In Bauzi “swear” can be translated in various ways. In Hebrews 6:13, for instance, it is translated with “bones break apart and decisively speak.” (“No bones are literally broken but by saying ‘break bones’ it is like people swear by someone else in this case it is in relation to a rotting corpse’ bones falling apart. If you ‘break bones’ so to speak when you make an utterance, it is a true utterance.”) In other passages, such as in Matthew 26:72, it’s translated with an expression that implies taking ashes (“if a person wants everyone to know that he is telling the truth about a matter, he reaches down into the fireplace, scoops up some ashes and throws them while saying ‘I was not the one who did that.'”). So in Matthew 26:72 the Bauzi text is: “. . . Peter took ashes and defended himself saying, ‘I don’t know that Nazareth person.'” (Source: David Briley)
Following are a number of back-translations of Hebrews 6:16:
Uma: “If for example people/mankind swears, he usually swears naming what is greater than he. His swearing/oath strengthens his words so that no one any longer contradicts/answers-against [him].” (Source: Uma Back Translation)
Yakan: “The custom of mankind is when they swear, they utter the name of God because God is greater than anything/all things. So-then all their opposing-each-other is fixed/settled.” (Source: Yakan Back Translation)
Western Bukidnon Manobo: “If there is a promise of just an ordinary person, the thing he uses to strengthen this promise is, he calls upon God who is greater than he is, because he wants Him to witness to his promise. And if this is what he does in a legal case, those who listen to his promise will believe what he says.” (Source: Western Bukidnon Manobo Back Translation)
Kankanaey: “If a person wants to make-known to his companions that what he is saying is true, he swears by someone higher/greater than himself. Because if he does that, that’s the end of their argument.” (Source: Kankanaey Back Translation)
Tagbanwa: “As for people, when they confirm (lit. cause-to-be-sturdy) what they are saying, they make a vow in the name of one who is higher/more-important than they, and, well, because they have now vowed, that’s the end of the discussion.” (Source: Tagbanwa Back Translation)
Tenango Otomi: “When people say that it is true what they are saying, they call upon God to be their witness. When a person has called on God to be his witness, then his friend with whom he is talking cannot say that it is not true in what he said. But God promised a word to Abraham and since no one is greater than God, therefore he used his own name, telling Abraham it is God’s own word that which was said. He said to him: ‘It is true what I say to you, overflowingly I will bless you. I will cause that very much will increase your children,’ he said. But Abraham did not get anxious concerning the word God spoke. Rather he waited, waited until there came the day when it happened according to the word God promised would happen.” (Source: Tenango Otomi Back Translation)
Verses 16-17 illustrate a method of argument often used in Jewish writings as well as in other cultures: If “B” is greater than “A,” then anything said about “A” must be even more true of “B” (compare 10.25; 12.25; Matt 6.30; Rom 5.7-9). In particular, anything good said about human beings must be even more true of God.
A person is emphatic and general; it is literally “people,” whether men or women. As in verse 13, the Greek for someone may also mean “something” (Knox, Jerusalem Bible, Segond, Traduction œcuménique de la Bible). Some commentators think this means “God,” but Matthew 23.16-22, for example, speaks of swearing by inanimate objects. The contrast is between God swearing by himself (verse 13b) and human beings swearing (verse 16). It may be helpful to make this clear by inserting some such phrase as “human beings, on the other hand, use the name of someone greater….”
As in the case of the term vow in verse 13, it may not be possible to render vow in verse 16 with a somewhat technical formula such as “making a strong promise by calling God to witness.” In the context of verse 16 it may therefore be best to translate “when a person makes a firm promise,” “… a strong promise,” or even “when a person promises with strong words.”
The expression he uses the name of someone greater than himself may be rendered as “he calls to witness someone greater than himself” or “he makes a promise on behalf of someone greater than himself.” In this context greater may be a matter either of importance or of authority.
The last clause of this verse means that, whenever people are contradicting one another, an oath acts as a guarantee and puts an end to the dispute. In this context the oath is a solemn statement such as “I swear by God that what I say is true,” rather than a solemn promise to do something in the future. The statement the vow settles all arguments must be amplified in some languages in order to make it clear; for example, “one person calls God to witness that something is true, and in this way people no longer argue” or “… and because of this people no longer argue.”
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 .
In 6:16–20 the author continued to explain about God’s oath. In Greek, these verses are one long sentence, but English versions have divided it into shorter ones.
6:16a
Men swear by someone greater than themselves: This clause indicates that when people swear an oath, they swear by someone who has more power than they do. Their oath implies that they are asking someone greater than themselves to enforce the oath. If they do not do what they have sworn to do, someone greater than themselves will punish them.
Some other ways to translate this statement are:
When people take oaths, they base their oaths on someone greater than themselves. (God’s Word) -or-
People swear by what is greater than themselves (Revised English Bible)
6:16b
and their oath serves as a confirmation: The phrase their oath serves as a confirmation implies that the oath will confirm that the person who swears it will really do what he has said that he will do. Some other ways to translate this phrase are:
and the oath confirms what is said (New International Version) -or-
If a person wants to make known to his companions that what he is saying is true, he swears by someone…. -or-
they show that what they are saying is trustworthy by making a vow
their oath: The word oath refers to a person calling on someone or something greater than himself to ensure that he will fulfill what he promises (or that what he says is true). The oath implies that if he does not fulfill it, God (or whatever he called on) will punish him.
In some languages there are specific words that are used when a person makes the oath. You should use a natural expression in your language. Some other ways to translate it are:
make a vow in the name of one who is higher/more-important than they -or-
the thing he uses to strengthen his promise is, he calls upon God who is greater than he is
to end all argument: The phrase to end all argument means “stops people from arguing.” It implies that people will not argue with what a person has said after he makes an oath. The people will believe that if the person did not speak truthfully, God (or whoever the person swore by) will punish him. People will believe that the person will do what he said he will do so that he will not be punished.
argument: The word argument refers to people arguing with each other. In some languages it is more natural to translate the noun argument with a verb. For example:
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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