Lloyd Peckham explains the Mairasi translation: “In secret stories, not knowable to women nor children, there was a magical fruit of life. If referred to vaguely, without specifying the specific ‘fruit,’ it can be an expression for eternity.”
The Greek that is often translated as “flesh” in English (when referring to the lower human nature) can, according to Nida (1947, p. 153) “very rarely be literally translated into another language. ‘My meat’ or ‘my muscle’ does not make sense in most languages.” He then gives a catalog of almost 30 questions to determine a correct translation for that term.
The Toraja-Sa’dan translation uses a variety of terms for the translation of the same Greek term (click or tap here to see the rest of this insight)
A form of kale tolinona or “corporeal” is for instance used in Romans 9:5 or Colossians 1:22 (and also in Genesis 6:3 and Exodus 30:32)
A form of mentolinona or “the human” is for instance used in Matthew 16:17 or John 1:14
Phrases that include pa’kalean or “bodiliness” (also: “human shape”) are for instance used in Romans 6:6 or 1 Peter 2:11 (as well as in Isa 52:14, Isa 53:2, and Lamentations 4:7
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 6:8:
Uma: “If a person continually does deeds following the evil desires of his heart, its fruit will be that he will be separated from God forever. But if a person does deeds that follow the desire of the Holy Spirit, its fruit from the Holy Spirit will be this: he will receive eternal life together with God.” (Source: Uma Back Translation)
Yakan: “If that is what he follows/obeys his greedy-desire, that will be his recompense he will die and go to hell. If that is what he follows what God’s Spirit wants/wills, his recompense will be life without end in heaven.” (Source: Yakan Back Translation)
Western Bukidnon Manobo: “If a person carries out his own desires, what he will receive is death without end. If he carries out what the Holy Spirit wants, he will be given life without end.” (Source: Western Bukidnon Manobo Back Translation)
Kankanaey: “The one who repeatedly-plants what pleases his human mind, he will harvest punishment that is forever, but the one who repeatedly-plants what pleases the Spirit of God, he will harvest what the Spirit of God gives which is life that has no end.” (Source: Kankanaey Back Translation)
Tagbanwa: “Whoever plants evil, in that he keeps on indulging his congenital evil desires, there is none other that he will harvest than, his life will like rot and death which is punishment without end is where he will end up. But the one who plants good, in that he always follows/obeys the supervision of the Espiritu Santo over him, what he will harvest is life without end.” (Source: Tagbanwa Back Translation)
Tenango Otomi: “Because the person who does the evil that lights upon his heart will go to punishment. But concerning the one who follows the road taught by the Holy Spirit, the Holy Spirit will give him a new life forever.” (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-tama (御霊) or “Spirit (of God)” in the referenced verses.
The metaphor of verse 7 is continued here, but with a slight change, for attention is now drawn not to the seed, but to the ground on which the seed is sown. “Flesh” and “spirit” are presented as two kinds of fields yielding different harvests: “corruption” from the former, and “eternal life” from the latter.
There is a divergence of opinion as to whether “flesh” and “spirit” here mean the same thing as in 5.16-17. Some difference can be detected in the way these terms are used. In the previous case “flesh” and “spirit” are sources of action; here they seem to be recipients or beneficiaries. Accordingly, some take these terms to refer to two aspects of the human personality: the physical and the nonphysical (spiritual, intellectual, et cetera). To “sow to his own flesh” then would mean to concentrate on satisfying bodily appetites, like food, drink, and other physical needs. Conversely, to “sow to the spirit” is to channel one’s energies in the enrichment of the nonphysical aspects of life. Most translators, however, take Paul’s usage here to be the same as in chapter 5.
It is frequently necessary to change the figurative expressions in this verse from metaphors to similes, for example, “If a person, so to speak, plants his natural desires in the field….” Or it may be necessary to make the figurative comparison even more obvious, for example, “If a man encourages his natural desires, like a person who plants grain in a field, then the result is going to be his death,” or “… he will have a harvest just as the farmer does, but the harvest will be his death.”
The word which Good News Translation translates as death is literally “corruption,” which some take to refer primarily to moral and spiritual decay. It is likely, however, that it also refers to physical decay and therefore should be understood as a term for death in a general sense.
If “spirit” here has the same reference as in 5.16, then it means the Holy Spirit. To plant in the field of the Spirit is to concentrate on the fruit of the Spirit as previously mentioned, the result of which is eternal life. This term is quite common in the Johannine writings, but Paul uses it less frequently. The emphasis is not on something which does not end but on the positive qualities that go with a life which is lived in the Spirit.
The second condition in this verse, referring to the field of the Spirit, is even more complicated than the first figurative condition and in some instances may require considerable amplification for the relations to be made clear, for example, “If like a farmer who plants grain in a field, a person does his deeds by the help of the Spirit, then the Spirit will cause him to have a harvest, and this will be the true life that never ends.” While specifying the various relations in this manner may be necessary to convey the meaning, a considerable amount of the impact of the figurative language is lost in the explicit details.
The future tenses in this verse lead some scholars to interpret it eschatologically, as referring primarily to the ultimate harvest, perhaps at the Day of the Lord, an interpretation which seems to be reinforced by the next verse.
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 .
In this verse, Paul explained the meaning of the proverb that he quoted in 6:7b, “Whatever a man sows, he will reap in return.” Paul introduced this explanation with a Greek conjunction that most English versions translate as “for.” Some other ways to introduce this explanation are:
because (NET Bible) -or-
This means that
The Berean Standard Bible has not translated this conjunction, and some other versions, such as the New International Version and New Living Translation (2004), also do not translate it. In some languages, it will not be necessary to translate this conjunction either. Connect 6:8a to 6:7b in a way that is natural in your language.
The one who sows to please his flesh: This clause is the negative side of a metaphor. In this metaphor, Paul compared a person doing things that please his evil desires to a person sowing seeds in corrupted/contaminated soil. The person’s own flesh (or sinful human nature) is the corrupted soil.
Some ways to translate this clause are:
• Keep the entire metaphor of sowing in corrupted soil. For example:
If you plant in the field of your natural desires (Good News Translation) -or-
If you plant in ?the soil of? your corrupt nature (God’s Word)
• Keep only the part of the metaphor about sowing. For example:
The one who sows to please his sinful nature (New International Version) -or-
If they plant to satisfy their sinful selves (New Century Version)
• Change the metaphor to a simile. For example:
The person who does what pleases his sinful self ?is like a person who? sows ?seeds? in contaminated soil.
• Translate the meaning without using a figure of speech. For example:
Those who live only to satisfy their own sinful nature (New Living Translation (2004)) -or-
If you follow your selfish desires (Contemporary English Version)
6:8b
from the flesh will reap destruction: This clause continues the metaphor. In this part of the metaphor, the person reaps/harvests a crop from the soil/field of his flesh. What he reaps is corruption. The word destruction refers to eternal destruction. It is the opposite of eternal life. So the results of living to please one’s sinful desires are death and destruction.
Some ways to translate this clause are:
• Keep the metaphor of reaping. For example:
from it you will gather the harvest of death (Good News Translation) -or-
you will harvest destruction (God’s Word)
• Translate the meaning without using a figure of speech. For example:
his reward will be to die and be punished forever
See flesh, Meaning 5 in the Glossary.
6:8c
but the one who sows to please the Spirit: This clause is the positive side of the metaphor. In this part, Paul compared a person who does things that please the Holy Spirit to a person who sows in good soil. The Holy Spirit is the good soil.
Some ways to translate this clause are:
• Keep the metaphor of sowing in good soil. For example:
if you plant in the field of the Spirit (Good News Translation)
• Keep the part of the metaphor about sowing. For example:
the one who sows to please the Spirit (Berean Standard Bible, New International Version) -or-
if they plant to please the Spirit (New Century Version)
• Change the metaphor to a simile. For example:
The person who does what pleases the Spirit ?is like a person who? sows ?seeds? in good soil.
• Translate the meaning without using a figure of speech. For example:
those who live to please the Spirit (New Living Translation (2004))
6:8d
from the Spirit will reap eternal life: This clause is the last part of the metaphor. In this part, the person reaps/harvests a crop from the field of the Holy Spirit. What he reaps is eternal life. So the result of living to please the Holy Spirit is life everlasting.
Some ways to translate this sentence are:
• Keep the metaphor of reaping. For example:
from the Spirit you will gather the harvest of eternal life (Good News Translation) -or-
you will harvest everlasting life (God’s Word)
• Translate the meaning without using a figure of speech. For example:
they will receive eternal life from the Spirit (New Century Version) -or-
he will get/have eternal life
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