rabbi

The Hebrew word that is transliterated in Greek and typically in English as “rabbi” is translated in Indonesian and Malay as guru — “teacher” — or bapak guru — “father teacher” in recent translations. (The only exception that is the Alkitab Versi Borneo of 2015 that transliterates as rabi.) (Source: Daud Soesilo in The Bible Translator 1996, p. 335ff. )

See also teacher.

fig tree

The Greek that is translated in English as “fig tree” is translated in Lokạạ with figi, an indigenized transliteration of the English “fig.”

“The Lokạạ translators noted that they could not use the name of their local fig kẹkamati, which is very close to the fig family but only a shrub. This is because of the appearance of the Greek term for fig tree in verses such as John 1:48, where the fig tree is an enjoyable place for sitting in the shade. The Lokạạ translators decided to use an iconic translation of the English “fig”, which they indigenised as figi in Lokạạ. Since the term figi could not easily be connected to the indigenous term kẹkamati, readers would not have difficulty with passages such as John 1:48, in which people sit under the fig tree.” (Source: J.A. Naudé, C.L. Miller Naudé, J.O. Obono in Acta Theologica 43/2, 2023, p. 129ff. )

See also fig, fig tree in leaf and Can a fig tree yield olives or a grapevine figs.

Peter

Following is a Armenian Orthodox icon of Peter (found in the Ghazanchetsots Cathedral in Shusha, Azerbaijan).

Orthodox Icons are not drawings or creations of imagination. They are in fact writings of things not of this world. Icons can represent our Lord Jesus Christ, the Virgin Mary, and the Saints. They can also represent the Holy Trinity, Angels, the Heavenly hosts, and even events. Orthodox icons, unlike Western pictures, change the perspective and form of the image so that it is not naturalistic. This is done so that we can look beyond appearances of the world, and instead look to the spiritual truth of the holy person or event. (Source )

Following is a hand colored stencil print on momigami of Peter by Sadao Watanabe (1970):

Image taken with permission from the SadaoHanga Catalogue where you can find many more images and information about Sadao Watanabe. For other images of Sadao Watanabe art works in TIPs, see here.

In Finnish Sign Language it is translated with the sign signifying “key” (referring to Matthew 16:19). (Source: Tarja Sandholm)


“Peter” or “Cephas” in Finnish Sign Language (source )

In Swiss-German Sign Language it is translated with the sign for “rock,” referring to the meaning of the Greek word for “Peter.”


“Peter” in Swiss-German Sign Language, source: DSGS-Lexikon biblischer Begriffe , © CGG Schweiz

For more information on translations of proper names with sign language see Sign Language Bible Translations Have Something to Say to Hearing Christians .

See also Peter – rock.

Learn more on Bible Odyssey: Peter .

Chorazin

The name that is transliterated as “Chorazin” in English is translated in Libras (Brazilian Sign Language) with a sign that combines the signs for “close to Capernaum ” and “river” because of the location in proximity to Capernaum and a river. (Source: Missão Kophós )


“Chorazin” in Libras (source )

Click or tap here to see a short video clip about Chorazin (source: Bible Lands 2012)

See also Capernaum.

Mark 11:20 - 26 in Mexican Sign Language

Following is the translation of Mark 11:20-26 into Mexican Sign Language with back-translations into Spanish and English underneath:


© La Biblia en LSM / La Palabra de Dios

Retrotraducciones en español (haga clic o pulse aquí)

La siguiente mañana Jesús y los discípulos estaban camiando y los discípulos vieron un árbol de higos secado, sus raíces secados.

Pedro se recordó y dijo: “Maestro, sólo ayer tú maldijiste el árbol y mira, está secado.”

Jesús dijo: “Uds deben tener fe, creer en Dios; yo les digo la verdad, si tienen fe y no hay dudas, pueden mandar a una montaña que se tira en el agua del mar.

Por eso cuando oran y piden y sienten que creen con una fe segura que Dios les dará, entonces pasará.

Les advierto: cuando uds oran, si recuerdan a alguien que tienes algo en su contra, mejor olvidenlo, y perdonenlo en la misma manera como el padre Dios en el cielo perdona a uds y borra sus pecados.

Si uds no lo perdonan, en la misma manera el padre Dios en el cielo no les perdonará y no borrará sus pecados.”


The next morning Jesus and the disciples were walking and the disciples saw a withered fig tree, its roots all dried up.

Peter remembered and said: “Teacher, just yesterday you cursed the three, and look it is withered.”

Jesus said: “You need to have faith, to believe in God; I tell you the truth, if you have faith and do not doubt, you can order a mountain that it takes itself off into the water of the sea.

“Therefore when you pray and ask for something and you feel that you believe with a sure faith that God will give it to you, then it will happen.

“I warn you, when you pray, if you remember someone that you hold something against, better forget it and forgive him, in the same way as our heavenly father God forgives you and wipes out your sins.

“If you don’t forgive him, then in the same way the heavenly father God will not forgive you or wipe out your sins.”

Source: La Biblia en LSM / La Palabra de Dios

<< Mark 11:15-19 in Mexican Sign Language
Mark 11:27-33 in Mexican Sign Language >>

Mark 11:20-25 in Russian Sign Language

Following is the translation of Mark 11:20-25 into Russian Sign Language with a back-translation underneath:


Source: Russian Bible Society / Российское Библейское Общество

The next morning Jesus and his disciples passed by that fig tree. And the tree that Jesus had cursed earlier became dead, dry, lifeless, even its roots dried up. The disciples saw this, very surprised. One of them named Peter said to Jesus:

— This tree which you cursed is now dried up, its branches are dried up.

Jesus said to the disciples:

— Believe in God! I tell you precisely: if a man filled with faith in God says to this mountain: “Get up and go into the sea”, it will be so: the mountain will rise, move and throw itself into the sea! If a man is filled with faith in God, if he has no doubts, no unbelief, then everything will be exactly like that. If a person doubts, does not believe, nothing will be fulfilled. When you pray to God in your heart about what you want, what you need, and you believe that God will give it to you, then it will come true. God will give you exactly what you have asked for. And when a person prays to God, but in his heart he has a grudge against other people, whom he does not forgive, then God will not forgive the sins of such a person. When a person prays, but in his heart he has a grudge against other people, it is necessary to forgive this grudge, then God will forgive the sins of such a person.

Original Russian back-translation (click or tap here):

На следующее утро Иисус с учениками проходили мимо того дерева инжир. И вот то дерево, которое Иисус раньше проклял, стало мертвым, сухим, безжизненным, даже корни его высохли. Ученики это увидели, очень удивились. Один из них по имени Петр сказал Иисусу:

— Это дерево, которое ты проклял, теперь высохло, ветви его высохли.

Иисус сказал ученикам:

— Верьте в Бога! Точно вам говорю: если человек преисполненный верой в Бога скажет вот этой горе: «Вставай и уходи в море», так оно все и будет: гора поднимется, переместится и бросится в море! Если человек преисполнен верой в Бога, если нет у него сомнений, безверия, то в точности так все и будет. Если человек сомневается, не верит, то ничего не исполнится. Когда вы молитесь Богу в сердце о том, чего вы желаете, в чем нуждаетесь, и вы верите, что Бог даст вам это, тогда это и свершится. Бог даст вам в точности, что вы просили. И когда человек молиться Богу, а в сердце у него обида на других людей, которых он не прощает, то и Бог не простит грехов такому человеку. Когда человек молится, а в сердце у него обида на других людей, нужно обиду эту простить, тогда и Бог простит грехи такого человека.

Back-translation by Luka Manevich

<< Mark 11:15-19 in Russian Sign Language
Mark 11:27-33 in Russian Sign Language >>

formal pronoun: disciples addressing Jesus

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.

Here, individual or several disciples address Jesus with the formal pronoun, expressing respect. Compare this to how that address changes after the resurrection.

In most Dutch as well as in Western Frisian and Afrikaans translations, the disciples address Jesus before and after the resurrection with the formal pronoun.

See also this devotion on YouVersion .