Believe: A Word for the Islanders
Poem★★★★When the great missionary, John C. Paton, was trans- lating the Scriptures for his South Sea Islanders, ap- parently there was no word for “‘believe’’ in their native tongue. For a long while he was well-nigh baffled. One day a native came into his study, and, tired out, Hung himself down on a chair, rested his feet on another chair and lay back full length, saying as he did so something about how good it was to lean his whole weight on those chairs.
Instantly Dr. Paton noted the word the man used for “lean his whole weight on.”’ The missionary had his word for “‘believe.’’ He used it at once and thereafter in translating the Scriptures. Try it for yourself and see, in any verse that uses the word “believe.”
Griffith Thomas.
The point
John Paton discovered the Polynesian word for 'believe' when a tired native said he was leaning his whole weight on a chair - the perfect translation concept for biblical faith.