“Found” in Translation

I grew up playing a game called “squid” in Korea. So it was fascinating to see the Squid Game on Netflix become a global phenomenon. Even more interesting was seeing people take issues with the English subtitle – e.g., how the nuanced meaning of a word like “형” (hyung) is lost in translation.

* * *

My Bible – the ESV translation – says the righteous shall live by “faith” in Hebrews 10:38a, translating the Greek word “πίστις” (pistis) into “faith.” I wonder if some nuances of “πίστις” (pistis) is lost in translation of the word into “faith.”

The challenge deepens in this particular instance.

The writer of Hebrews is here quoting from the Greek translation of the Old Testament originally written in Hebrew. In Hebrew, the quoted passage – Hab. 2:4 –  says this: the righteous shall live by “אֱמוּנָה” (e.mu.nah).  I wonder if some nuances of “אֱמוּנָה” (e.mu.nah) is lost in translation of the word into “πίστις” (pistis).

* * *

The Hebrew word, “e.mu.nah,” is used around 50 times in the Old Testament, and is translated into a few different English words.

It first appears in Exo. 17:12. There, Joshua’s army is fighting the Amalekites while Moses prays on top of a hill for victory. Whenever Moses’ hands are up, Joshua’s army begins to win. But whenever his hands are down, Joshua’s army begins to lose. So, Aaron and Hur help Moses by holding up his hands. As a result, “his hands were steady (e.mu.nah) until the going down of the sun,” leading to victory. This is the literal meaning of e.mu.nah.

Then we see how this word is used metaphorically.  Deu 32:4 says our God is a “God of faithfulness (e.mu.nah).” Jer 5:1 talks about finding a man who “seeks truth (e.mu.nah).”  Psa 119:86 says all God’s “commandments are sure (e.mu.nah).” Isa 33:6 says God will be “the stability (e.mu.nah)” in turbulent times.

 * * *

“Older brother” is a good translation of the Korean word “형” (hyung). But some of the nuances are lost in the translation as Korean speakers who watched the Squid Game and its English subtitle pointed out.

Similarly, “faith” is a good translation of the Hebrew word “אֱמוּנָה” (e.mu.nah). But some of the nuances – like steadiness, faithfulness, truth & stability – are lost in translation. And one way of finding what might have been lost is to see how the original word was used in the Bible.

 * * *

I invite you to give it a try with Mat 22:37. Here, Jesus says his followers should “ἀγαπάω” (agapao) the Lord. He is quoting from the Greek translation of Deu 6:5 that, in Hebrew, says Israelites are to “אָהֵב” (a.hev) the Lord. A.hev is used around 200 times in the Old Testament. What do you see when you scan through how that word is used? What we might learn about how we are to “love” the Lord?

---

Sam serves as one of the elders at ODPC EC. Please feel free to contact him at sam.kwon@odpcec.org with any questions or comments. Please join him and fellow brothers and sisters for the monthly study of Hebrews by signing up here.