The Greek that is typically translated with a generic expressions such as “he who,” “whoever,” or “if anyone” in English is translated with the plural form (“they”) in Daga. “A literal translation of these conveys the idea that one specific unnamed individual is being discussed. Thus, for instance, in John 5:24 ‘he who hears my word and believes in him who sent me has eternal life’ meant in Daga that there was one fortunate individual to whom it applied.”
Following are a number of back-translations of Galatians 6:6:
Uma: “The person who is taught the Word of God must share with the one teaching him from whatever blessings he has.” (Source: Uma Back Translation)
Yakan: “And you the ones who have been taught/preached the message of God, you ought to help the need of the person who teaches you.” (Source: Yakan Back Translation)
Western Bukidnon Manobo: “And as for the person who wants to be taught the word of God, he must give the one who teaches him something of the good that he has received.” (Source: Western Bukidnon Manobo Back Translation)
Kankanaey: “The one who is being-taught the word of God, he must share with the one who is teaching him all the good-things that he has.” (Source: Kankanaey Back Translation)
Tagbanwa: “This is also what I will say to you, those teachers who teach you the word of God, you need to share with them whatever good things God has freely-given you.” (Source: Tagbanwa Back Translation)
Tenango Otomi: “He who is taught the word of God must help the teacher by giving what is needed.” (Source: Tenango Otomi Back Translation)
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Like a number of other East Asian languages, Japanese uses a complex system of honorifics, i.e. a system where a number of different levels of politeness are expressed in language via words, word forms or grammatical constructs. These can range from addressing someone or referring to someone with contempt (very informal) to expressing the highest level of reference (as used in addressing or referring to God) or any number of levels in-between.
One way to do this is through the usage (or a lack) of an honorific prefix as shown here in the widely-used Japanese Shinkaiyaku (新改訳) Bible of 2017. When the referent is God, the “divine” honorific prefix mi- (御 or み) can be used, as in mi-kotoba (みことば) or “word (of God)” in the referenced verses.
The relation of this verse to what precedes cannot easily be seen. Some have assumed a connection because of the Greek connective (“and” or “but”) which begins the sentence. This particular connective, however, is sometimes used to start a new section, and its presence here is not necessarily significant. Furthermore, the subject matter of the verse is entirely new and does not seem to be connected either with what immediately precedes or with the theme of the entire epistle. In view of this, some take this verse as the beginning of a new section (verses 6-10), consisting of unrelated general exhortations.
At any rate, this verse speaks of the relationship between “the one who is being taught the word” and “the one who is teaching.” The “word” in this context clearly refers to the whole Christian message, and the man being taught is one who is “under Christian instruction” (Phillips, compare New English Bible “under instruction in the faith”), that is, a catechumen.
Paul describes the relationship between catechumen and teacher as a partnership (the word he uses means “share” or “be a partner in”). But what does it mean to be partners “in all good things”? Does “good things” refer to spiritual matters? In other words, is Paul saying that the disciple must be receptive to everything that the teacher is imparting? Or does “good things” refer to material goods? That is, is Paul admonishing the disciple to make a financial contribution toward the support of the teacher? The latter interpretation seems to be more probable, and so it is made clear in some translations (Jerusalem Bible “People under instruction should always contribute something to the support of the man who is instructing them”; compare Phillips).
Some suggest that Paul is being intentionally ambiguous here, for he wants both material and spiritual aspects included in the partnership between disciple and teacher. Retention of the Greek form (as in Good News Translation, New English Bible, Revised Standard Version, New American Bible, Moffatt et cetera) would, of course, preserve this ambiguity.
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 .
Nevertheless: This verse begins with a Greek conjunction. The Berean Standard Bible translates it as Nevertheless in order to show that it introduces a contrast. The contrast is between “each one” carrying “his own load” (6:5) and believers helping their instructors. While the New International Version also translates this conjunction as “Nevertheless” and a few other versions translate it as “But,” most English versions do not translate this conjunction. In some languages, it will not be necessary to translate this conjunction either. Connect 6:6a to 6:5 in a way that is natural in your language.
the one who receives instruction in the word: This clause refers to a person/student who is taught the word of God.
This clause is passive. Some ways to translate it are:
• Use a passive verb. For example:
The person who is taught the word ?of God?
• Use an active verb. For example:
Anyone who is learning the teaching of God (New Century Version) -or-
Each person to whom a teacher teaches the word ?of God?
6:6b
must share in all good things with his instructor: This clause is an indirect way to say that the student should pay his teacher. He should willingly give money or goods to the teacher. This is because the teacher may not have enough time to earn his own living by other work. (See also 2 Corinthians 9:6–12 for a similar passage about giving material things to those who serve us spiritually.)
Some other ways to translate this verse are:
should share all the good things he has with his teacher (New Century Version) -or-
should help their teachers by paying them (New Living Translation (1996)) -or-
he should give his teacher a share in all his possessions (New Jerusalem Bible)
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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