Acts 6:14
In this newsletter I translate the name of the Son from Greek into Manambu.
I do not
NJB: We have heard him say that Jesus, this Nazarene, is going to destroy this Place and alter the traditions that Moses handed down to us.
KJV: For we have heard him say, that this Jesus of Nazareth shall destroy this place, and shall change customs which Moses delivered us.
Manambu: Wukəbak wadək Yehuu Nasaras adəm tənəbəm gajikədaku Kəkələ gabumaaj warapwikədəd.
we have heard him say that = wukəbak wadək
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Jesus of Nazareth = Yehuu Nasaras
This is my approximate at adapting the Greek Iesous Nazoraios (Ιησους Ναζωραιος) into Manambu phonology.
I have also translated the name Jesus.
The name Jesus comes from the Hebrew Yehoshua (יהושוע).
Two components build Yehoshua:
1. Yhvh (יהוה) = Yahweh or Yehovah.
2. yasha (ישע) = to deliver.
Thus, the name Yehoshua (whence comes the English Joshua), has the meaning Yahweh delivers.
Other English translations of yasha include help, preserve and save.
In addition, Yhvh comes from the Hebrew havah, which means become.
How have I combined these two elements?
Təsəguya.
1. tə = become/be/exist.
2. səguya = help.
More specifically tə means to exist in a vertical position or to exist in a location.
The former refers to his position on the Throne of the Universe and All Creation.
The latter refers to how He is present in every location, and is always with us.
The original form of *səguya is suguya.
I turned the original /u/ into an /ə/ in order to make the word look more lived-in, as if people have said it so many times that the vowels are starting to harmonise.
I imagine that, in real life, the Manambu use either the English or Tok Pisin forms.
Whilst I feel no qualms in using my translated forms of Moses, I can’t quite bring myself to use my translation for Jesus.
I can’t yet explain why.
shall destroy this Place = adəm tənəbəm gajikədaku
Four components build gajikədəku:
1. gaji = crush.
2. -kə = will.
3. -da = he.
4. -d = (same person does the next thing).
The Verb gaji has many related meanings:
1. destroy via crushing (or dissolving)
2. rub out or clean
3. spread around.
Depending on context, it can be used to describe rubbing one’s eyes or squashing a centipede. It is a very versatile verb.
The original Greek kataluo (καταλυω) originally meant loosen thoroughly.
It too can mean destroy, and it is where we get the English word catalyst.
adəm tənəbəm is the Accusative Case forms of ad tənəb.
The literal meaning is this fireplace.
This is a reference to my translation of Acts 6:13.
and alter the traditions that Moses handed down to us = Kəkələ gabumaaj warapwikədad.
Four components build warapwikədad:
1. warapwi = change
2. -kə = will
3. -da = he
4. -d = it (him).
Kəkələ means Moses, with Kəkəl meaning Moses.
Please read my translation of Acts 6:11 to see how I translated the term Moses.
gabumaaj is a word which means traditional story.
Two components build gabumaaj:
1. gabu = -
2. maaj = story.
gabu does not have its own entry in the grammar that I consulted.
I think it might be a variant of gapu, which means big post of a house.
Just as a large post is used to hold up a house, so too does a traditional story hold the community together.
The reason why I didn’t translate handed down is because I did not want to.