34For you had compassion for those who were in prison, and you cheerfully accepted the plundering of your possessions, knowing that you yourselves possessed something better and more lasting.
The Hebrew, Aramaic, and Greek that is typically translated in English as “joy” or “happiness” is translated in the HausaCommon Language Bible idiomatically as farin ciki or “white stomach.” In some cases, such as in Genesis 29:11, it is also added for emphatic purposes.
Other languages that use the same expression include Southern Birifor (pʋpɛl), Dera (popolok awo), Reshe (ɾipo ɾipuhã). (Source: Andy Warren-Rothlin)
Following are a number of back-translations of Hebrews 10:34:
Uma: “Your hearts were also full-of-pity thinking about people who were imprisoned because of their following the Lord Yesus. When your belongings was forcibly-taken, it didn’t matter-to-you, you were happy anyway because you know that you had a store/reserve that was better and that lasts forever.” (Source: Uma Back Translation)
Yakan: “You really showed your mercy towards your fellow disciples of Isa who were in prison. And even though your belongings were taken by the people, you were still glad because you knew that you had a much better treasure/wealth there in heaven and this wealth/treasure is not lost for you forever/you will never lose.” (Source: Yakan Back Translation)
Western Bukidnon Manobo: “And you pitied and you helped the believers who were put in prison. And even though people seized all of your possessions, you rejoiced just the same because you knew that there were far better possessions of yours there in Heaven that until forever could not be snatched away from you.” (Source: Western Bukidnon Manobo Back Translation)
Kankanaey: “Because you showed-compassion on your companions who were imprisoned. And when they took-by-force your possessions, you were happy to endure it, because you knew that you still had a better and lasting kind of possession.” (Source: Kankanaey Back Translation)
Tagbanwa: “You were not afraid to help whoever of you was in-prison, and when you experienced the confiscation of your possessions you were in fact happy. Because you knew that far better and lasting are the riches which are-stored-up for you for the-future-time.” (Source: Tagbanwa Back Translation)
Tenango Otomi: “Concerning the believers who were jailed, you helped them, giving what they needed. You even rejoiced when what you owned was taken from you. Because you know that much more valuable is the good you will meet up with in heaven, which will be 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 Japanese shows different degree of politeness is through the choice of a formal plural suffix to the second person pronoun (“you” and its various forms) as shown here in the widely-used Japanese Shinkaiyaku (新改訳) Bible of 2017. In these verses, anata-gata (あなたがた) is used, combining the second person pronoun anata and the plural suffix -gata to create a formal plural pronoun (“you” [plural] in English).
The text of this verse is uncertain at three points.
(a) Modern translations have prisoners, but some manuscripts have “bonds,” or as in King James Version “my bonds.” It is easy to understand that this would be popular when Paul was thought to be the writer of this letter, but prisoners is more likely to be correct.
(b) That you still possessed: some manuscripts, followed by King James Version, have “in yourselves that ye have” instead of “that you yourselves had” (Revised Standard Version). Early editions of Good News Bible, but not other common language translations, followed manuscripts which have “for yourselves that you had.” The fourth edition of Good News Translation adopts the reading of the UBS Greek New Testament, “that yourselves had,” to give the translation that you still possessed. “Yourselves” is not emphasized here.
(c) Some manuscripts, followed by the first but not the revised edition of Phillips, add “in Heaven” at the end of the verse.
“For” (Revised Standard Version) at the beginning of this verse shows that it expands and supports the last statement in verse 33. Shared the sufferings of renders the verb which in 4.15 was translated feel sympathy for. See comment on that verse.
In rendering You shared the suffering of prisoners, it is important to indicate that the readers actually suffered themselves. Unfortunately, in some languages the verb meaning shared suggests distributing or handing out something, and therefore by implication causing others to suffer. It is possible to translate You shared the suffering of prisoners as “You suffered along with prisoners” or “You joined with prisoners in their sufferings.”
Prisoners is literally, as in Revised Standard Version, “the prisoners.” Since no prisoners have been mentioned before, the writer is probably referring to prisoners whom he and his first readers knew well. The context suggests that they were Christians. Modern readers do not know these people, so Good News Translation omits “the.” If prisoners sounds too general (as if the readers visited everyone in the public prisons), some such expression as “those who had been put in prison” may be used.
All before your belongings is implied. It is not clear whether the readers’ belongings were seized by the authorities, as Moffatt‘s “confiscation” suggests, or by a mob, as in Jerusalem Bible “being stripped of your belongings.” If the first alternative is chosen, it may be useful to translate when all your belongings were seized as “when the authorities seized all that you owned” or “when the officials took away from you what was yours.” The word for seized implies violence or force, whether or not backed by legal authority.
The word here translated endured is not as strong as the word which Revised Standard Version translates “endured” in verse 32. Here the meaning is “accepted” (Revised Standard Version), and this idea is developed in the second part of the verse. In rendering you endured your loss gladly, it is important to avoid the impression that the people were happy to have lost their belongings. The implication is that the persons in question put up with the loss and continued to be joyful.
There is an obscurity in the clause because you knew that you still possessed something much better. This could be misinterpreted to mean that the persons in question had been able to hide their better possessions and thus avoid the seizure of them. It is possible to interpret these better possessions as treasures laid up in heaven, but the reference is to the “promises of God” which have been mentioned in preceding passages and will be mentioned again in verse 36. It may therefore be possible to translate the latter part of verse 34 as “because you knew that you still possessed the things which God promised, which are much better and which last forever.”
Forever is implied. The clause which would last forever is literally “remaining,” that is, after the upheaval of the final judgment (see 12.27 and 13.14).
Quoted with permission from Ellingworth, Paul and Nida, Eugene A. A Handbook on The Letter of the Hebrews. (UBS Handbook Series). New York: UBS, 1983. For this and other handbooks for translators see here .
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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