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The Greek, Hebrew, Aramaic, and Latin that is translated as a form of “save” in English is translated in Shipibo-Conibo with a phrase that means literally “make to live,” which combines the meaning of “to rescue” and “to deliver from danger,” but also the concept of “to heal” or “restore to health.”

Other translations include:

  • San Blas Kuna: “help the heart”
  • Laka: “take by the hand” in the meaning of “rescue” or “deliver”
  • Huautla Mazatec: “lift out on behalf of”
  • Anuak: “have life because of”
  • Central Mazahua: “be healed in the heart”
  • Baoulé: “save one’s head”
  • Guerrero Amuzgo: “come out well”
  • Northwestern Dinka: “be helped as to his breath” (or “life”) (source for all above: Bratcher / Nida),
  • Matumbi: “rescue (from danger)” (source: Pioneer Bible Translators, project-specific notes in Paratext)
  • Noongar: barrang-ngandabat or “hold life” (source: Warda-Kwabba Luke-Ang)
  • South Bolivian Quechua: “make to escape”
  • Highland Puebla Nahuatl: “cause people to come out with the aid of the hand” (source for this and one above: Nida 1947, p. 222)
  • Bariai: “retrieve one back” (source: Bariai Back Translation)

See also salvation and save (Japanese honorifics).

complete verse (Romans 11:14)

Following are a number of back-translations of Romans 11:14:

  • Uma: “From this work of mine I-hope/maybe there will be some of my fellow-Jews who will get desirous seeing people who are not Jews believe in the Lord Yesus, with the result that they also will believe in the Lord Yesus, and they will be lifted from the punishment of their sins.” (Source: Uma Back Translation)
  • Yakan: “perhaps some of my fellow Yahudi will be envious and eventually want to trust Isa Almasi like you so that they are saved and go to heaven.” (Source: Yakan Back Translation)
  • Western Bukidnon Manobo: “is because I want that my fellow Jews will become envious by means of my helping you. For there might be some of them, who, by means of that, will believe and be saved from the punishment of God.” (Source: Western Bukidnon Manobo Back Translation)
  • Kankanaey: “so that hopefully my fellow Jews will be-jealous-of you so that I will thus persuade some of them to be saved.” (Source: Kankanaey Back Translation)
  • Tenango Otomi: “Because concerning my fellow Jews who do not believe in Christ now, I want that they be jealous of the people who have now encountered Christ so that they also will believe and be saved.” (Source: Tenango Otomi Back Translation)

Translation commentary on Romans 11:14

As already pointed out, this verse is a continuation of the Greek sentence begun in verse 13. Perhaps relates verse 14 with the last of verse 13: Perhaps (that is, by taking pride in my work) I can make the people of my own race jealous….

Make the people of my own race jealous is literally “make jealous my flesh,” but there is no doubt about what Paul means by the phrase “my flesh”; all scholars indicate that this is a reference to his fellow Jews. Although his primary mission is to be an apostle to the Gentiles, Paul looks upon this calling as a means of reaching his fellow Jews also.

Since a term for save may imply primarily the kind of salvation which only God can accomplish, it may be misleading in the last clause of verse 14 to suggest that Paul himself is able to save some of them. Under such circumstances it may be necessary to say “so that because of me God will save some of them” or “because of what I have done God will save some of them.”

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 .