cast lots

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The Greek and Hebrew that is translated as “casting” or “drawing lots” in English is often translated with a specific idiom, such as “to take out bamboo slips” — 掣 籤 chè qiān (in most Mandarin Chinese Bibles), “each to pick-up which is-written (i.e. small sticks inscribed with characters and used as slots)” (Batak Toba), a term for divination by means of reed stalks (Toraja-Sa’dan).

In some cases a cultural equivalent is not available, or it is felt to be unsuitable in this situation, e.g. in Ekari where “to spin acorns” has the connotation of gambling, one may have to state the fact without mentioning the means, e.g. “it came to him,” (source for this and all above: Reiling / Swellengrebel). In Shipibo-Conibo there was no equivalent for “casting lots” so the translation for Mark 15:24 is descriptive: “they shook little things to decide what each one should take” (source: Nida 1952, p. 47).

Other solutions include:

  • Purari: “throw shells” (source: David Clark)
  • Kwara’ae (in Acts 1:26) “they played something like dice to find out who of the two God chose (God revealed his will that way)” (source: Carl Gross)
  • Navajo (Dinė): “draw straws”
  • Yatzachi Zapotec “raffle”
  • Chol “choose by a game” (source for this and above: M. Larson / B. Moore in Notes on Translation February 1970, p. 1-125)
  • Chichimeca-Jonaz: “threw one or two little hard things that had a sign…to see which person it would be”
  • Kekchí: “try with luck”
  • Lalana Chinantec: “there were little things they played with that made evident who it would be who would be lucky”
  • Chuj: “enter luck upon them”
  • Ayutla Mixtec: “put out luck” (Source for this and five above: Viola Waterhouse in Notes on Translation August 1966, p. 86ff.)
  • Lacandon: “play with small stones in order to see who was going to win” (source: B. Moore / G. Turner in Notes on Translation 1967, p. 1ff.)
  • Matumbi: mpumbe a game of chance, typically done with a stone hidden in one hand while you present two fists to a guesser (source: Pioneer Bible Translators, project-specific notes in Paratext)

In North Alaskan Inupiatun a term for “gambling” is used. The same Inupiatun term is also used in Esther 3:7, “though there winning and losing is not in view, but rather choosing by chance” (source: Robert Bascom)

The stand-alone term that is translated “lots” in English is translated as “two pieces of potsherd” in Highland Totonac. (Source: Ronald D. Olson in Notes on Translation January, 1968, p. 15ff.)

scripture

The Greek that is translated “scripture” or “scriptures” in English is translated as “God’s word which people wrote” in Guerrero Amuzgo (source: M. Larson / B. Moore in Notes on Translation February 1970, p. 1-125) and “paper writings” in Copainalá Zoque (source: B. Moore / G. Turner in Notes on Translation 1967, p. 1ff.).

While the term “Bible,” often used as a synonym, does not appear in the Bible itself, there’s an interesting translation of that word in Dehu. Missionaries had translated “Bible” as “Container of the Word” until they realized that this was also used for “penis sheath.” (Source: Clifford 1992, p. 87)

For other translations of scripture see all scripture is inspired by God and examined the scriptures.

soldier

The Hebrew and Greek that is translated as “soldier” in English didn’t have a direct equivalent in Enlhet so it was translated with “those that bind us” (source: Jacob Loewen in The Bible Translator 1969, p. 24ff. ) and in Noongar it is mammarapa-bakadjiny or “men of fighting” (source: Warda-Kwabba Luke-Ang).

inclusive vs. exclusive pronoun (John 19:24)

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 (the soldiers talking among themselves).

Source: Velma Pickett and Florence Cowan in Notes on Translation January 1962, p. 1ff.

complete verse (John 19:24)

Following are a number of back-translations of John 19:24:

  • Uma: “That is why the soldiers planned, they said: ‘Don’t tear this shirt. It is better that we cast lots, which of us receives it.’ This happened to fulfill what was written long ago in the Holy Book, that said: ‘They took my clothes they divided-up, and my shirt they gambled-over.’ So, what those soldiers did, was exactly like what was written long ago.” (Source: Uma Back Translation)
  • Yakan: “The soldiers said to their companions, ‘We (incl.) will not tear this robe. Instead we (incl.) will just draw lots. Whoever wins he shall have this robe.’ Because of what those soldiers did, the writing in the holy-book came true, it says there, ‘They divided my clothes and they drew lots for my robe.'” (Source: Yakan Back Translation)
  • Western Bukidnon Manobo: “And because of that the soldiers said, ‘Let’s not tear it, rather let’s cast lots for it so we might know which one of us gets it.’ The reason they did this is because the prophecy long ago in the written word of God was being fulfilled. It said: ‘They divided up my clothing, and they cast lots for my garment.’ This is what the soldiers did.” (Source: Western Bukidnon Manobo Back Translation)
  • Kankanaey: “So the soldiers said, ‘Let’s not rip it. It would be better if we drew-for-it to see who wins-the-draw (lit. hits/lands-on-it).’ And that’s what they did. This happened in order to be fulfilled what God caused-to-be-written that says, ‘They tore-into-pieces my clothes and as for the robe, they drew-for it.'” (Source: Kankanaey Back Translation)
  • Tagbanwa: “The soldiers discussed saying, ‘Let’s not tear this one. Let’s draw lots so that we will know who can have this for his own.’ Like that came about so that what is contained in the writing which is the word of God would be fulfilled, which says, ‘They divided up my clothes, and another one of my garments, they cast lots for. Like that truly was done by those soldiers.” (Source: Tagbanwa Back Translation)
  • Tenango Otomi: “The soldiers said to each other, ‘We can’t divide this. It would be better to see who wins it.’ Then it happened as it is written in the Holy Book, ‘They divided my clothing to each one. They gamed to win it.’ This is what the soldiers did.” (Source: Tenango Otomi Back Translation)

For the Old Testament quote, see Psalm 22:18.