Toon Theology

Words that do not translate

Illustrated Bible · 6 verses

Scaffold. Glosses and frequencies are measured from the corpus. The explanations of what each word carries are mine.

Six words that every English Bible has to make a choice about, and where the choice loses something. This is the collection the interlinear reader was built for.

No translation is a betrayal, but some words have no single English partner, and the translator must pick a different one each time. Follow the word rather than the English and you can see the shape it makes.

Each entry gives one verse where the word is doing its clearest work. The reader below it shows every occurrence in that verse with its measured frequency across the whole corpus.

01

hesed

Rendered mercy, lovingkindness, steadfast love, loyalty, and grace — five English words for one Hebrew one, because it means commitment kept when it no longer has to be. It is covenant faithfulness with warmth in it, and English has no noun that holds both. This verse is where God says it about himself.

חֶסֶד · ḥesed

Exodus 34:6intermediate

וַwa-andיַּעֲבֹ֨רyaʿăbōrpassיְהוָ֥הyəhwāhYHWHעַלʿaluponפָּנָיו֮pānāywfaceוַwa-andיִּקְרָא֒yiqrāʾcallיְהוָ֣הyəhwāhYHWHיְהוָ֔הyəhwāhYHWHאֵ֥לʾēlgodרַח֖וּםraḥūmcompassionateוְwə-andחַנּ֑וּןḥannūngraciousאֶ֥רֶךְʾereklongאַפַּ֖יִםʾappayimnoseוְwə-andרַבrabmuchחֶ֥סֶדḥesedloyaltyוֶwe-andאֱמֶֽתʾĕmettrustworthiness
Read aloud — modern Israeli pronunciation, not reconstructed Biblical. Good for hearing the consonants and the shape of the word; it ignores the cantillation.
KJVAnd the LORD passed by before him, and proclaimed, The LORD, The LORD God, merciful and gracious, longsuffering, and abundant in goodness and truth,

Vocabulary — 2 word(s) occurring 50 times or fewer

  • רַח֖וּםרחום · compassionate · 21×raḥūm · adjv m sg a
  • חַנּ֑וּןחנון · gracious · 24×ḥannūn · adjv m sg a

Grammar

  • יַּעֲבֹ֨ר — wayyiqtol — the narrative past that carries Hebrew storyline
02

ruach

Wind, breath and spirit are the same word. Here it hovers over the water and translators must choose one of the three, losing the other two. The choice is not neutral: 'a wind from God' and 'the Spirit of God' are different sentences in English and the same sentence in Hebrew.

רוּחַ · rûaḥ

Genesis 1:2advanced

וְwə-andהָhā-theאָ֗רֶץʾāreṣearthהָיְתָ֥הhāyətāhbeתֹ֨הוּ֙tōhūemptinessוָwā-andבֹ֔הוּbōhūemptinessוְwə-andחֹ֖שֶׁךְḥōšekdarknessעַלʿaluponפְּנֵ֣יpənēyfaceתְהֹ֑וםtəhômprimeval oceanוְwə-andר֣וּחַrūḥawindאֱלֹהִ֔יםʾĕlōhîmgod(s)מְרַחֶ֖פֶתməraḥepetshakeעַלʿaluponפְּנֵ֥יpənēyfaceהַha-theמָּֽיִםmāyimwater
Read aloud — modern Israeli pronunciation, not reconstructed Biblical. Good for hearing the consonants and the shape of the word; it ignores the cantillation.
KJVAnd the earth was without form, and void; and darkness was upon the face of the deep. And the Spirit of God moved upon the face of the waters.

Vocabulary — 4 word(s) occurring 50 times or fewer

  • תֹ֨הוּ֙תהו · emptiness · 20×tōhū · subs m sg a
  • בֹ֔הוּבהו · emptiness · 3×bōhū · subs m sg a
  • תְהֹ֑וםתהום · primeval ocean · 36×təhôm · subs f sg a
  • מְרַחֶ֖פֶתרחף · shake · 3×məraḥepet · verb piel ptca f sg a

Grammar

  • מְרַחֶ֖פֶת — piel — intensive or factitive
03

raḥam

Compassion, from the same root as the word for womb. When God is described this way, the metaphor underneath is a mother's body, not a judge's leniency. English 'compassion' carries none of that.

רַחַם · raḥam

Psalms 103:13advanced

כְּkə-asרַחֵ֣םraḥēmhave compassionאָ֭בʾābfatherעַלʿaluponבָּנִ֑יםbānîmsonרִחַ֥םriḥamhave compassionיְ֝הוָ֗הyəhwāhYHWHעַלʿaluponיְרֵאָֽיוyərēʾāywafraid
Read aloud — modern Israeli pronunciation, not reconstructed Biblical. Good for hearing the consonants and the shape of the word; it ignores the cantillation.
KJVLike as a father pitieth his children, so the LORD pitieth them that fear him.

Grammar

  • רַחֵ֣ם — piel — intensive or factitive
04

splanchnizomai

Usually 'he had compassion', which is far too calm. The verb is built on the word for guts, and it means the physical lurch you feel at someone else's distress. Nearly every use in the Gospels is of Jesus, and it is nearly always followed by him doing something.

σπλαγχνίζομαι · splanchnizomai

Matthew 9:36advanced

Ἰδὼνidōnsee, look upon, experienceδὲdebut, on the other hand, andτοὺςtoustheὄχλουςochlouscrowdἐσπλαγχνίσθηesplanchnisthēhave pity onπερὶperiabout, concerning, aroundαὐτῶνautōnhe, she, it, they, them, sameὅτιhotithat, since, becauseἦσανēsanam, existἐσκυλμένοιeskylmenoiflay, trouble, annoyκαὶkaiand, even, also, namelyἐρριμμένοιerrimmenoithrow awayὡσεὶhōseias if, as it were, like, aboutπρόβαταprobatasheepμὴmēnot, lestἔχονταechontahave, hold, possessποιμέναpoimenashepherd
Read aloud — modern Greek pronunciation, not reconstructed Koine — so η, ι and υ all sound alike, which they did not in the first century. Good for the shape of the word.
KJVBut when he saw the multitudes, he was moved with compassion on them, because they fainted, and were scattered abroad, as sheep having no shepherd.

Vocabulary — 6 word(s) occurring 50 times or fewer

  • ἐσπλαγχνίσθησπλαγχνίζομαι · have pity on · 11×esplanchnisthē · verb aorist p3 sg
  • ἐσκυλμένοισκύλλω · flay, trouble, annoy · 4×eskylmenoi · verb perfect m pl
  • ἐρριμμένοιῥίπτω · throw away · 8×errimmenoi · verb perfect m pl
  • ὡσεὶὡσεί · as if, as it were, like, about · 20×hōsei · conjunction
  • πρόβαταπρόβατον · sheep · 39×probata · noun n pl
  • ποιμέναποιμήν · shepherd · 18×poimena · noun m sg
05

agapao and phileo

Twice Jesus asks with one verb and Peter answers with the other; the third time Jesus switches to Peter's. English uses 'love' for all six and the exchange goes flat. Whether the two verbs are genuinely distinguished here is disputed among specialists — but the switch is on the page, and an English reader is not told it happened.

ἀγαπάω / φιλέω · agapaō / phileō

John 21:15advanced

Ὅτεhotewhenοὖνountherefore, thenἠρίστησανēristēsanbreakfast, dineλέγειlegeisay, speakτῷtōtheΣίμωνιsimōniSimonΠέτρῳpetrōPeterὁhotheἸησοῦςiēsousJesusΣίμωνsimōnSimonἸωάννουiōannouJohnἀγαπᾷςagapasloveμεmeIπλέονpleonthe greatest, the mostτούτωνtoutōnthis, he, she, itλέγειlegeisay, speakαὐτῷautōhe, she, it, they, them, sameΝαίnaiyes, certainly, even soκύριεkyrielord, Lord, master, sirσὺsyyouοἶδαςoidasknow, rememberὅτιhotithat, since, becauseφιλῶphilōlove, kissσεseyouλέγειlegeisay, speakαὐτῷautōhe, she, it, they, them, sameΒόσκεboskefeedτὰtatheἀρνίαarnialambμουmouI
Read aloud — modern Greek pronunciation, not reconstructed Koine — so η, ι and υ all sound alike, which they did not in the first century. Good for the shape of the word.
KJVSo when they had dined, Jesus saith to Simon Peter, Simon, son of Jonas, lovest thou me more than these? He saith unto him, Yea, Lord; thou knowest that I love thee. He saith unto him, Feed my lambs.

Vocabulary — 5 word(s) occurring 50 times or fewer

  • ἠρίστησανἀριστάω · breakfast, dine · 3×ēristēsan · verb aorist p3 pl
  • Ναίναί · yes, certainly, even so · 33×nai · particle
  • φιλῶφιλέω · love, kiss · 25×philō · verb present p1 sg
  • Βόσκεβόσκω · feed · 9×boske · verb present p2 sg
  • ἀρνίαἀρνίον · lamb · 30×arnia · noun n pl
06

davar

Word, thing, matter, event. In Hebrew a spoken word and the thing it brings about are not separate categories, which is why 'every dābār that proceeds from the mouth of the LORD' is both a saying and a happening. English has to pick one and the sentence narrows.

דָּבָר · dābār

Deuteronomy 8:3intermediate

וַֽwa-andיְעַנְּךָ֮yəʿannəkābe lowlyוַwa-andיַּרְעִבֶךָ֒yarʿibekābe hungryוַwa-andיַּֽאֲכִֽלְךָ֤yaʾăkilkāeatאֶתʾet<object marker>הַha-theמָּן֙mānmannaאֲשֶׁ֣רʾăšer<relative>לֹאlōʾnotיָדַ֔עְתָּyādaʿttāknowוְwə-andלֹ֥אlōʾnotיָדְע֖וּןyādəʿūnknowאֲבֹתֶ֑יךָʾăbōteykāfatherלְמַ֣עַןləmaʿanbecause ofהֹודִֽעֲךָ֗hôdiʿăkāknowכִּ֠יkîthatלֹ֣אlōʾnotעַלʿaluponהַha-theלֶּ֤חֶםleḥembreadלְlə-toבַדֹּו֙baddôlinen, part, staveיִחְיֶ֣הyiḥyehbe aliveהָֽhā-theאָדָ֔םʾādāmhuman, mankindכִּ֛יkîthatעַלʿaluponכָּלkālwholeמֹוצָ֥אmôṣāʾissueפִֽיpîmouthיְהוָ֖הyəhwāhYHWHיִחְיֶ֥הyiḥyehbe aliveהָhā-theאָדָֽםʾādāmhuman, mankind
Read aloud — modern Israeli pronunciation, not reconstructed Biblical. Good for hearing the consonants and the shape of the word; it ignores the cantillation.
KJVAnd he humbled thee, and suffered thee to hunger, and fed thee with manna, which thou knewest not, neither did thy fathers know; that he might make thee know that man doth not live by bread only, but by every word that proceedeth out of the mouth of the LORD doth man live.

Vocabulary — 1 word(s) occurring 50 times or fewer

  • מֹוצָ֥אמוצא · issue · 32×môṣāʾ · subs m sg c

Grammar

  • יְעַנְּךָ֮ — piel — intensive or factitive
  • יַּרְעִבֶךָ֒ — hifil — causative: “caused to …”

A note on translation

None of this makes English translations untrustworthy. It makes them translations — and it is why the interlinear underneath each verse exists.