The Power of a Word

Translating Luke

The Mbe translation team in Nigeria was translating Luke 2:7: “She [Mary] gave birth to her first child, a son. She wrapped him snugly in strips of cloth and laid him in a manger, because there was no lodging available for them.”

Taking translation to villages

For the word “manger," the translators immediately used the word “ókpáng.” “What’s an ókpáng?” asked their consultant. One of the translators drew a picture of a traditional cradle hung by ropes so that the newborn could be laid in it and swung comfortably. 

The consultant asked the translators to check the commentaries and notice that the word in the original text meant animal trough.

The next weekend they read the story of Jesus’ birth to many church groups and individuals people in Mbe villages. Often the translators had to explain the reason they had chosen to use " ɛ́dzábrí," instead of the familiar word  “ókpáng.” . As the Mbe people listened, they were visibly moved. 

Picturing the newborn Baby lying in the animals’ feeding basket, they recognized in a new way that Jesus was willing to do whatever it took to reach them. No word in Scripture is too unimportant to translate carefully and accurately. Even the word for a baby’s bed—accurately translated—can show people the lengths to which God will go to reach them, to reach us.

Summarized from a letter by Bob Creson, President/CEO Wycliffe USA