shěnpàn (shěn·pàn trying · judging [→ [judgment]] 审判 審判) ← Tap/click to show/hide the “flashcard”
[Notes: Tap/click on a Pīnyīn (Pīn·yīn {Piecing Together of} · Sounds → [Pinyin] 拼音) expression to reveal its “flashcard”; tap/click on a “flashcard” or its Pīnyīn (Pīn·yīn {Piecing Together of} · Sounds → [Pinyin] 拼音) expression to hide the “flashcard”. 📖 📄 📘 icons mean 📖 Reveal All, 📄 Reveal Advanced, and 📘 Reveal None re all the “flashcards” in the heading, paragraph, etc. that they are placed at the beginning of.]
The Mandarin version of the New World Translation Bible was recently revised, and the current version (Study Edition (nwtsty)) is now dated 2023.
Since we base what we say in Jehovah’s service on his Word the Bible, the vocabulary used in it—and the way those vocabulary words are translated—should be reflected in how we speak in our ministry, at our meetings, etc. So, it is beneficial for us Mandarin field language learners to be familiar with the latest thinking from the organization on how Bible terms should be translated into Mandarin.
“A Resurrection of Judgment”
As the September 2022 Watchtower explains, upon further study and consideration, Jehovah’s organization has adjusted its understanding of John 5:29 (English, Mandarin):
What about those who practiced vile things before they died? Although their sins were canceled at death, they have not established a record of faithfulness. They do not have their names written in the book of life. Hence, the resurrection of “those who practiced vile things” is the same as the resurrection of “the unrighteous” referred to at Acts 24:15. Theirs will be “a resurrection of judgment.”* The unrighteous will be judged in the sense that they will be evaluated. (Luke 22:30) It will take time to determine whether they are judged worthy of having their names written in the book of life. Only if these unrighteous ones reject their former wicked course of life and dedicate themselves to Jehovah can they have their names written in the book of life.
The footnote for the above paragraph provides further commentary about how the organization now understands “judgment”, as used in John 5:29:
Previously, we explained that the term “judgment” used here means a negative judgment, or a verdict of condemnation. Actually, the word “judgment” may have that meaning. But in this context, it seems that Jesus used the word “judgment” in a more general sense, referring to a process of evaluation and probation or, as one Greek lexicon says, a “scrutiny of conduct.”
To harmonize with this revised understanding, the current 2023 version of the Mandarin NWT Bible now has new wording for John 5:29:
(The current wording in the 2023 version is on the left; the old wording is on the right. Dark mode for the Watchtower ONLINE LIBRARY (WOL) website, as shown in the above image, can be enabled in the Safari web browser by using the Noir Safari extension.)
Here is the Pīnyīn (Pīn·yīn {Piecing Together of} · Sounds → [Pinyin] 拼音) Plus rendering of the new wording for John 5:29 in Mandarin:
📖 📄 📘 jiù (then 就) chūlai (chū·lai {come out} · {to come} 出来 出來). Xíngshàn (Xíng·shàn {walked → [did]} · {good deeds} 行善) de ({’ (persons)} 的), fùhuó (fù·huó {will be turned around → [will be restored]} · {to be living} → [will be resurrected] 复活 復活) dédào (dé·dào {to get} · {arriving at} 得到) shēngmìng (life 生命); zuò’è (zuò’·è did · evil 作恶 作惡) de ({’s (persons)} 的), fùhuó (fù·huó {will be turned around → [will be restored]} · {to be living} → [will be resurrected] 复活 復活) jiēshòu (jiē·shòu {to come into contact with → [to receive]} · {to receive} → [to receive] 接受) shěnpàn (shěn·pàn trying · judging → [judgment] 审判 審判).
The NWT Bible (nwtsty) (Pīnyīn Plus, Web) resource has been revised to match the 2023 official Mandarin version of the NWT on the Watchtower ONLINE LIBRARY. The above Pīnyīn (Pīn·yīn {Piecing Together of} · Sounds → [Pinyin] 拼音) Plus material can be found here on the NWT Bible (nwtsty) (Pīnyīn Plus, Web) resource.
“Judgment” in Mandarin
Comparing the new Mandarin wording for John 5:29 shown above to the old wording, we can see that the new wording no longer uses “zhōng ({(in the) end} 终 終)”. Also, instead of “dìngzuì (dìng·zuì decided · {(to be having) guilt} 定罪)”, the word now used in the 2023 version of the Mandarin NWT to translate “judgment” in John 5:29 is this week’s MEotW, “shěnpàn (shěn·pàn trying · judging → [judgment] 审判 審判)”. This accords with the new explanation in the above-mentioned Watchtower that the meaning of John 5:29 is that “the unrighteous [who had “practiced vile things” before they died] will be judged in the sense that they will be evaluated”. This is in contrast to the old view of this verse meaning that the unrighteous will end up being condemned as being guilty because of bad things they do after they get resurrected.
