The Greek and Hebrew that is translated as “lose heart” or similar in English is translated in Elhomwe idiomatically as “grow tired” and in Makonde as “lose strength in one’s heart.” (Source: project-specific translation notes in Paratext)
sinner
The Greek that is translated as “sinner” in English is translated in various ways:
- “people with bad hearts” (“it is not enough to call them ‘people who do bad things,’ for though actions do reflect the heart, yet it is the hearts with which God is primarily concerned — see Matt. 15:19“) in Western Kanjobal
- “people who are doing wrong things in their hearts” in San Blas Kuna (source for this and above: Nida 1952, p. 148)
- “people with bad stomachs” in Q’anjob’al (source: Newberry and Kittie Cox in The Bible Translator 1950, p. 91ff. )
- “those others who don’t fully obey our laws” in Tagbanwa (source: Tagbanwa Back Translation)
- “people with dirty hearts” or “people who are called ‘bad'” in Mairasi (source: Enggavoter 2004).
- “those who owe sin” in Central Mazahua and Teutila Cuicatec (source: Waterhouse / Parrott in Notes on Translation October 1967, p. 1ff.)
- “those without (or: “who don’t know”) God” (Gottlose) in the German New Testament translation by Berger / Nord (publ. 1999)
- “people of bad deeds” in Bariai (source: Bariai Back Translation)
- “rejected/despised people” in Kupsabiny (source: Kupsabiny Back Translation)
complete verse (Hebrews 12:3)
Following are a number of back-translations of Hebrews 12:3:
- Uma: “No kidding the suffering that Yesus underwent facing evil people who rejected him, to the point that he was killed. As for you, relatives, there are indeed evil people who are opposing you too, but in your war opposing sin, none of you has yet been killed like Yesus. So, consider Yesus, so that you not become weak and your hearts discouraged [lit., lessened].” (Source: Uma Back Translation)
- Yakan: “Really think about what he endured from sinful people because of their hate for him! Think about him so that your trust will not become weak and so that you won’t become tired/fed-up.” (Source: Yakan Back Translation)
- Western Bukidnon Manobo: “And as for Jesus, what He was caused to do was very difficult because of the abuse that wicked people gave Him. Because of this, always think about Him so that you might not give up holding tight to your trusting and you might not become weary and tired in doing good.” (Source: Western Bukidnon Manobo Back Translation)
- Kankanaey: “Consider carefully the way Jesus endured the extreme opposition to him of sinful people so that you don’t get discouraged and give-up.” (Source: Kankanaey Back Translation)
- Tagbanwa: “Yes indeed, really think about this Jesus, about how much oppostion by sinners he endured. Think much about him so that you will not weaken and become-fed-up (lit. be-enoughed) in your following/obeying him.” (Source: Tagbanwa Back Translation)
- Tenango Otomi: “When the evil people hurt Jesus, remember how much suffering he suffered. Therefore let us not have our hearts turn back when we suffer.” (Source: Tenango Otomi Back Translation)
formal 2nd person plural pronoun (Japanese)
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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).
(Source: S. E. Doi, see also S. E. Doi in Journal of Translation, 18/2022, p. 37ff. )
Translation commentary on Hebrews 12:3
King James Version‘s “For” translates a word which indicates that verse 3 partly repeats something already said, like the English “Yes, think of what he went through….” This word is often omitted in translation.
Think of includes the idea of comparing, that is, comparing Christ’s sufferings with the readers’ own less severe persecutions. Barclay brings this out precisely, if rather heavily: “The way to avoid the failure of your nerve and heart is to compare your situation with the situation of him who met the opposition of sinners with such constancy and courage.”
What he went through and put up with translate a single verb, related to determination in verse 1 and not give up in verse 2. The repetition helps to make this passage the strongest call for action in Hebrews. Bible en français courant is simpler here: “Think of him, of the way in which he put up with such opposition on the part of (or, from) sinners.”
It is rare that one can translate literally Think of what he went through, since this might very well be interpreted as suggesting that Jesus passed through some kind of structure or dwelling. A more satisfactory rendering is often “Consider how much he suffered.”
Hatred includes opposition both of word and deed, especially the latter in this context. It may be difficult to speak of “putting up with hatred,” for what is endured is not so much the hatred as what people do who hate. Therefore, how he put up with so much hatred from sinners may be expressed as “consider how much he endured from sinners who hated him so much” or “think about how much those sinners who hated him caused him to suffer.” The UBS Greek text (“D” rating) corresponds to Revised Standard Version‘s “against himself,” which is not especially emphasized, and which Good News Translation and other common language translations omit. The weight of the manuscript evidence is on the side of the difficult reading “against themselves,” similar in meaning to “on their own account” in 6.6. This may be explained as an allusion to Numbers 16.38 (17.3 in the Septuagint), where Korah, Dathan, and Abiram are said to have sinned “in their own souls.”
Yourselves is an idiomatic translation of the Greek for “your souls” (see 4.12). King James Version has “in your minds,” but the whole personality is involved.
Give up renders the same verb, with the same meaning, which is translated be discouraged in verse 5. King James Version has “faint” in both places.
So do not let yourselves become discouraged may be expressed as “Therefore, don’t ever lose your courage” or “… don’t let yourselves feel like giving up.” In some languages give up may be effectively rendered as “stop trusting God.”
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 .
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