mind

The Greek that is typically translated as “mind” in English is translated in Warao as obojona, 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. )

In Elhomwe it is often translated as “heart,” “because all thoughts come from heart in Elhomwe thought.” (Source: project-specific translation notes in Paratext)

See other occurrences of Obojona in the Warao New Testament.

debased mind

The Greek in Romans 1:28 that is translated as “debased mind” or similar in English is translated as “nothing but sin went to their hearts” in Tzeltal, as “think things that weren’t good” in Huehuetla Tepehua, as “do what their foolish minds wanted” in Isthmus Zapotec, and as “think evil in this strange way” in Central Tarahumara. (Source: Waterhouse / Parrott in Notes on Translation October 1967, p. 1ff.)

things that should not be done

The Greek that is translated as “things that should not be done” or similar in English is translated as “weren’t embarrassed to do what is not good” in Tzeltal. (Source: Waterhouse / Parrott in Notes on Translation October 1967, p. 1ff.)

complete verse (Romans 1:28)

Following are a number of back-translations of Romans 1:28:

  • Uma: “Because they refused to admit/confess God in their thinking, that’s why God allowed their thinking to become ruined, with the result that they do what it is not fitting to do.” (Source: Uma Back Translation)
  • Yakan: “Because they do not want to remember the true teaching about God so-then they are abandoned by him to think what is bad/evil. That’s why they do things which they should not do.” (Source: Yakan Back Translation)
  • Western Bukidnon Manobo: “And since they say that it’s no longer worthwhile to believe in God, God turned His back on them and because of this, the thing which controls them is the wickedness which fills their thinking, and they do that which is not proper.” (Source: Western Bukidnon Manobo Back Translation)
  • Kankanaey: “Because of their counting/considering that their acknowledging God has no use/purpose, he has let-them -alone so they will do the evil that results from their minds that have become filthy which are not able-to-distinguish good and evil.” (Source: Kankanaey Back Translation)
  • Tenango Otomi: “The people, not wanting to know about God, therefore God separated from them. He gave them the road to do what evil settles in their hearts, that which is not proper that they do.” (Source: Tenango Otomi Back Translation)

Translation commentary on Romans 1:28

This verse is the climax of man’s fall from God: they refuse to keep in mind the true knowledge about God. The verb translated refuse to keep in mind basically means to reject something that one has put to the test. There is evidently a play on words in Greek between the verb refuse to keep in mind and the adjective corrupted, but this is difficult to carry over in translation. In the present context corrupted refers to a mind that no longer functions as it should; this does not imply insanity, but rather the lack of ability to make moral and spiritual distinctions. Phillips renders this phrase as “degenerate minds” and the New English Bible as “depraved reason.”

Refuse to keep in mind may be rendered as “say, We will not think about” or “declare, We will not remember.” The true knowledge about God may be rendered as “what men may know is true about God.”

Has given them over to is not easily rendered in some languages. In fact, it must frequently be broken into two parts—for example, “he has let them go so that they will only think in bad ways” or “he has let them leave him, and now they only think in corrupted ways.”

The concept of corrupted minds must be rendered in some languages by an idiomatic expression—for example, “a mind that is hungry for dirty words,” “a mind that is completely twisted,” or “a mind which has only stinking thoughts.”

Quoted with permission from Newman, Barclay M. and Nida, Eugene A. A Handbook on Paul’s Letter to the Romans. (UBS Handbook Series). New York: UBS, 1973. For this and other handbooks for translators see here .