A Critical Study of the Translation of Egkrateia in Galatians 5:23 in the Asante-Twi Bible (2017)
Yaw Worae
Issue: Vol.2 No.1 April 2020 Article 4 pp.28-34
DOI : https://doi.org/10.32051/MOTBIT.2020.044 | Published online 3rd April 2020.
© 2020 The Author(s). This is an open access article under the CCBY license (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/).
Bible translation is a complex exercise that attempts to communicate what was first expressed in one language by expressing it in another so that readers may, as much as possible, discern what was said and infer what was meant in the original. Using the mother-tongue biblical hermeneutics approach, this study sought to critically examine the translation of egkrateia in Galatians 5:23 in the Asante-Twi Bible. Its objective was to find out whether egkrateia has been translated in the Asante-Twi bible in way that brings out what was meant by the author in the original text. The study found that evgkra,teia which is preferably rendered as “self-control” in English is translated as “anidahɔ” (vigilance, temperance) in the Asante-Twi Bible instead of “ahohyεsoɔ” (self-control). Ahohyεsoɔ (self-control) seems to express more vividly that “fruit of the Spirit” Paul talks about which has to do with one’s ability to control the natural appetites and desires. This research adds to the knowledge of the field of mother-tongue biblical hermeneutics. It is recommended that subsequent revision of the Asante-Twi Bible will consider translating egkrateia as “ahohyεsoɔ” (self-control).
Keywords: Temperance, self-control, bible translation, Asante people, Asante-Twi Bible, egkrateia.
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Yaw Worae, MPhil is a PhD Candidate at the Department of Religious Studies – Kwame Nkrumah University of Science and Technology -Ghana. His areas of interest are Mother Tongue Biblical Hermeneutics, New Testament Studies and Bible Translation. Email: woraeyaw@yahoo.ca
Worae, Yaw. “A Critical Study of the Translation of Egkrateia in Galatians 5:23 in the Asante-Twi Bible (2017).” Journal of Mother-Tongue Biblical Hermeneutics and Theology 2, no. 1 (2020): 28-34. https://doi.org/10.32051/motbit.2020.044
© 2020 The Author(s). Published and Maintained by Noyam Publishers. This is an open access article under the CCBY license (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/).
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