It loses something in the translation

An American visitor in Austria was a bit confused when he read the following sign in a hotel catering to skiers:

Not to perambulate the corridors in the hours of repose in the boots of ascension.

The expression, “it kind of loses something in the translation” comes to mind.

When translating from one language into another language it is important to understand not only the individual words, but also sentence structure (or grammar) and the cultural significance behind the words being translated.

The other day I was reading from my Greek New Testament in John chapter 2 and I stumbled across something rather curious.

Verse 14: And He (Jesus) found in the temple [ἱερός] those who sold oxen and sheep and doves…

Verse 15: He drove them all out of the temple [ἱερός]…

Verse 19: Jesus answered and said to them, “Destroy this temple [ναός], and in three days I will raise it up.”

Verse 21: But He was speaking of the temple [ναός] of His body.

Questions immediately came to mind. What is the difference between ἱερός and ναός? Why did Jesus use ναός rather than ἱερός when referring to His body?

So I went to Trench’s Synonyms of the New Testament for an answer. Trench wrote:

Both ἱερός and ναός are translated “temple” in our English versions. Although it is difficult to say how they could have been distinguished, translating them by different words would have clarified the sacred narrative and made it more precise.

He goes on to explain that ἱερός refers to the whole temple complex whereas ναός refers to the heart and center of the temple — the dwelling place of God.

The Greek scholar Kenneth Wuest translates it like this:

And Jesus went up to Jerusalem. And He found seated in the outer courts of the temple those who were in the habit of selling oxen and sheep and doves… He ejected from the outer courts of the temple… Jesus said to them, “You destroy this inner sanctuary, and in three days I will raise it up.” But that One was speaking concerning the inner sanctuary, the one which is His body.

Our Lord was saying that God the Father, the first person of the Trinity, resided in the Holy of Holies (inner sanctuary) which was Jesus’ very own body. It is no wonder the unbelieving Jewish leaders went ballistic when Jesus made claims such as this.

Yet most English translations do not attempt to bring out the contrast between these two different Greek words. Although our English Bibles are not nearly as confusing as the Austrian Hotel sign, nevertheless something gets lost in the translation.

When teaching the Word of God or translating the Scriptures into the dialect of native people, it is vital that the missionary has a good understanding of the language and culture of the people that they are trying to reach with the gospel of Jesus Christ. Our students are being trained to do just that here at the Missionary Training Center. They are learning the principles of effective communication in a cross-cultural context as they sit in classes such as phonetics, tribal church planting, Bible translation, etc.

Adam and Julie Martin are working among the Akolet people in Papua New Guinea. After they clearly presented the gospel message an Akolet man named Lonsi told them, “Now I understand. For years and years I’ve been trying and trying and trying to make myself right with God, but I knew from the Bible teaching that I couldn’t do it. Only this Rescuer that God was going to send could. And now I understand how all my sin went onto Jesus and then Jesus died. Wow! I believe that. It’s so easy!”

The lights came on for Lonsi as he understood the clear and simple message of the gospel. Why? Because Adam and Julie were trained to communicate the gospel clearly. Not that long ago they were sitting in classes here at the Missionary Training Center. I had the privilege of teaching them phonetics. And God’s children are the ones who have made that possible. I could not be here without a partnership team praying for me and sponsoring me in this ministry. The prayer support of God’s children and their love gifts on my behalf make it possible for the next generation of missionaries to have an eternal impact around the world. I am so thankful for all those have touched my life and ministry by praying and giving. The result is that God’s kingdom is being built in the remote corners of the world.

Bob