Lam 3:58 – TIPs

redeem / redemption

The Greek and Hebrew terms that are translated as “redeem” or “redemption” in most English translations (see more on that below) are translated in Kissi as “buying back.” “Ownership of some object may be forfeited or lost, but the original owner may redeem his possession by buying it back. So God, who made us for Himself, permitted us to accept or reject Him. In order to reconcile rebellious mankind He demonstrated His redemptive love in the death of His Son on our behalf.

“The San Blas Kuna describe redemption in a more spiritual sense. They say that it consists of ‘recapturing the spirit.’ A sinful person is one in rebellion against God, and he must be recaptured by God or he will destroy himself. The need of the spirit is to be captured by God. The tragedy is that too many people find their greatest pleasure in secretly trying to elude God, as though they could find some place in the universe where He could not find them. They regard life as a purely private affair, and they object to the claims of God as presented by the church. They accuse the pastor of interfering with the privacy of their own iniquity. Such souls, if they are to be redeemed, must be ‘recaptured.'” (Source: Nida 1952, p. 138)

Click or tap here for more translations or “redeem” / “redemption”

In Ajië a term is used, nawi, that refers to the “custom of planting a small tree on land cursed either by the blood of battle or some calamity.” Clifford (1992, p. 83ff.) retells the story: “Maurice Leenhardt tells how he finally arrived at a term that would express ‘redemption.’ Previous missionaries had interpreted it as an exchange — an exchange of life, that of Jesus for ours. But in Melanesian thinking more strict equivalents were demanded in the exchanges structuring social life. It remained unclear to them how Jesus’ sacrifice could possibly redeem mankind. So unclear was it that even the natas [Melanesians pastors] gave up trying to explain a concept they did not understand very well themselves and simply employed the term “release.” So the matter stood, with the missionary driven to the use of cumbersome circumlocutions, until one day during a conversation on 1 Corinthians 1:30, [Melanesian pastor and Leenhardt’s co-worker] Boesoou Erijisi used a surprising expression: nawi. The term referred to the custom of planting a small tree on land cursed either by the blood of battle or some calamity. ‘Jesus was thus the one who has accomplished the sacrifice and has planted himself like a tree, as though to absorb all the misfortunes of men and to free the world from its taboos.’ Here at last was a concept that seemed to render the principle of ‘redemption’ and could reach deeply enough into living modes of thought. ‘The idea was a rich one, but how could I be sure I understood it right?’ The key test was in the reaction of students and natas to his provisional version. They were, he reports, overjoyed with the ‘deep’ translation.”

In Folopa, the translation team also found a deeply indigenous term. Neil Anderson (in Holzhausen 1991, p. 51) explains: “While I was explaining the meaning of the [concept] to the Folopa men, I could see their faces brighten. They said that this was a common thing among them: ‘If someone falls a tree and it tips to the wrong side, killing someone, the relatives of the injured party claim the life of the guilty party. But in order to save his life, his relatives make amends. Pigs, shells (which are still used as currency here) and other valuables are given to the relatives of the deceased as payment for the life of the guilty party. In this way he can live because others stand up for him.’ Full of joy, I began to utilize this thought to the difficult translation of the word ‘redemption.’ Mark 10:45 reads now, translated back from the Folopa: ‘Jesus came to make an atonement, by which he takes upon himself the punishment for the evil deeds of many. He came so that through his death many might be liberated.’ After working on this verse for half an hour, I read it to my friends. They became silent and moved their slightly bowed heads thoughtfully back and forth. Finally, one of them took the floor, ‘We give a lot to right a wrong. But we have never given a human being as a price of atonement. Jesus did a great work for us when he made restitution. Because he died, all of us now don’t have to bear the punishment we deserve. We are liberated.'”

In Samoan the translation is togiola which originally refers to a fine mat. John Bradshaw (in The Bible Translator 1967, p. 75ff. ) explains: “The rite of submission applies in cases of grave sin which demands an extreme punishment: offenses such as murder, adultery or disrespectful behavior towards a chief. Submission is made in expectation of forgiveness. The rite is normally enacted at dawn. The prisoner and his family, or even his whole village bow down in silence before the house of the chief or other offended party. The prisoner heads the group and is covered with a fine mat, offered as his ransom. In other words, he submits himself completely to the authority of those whom he has offended. Many such submissions have been successfully offered and received. Those inside the house will come out, and bring into it those offering submission. The priestly orators speak sweetly and all join in a meal. The fine mat is accepted, while the prisoner is set free and forgiven. He no longer goes in fear of retribution for his sin. (…) If now we turn to the relation between the believer and the Redeemer, we notice at once that the word togiola, literally the price of one’s life, was the word used to denote the fine mat with which the sinner covered himself in the rite of Submission. The acceptance of the togiola set free the prisoner. It was inevitable that togiola should render lutron, ransom, as in Matthew 20:28.”

Other translations include:

Manya: “buy” (source: Don Slager)
Uma: “freed (from suffering)” (source: Uma Back Translation)
Western Bukidnon Manobo: “set free” (source: Western Bukidnon Manobo Back Translation)

Bariai: “unbind” (source: Bariai Back Translation)

The translation into English also is noteworthy:

“In Hebrew there are two terms, ga’al and padah, usually rendered ‘to redeem,’ which have likewise undergone significant changes in meaning with resulting obscurity and misunderstanding. Both terms are used in the Old Testament for a person being redeemed from slavery. In the case of padah, the primary emphasis is upon the redemption by means of payment, and in ga’al the redemption of an individual, usually by payment, is made by some relative or an individual of the same clan or society. These two words, however, are used in the Old Testament in circumstances in which there is no payment at all. For example, the redemption of Jews from Egypt is referred to by these two terms, but clearly there was no payment made to the Egyptians or to Pharaoh.

“In the New Testament a related problem occurs, for the words agorázō and exagorazó, meaning literally ‘to buy’ or ‘to buy back’ and ‘to buy out,’ were translated into Latin as redimo and into English normally as ‘redeem.’ The almost exclusive association of Latin redimo with payment became such a focal element of meaning that during the Middle Ages a theory developed that God had to pay the Devil in order to get believers out of hell and into heaven.

“As in the case of the Old Testament, New Testament contexts employing the Greek verb lutroó, literally ‘to redeem’ or ‘to ransom,’ do not refer primarily to payment but focus upon deliverance and being set free. But even today there is such a heavy tradition of the theological concept of payment that any attempt to translate lutroó as ‘to deliver’ or ‘to set free’ is misjudged by some as being heretical.” (Source: Nida 1984, p. 114f.)

acrostic in Lamentations 3

The Hebrew text of Lamentations 1-4 uses acrostics, a literary form in which each verse is started with one of the successive 22 letters of the Hebrew alphabet. According to Brenda Boerger (in Open Theology 2016, p. 179ff. ) there are three different reasons for acrostics in the Hebrew text: “for ease of memorization,” the representation “of the full breadth and depth of a topic, all the way from aleph to taw (tav),” and the perception of “the acrostic form as aesthetically attractive.” (p. 191)

While most translations mention the existence of an acrostic in a note or a comment, few implement it in their translation. One such exception is the Danish Bibelen på Hverdagsdansk (publ. 1985, rev. 2015 et al.).

Click or tap here for Lamentations 3 in Danish

1 Afstraffelsen var hård, hans vrede imod mig stor.
2 „Af sted med dig!” sagde han, og førte mig ind i det dybeste mørke.
3 Angrebene haglede ned over mig, jeg oplevede hans straf dagen lang.
4 Bedøvet ligger jeg med knuste knogler, min hud er flået i laser.
5 Bitterhed og smerte er blevet min lod, han omringede mig og angreb fra alle sider.
6 Bunden er nået, dødens mørke omslutter mig, som om jeg allerede lå i graven.
7 Det føles, som om jeg er låst inde og lagt i lænker, jeg er ude af stand til at slippe fri.
8 Desperat råber jeg om hjælp, men han har besluttet ikke at høre mine bønner.
9 Der er ingen vej ud af mit fængsel, for enhver flugtvej er spærret af forhindringer.
10 En løve lå på lur efter mig, en vild bjørn overfaldt mig.
11 Enden var nær, for han trak af med mig og begyndte at flå mig i småstykker.
12 Eller han var som en bueskytte, der brugte mig som skydeskive.
13 Forfærdet så jeg hans pile komme flyvende og bore sig ind i mit hjerte.
14 Folk lo blot ad mig, de sang spotteviser dagen lang.
15 Frygteligt var det at drikke et bæger så fuldt af sorg og smerte.
16 Gruset fyldte min mund, da han trykkede mig ned i jorden.
17 Glemt er den glæde, jeg havde engang, og fred hører fortiden til.
18 Grænsen for min udholdenhed er nået, jeg har mistet håbet om, at Herren vil redde mig.
19 Hjemløs og ulykkelig ligger jeg her, jeg kan ikke holde ud at tænke på min smerte.
20 Hver gang jeg tænker over det, bliver jeg dybt deprimeret.
21 Håbet er dog ikke helt udslukt, for én ting holder jeg fast ved:
22 Herrens trofasthed er stor, hans barmhjertighed er ikke brugt op.
23 Hans trofasthed er stor, hans nåde er ny hver morgen.
24 „Herren er min Gud,” siger jeg, „derfor vil jeg sætte min lid til ham.”
25 Ingen, der søger Herren, bliver skuffet, han hjælper dem, der håber på hans svar.
26 Imødese hans svar med tålmodighed, for før eller siden vil han gribe ind.
27 I ungdommen må man lære at bære sit åg.
28 Ja, når Herren lægger sit åg på mig, må jeg acceptere det i stilhed.
29 Jeg vil bøje mig for ham i ydmyghed, for der er stadig håb om redning.
30 Jeg vil vende den anden kind til og tage imod alle fjendens fornærmelser.
31 Lidelsen varer ikke ved, for Herren forkaster os ikke for evigt.
32 Leder han os ind i sorg og smerte, viser han os bagefter nåde og barmhjertighed.
33 Lad ingen tro, at han glæder sig over at straffe vores ulydighed.
34 Mon Herren ikke ser, når et land mishandler sine fanger?
35 Mon Herren ikke ser, når nogen dømmes uretfærdigt?
36 Mon Herren ikke ser, når et menneske fratages sine rettigheder?
37 Nogle tror, at de handler i egen kraft, men Herren står bag det.
38 Når vi oplever velsignelse eller bliver straffet, kommer begge dele fra Herren.
39 Nu kan vi lige så godt se i øjnene, at vi straffes for vore egne synder.
40 Oprigtig selverkendelse er nødvendig, lad os erkende vores synd og bede om nåde.
41 Og lad os så løfte vore hjerter og hænder og råbe til Gud i Himlen.
42 Oprørskhed førte os ud i store synder, som Herren var nødt til at straffe.
43 På grund af vore synder blev du vred på os, du ramte os hårdt uden skånsel.
44 Påkaldte vi dig i vore bønner, var det, som om du gemte dig bag en sky.
45 Provokationen fra folkeslagene var ikke til at bære, de så på os som det værste skidt.
46 Ringeagt og trusler var alt, hvad vi mødte fra alle vore fjender omkring os.
47 Rædsel og angst fyldte vore hjerter, for hele vores verden blev lagt i ruiner.
48 Reaktionen på mit folks ødelæggelse kunne ikke blive andet end en strøm af tårer.
49 Strømmen af tårer, der flyder fra mine øjne, er ikke til at standse.
50 Se i nåde til os, Herre, for kun du kan redde os.
51 Synet af Jerusalems befolkning er en stadig smerte i min sjæl.
52 Tænk på, hvordan fjenderne overfaldt mig, selv om jeg ikke havde gjort dem noget.
53 Triumferende smed de mig i et dybt hul og overdængede mig med sten.
54 Til sidst troede jeg, at alt var forbi, og jeg sagde: „Det er ude med mig!”
55 Uden noget af mit eget tilbage råbte jeg til dig, Herre.
56 Udmattet og ussel skreg jeg om hjælp, og du hørte mine tryglende bønner.
57 Uden at tøve kom du mig til hjælp og trøstede mig med et: „Vær ikke bange!”
58 Ved at høre min bøn, Herre, har du reddet mit liv.
59 Vær min dommer, Herre, og døm mine fjender for deres ondskab imod mig.
60 Vend dig mod mine fjender, alle dem, der vendte sig mod mig.
61 Øgenavne brugte de imod mig, Herre, du kender deres ondskabsfulde tanker.
62 De håner mig dagen lang og lægger hele tiden nye planer imod mig.
63 Hør, hvor de håner mig. Fra morgen til aften er jeg skydeskive for deres spot.
64 Åh, Herre, de fortjener, at du straffer dem for alt det onde, de har gjort.
65 Gør dem ude af sig selv af rædsel, udøs din forbandelse over dem.
66 Forfølg dem i din vrede og udslet dem. Udryd dem fra jordens overflade.

The English Bible translation by Ronald Knox (publ. 1950) maintains most Hebrew acrostics (even though Knox’s translation itself is based on the Latin text of the Vulgate rather than the Hebrew):

1 Ah, what straits have I not known, under the avenging rod!
2 Asked I for light, into deeper shadow the Lord’s guidance led me;
3 Always upon me, none other, falls endlessly the blow.
4 Broken this frame, under the wrinkled skin, the sunk flesh.
5 Bitterness of despair fills my prospect, walled in on every side;
6 Buried in darkness, and, like the dead, interminably.
7 Closely he fences me in, beyond hope of rescue; loads me with fetters.
8 Cry out for mercy as I will, prayer of mine wins no audience;
9 Climb these smooth walls I may not; every way of escape he has undone.
10 Deep ambushed he lies, as lurking bear or lion from the covert;
11 Drawn aside from my path, I fall a lonely prey to his ravening.
12 Dread archer, of me he makes a target for all his arrows;
13 Each shaft of his quiver at my vitals taught to strike home!
14 Evermore for me the taunts of my neighbours, their songs of derision.
15 Entertainment of bitter herbs he gives me, and of wormwood my fill,
16 Files all my teeth with hard gravel-stones, bids me feed on ashes.
17 Far away is my old contentment, happier days forgotten;
18 Farewell, my hopes of long continuance, my patient trust in the Lord!
19 Guilt and suffering, gall and wormwood, keep all this well in memory.
20 God knows it shall be remembered, and with sinking of the heart;
21 Gage there can be none other of remaining confidence.
22 His be the thanks if we are not extinguished; his mercies never weary;
23 Hope comes with each dawn; art thou not faithful, Lord, to thy promise?
24 Heart whispers, The Lord is my portion; I will trust him yet.
25 In him be thy trust, for him thy heart’s longing, gracious thou shalt find him;
26 If deliverance thou wouldst have from the Lord, in silence await it.
27 It is well thou shouldst learn to bear the yoke, now in thy youth,
28 Just burden, in solitude and silence justly borne.
29 Joy may yet be thine, for mouth that kisses the dust,
30 Jeering of the multitude, and cheek buffeted in scorn, bravely endured.
31 Know for certain, the Lord has not finally abandoned thee;
32 Kind welcome the outcast shall have, from one so rich in kindness.
33 Kin of Adam he will not crush or cast away wantonly;
34 Let there be oppression of the poor under duress,
35 Law’s right denied, such as the most High grants to all men,
36 Lying perversion of justice, then he cannot overlook it.
37 Man may foretell; only the Lord brings his word to pass;
38 Mingled good and evil proceed both from the will of the most High;
39 Mortal is none may repine; let each his own sins remember.
40 Narrowly our path scan we, and to the Lord return;
41 Never hand or heart but must point heavenward this day!
42 Nothing but defiant transgression on our part; and shouldst thou relent?
43 Over our heads thy angry vengeance lowered; smiting, thou wouldst not spare.
44 Oh, barrier of cloud, our prayers had no strength to pierce!
45 Offscouring and refuse of mankind thou hast made us,
46 Put to shame by the mocking grimaces of our enemies.
47 Prophets we had, but their word was peril and pitfall, and ruin at the last.
48 Poor Sion, for thy calamity these cheeks are furrowed with tears;
49 Quell if thou wouldst the restless fever of my weeping,
50 Quickly, Lord, look down from heaven and pay heed to us,
51 Quite forspent, eye and soul, with grief Jerusalem’s daughters bear.
52 Relentless as hawk in air they pursued me, enemies unprovoked,
53 Reft me of life itself, sealed with a stone my prison door.
54 Round my head the waters closed, and I had given myself up for lost,
55 Save for one hope; to thee, Lord, I cried from the pit’s depth,
56 Sure of thy audience; wouldst thou turn a deaf ear to sighs of complaint?
57 Summoned, thou didst come to my side, whispering, Do not be afraid.
58 Thine, Lord, to take my part; thine to rescue me from death;
59 The malice of my enemies to discover, my wrongs to redress.
60 Thrust away from thy sight, the grudge they bear me, the ill they purpose,
61 Unheard by thee their taunts, their whispered plottings?
62 Uttered aloud or in secret, their malice assails me from morn till night;
63 Up in arms, or met in secret conclave, ever against me they raise the battle-song.
64 Visit them with the punishment their ill deeds have earned;
65 Veiled be those blind hearts with fresh blindness of thy own making;
66 Vanish from the earth their whole brood, ere thy vengeance leaves off pursuing them! (Source )

Spanish has a different tradition of acrostics. It uses non-alphabetic acrostics where the first letters of each line (or verse) together form a word or phrase. In the Traducción en lenguaje actual (publ. 2002, 2004), the translators used the first letters of this chapter of Lamentation to spell out “YO SOY EL SIERVO SUFRIENTE” (“I am the Suffering Servant”) as a reference to the “Suffering Servant” passage in Isaiah 53 (for more on the translation process of this, see Alfredo Tepox in The Bible Translator 2004, p. 233ff. ).

Click or tap here for Lamentations 3 in the Traducción en lenguaje actual

1 Yo soy el que ha sufrido
el duro castigo de Dios.
2 Él me forzó a caminar
por los caminos más oscuros;
3 no hay un solo momento
en que no me castigue.

4-6 Oscura tumba es mi vida;
¡es como si ya estuviera muerto!
Dios me rodeó por completo
de la miseria más terrible.
Me dejó sin fuerzas;
¡no tengo un solo hueso sano!

7-9 Se niega Dios a escucharme,
aunque siempre le pido ayuda.
A cada paso me pone tropiezos
y me hace perder el camino.
Me tiene preso y encadenado.
¡No puedo escaparme de él!

10-12 Objeto soy de sus ataques;
¡soy el blanco de sus flechas!
Como animal feroz me vigila,
esperando el momento de atacarme.
¡Me obliga a apartarme del camino
para que no pueda defenderme!

13-15 Ya me partió el corazón
con sus terribles flechas.
Dios ha llenado mi vida
de tristeza y amargura.
Todo el día y a todas horas,
la gente se burla de mí.

16 Estoy completamente derrotado,
porque Dios me hizo caer.
17 Ya no tengo tranquilidad;
la felicidad es solo un recuerdo.
18 Me parece que de Dios
ya no puedo esperar nada.

19 Los más tristes recuerdos
me llenan de amargura.
20 Siempre los tengo presentes,
y eso me quita el ánimo.
21 Pero también me acuerdo
de algo que me da esperanza:

22 Sé que no hemos sido destruidos
porque Dios nos tiene compasión.
23 Sé que cada mañana se renuevan
su gran amor y su fidelidad.
24 Por eso digo que en él confío;
¡Dios es todo para mí!

25 Invito a todos a confiar en Dios
porque él es bondadoso.
26 Es bueno esperar con paciencia
que Dios venga a salvarnos,
27 y aprender desde nuestra juventud
que debemos soportar el sufrimiento.

28 Es conveniente callar
cuando Dios así lo ordena.
29-30 Y olvidar la venganza
cuando alguien nos golpea.
Debemos esperar con paciencia
que Dios venga a ayudarnos.

31 Realmente Dios nos ha rechazado,
pero no lo hará para siempre.
32-33 Nos hace sufrir y nos aflige,
pero no porque le guste hacerlo.
Nos hiere, pero nos tiene compasión,
porque su amor es muy grande.

34-36 Violar los derechos humanos
es algo que Dios no soporta.
Maltratar a los prisioneros
o no darles un juicio justo,
es algo que Dios no aprueba.

37 ¡Oye bien esto: Nada puedes hacer
sin que Dios te lo ordene!
38 ¡Todo lo bueno y lo malo
pasa porque él así lo ordena!
39 ¡No tenemos razón para quejarnos
si nos castiga por nuestros pecados!

40-42 Si pecamos contra Dios,
y él no quiere perdonarnos,
pensemos en qué lo hemos ofendido.
Dirijamos al Dios del cielo
nuestras oraciones más sinceras,
y corrijamos nuestra conducta.

43-44 Una nube envuelve a Dios;
no le deja escuchar nuestra oración.
Lleno de enojo, Dios nos persigue;
nos destruye sin ninguna compasión.
45 Nos ha expuesto ante las naciones
como si fuéramos lo peor.

46 Fuimos la burla del enemigo.
47 Sufrimos en carne propia
los horrores de la destrucción.
48 Cuando vi destruida mi ciudad
no pude contener las lágrimas.

49-51 Realmente me duele ver sufrir
a las mujeres de Jerusalén.
Se me llenan de lágrimas los ojos,
pero no hay quien me consuele.
¡Espero que desde el cielo
Dios nos mire y nos tenga compasión!

52-53 ¡Intentaron matarme,
y no sé por qué razón!
Mis enemigos me atraparon,
me encerraron en un pozo.
54 Estuve a punto de ahogarme;
¡creí que había llegado mi fin!

55 En la profundidad de ese pozo
te pedí ayuda, Dios mío,
56 y tú atendiste mis ruegos;
¡escuchaste mi oración!
57 Te llamé, y viniste a mí;
me dijiste que no tuviera miedo.

58 No me negaste tu ayuda,
sino que me salvaste la vida.
59 Dios mío, ¡ayúdame!
Mira el mal que me causaron,
60 mira el mal que piensan hacerme,
¡quieren vengarse de mí!

61 Tú sabes cómo me ofenden;
tú sabes que me hacen daño.
62 Tú bien sabes que mis enemigos
siempre hacen planes contra mí.
63 ¡Míralos! No importa lo que hagan,
siempre están burlándose de mí.

64-66 ¡Espero que los castigues
con toda tu furia!
¡Bórralos de este mundo!
Mi Dios, ¡dales su merecido
por todo lo que han hecho!
¡Maldícelos y hazlos sufrir!

Traducción en lenguaje actual ® © Sociedades Bíblicas Unidas, 2002, 2004.

complete verse (Lamentations 3:58)

Following are a number of back-translations as well as a sample translation for translators of Lamentations 3:58:

Kupsabiny: “You came to my rescue, oh God,
and you saved my life.” (Source: Kupsabiny Back Translation)
Newari: “O Lord, having fought on my behalf
you redeem me.” (Source: Newari Back Translation)
Hiligaynon: “Lord, you (sing.) have-helped me with my case and have-saved my life.” (Source: Hiligaynon Back Translation)
English: “Yahweh, you defended me;
you did not allow me to die.” (Source: Translation for Translators)

Lord

Click here to view graphically

The Hebrew adonai in the Old Testament typically refers to God. The shorter adon (and in two cases in the book of Daniel the Aramaic mare [מָרֵא]) is also used to refer to God but more often for concepts like “master,” “owner,” etc. In English Bible translations all of those are translated with “Lord” if they refer to God.

In English Old Testament translations, as in Old Testament translations in many other languages, the use of Lord (or an equivalent term in other languages) is not to be confused with Lord (or the equivalent term with a different typographical display for other languages). While the former translates adonai, adon and mare, the latter is a translation for the tetragrammaton (YHWH) or the Name of God. See tetragrammaton (YHWH) and the article by Andy Warren-Rothlin in Noss / Houser, p. 618ff. for more information.

In the New Testament, the Greek term kurios has at least four different kinds of use:

referring to “God,” especially in Old Testament quotations,
meaning “master” or “owner,” especially in parables, etc.,
as a form of address (see for instance John 4:11: “Sir, you have no bucket”),
or, most often, referring to Jesus

In the first and fourth case, it is also translated as “Lord” in English.

Most languages naturally don’t have one word that covers all these meanings. According to Bratcher / Nida, “the alternatives are usually (1) a term which is an honorific title of respect for a high-ranking person and (2) a word meaning ‘boss’, ‘master’, or ‘chief.’ (…) and on the whole it has generally seemed better to employ a word of the second category, in order to emphasize the immediate personal relationship, and then by context to build into the word the prestigeful character, since its very association with Jesus Christ will tend to accomplish this purpose.”

When looking at the following list of back-translations of the terms that translators in the different languages have used for both kurios and adonai to refer to God and Jesus respectively, it might be helpful for English readers to recall the etymology of the English “Lord.” While this term might have gained an exalted meaning in the understanding of many, it actually comes from hlaford or “loaf-ward,” referring to the lord of the castle who was the keeper of the bread (source: Rosin 1956, p. 121).

Click or tap here to see the rest of this insight

Following are some of the solutions that don’t rely on a different typographical display (see above):

Navajo (Dinė): “the one who has charge”
Mossi: “the one who has the head” (the leader)
Uduk: “chief”
Guerrero Amuzgo: “the one who commands”
Kpelle: “person-owner” (a term which may be applied to a chief)
Central Pame: “the one who owns us” (or “commands us”)
Piro: “the big one” (used commonly of one in authority)
San Blas Kuna: “the great one over all” (source for this and above: Bratcher / Nida)
Guhu-Samane: Soopara (“our Supervisor”) (source: Ellis Deibler in Notes on Translation July, 1967, p. 5ff.)
Balinese: “Venerated-one” (source: Reiling / Swellengrebel)
Yanesha’: “the one who carries us” (source: Nida 1952, p. 159)
Northern Emberá: Dadjirã Boro (“our Head”)
Rarotongan: Atu (“master or owner of a property”)
Gilbertese: Uea (“a person of high status invested with authority to rule the people”)
Rotuman: Gagaja (“village chief”)
Samoan: Ali’i (“an important word in the native culture, it derives from the Samoan understanding of lordship based on the local traditions”)
Tahitian: Fatu (“owner,” “master”)
Tuvalu: Te Aliki (“chief”)
Fijian: Liuliu (“leader”) (source for this and six above: Joseph Hong in The Bible Translator 1994, p. 329ff. )
Bacama: Həmə miye: “owner of people” (source: David Frank in this blog post )
Hopi: “Controller” (source: Walls 2000, p. 139)
Iyansi: Mwol. Mwol is traditionally used for the “chief of a group of communities and villages” with legal, temporal, and spiritual authority (versus the “mfum [the term used in other Bantu languages] which is used for the chief of one community of people in one village”). Mwol is also used for twins who are “treated as special children, highly honored, and taken care of like kings and queens.” (Source: Kividi Kikama in Greed / Kruger, p. 396ff.)
Ghomala’: Cyəpɔ (“he who is above everyone,” consisting of the verb cyə — to surpass or go beyond — and pɔ — referring to people. No human can claim this attribute, no matter what his or her social status or prestige.” (Source: Michel Kenmogne in Theologizing in Context: An Example from the Study of a Ghomala’ Christian Hymn )
Binumarien: Karaambaia: “fight-leader” (Source: Oates 1995, p. 255)
Warlpiri: Warlaljamarri (owner or possessor of something — for more information tap or click here)

We have come to rely on another term which emphasizes God’s essential nature as YHWH, namely jukurrarnu (see tetragrammaton (YHWH)). This word is built on the same root jukurr– as is jukurrpa, ‘dreaming.’ Its basic meaning is ‘timelessness’ and it is used to describe physical features of the land which are viewed as always being there. Some speakers view jukurrarnu in terms of ‘history.’ In all Genesis references to YHWH we have used Kaatu Jukurrarnu. In all Mark passages where kurios refers to God and not specifically to Christ we have also used Kaatu Jukurrarnu.

New Testament references to Christ as kurios are handled differently. At one stage we experimented with the term Watirirririrri which refers to a ceremonial boss of highest rank who has the authority to instigate ceremonies. While adequately conveying the sense of Christ’s authority, there remained potential negative connotations relating to Warlpiri ceremonial life of which we might be unaware.

Here it is that the Holy Spirit led us to make a chance discovery. Transcribing the personal testimony of the local Warlpiri pastor, I noticed that he described how ‘my Warlaljamarri called and embraced me (to the faith)’. Warlaljamarri is based on the root warlalja which means variously ‘family, possessions, belongingness’. A warlaljamarri is the ‘owner’ or ‘possessor’ of something. While previously being aware of the ‘ownership’ aspect of warlaljamarri, this was the first time I had heard it applied spontaneously and naturally in a fashion which did justice to the entire concept of ‘Lordship’. Thus references to Christ as kurios are now being handled by Warlaljamarri.” (Source: Stephen Swartz, The Bible Translator 1985, p. 415ff. )
Mairasi: Onggoao Nem (“Throated One” — “Leader,” “Elder”) or Enggavot Nan (“Above-One”) (source: Enggavoter 2004)
Obolo: Okaan̄-ene (“Owner of person(s)”) (source: Enene Enene)
Angami Naga: Niepu (“master,” “owner”)
Lotha Naga: Opvui (“owner of house / field / cattle”) — since both “Lord” and YHWH are translated as Opvui there is an understanding that “Opvui Jesus is the same as the Opvui of the Old Testament”
Ao Naga: Kibuba (“human master,” “teacher,” “owner of property,” etc.) (source for this and two above: Nitoy Achumi in The Bible Translator 1992 p. 438ff. )
Seediq: Tholang, loan word from Min Nan Chinese (the majority language in Taiwan) thâu-lâng (頭儂): “Master” (source: Covell 1998, p. 248)
Thai: p^hra’ p^hu pen cao (พระผู้เป็นเจ้า) (divine person who is lord) or ong(kh) cao nay (องค์เจ้านาย) (<divine classifier>-lord-boss) (source: Stephen Pattemore)
Arabic often uses different terms for adonai or kurios referring to God (al-rabb الرب) and kurios referring to Jesus (al-sayyid الـسـيـد). Al-rabb is also the term traditionally used in Arabic Christian-idiom translations for YHWH, and al-sayyid is an honorary term, similar to English “lord” or “sir” (source: Andy Warren-Rothlin).
Tamil also uses different terms for adonai/kurios when referring to God and kurios when referring to Jesus. The former is Karttar கர்த்தர், a Sanskrit-derived term with the original meaning of “creator,” and the latter in Āṇṭavar ஆண்டவர், a Tamil term originally meaning “govern” or “reign” (source: Natarajan Subramani).
Burunge: Looimoo: “owner who owns everything” (in the Burunge Bible translation, this term is only used as a reference to Jesus and was originally used to refer to the traditional highest deity — source: Michael Endl in Holzhausen / Riderer 2010, p. 48)
Yagaria: Souve, originally “war lord” (source: Renck, p. 94)
Aguacateco: Ajcaw ske’j: “the one to whom we belong and who is above us” (source: Rita Peterson in Holzhausen / Riderer 2010, p. 49)
Konkomba: Tidindaan: “He who is the owner of the land and reigns over the people” (source: Lidorio 2007, p. 66)
Chichewa: Ambuye Ambuye comes from the singular form Mbuye which is used to refer to: (1) someone who is a guardian or protector of someone or group of people — a grandparent who has founded a community or village; (2) someone who is a boss or master over a group of people or servants and has absolute control over them; (3) owner of something, be it a property, animals and people who are bound under his/her rule — for people this was mostly commonly used in the context of slaves and their owner. In short, Mbuye is someone who has some authorities over those who call him/her their “Mbuye.” Now, when the form Ambuye is used it will either be for honorific when used for singular or plural when referring to more than one person. When this term is used in reference to God, it is for respect to God as he is acknowledged as a guardian, protector, and ruler of everything. (Source: Mawu a Mulungu mu Chichewa Chalero Back Translation).
Hdi uses rveri (“lion”) as a title of respect and as such it regularly translates adon in the Old Testament. As an address, it’s most often with a possessive pronoun as in rvera ɗa (“my lion” = “my lord” or “sir”). So, for example, Genesis 15:2 (“O Lord God”) is Rvera ɗa Yawe (“My lion Yahweh”) or Ruth to Boaz in Ruth 2:13: “May I find your grace [lit. good-stomach] my lion.” This ties in nicely with the imagery of the Lord roaring like a lion (Hosea 11:10; Amos 3:8; Joel 3:16). Better still, this makes passages like Revelation 5:5 even richer when we read about rveri ma taba məndəra la Yuda, “the Lion of the tribe of Judah”. In Revelation 19:16, Jesus is rveri ta ghəŋa rveriha “the lion above lions” (“lord of lords”). (Source: Drew Maust)

Law (2013, p. 97) writes about how the Ancient Greek Septuagint‘s translation of the Hebrew adonai was used by the New Testament writers as a bridge between the Old and New Testaments: “Another case is the use of kurios referring to Jesus. For Yahweh (in English Bibles: ‘the Lord‘), the Septuagint uses kurios. Although the term kurios usually has to do with one’s authority over others, when the New Testament authors use this word from the Septuagint to refer to Jesus, they are making an extraordinary claim: Jesus of Nazareth is to be identified with Yahweh.”

addressing God

Translators of different languages have found different ways with what kind of formality God is addressed. The first example is from a language where God is always addressed distinctly formal whereas the second is one where the opposite choice was made.

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Like many languages (but unlike Greek or Hebrew or English), Tuvan uses a formal vs. informal 2nd person pronoun (a familiar vs. a respectful “you”). Unlike other languages that have this feature, however, the translators of the Tuvan Bible have attempted to be very consistent in using the different forms of address in every case a 2nd person pronoun has to be used in the translation of the biblical text.

As Voinov shows in Pronominal Theology in Translating the Gospels (in: The Bible Translator 2002, p. 210ff. ), the choice to use either of the pronouns many times involved theological judgment. While the formal pronoun can signal personal distance or a social/power distance between the speaker and addressee, the informal pronoun can indicate familiarity or social/power equality between speaker and addressee.

In these verses, in which humans address God, the informal, familiar pronoun is used that communicates closeness.

Voinov notes that “in the Tuvan Bible, God is only addressed with the informal pronoun. No exceptions. An interesting thing about this is that I’ve heard new Tuvan believers praying with the formal form to God until they are corrected by other Christians who tell them that God is close to us so we should address him with the informal pronoun. As a result, the informal pronoun is the only one that is used in praying to God among the Tuvan church.”

In Gbaya, “a superior, whether father, uncle, or older brother, mother, aunt, or older sister, president, governor, or chief, is never addressed in the singular unless the speaker intends a deliberate insult. When addressing the superior face to face, the second person plural pronoun ɛ́nɛ́ or ‘you (pl.)’ is used, similar to the French usage of vous.

Accordingly, the translators of the current version of the Gbaya Bible chose to use the plural ɛ́nɛ́ to address God. There are a few exceptions. In Psalms 86:8, 97:9, and 138:1, God is addressed alongside other “gods,” and here the third person pronoun o is used to avoid confusion about who is being addressed. In several New Testament passages (Matthew 21:23, 26:68, 27:40, Mark 11:28, Luke 20:2, 23:37, as well as in Jesus’ interaction with Pilate and Jesus’ interaction with the Samaritan woman at the well) the less courteous form for Jesus is used to indicate ignorance of his position or mocking (source Philip Noss).

In Dutch and Western Frisian translations, however, God is always addressed with the formal pronoun.

Japanese benefactives (aganatte)

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Like a number of other East Asian languages, Japanese uses a complex system of honorifics, i.e. a system where a number of different levels of politeness are expressed in language via words, word forms or grammatical constructs. These can range from addressing someone or referring to someone with contempt (very informal) to expressing the highest level of reference (as used in addressing or referring to God) or any number of levels in-between. One way Japanese shows different degree of politeness is through the choice of a benefactive construction as shown here in the widely-used Japanese Shinkaiyaku (新改訳) Bible of 2017.

Here, aganatte (贖って) or “redeem” is used in combination with kudasaru (くださる), a respectful form of the benefactive kureru (くれる). A benefactive reflects the good will of the giver or the gratitude of a recipient of the favor. To convey this connotation, English translation needs to employ a phrase such as “for me (my sake)” or “for you (your sake).” (Source: S. E. Doi, see also S. E. Doi in Journal of Translation, 18/2022, p. 37ff. )

Translation commentary on Lamentations 3:58

Taken up my cause is literally “the cause (or, case) of my soul.” The legal language in this verse is well represented in translations such as Bible en français courant “Lord, you have pleaded in my favor,” and Traduction œcuménique de la Bible “Lord, you plead my defense in a trial.” In other words, the sufferer thanks the Lord for being his advocate in a legal dispute in which his life was in danger. In some languages it is possible to retain the law-court image suggested in the original. It appears here that the poet is appealing to God to serve as his defense as well as his judge. This is because he is sure he has done no wrong. If legal language is not used to translate this passage, the translator may use more general terms and say, for example, “You have defended me in my fight, Lord,” or as a command, “Defend me in my struggle, Lord.”

Redeemed my life or “saved my life” may sometimes require some modification, since in some languages it is not the life but the person bearing the life that is saved; for example, “you saved me,” “you rescued me,” or idiomatically, “you handed me back my breath.”

Quoted with permission from Reyburn, William D. A Handbook on Lamentations. (UBS Helps for Translators). New York: UBS, 1992. For this and other handbooks for translators see here .

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Verse: Lamentations 3:58