salvation

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The Greek, Latin and Hebrew that is translated with “salvation” (or “deliverance”) in English is translated in the following ways:

  • San Blas Kuna: “receive help for bad deeds” (“this help is not just any kind of help but help for the soul which has sinned)
  • Northwestern Dinka: “help as to his soul” (“or literally, ‘his breath'”) (source for this and the one above: Nida 1952, p. 140)
  • Central Mazahua: “healing the heart” (source: Nida 1952, p. 40)
  • Tzeltal: col: “get loose,” “go free,” “get well” (source: Marianna C. Slocum in The Bible Translator 1958, p. 49f. )
  • Aari: “the day our Savior comes” (in Rom 13:11) (source: Loren Bliese)

in Mairasi its is translated as “life fruit” or “life fruit all mashed out.” Lloyd Peckham explains: “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.” And for “all masked out” he explains: “Bark cloth required pounding. It got longer and wider as it got pounded. Similarly, life gets pounded or mashed to lengthen it into infinity. Tubers also get mashed into the standard way of serving the staple food, like the fufu of Uganda, or like poi of Hawaii. It spreads out into infinity.” (See also eternity / forever)

In Lisu a poetic construct is used for this term. Arrington (2020, p. 58f.) explains: “A four-word couplet uses Lisu poetic forms to bridge the abstract concrete divide, an essential divide to cross if Christian theology is to be understood by those with oral thought patterns. Each couplet uses three concrete nouns or verbs to express an abstract term. An example of this is the word for salvation, a quite abstract term essential to understanding Christian theology. To coin this new word, the missionary translators used a four-word couplet: ℲO., CYU. W: CYU (person … save … person … save). In this particular case, the word for person was not the ordinary word (ʁ) but rather the combination of ℲO., and W: used in oral poetry. The word for ‘save’ also had to be coined; in this case, it was borrowed from Chinese [from jiù / 救]. These aspects of Lisu poetry, originally based on animism, likely would have been lost as Lisu society encountered communism and modernization. Yet they are now codified in the Lisu Bible as well as the hymnbook.”

In the Contemporary Chichewa translation (2002/2016) it is translated with chipulumutso which is used to refer to an act of helping someone who is in problems but cannot help him/herself come out of the problems because of weakness. (Source: Mawu a Mulungu mu Chichewa Chalero Back Translation)

See also save and save (Japanese honorifics) / salvation (of God) (Japanese honorifics).

complete verse (Isaiah 60:18)

Following are a number of back-translations as well as a sample translation for translators of Isaiah 60:18:

  • Kupsabiny: “Rudeness/violence shall never again be seen in your land,
    and destruction and desolation shall end.
    I shall save you as your wall saves you,
    and those who enter your gates shall praise you.” (Source: Kupsabiny Back Translation)
  • Newari: “Never again will you have to hear of violence in your land,
    you will never have to hear [of] devastation and destruction within your boundaries.
    But it will be said that salvation is your wall,
    and it will be said that praise is your main gate.” (Source: Newari Back Translation)
  • Hiligaynon: “No longer will- violence -be-heard in your (sing.) land. No longer will-arrive destruction to you (sing.). Salvation will-surround you (sing.) as-if-like stone-walls, and will-praise me the ones-who-will-enter your (sing.) gates.” (Source: Hiligaynon Back Translation)

Translation commentary on Isaiah 60:18

The theme of reversal continues here: negative things are replaced with those that are positive and good. The first of three no more statements occurs in this verse; the other two will come in verses 19 and 20. They underline the changes that will take place.

Violence shall no more be heard in your land promises that there will be no more strife and violence in Judah (compare 54.14-17). For the Hebrew word rendered Violence, see the comments on 53.9. Here it may point to both internal strife and foreign invasion. Your land refers to Judah. Translations use different ways of trying to match the noun Violence with the verb heard; for example, New Jerusalem Bible renders this line as “Violence will no longer be heard of in your country,” and Bible en français courant is similar with “No one will hear any more talk of violence in your land.” However, these renderings seem to convey a little different meaning than the intended sense. New Jewish Publication Society’s Tanakh is quite inventive with “The cry ‘Violence!’ Shall no more be heard in your land.” This matches another cry in the next line: “Wrack and ruin!” Revised English Bible provides a simpler model with “No longer will the sound of violence be heard in your land” (similarly Good News Translation).

Devastation or destruction within your borders is parallel with the previous line. The verb phrase shall no more be heard is implied here. For the Hebrew words rendered devastation and destruction, see the comments on 59.7, where they are translated “desolation” and “destruction.” There is assonance in the Hebrew of this phrase, which reads shod washeber. Your borders refers to the boundary lines marking the extent of the land occupied by Judah. Good News Translation combines this phrase with your land, saying “your country.”

You shall call your walls Salvation, and your gates Praise: This figurative expression means there will be safety and a spirit of thankfulness within Jerusalem. These two parallel lines contrast with the first two. The sounds of battle will be replaced by security and thanksgiving. The Hebrew verb for call means “to name” in this context. Your walls and your gates represent Jerusalem (see the comments on verses 10-11). The Hebrew word for Salvation refers to God’s “rescue” or “protection” of his people (see the comments on 26.1). Praise is the worship offered to God by his people. Die Bibel im heutigen Deutsch believes it is the “fame” the people receive because of Jerusalem’s gates, but this is unlikely. Like Revised Standard Version, many modern versions keep the figurative language here by using Salvation and Praise as names for Jerusalem’s walls and gates respectively. They capitalize these names and some even place them within quote marks; for example, New Jerusalem Bible renders these two lines as “You will call your walls ‘Salvation’ and your gates ‘Praise,’” and Bible en français courant says “But you will be able to name your walls ‘Salvation,’ and your gates ‘Praise be to God.’” Some commentators go so far as seeing these names as literal names given to the walls and gates of the city, but this is unlikely. Good News Translation has a nonfigurative rendering for the most part, saying “I will protect and defend you like a wall; You will praise me because I have saved you.” Another possible nonfigurative model is “But you will have security within your city and you will praise me.”

For the translation of this verse consider the following examples:

• There will be no more sounds of war throughout your land,
nor will there be sounds of devastation and destruction.
“Salvation” will be the name of your walls,
and “Praise” the name of your gateways.

• There will be no more violence in your land,
no devastation and destruction inside your borders.
Your walls will give you security,
and your gates will give praise [to God].

Quoted with permission from Ogden, Graham S. and Sterk, Jan. A Handbook on Isaiah. (UBS Helps for Translators). New York: UBS, 2011. For this and other handbooks for translators see here .