truth

The Greek, Latin and Hebrew that is usually translated in English as “truth” is translated in Luchazi with vusunga: “the quality of being straight” (source: E. Pearson in The Bible Translator 1954, p. 160ff. ), in Obolo as atikọ or “good/correct talk” (source: Enene Enene), and in Ekari as maakodo bokouto or “enormous truth” (esp. in John 14:6 and 17; bokouto — “enormous” — is being used as an attribute for abstract nouns to denote that they are of God [see also here]; source: Marion Doble in The Bible Translator 1963, p. 37ff. ).

The translation committee of the Malay “Good News Bible” (Alkitab Berita Baik, see here ) wrestled with the translation of “truth” in the Gospel of John (for more information click or tap here):

“Our Malay Committee also concluded that ‘truth’ as used in the Gospel of John was used either of God himself, or of God’s revelation of himself, or in an extended sense as a reference to those who had responded to God’s self-disclosure. In John 8:32 the New Malay translation reads ‘You will know the truth about God, and the truth about God will make you free.’ In John 8:44 this meaning is brought out by translating, ‘He has never been on the side of God, because there is no truth in him.’ Accordingly Jesus ‘tells the truth about God’ in 8:45, 46 (see also 16:7 and 8:37a). Then, ‘I am the way, the truth, and the life’ becomes ‘I am the one who leads men to God, the one who reveals who and what God is, and the one who gives men life.” At 3:21 the translation reads ” … whoever obeys the truth, that is God himself, comes to the light …’; 16:13a appears as ‘he will lead you into the full truth about God’; and in 18:37 Jesus affirms ‘I came into the world to reveal the truth about God, and whoever obeys God listens to me.’ On this basis also 1:14 was translated ‘we saw his glory, the glory which he had as the Father’s only Son. Through him God has completely revealed himself (truth) and his love for us (grace)’; and 1:17 appears as ‘God gave the law through Moses; but through Jesus Christ he has completely revealed himself (truth) and his love for us (grace).'” (Source: Barclay Newman in The Bible Translator 1974, p. 432ff. )

Helen Evans (in The Bible Translator 1954, p. 40ff. ) tells of the translation into Kui which usually is “true-thing.” In some instances however, such as in the second part of John 17:17 (“your word is truth” in English), the use of “true-thing” indicated that there might be other occasions when it’s not true, so here the translation was a a form of “pure, holy.”

complete verse (Titus 1:14)

Following are a number of back-translations of Titus 1:14:

  • Uma: “Admonish them not to any longer believe the stories of the Yahudi people that are just made up and rules that are from mankind that reject the true teaching.” (Source: Uma Back Translation)
  • Yakan: “Stop them/tell-them-not-to so that they no longer heed the Yahudi stories which are not true and so that they no longer follow the commands made up simply by mankind. The people who do/make those commands have turned their backs on/rejected the true teaching.” (Source: Yakan Back Translation)
  • Western Bukidnon Manobo: “and so that they might abandon their believing the folktales of the Jews and the merely earth-type commands which were made by people who talk against the true doctrine.” (Source: Western Bukidnon Manobo Back Translation)
  • Kankanaey: “and they will not believe the tales of the Jews and the commands of people who dislike/reject the true teaching.” (Source: Kankanaey Back Translation)
  • Tagbanwa: “Rebuke them that they no longer go along with worthless stories of the Jews and what is instructed by the ones who attribute lies to this truth.” (Source: Tagbanwa Back Translation)
  • Tenango Otomi: “Then they will not pay attention to the made-up words which the Jews speak, nor the words which just people have commanded such people who do not look well upon the true word.” (Source: Tenango Otomi Back Translation)

Translation commentary on Titus 1:14

Here we are given some information as to the nature of the heresy that these heretical teachers are teaching, and for which they need to be rebuked, and it looks very much like the description we get in 1 Tim 1.4-7. For their faith to become sound, they must stop paying attention to these false teachings.

For giving heed see 1 Tim 1.4 (“occupying themselves”); 4.1. Here it means no longer paying attention to something (New Revised Standard Version “not paying attention to”) or devoting oneself to something.

For myths see 1 Tim 1.4. The word translated Jewish appears only here in the whole New Testament. It is used here with myths to describe either its origin (that is, originating from Jews and from Jewish literature) or its nature (that is, composed according to Jewish methods). Contemporary English Version‘s translation “senseless Jewish stories” is a good model.

For commands see 1 Tim 6.14. For reject see 2 Tim 1.15 (“turned away”), where a person is rejected rather than the truth. For truth see 1 Tim 2.4 and 2 Tim 4.4. Here it probably refers to the gospel. The text does not specify who these people are who reject the truth. But the next verse gives an example of their teachings.

An alternative translation model for this verse is:

• and to stop spending their time listening to made-up Jewish stories and to what people who have rejected the Christian doctrine command them to do.

Quoted with permission from Arichea, Daniel C. and Hatton, Howard A. A Handbook on Paul’s Letter to Titus. (UBS Handbook Series). New York: UBS, 1995. For this and other handbooks for translators see here .

SIL Translator's Notes on Titus 1:14

1:14a

and will pay no attention to Jewish myths: This is the second purpose for rebuking the rebellious Cretan people. Paul wanted Titus to rebuke the rebellious believers so that they would stop paying attention to Jewish myths.

Here are some other ways to translate this clause:

they will stop thinking about Jewish myths
-or-
They shouldn’t pay attention to Jewish myths (God’s Word)

The word “they” is implied from 1:13c.

Jewish myths: A “myth” is a fictional story that people pass down from one generation to another. Often in these stories people do things that normal people cannot do. These myths were Jewish probably because Jews wrote them about Jews.

Here are some other ways to translate this phrase:

fantasy/imaginary stories that the Jews wrote
-or-
Jewish stories that did not really happen

1:14b

or to the commands of men who have rejected the truth: The Greek phrase that the Berean Standard Bible translates as the commands of men is literally “the human commands.” Paul was saying that ordinary people spoke or wrote these commands. They did not come from God. Here are some other ways to translate this phrase:

or to commands that people wrote/invented themselves
-or-
or to human rules
-or-
or commands given by people who are always rejecting the truth (God’s Word)

who have rejected the truth: Here the word truth refers to God’s truth, God’s true message. In some languages it may be natural to translate these words as a separate sentence. For example:

Those things are the ideas of people who refuse to obey God’s true message. (Easy English Bible)
-or-

Those commands/rules are made up by people who reject the true word/message from God.

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