or had already adopted would not be allowed”; New American Bible “to make sure the course I was pursuing, or had pursued, was not useless”; Phillips “to make sure that what I had done and proposed doing was acceptable to them”). Other translations (for example Good News Translation) focus on the result of such disapproval.
My work in the past or in the present may be rendered as “what I had been doing or what I was continuing to do,” or “what I had done in the past or what I would continue to do.” The expression to be a failure translates a phrase referring to something being “empty,” “fruitless,” “ineffective,” or “in vain.” It may be rendered in some languages as “to result in nothing” or “to produce nothing.” It is possible that Paul was fearful that disapproval by the authorities in Jerusalem would result in people rejecting the truth that he had been proclaiming.
Quoted with permission from Arichea, Daniel C. and Nida, Eugene A. A Handbook on Paul’s Letter to the Galatians. (UBS Handbook Series). New York: UBS, 1976. For this and other handbooks for translators see here .
I went in response to a revelation: The word revelation means that God “revealed” or “showed” something to Paul. He showed him that he should go to Jerusalem. The apostles in Jerusalem did not send for Paul. Paul wrote this to show that he was under God’s authority, not under the authority of the apostles.
Some other ways to translate this clause are:
I went there because God revealed to me that I should go. (New Living Translation (2004)) -or-
I went because God showed me I should go. (New Century Version) -or-
I went there because God had told me to go (Contemporary English Version) -or-
God told me to go to Jerusalem, ?so? I went there.
2:2b
Before you translate 2:2b, compare the Berean Standard Bible with the English Standard Version. Notice where each version puts the clause that includes the word “privately.” (This clause is underlined below.)
and set before them the gospel that I preach among the Gentiles. But I spoke privately to those recognized as leaders (Berean Standard Bible)
and set before them (though privately before those who seemed influential) the gospel that I proclaim among the Gentiles (English Standard Version)
In 2:2b, the Berean Standard Bible follows the Greek order more closely than the English Standard Version. Many languages will probably want to follow the Berean Standard Bible order here.
and set before them: The Greek verb that the Berean Standard Bible translates as set before also means “declared,” “communicated,” “explained,” or “made clear.” When Paul arrived in Jerusalem, he explained to the church leaders what he was teaching to the Gentiles. He wanted to get their response. He did this so that everyone would know that he and the church leaders were in agreement about the message that he preached.
Some other ways to translate this verb are:
I explained (Good News Translation) -or-
shared with them (New Living Translation (2004)) -or-
I told their leaders (New Century Version)
them: The pronoun them refers to the leaders in the Jerusalem church. This is the first time in this passage that Paul referred to these men. In 2:9, he named them: James, Peter, and John. Elsewhere in this passage he referred to them as “the ones who seemed influential” (2:2, 2:6a, 2:6d) and “those who seemed to be pillars” (2:9).
In many languages, you must first introduce people using a noun, not a pronoun. If your language is like that, you will need to:
• Use a noun phrase here. For example:
the church leaders in Jerusalem
• Change the order of the clause so that the clause “those recognized as leaders” comes before the pronoun them. For example:
I had a meeting alone with those ?men? who were influential. I explained to them the message that I preach to the non-Jews
the gospel that I preach among the Gentiles: The word Gentiles: is the same word that Paul used in 1:16b. See also Gentiles, Meaning 1, in the Glossary for more information.
But I spoke privately: The word privately indicates that Paul explained his message only to certain people. It implies that the meeting did not include the entire church.
Some other ways to translate this clause are:
I explained this only to those who were leaders -or-
I did this alone with the church leaders
to those recognized as leaders: The Greek phrase that the Berean Standard Bible translates as to those recognized as leaders refers to the men who were recognized as important leaders of the church in Jerusalem. These leaders included Peter, James, and John. (See Galatians 2:9 and Acts 15:6.)
Some other ways to translate this phrase are:
the influential people (NET Bible) -or-
those esteemed as leaders (New International Version (2011)) -or-
the leaders of the church (New Living Translation (1996)) -or-
the leaders (Good News Translation)
A few English versions (such as the English Standard Version and New International Version) translate this phrase as “those who seemed to be leaders.” Such a translation can give the false impression that these men only “seemed” to be leaders, but they were really not leaders. Most commentaries agree that this phrase refers to recognized leaders. In your translation, do not imply that Paul was questioning whether these men were actually leaders of the church.
2:2c
for fear that: The Greek words that the Berean Standard Bible translates as for fear that introduce Paul’s purpose in explaining his message to the church leaders. Paul explained his message to the leaders (2:2b) in order to be sure that they agreed with his work (2:2c).
Some other ways to translate this phrase are:
in order that -or-
so that I could be sure/certain -or-
I wanted to make sure that we were in agreement (New Living Translation (2004))
In Greek, these words are more literally “so that not.” So another way to translate these words are:
so that I might not be running, or have run the race, in vain (HCSB)
Paul did not want his work to be for nothing. If the church leaders and Paul did not agree about the content of the gospel, then the spread of the gospel would be hindered. He did not want division between the Jewish believers and the Gentile believers.
2:2d
I was running or had already run in vain: This clause is a metaphor. In this metaphor, Paul compared his work of preaching the gospel to a person running a race. A preacher and a runner are similar in that both people work hard, and neither wants his work to be in vain. A person who runs a race works hard to win. Paul worked hard to preach the gospel. He wanted the gospel that he preached to have lasting effects, and he wanted the leaders to agree that it was the true gospel.
Some ways to translate this metaphor are:
• Keep the metaphor. In most languages, it will be good to add some explanation. For example:
?all my work was not in vain and? I was running the race for nothing.
• Translate the metaphor as a simile. For example:
?all the work that I had done was not like? a race that I had run or was running in vain
• Translate the meaning without the metaphor. For example:
I did not want my past work and the work I am now doing to be wasted. (New Century Version) -or-
what I had done and proposed doing was acceptable to them (Phillips’ New Testament in Modern English)
in vain: The phrase in vain means “useless,” “for nothing,” “without result,” or “without effect.”
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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