Prayer Partner Letter

March 2014

Prayer Partners,

Dear Prayer Partners,

An essential part of translating Scripture is to check with nationals about what they understand is being said by the way a particular verse or word has been translated into their language. Whenever there is a misunderstanding, the translator and nationals work together until the translation is accurately understood and sounds natural to the speakers of that language. A good example of this step in the checking process is the following story shared by Chris Urton, a missionary with Pioneer Bible Translators in Papua New Guinea. He entitled it, “What was in the Ark of the Covenant?”

It was another cool August morning in Ukarumpa. We sat at the dining table checking the book of Hebrews in the Tay [pronounced Tie] language. We had already completed the checking of the books of Jude and Philemon. Steve Hayward has been working diligently on the Tay New Testament, attempting to finish it and have it published in 2013.

Jepiri and Kilion sat with Steve and me answering all of the questions that I had for them about the translation as we went through it verse by verse. When we came to Hebrews 9:4, I asked them “What was in the Ark of the Covenant?”

Kilion responded correctly that the gold jar of manna was in there. He also understood that the two stone tablets of the law were in there. Then he told me that Aaron’s offspring were in the ark! I asked him again to make sure I understood him correctly. And that was definitely what he said. The confusion came about because of Aaron’s staff budding. In the Tay language, as with many languages in Papua New Guinea, a sprout or a bud from a plant is the same word that is used for children and grandchildren. Kilion was bypassing the walking stick and coming away with only “Aaron’s sprouts.” Kilion understood the phrase very similarly to Isaiah 11:1 where it says: “A shoot will come up from the stump of Jesse” (NIV). That shoot was David.

This was definitely not the meaning that we were after, especially in PNG where ancestors are worshiped. Steve, Jepiri and Kilion worked on the translation of the verse some more to make sure that it was explicit that it was Aaron’s staff sprouting and not Aaron’s sprouts.

Thank God that this misunderstanding was caught and corrected.

Thank God that the New Testament in the Tay language is nearing completion.

Pray that translators and nationals in every language where Pioneer Bible Translators is working will persevere in the thorough checking process of the translation to make sure it communicates accurately and naturally in that language.

Thanks for your prayers,

Gerald Denny
Care Department Director
Pioneer Bible Translators