The hermeneutical dimension of Bible translation—A study of rendering Ruth 1 in two Bantu languages of South-Eastern Africa

Abstract

Bible translation is an inherently hermeneutical act because meaning must be construed across two languages and cultures—the biblical source and a contemporary receptor community. I argue that Bible translation constitutes a distinctive intercultural-translational paradigm of hermeneutics in its own right, and that robust, evangelical hermeneutics essentially requires mother-tongue participation to surface and resolve culture-bound interpretive challenges. This study highlights how local receptor norms pertaining to language and culture can subtly reframe meaning and shows why careful, exegetically-based contextualization—rather than transculturation—is necessary. The study proceeds in three stages: First, a concise overview is given of hermeneutics from an evangelical perspective. Second, a synthesis of core translation principles as applied to hermeneutics is supplied. Third, a practical comparative case study of Ruth 1 in two Bantu languages (Chichewa and Citonga) is supplied, one that draws on discourse-linguistic and literary-rhetorical analysis coupled with rigorous audience-checking procedures. This offers a worked example of hermeneutics-in-action that strengthens both interpretive discipline and communicative fidelity. The conclusion distills implications for African translation teams: prioritize trained mother-tongue reviewers, design supportive paratext to pre-empt predictable misreadings, and utilize repeated testing to align exegetical intent with receptor apprehension. In sum, translation is not an afterthought to biblical hermeneutics but its crucible.