Towards an Accurate Akan-Mfantse Translation of Matthew 28:18–20

Fiifi Afenyi-Donkor

Issue: Vol.7  No.6 2025 Article 2 pp. 152 – 164
DOI : https://doi.org/10.38159/motbit.2025762|   Published online 28th December, 2025
© 2025 The Author(s). This is an open access article under the CCBY license (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/).

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This study presents an exegetical and translational analysis of Matthew 28:18–20, aimed at producing a linguistically faithful and theologically coherent Akan-Mfantse translation. Employing the literal-grammatical-historical method, it examines key Greek verbal structures, particularly the aorist imperative μαθητεύσατε (matheteúsate, “make disciples”) and its dependent participles πορευθέντες, βαπτίζοντες, and διδάσκοντες, to demonstrate that preserving the Greek syntactic hierarchy is essential for doctrinal accuracy. Drawing on Eugene Nida’s dynamic equivalence model and Hans Vermeer’s Skopos theory, the study critiqued the current Mfantse Bible for misrepresenting participial subordination by rendering πορευθέντες (going) as a primary command. Based on the critique, it proposes a revised Mfantse translation that restores the Greek imperative structure and preserves the Trinitarian theological integrity of the baptismal formula. While primarily exegetical, the study acknowledges limited empirical validation; future research will include field testing with translation experts, clergy panels, and Mfantse-speaking congregations to assess linguistic accuracy and pastoral applicability. The study concludes that a faithful Mfantse translation is not merely a linguistic refinement but a pastoral and theological imperative, one that deepens doctrinal understanding, strengthens ecclesial mission, and sustains discipleship within the lived realities of Ghanaian Christianity. The research contributes to New Testament exegesis, vernacular translation studies, and contextual theology in sub-Saharan Africa.

Keywords: Discipleship, Translation Theory, Greek Syntax, Mother-Tongue Theology, Trinitarian Formula

 

 

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Rev’d Fiifi Afenyi-Donkor holds a Master of Divinity degree (Distinction) from Trinity Theological Seminary, Accra, Ghana. He is an ordained minister of The Methodist Church Ghana and serves as Personal Assistant to the Presiding Bishop. Rooted in the Wesleyan theological tradition, his scholarship emphasizes Scripture, holiness, the integration of personal piety with public responsibility, and social witness. He engages mother-tongue biblical hermeneutics to articulate a distinctly African yet biblically grounded Christian voice.

Afenyi-Donkor, Fiifi. “Towards an Accurate Akan-Mfantse Translation of Matthew 28:18–20.” Journal of Mother-Tongue Biblical Hermeneutics and Theology (MOTBIT), 7 , no. 6 (2025): 152 – 164. https://doi.org/10.38159/motbit.2025762.

© 2025 The Author(s). Published and Maintained by Noyam Journals. This is an open access article under the CCBY license (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/).

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