The Greek in Hebrews 6:19 that is translated into English as “anchor (of the soul)” in English is, due to non-existing nautical language, rendered as xuk’chotontib (“that which becomes unmovable”) in Chol (source: Steven 1979, p. 75), as “iron crab” in Bawm Chin (source: David Clark), as “foundation” in Tsou (source: Peng Kuo-Wei), in Mossi as “a strong and steadfast picketting-peg” (source: Nida 1952, p. 46) and in Enlhet as “that holds up like a rope” (source: Jacob Loewen in The Bible Translator 1969, p. 24ff. ).
In Kouya the translation is “the foundation which keeps a house secure.” Eddie Arthur tells this story: “A slightly more prosaic example comes from Paul’s sea voyages in the Book of Acts. In Acts 27, when Paul’s ship was facing a huge storm, there are several references to throwing out the anchor to save the ship. Now the Kouya live in a tropical rain-forest and have no vessels larger than dug-out canoes used for fishing on rivers. The idea of an anchor was entirely foreign to them. However, it was relatively easy to devise a descriptive term along the lines of ‘boat stopping metal’ that captured the essential nature of the concept. This was fine when we were translating the word anchor in its literal sense. However, in Hebrews 6:19 we read that hope is an anchor for our souls. It would clearly make no sense to use ‘boat stopping metal’ at this point as the concept would simply not have any meaning. So in this verse we said that faith was like the foundation which keeps a house secure. One group working in the Sahel region of West Africa spoke of faith being like a tent peg which keeps a tent firm against the wind. I hope you can see the way in which these two translations capture the essence of the image in the Hebrews verse while being more appropriate to the culture.”
The Hebrew, Greek, and Latin that is translated as “soul” in English is translated in Chol with a term that refers to the invisible aspects of human beings (source: Robert Bascom), in Yagaria with oune or “shadow, reflection” (source: Renck, p. 81), and in Elhomwe as “heart” (source: project-specific translation notes in Paratext).
The Mandarin Chineselínghún (靈魂 / 灵魂), literally “spirit-soul,” is often used for “soul” (along with xīn [心] or “heart”). This is a term that was adopted from Buddhist sources into early Catholic writings and later also by Protestant translators. (Source: Zetzsche 1996, p. 32, see also Clara Ho-yan Chan in this article )
In Chichewa, moyo means both “soul” and “life.” (Source: Mawu a Mulungu mu Chichewa Chalero Back Translation)
Many languages distinguish between inclusive and exclusive first-person plural pronouns (“we”). (Click or tap here to see more details)
The inclusive “we” specifically includes the addressee (“you and I and possibly others”), while the exclusive “we” specifically excludes the addressee (“he/she/they and I, but not you”). This grammatical distinction is called “clusivity.” While Semitic languages such as Hebrew or most Indo-European languages such as Greek or English do not make that distinction, translators of languages with that distinction have to make a choice every time they encounter “we” or a form thereof (in English: “we,” “our,” or “us”).
For this verse, translators typically select the inclusive form (including the writer and the readers of this letter).
Source: Velma Pickett and Florence Cowan in Notes on Translation January 1962, p. 1ff.
Following are a number of back-translations of Hebrews 6:19:
Uma: “That hoping of ours is like a foundation-stone that makes our hearts stay so that our faith does not shake/rock. In the Worship Tent that the prophet Musa built long ago, a cloth middle-wall blocked the way of mankind so they could not enter the More Holy Room. But we, there is nothing that blocks our way to meet-with God.” (Source: Uma Back Translation)
Yakan: “Our (incl.) expectation/hope in God’s promises is figuratively like an anchor that makes us (dual) firm/fixes us to God. It is very certain that God fulfills his promises because Isa has already gone ahead of us (dual) to heaven into the presence of God mediating for us (incl.). Like the Yahudi priests enter the temple (lit. big prayer-house) (and) go into the innermost room that is shielded by thick cloth, like that Isa has entered into the presence of God because now he is high priest forever like the priest Malkisadik of old.” (Source: Yakan Back Translation)
Kankanaey: “This hope of ours, that is what makes-firm/stable our faith, because it is certain to be fulfilled. Because of our hope, it’s as if we have already entered the exact place of God like the entering of the highest priest into the Holiest Room in the Temple which a curtain hid-from-view.” (Source: Kankanaey Back Translation)
Tagbanwa: “This hope/expectation of ours which is firmly-grounded, what it’s like is a firm anchor of our souls/spirits, so that they will not be lost. For there’s no other anchoring-place except in the presence of God, which is like in the Exceedingly Far-from-ordinary Room in the Temple , on the other side of the view-blocking curtain.” (Source: Tagbanwa Back Translation)
Tenango Otomi: “We do not doubt that there will be our part in the good which God will give. Because the one in whom we have confidence and we rest our minds on is Jesus Christ who is in heaven.” (Source: Tenango Otomi Back Translation)
The metaphors of anchor and curtain conflict, because anchor is related to the picture of a ship, while curtain is related to the Temple. Several translations modify at least one of these metaphors in some way. (a) The simplest way of doing this is to take hope rather than anchor as the subject of It is safe (Revised Standard Version, Die Bibel im heutigen Deutsch, Translator’s New Testament). This is possible and makes no difference to the basic meaning, since hope is compared to an anchor. (b) Some English translations weaken the metaphor of the anchor by using related words like “anchoring” (Moffatt) or “anchorage” (Knox). (c) Biblia Dios Habla Hoy expands the translation so as to make the clash of metaphors less abrupt: “This hope keeps our soul firm and secure, as the anchor keeps the boat firm. This anchor which we have is firmly secured behind the curtain of the heavenly temple” (a note is added on “curtain”). (d) In principle it would be possible to replace anchor by a nonfigurative expression, especially in cultures where anchors are not used. Here it may be possible to use a nonfigurative expression such as “that which we hope for makes our lives secure” or “… causes us to live secure.” It would be difficult to replace curtain, since this feature of Jewish worship is mentioned again in 9.3 and 10.20, and refers back to Leviticus 16.2-3, 12, 15.
Of these possibilities, (a) is often the best in translation, though it may not follow the grammatical structure of the original text. Grammatically, the anchor must be an image of hope, but the author is already thinking of Jesus (verse 20) as the substance or object of this hope, and this may be made explicit if it makes the translation clearer.
We have this hope must be restructured in some languages as “This is what we hope for.” The statement about hope may then be combined with anchor as “This that we hope for is like an anchor for us.”
On our lives (Revised Standard Version “the soul”), see comments on “soul” in 4.12. Good News Translation generally avoids “soul,” since this word is little used outside religious language.
There is no noticeable difference in meaning between safe and sure. They are used together for emphasis, but may be combined (“absolutely secure”) if this is more natural in the receptor language. Since safe and sure refers to hope, it is possible to translate It is safe and sure as “What we hope for makes us safe and sure” or “… causes us to be secure and certain.”
Some translations (Moffatt, Jerusalem Bible) mark “enters into the inner shrine behind the curtain” (Revised Standard Version) as a quotation (Lev 16.2). “Shrine” or sanctuary is understood. To mark the phrase as a quotation does not seem necessary for such a short phrase, but a cross reference may be useful. Indeed, the curtain here is an example of extended meaning rather than a metaphor in the strict sense.
The equivalent for curtain is in many languages an expression meaning a “hanging.” “Curtain” might be used only of something which is drawn across a window, while a “drape” or “hanging” may be employed across an entrance way, as in Hebrews. See also the comment on 9.3.
The heavenly temple may be rendered as “the temple in heaven,” and the inner sanctuary may be expressed as “the holy room on the inside,” “the most holy room on the inside of the temple,” or “the most holy room in the temple.”
It may be meaningless in some languages to speak of “hope going through the curtain of the heavenly temple.” This would make no sense, but since the object of the hope is Jesus, one may be justified in making this identification explicit. And goes through the curtain of the heavenly temple into the inner sanctuary may be rendered as “and the one in whom we place our hope is Jesus, who goes through the curtain of the heavenly temple into the inner sanctuary.”
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 .
Some versions begin a new paragraph here. In 6:18 the author said that we can be absolutely certain or sure of the things we hope for. In 6:19–20 he used three different figures of speech to describe what this hope is like, and what its results are. The three figures are an anchor, the curtain covering the inner part of the temple, and a forerunner. These figures of speech follow immediately one after the other.
6:19a
We have this hope as an anchor for the soul, firm and secure: Here the author compared our hope to an anchor. Literally, an anchor is a heavy object to which a boat is tied, so that it will not move. As a metaphor, it indicates that our souls are secure. We are supported by our confidence that Jesus has become the source of eternal salvation for us (5:9).
In many cultures anchors are unknown. Some other ways to translate the metaphor are:
• Translate anchor as a simile. For example:
This hope is like a firm and steady anchor for our souls. (Contemporary English Version) -or-
The way we hope in God is like the heavy weight that keeps a boat from drifting away.
• Use a similar figure of speech or one that is more general. For example:
That hoping of ours is like a foundation stone that makes our hearts stay so that our faith does not shake/rock.
• Translate the meaning without the figure of speech. For example:
This hope of ours, that is what makes firm/stable our faith, because it is certain to be fulfilled.
We: The pronoun We is inclusive and refers to both the author and the readers.
this hope: The hope refers to looking forward to something and expecting it with confidence. It does not imply that a person is not sure that he will receive it, as the English word sometimes does. Some other ways to translate it are:
The phrase this hope refers specifically to expecting that we will receive “the promise” that the author mentioned in 6:17. Receiving what God promised is the hope that the author referred to in 6:18d.
anchor for the soul: The phrase anchor for the soul implies here that our confidence in God makes us firm and steadfast in trusting him. Some other ways to translate this meaning are:
our hope helps us trust ⌊God⌋ steadily -or-
it is like a firm foundation that keeps us from moving away ⌊from God⌋
soul: The word soul refers to the inner part of a person which thinks and feels and makes decisions. It was also used in 4:12c–d.
For more information, see soul, sense A_1c, in Key Biblical Terms.
firm and secure: Here the author used two similar words to emphasize his meaning (as he often does in Hebrews). The word firm means “stable, steadfast, and strong.” The word secure means “safe,” or “reliable.” Some other ways to translate this emphasis are:
strongly/completely trust
6:19b
It enters the inner sanctuary behind the curtain: This statement is a figure of speech. The pronoun It refers here to confidence in God’s promise and oath. It indicates that because of this confidence, we can approach God himself.
In many languages it is not natural to speak of It as entering a place. If that is true in your language, you may need to make the meaning more explicit. For example:
Because of our hope, it is as if we have already entered the exact place of God like the entering of the highest priest into the Holiest Room in the Temple which a curtain hid from view.
enters the inner sanctuary behind the curtain: The phrase enters the inner sanctuary means “goes inside the most holy place behind the curtain ⌊where God is⌋.” In the OT, the inner sanctuary behind the curtain was the holiest part of the tabernacle. It was the place where God met with the high priest. The high priest represented the people of Israel there. This shrine was separated from the rest of the tabernacle by a curtain. The shrine was such a holy place that only the high priest could enter it, and he entered it only once a year. In 9:1–7 the author describes this place again.
The inner sanctuary was a place, not an altar. It was the most holy place of all in both the tabernacle and the temple, and was the place where God himself dwells. The phrase behind the curtain implies “into the presence of God.”
the curtain: In the Gospels, the word curtain always refers to the curtain that divided the most holy place in the temple from the other parts of the temple. This curtain was torn apart when Jesus died, as a sign that the way into God’s presence was now open (Matthew 27:51; Mark 15:38 and Luke 23:45). The author will refer to this curtain again later in 9:3 and 10:20.
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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