The Greek that is translated “if salt has lost its taste (or “saltiness”)?” or similar in English is translated in Amele as “if salt’s bitterness stings” (source: John Roberts), in Mairasi as “if that salt becomes watery” (source: Enggavoter 2004), and i8n the German New Testament translation by Berger / Nord (publ. 1999) as “even if it would be possible for it to lose its taste.”
John Roberts comments on the nature of the salt in question in this article : “Jesus says salt can lose its salty taste and when it does it is no longer good for anything except to be thrown out. ‘You are the salt of the earth’ in Mat 5.13 is a metaphor. In this metaphor, ‘You’ (the disciples of Jesus) is the tenor and ‘salt of the earth’ is the vehicle of the metaphor. The metaphor applies the properties of salt to the disciples. When Jesus spoke this metaphor the salt (ἅλας) referred to was not pure sodium chloride. It was dug out of the ground mixed with other materials. The salt used in the area mostly came from mines around the Dead Sea and material extracted from that area demonstrates these same properties today. This ‘salt’ was used as seasoning or fertilizer, or as a preservative. However, when exposed to the elements, the sodium chloride in this ‘salt’ would leach out and leave only the sediment or impurities behind. What was left was good for nothing, except that it was used to place in paths, or walks, as we use gravel today. (See: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Matthew_5:13 ). These are the properties of ‘salt’ that Jesus applies metaphorically to his disciples.”
The Hebrew and Greek that is usually translated into English as “peace,” when referring to one’s inner peace, is (back-) translated with a variety of idioms and phrases:
“rest the heart” (Central Mazahua) / “rest within” (Lacandon) (source: Nida 1952, p. 40 and 128ff.) / “wait well in your heart” (Yatzachi Zapotec) (source: Viola Waterhouse in Notes on Translation August 1966, p. 86ff.)
The Greek in Mark 9:50 that is translated as “have salt in yourselves” in English is translated in Western Highland Chatino as “guard yourselves, as meat is preserved with salt.” (Source: B. Moore / G. Turner in Notes on Translation 1967, p. 1ff.)
Retrotraducciones en español (haga clic o pulse aquí)
Juan dijo: “Maestro, nosotros, los doce discípulos vimos a otras personas que tenían adentro demonios y un hombre extraño habló en el nombre de Jesús y expulsó los demonios.
Nosotros, los discípulos, fuimos y dijimos: “Tú no estás junto con nosotros en el grupo, no puedes hablar en el nombre de Jesús, paralo.”
Jesús dijo: “No lo prohiban, dejanlo, las personas que hablan en mi nombre, en el nombre de Jesús, y hacen milagros ¿pueden después estar en contra de mi? No pueden, es imposible.
Si las personas no hablan en contra de mi es lo mismo como si fueran junto con nosotros.”
Jesús les advirtió: “Si uds, las personas que creen en Cristo, dan un vaso de agua a otra persona, les digo la verdad, seguramente Dios les dará un premio.”
Jesús les advirtió y les explicó otra cosa: “Los niños pequeños que crecen creyendo en mi, si otra persona insiste en tentarlos y los niños desvisan y pecan , huy, Dios lo castigará fuertemente.
Mejor que un piedra grande sea atado alrededor de su cuello y empujado en el mar y él se caiga en el agua, sería menos castigo.”
“Otro ejemplo: si las manos son una tentación a pecar, agarrando cosas, sería mejor cortar la mano y tener una mano tullida e ir al cielo.
Si rechazas que la mano sea cortado, porque la quieres conservar, es peor que vayas al fuego que no se puede apagar.
Otro ejemplo: si los pies son una tentación a pecar sería mejor cortar el pie y ser cojo e ir al cielo.
Si rechazas que tu pie sea cortado porque lo quieres conservar, es peor ser echado en el fuego que dura.
Otro ejemplo: si el ojo es una tentación a pecar, viendo cosas, sería mejor quitar el ojo y tirarlo y ser tuerto e ir al reino de Dios.
Si rechazas que el ojo sea tirado porque lo quieres conservar, es pero ser echado en el fuego con gusanos comiendo tu cuerpo, el fuego que dura y no se apaga jamás.
Mira, cuando el sacerdote mata un animal lo pone en el altar, agrega sal, y lo sacrifica para Dios, y Dios lo ve bien. En la misma manera las personas sufrirán para quitar el pecado y volver limpios.
Por ejemplo: sal que sabe rico, está bien, pero si otro sal es dejado por mucho tiempo y ya no sabe nada rico, no sabe de nada, ¿se puede otra vez hacer que el sal sepa rico? No, no sirve, ¿entienden?
Este sal es parecido a uds, a personas. Uds necesitan tener paz juntos.
John said: “Teacher, we, the twelve disciples, saw other people who had demons inside and a strange man talked in the name of Jesus and threw out the demons.
“We, the disciples, went up to him and said: ‘You are not in the group with us, you cannot talk in the name of Jesus, stop it.'”
Jesus said: “Don’t forbid it, leave him, the people who speak in my name, in the name of Jesus, and do miracles, can they later be against me? No they cannot, it’s impossible.
“If people don’t talk against me at all it’s the same as if they were with us.”
Jesus warned them: “If you, the people who believe in Christ, give a glass of water to another person, I tell you the truth, God will reward you.”
Jesus warned them and told them something else: “The little children who grow up believing in me, if another person insists on tempting them and they deviate and sin, wow, God will punish him severely.
“It would be better that a big stone were tied around his neck and pushed into the sea, and he would fall into the sea, it would be a lesser punishment.
˜Another example: if your hands are a temptation to sin, taking things, it would be better to cut off your hand and have an amputated hand and go to heaven.
“If you reject that your hand is cut off because you want to preserve it, it is worse if you are sent to the fire that cannot be extinguished.
“Another example: if your feet are a temptation to sin, it would be better to cut off your foot and be lame and go to heaven.
“If you reject the cutting off of your foot because you want to preserve it, it is worse being thrown into the lasting fire.
“Another example: if your eye is a temptation to sin, because of the things it sees, it would be better to take out your eye and be blind in one eye and go to the kingdom of God.
“If you reject your eye being thrown out because you want to preserve it, it is worse being thrown into the fire where worms eat your body, the fire that lasts and is never extinguished.
“Look, when the priest kills an animal and puts it on the altar, he adds salt and sacrifices it to God, and God sees that it is good. In the same way the people will suffer to take away the sin and become clean.
“For example, salt tastes good, it is good, but if there is other salt that has been left for a long time and does not taste good anymore, it does not taste of anything, can you then make the salt taste good again? No, it is of no use. Do you understand?
“This salt is like you, people. You need to have peace together.”
— There are simple people who believe in me. And if anyone leads such people astray, saying to them, “Sin!”, there will be a very severe punishment for that person!
There is such a punishment: a big stone is tied to the neck and a person is thrown into the water, and there he drowns. For that person, the punishment will be even worse!
If your hand likes sin and is drawn to sin, it is better to cut off your hand! Then you can go to eternal life in heaven. But if you pity the hand that leads you to sin, then you will go to hell, to the lake of fire, where fire burns all the time.
If your foot likes sin and goes to sin, it is better to cut off that foot. It is better with one foot to go to eternal life in heaven. But if you pity the foot that leads you to sin, you will fall into the lake of fire, where fire burns all the time.
If your eye likes to look at sin, you had better pluck it out. With one eye you will go to eternal life. But if you pity the eye that tempts you, you will go into the lake of fire, where the fire never goes out. There worms never disappear and torment.
The meat of animals is sacrificed to God. This meat must be sprinkled with salt. For what purpose? For purification. In the same way, suffering and trials are like fire. Man must go through it. Why? To purify man.
Salt is a very important thing for God. If salt has lost its taste, how can you give it back its taste? So keep salt inside you, and live in peace with each other.
Original Russian back-translation (click or tap here):
Иисус сказал ученикам:
— Есть люди простые, которые верят в меня. И если кто-нибудь будет соблазнять таких людей, говорить им: «Греши!», то для такого человека будет наказание очень сильное!
Есть такая кара: большой камень привязывают к шее и бросают человека в воду, и там он тонет. Так вот, для того человека, кара будет еще страшнее!
Если вашей руке нравится грех, и она тянется ко греху, то лучше отрубить руку! Тогда ты сможешь попасть в жизнь вечную на небесах. Если же вы пожалеете руку, которая ведет вас ко греху, тогда вы попадете в ад, в огненное озеро, где все время горит огонь.
Если вашей ноге нравится грех и она идет ко греху, лучше отрубить эту ногу. Лучше с одной ногой попасть в жизнь вечную на небесах. Если же вы будете жалеть ногу, которая ведет вас ко греху, то вы попадете в огненное озеро, где все время горит огонь. Если вашему глазу нравится смотреть на грех, лучше вам вырвать его. С одним глазом вы попадете в жизнь вечную. Если же вы пожалеете глаз, который соблазняет вас, вы попадете в озеро огненное, где огонь никогда не гаснет. Там черви никогда не исчезают и терзают.
Мясо животных приносят в жертву Богу. Это мясо нужно посыпать солью. Для чего? Для очищения. Так же и страдания и испытания — они, как огонь. Человек должен пройти через него. Зачем? Чтобы человек очистился.
Соль для Бога очень важная вещь. Если соль лишилась вкуса, разве можно вернуть ей вкус обратно? Поэтому сохраняйте соль внутри себя, и живите друг с другом в мире.
Following are a number of back-translations of Mark 9:50:
Uma: “‘Salt is very useful. But if its saltiness changes with the result that it is plain/tasteless, what else could make it salty? So also, you who follow me must be like salt: Don’t let your faith become weak. You must live in unity.'” (Source: Uma Back Translation)
Yakan: “He also said, ‘You do know that salt is really good. But if the salt has no more taste, it cannot become salty again. Therefore you also,’ he said, ‘you should be careful in order that you do not lose your reciprocal-respect and your reciprocal-harmony.'” (Source: Yakan Back Translation)
Western Bukidnon Manobo: “Not only that but salt is good because it makes food delicious, however, if salt loses its flavor, there is no way to bring back its flavor. And the same way, your works must be like salt so that you might be the means for making people better. And it is necessary that your relationship together with each one of you must become peaceful.'” (Source: Western Bukidnon Manobo Back Translation)
Kankanaey: “The salt, it has a purpose, but if it becomes-tasteless, it’s tang can definitely not be returned. So think about the use of salt and help-each-other so that you will be in-harmony.'” (Source: Kankanaey Back Translation)
Tagbanwa: “Salt is good as long as it is indeed salty. But if it’s no longer salty, how can it be made salty again? Well as for you (pl.), you must make it your habit to be like the saltiness of this. For if you make your nature/ways like this, it’s for the benefit of one another. And persevere with being like-minded which will result in your fellowship/companionship with your fellowman being peaceful.'” (Source: Tagbanwa Back Translation)
Mazaltepec Zapotec: “Salt gives flavor (makes food taste good). There is salt which is mixed with earth. This salt loses its flavor. If the salt loses its flavor, with what can we restore its flavor? You, my disciples, should be like good salt which does not lose its flavor. Thus you will be in peace among yourselves.”
Southern Puebla Mixtec: “Salt is good so that food will not go bad. But if the salt is not salty any more, how can we use it? We cannot. So you do like the good salt does. Care for your heart so that it will not go bad. You had better live at peace with one another.”
Korku: “Salt is good to make food acceptable, but if its saltiness is lost leaving only that which is not salt, it is no longer useful to make food acceptable. You also should have something like that in your own hearts so that you will be acceptable to one another and be at peace.” (Source for this and two above: B. Moore / G. Turner in Notes on Translation 1967, p. 1ff.)
German New Testament translation by Berger / Nord (publ. 1999): “Salt preserves. If the preserving power of salt could be lost, we would no longer have salt to preserve itself. Peace is like salt. Have salt with you, that means: keep peace with one another.”
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 Translator2002, 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, Jesus is addressing his disciples, individuals and/or crowds with the formal pronoun, showing respect.
In most Dutch translations, Jesus addresses his disciples and common people with the informal pronoun, whereas they address him with the formal form.
Click or tap here to see the rest of this insight.
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 formal plural suffix to the second person pronoun (“you” and its various forms) as shown here in the widely-used Japanese Shinkaiyaku (新改訳) Bible of 2017. In these verses, anata-gata (あなたがた) is used, combining the second person pronoun anata and the plural suffix -gata to create a formal plural pronoun (“you” [plural] in English).
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