sin

The Hebrew and Greek that is typically translated as “sin” in English has a wide variety of translations.

The Greek ἁμαρτάνω (hamartanō) carries the original verbatim meaning of “miss the mark” and likewise, many translations contain the “connotation of moral responsibility.”

  • Loma: “leaving the road” (which “implies a definite standard, the transgression of which is sin”)
  • Navajo (Dinė): “that which is off to the side” (source for this and above: Bratcher / Nida)
  • Toraja-Sa’dan: kasalan, originally meaning “transgression of a religious or moral rule” and in the context of the Bible “transgression of God’s commandments” (source: H. van der Veen in The Bible Translator 1950, p. 21ff. )
  • Kaingang: “break God’s word”
  • Bariai: “bad behavior” (source: Bariai Back Translation)
  • Sandawe: “miss the mark” (like the original meaning of the Greek term) (source for this and above: Ursula Wiesemann in Holzhausen / Riderer 2010, p. 36ff., 43)

In Shipibo-Conibo the term is hocha. Nida (1952, p. 149) tells the story of its choosing: “In some instances a native expression for sin includes many connotations, and its full meaning must be completely understood before one ever attempts to use it. This was true, for example, of the term hocha first proposed by Shipibo-Conibo natives as an equivalent for ‘sin.’ The term seemed quite all right until one day the translator heard a girl say after having broken a little pottery jar that she was guilty of ‘hocha.’ Breaking such a little jar scarcely seemed to be sin. However, the Shipibos insisted that hocha was really sin, and they explained more fully the meaning of the word. It could be used of breaking a jar, but only if the jar belonged to someone else. Hocha was nothing more nor less than destroying the possessions of another, but the meaning did not stop with purely material possessions. In their belief God owns the world and all that is in it. Anyone who destroys the work and plan of God is guilty of hocha. Hence the murderer is of all men most guilty of hocha, for he has destroyed God’s most important possession in the world, namely, man. Any destructive and malevolent spirit is hocha, for it is antagonistic and harmful to God’s creation. Rather than being a feeble word for some accidental event, this word for sin turned out to be exceedingly rich in meaning and laid a foundation for the full presentation of the redemptive act of God.”

In Warao it is translated as “bad obojona.” Obojona is a term that “includes the concepts of consciousness, will, attitude, attention and a few other miscellaneous notions.” (Source: Henry Osborn in The Bible Translator 1969, p. 74ff. ). See other occurrences of Obojona in the Warao New Testament.

Martin Ehrensvärd, one of the translators for the Danish Bibelen 2020, comments on the translation of this term: “We would explain terms, such that e.g. sin often became ‘doing what God does not want’ or ‘breaking God’s law’, ‘letting God down’, ‘disrespecting God’, ‘doing evil’, ‘acting stupidly’, ‘becoming guilty’. Now why couldn’t we just use the word sin? Well, sin in contemporary Danish, outside of the church, is mostly used about things such as delicious but unhealthy foods. Exquisite cakes and chocolates are what a sin is today.” (Source: Ehrensvärd in HIPHIL Novum 8/2023, p. 81ff. )

See also sinner.

complete verse (Judges 20:16)

Following are a number of back-translations as well as a sample translation for translators of Judges 20:16:

  • Kupsabiny: “The soldiers who used their left hand reached seven hundred. Each one of those soldiers could throw a stone with a sling to hit what they were aiming at without missing.” (Source: Kupsabiny Back Translation)
  • Newari: “Seven hundred of the ones chosen were left-handed soldiers. When shooting with a sling shot, they were able to hit the place exactly.” (Source: Newari Back Translation)
  • Hiligaynon: “These 700 who-were chosen are all left-handed and each one of them was expert (in)- slinging/casting-far a stone.” (Source: Hiligaynon Back Translation)
  • English: “From all those soldiers there were 700 men who were left-handed, and each of them could sling a stone at a target that was very small and as narrow as a hair, and the stone always hit the target!” (Source: Translation for Translators)

large numbers in Angguruk Yali

Many languages use a “body part tally system” where body parts function as numerals (see body part tally systems with a description). One such language is Angguruk Yali which uses a system that ends at the number 27. To circumvent this limitation, the Angguruk Yali translators adopted a strategy where a large number is first indicated with an approximation via the traditional system, followed by the exact number according to Arabic numerals. For example, where in 2 Samuel 6:1 it says “thirty thousand” in the English translation, the Angguruk Yali says teng-teng angge 30.000 or “so many rounds [following the body part tally system] 30,000,” likewise, in Acts 27:37 where the number “two hundred seventy-six” is used, the Angguruk Yali translation says teng-teng angge 276 or “so many rounds 276,” or in John 6:10 teng-teng angge 5.000 for “five thousand.”

This strategy is used in all the verses referenced here.

Source: Lourens de Vries in The Bible Translator 1998, p. 409ff.

See also numbers in Ngalum and numbers in Kombai.

Translation commentary on Judges 20:16

Among all these were seven hundred picked men is literally “From all this people seven hundred picked man.” This clause is problematic since it seems to repeat what has just been said. Good News Translation and Revised English Bible omit these words, while other versions, such as Revised Standard Version, maintain them, implying there might be yet another group of 700 elite soldiers. But this repetition is meant to emphasize that each one of the soldiers from Gibeah was especially skilled. Hebrew Old Testament Text Project recommends keeping this clause with a {B} rating. Translators will have to choose to keep it or not, but this repetitive style serves a purpose here, as the narrator mocks people who choose to go to war to defend men who committed an obviously horrific crime. If these words are omitted, translators might indicate this in a footnote.

As noted above, all these is literally “all this people.” These words are highly significant, since the Hebrew word for “people” (ʿam) is the one used repeatedly throughout the Old Testament to refer to the Israelite people as a whole (see verse 2.4). Here all these refers to the Benjaminite soldiers. For seven hundred picked men, see verse 20.15.

Who were left-handed: This clause describes what distinguishes these men from all the other Benjaminite soldiers going to war. It is a very important detail in this book and in this particular episode. First, it constitutes an important play on words, since the name “Benjamin” means “son of the right [hand].” Thus these “sons of the right [hand]” were all left-handed. However, the play on words goes further because the Hebrew expression for left-handed is literally “bound/restricted in his right hand” (see verse 3.15). In some cultures even today, left-handed people are known for being particularly skilled. They are often forced to use their right hand, so they end up being ambidextrous, that is, able to use both hands. Since these 700 Benjaminites were left-handed, they were very effective warriors, which the next sentence makes clear. However, being left-handed is also associated with impurity, so there may be many connotations present here. Left-handed is part of an important inclusio in this book, since the expression occurs once at the beginning (verse 3.15) and once here at the end. Irony is strong here. In verse 3.12-30 Ehud, a courageous left-handed warrior, singlehandedly wins the victory over Israel’s powerful enemies. Here skilled left-handed soldiers fight against and kill thousands of their own brothers.

In some languages the wordplays occurring in verse 20.15-16 might be explained in a footnote, or even included in a discussion of special features of this book in introductory remarks (especially if the translation is intended for a study Bible).

Every one could sling a stone at a hair, and not miss is literally “all these [were] a slinger with the stone at the single hair, and he did not miss.” This sentence, almost certainly hyperbole or exaggeration, means these left-handed soldiers were extremely accurate when using the slingshot. The sling or slingshot is a simple weapon known in many cultures. In Israel at that time it was made up of leather ties, with a small piece of leather in the middle to hold a stone. The sling was twirled around the head and one of the ties was then released to allow the stone to sail toward its target. If slings do not exist in the target culture, we might say “Each one could throw a stone….” The stone was a small rock that fit in the slingshot. The size of the stone did not affect the effectiveness of the throw. Rather, it was the speed and accuracy of the shot that determined its effectiveness. A hair refers to a single strand of hair, something so small that it is extremely difficult, if not impossible, to hit. And not miss means that every time they aimed at a target, even one as small and fine as a human hair, they would never miss. Even if this is not an idiomatic expression in the receptor language, it can probably be understood and even evoke the humor intended here. We might say “Every one of them was so skilled with the slingshot that they could aim at a single strand of hair and hit it every time.”

Given the repetition in verse 20.15-16, translators must ensure that the translation of this verse reads smoothly. Possible models are:

• Among the Benjaminite soldiers, these seven hundred special troops were left-handed.* Every one of them was so skilled with the slingshot that when they aimed at a single strand of hair, they would hit it every time.
* The name “Benjamin” means “son of the right (hand),” so this detail is especially striking.

• Among the soldiers of Benjamin, these seven hundred picked soldiers were left-handed. They could sling a stone at a single hair and never miss.

Quoted with permission from Zogbo, Lynell and Ogden, Graham S. A Handbook on Judges. (UBS Helps for Translators). Miami: UBS, 2019. For this and other handbooks for translators see here .