More honourable than the Cherubim (Swahili)

#The_Magnificat #Μεγαλυνάριον #Revised_Edition

There are more than one versions of this hymn in Swahili. However, after a thorough scrutiny of the Greek and English versions, some errors have been found on the Swahili versions and are explained below;

1. Some versions translate the first line of the hymn as;
‘Uliye wa dhamani kushinda Waheruvi’ (Greater in honor than the Cherubim) – The error here is on ‘kushinda’. Waheruvi are living beings and not objects or places for the word kushinda to apply. Therefore, the correct word to use is ‘kuwashinda’.

2. There’s a version that states;
‘Uliyemzaa Mungu Neno, umebaki bila kukuharibu’
and another,
‘Uliyemzaa Mungu Neno, umebaki bila kuharibika’.
These two versions are translations for,
‘you gave birth to God the Word in virginity’.
These translations are not really correct with the fact that, the virginity of the Theotokos on the two versions isn’t explained well and in a way, not mentioned at all. If the word ‘haribu’ is to be applicable, the word ‘ubikira’ (virginity/incorruptibility) has to be used as well. If both words were to apply, the correct version would be;
‘Uliye Bikira ukimzaa Mungu Neno, ulibaki bila kuuharibu’. In this case, ‘kuuharibu’ explains that the ‘ubikira’ was never affected by the birth giving and the word ‘baki’ should be in the past and not present if you close check the Greek and English versions. The correct translation therefore is;
‘Uliye bikira ukimzaa Mungu Neno’ and the rest is not important here for we’re not explaining into details of her ever-virginity, in this particular hymn. The revision, ‘uliye bikira…..’ also means that the Theotokos maintained her virginity even birth.

May the Holy Virgin intercede for us sinners.

Having said all that, below are the Greek and English versions alongside the Swahili version.

ENGLISH (Version 1):
O you higher in honor than the Cherubim, and more glorious beyond compare than the Seraphim; you gave birth to God the Word in virginity, you are truly the mother of God. You do we exalt.

ENGLISH (Version 2):
Greater in honor than the Cherubim, and in
glory greater beyond compare than the Seraphim; you without corruption gave birth to God the
Word, and are truly Theotokos. You do we
magnify.

GREEK:
Τὴν τιμιωτέραν τῶν Χερουβείμ, καὶ
ἐνδοξοτέραν, ἀσυγκρίτως τῶν Σεραφείμ, τὴν
ἀδιαφθόρως, Θεὸν Λόγον τεκοῦσαν, τὴν ὄντως
Θεοτόκον, σὲ μεγαλύνομεν.

Revised SWAHILI Version:
Uliye wa dhamani kuwashinda Waheruvi, uliye na utukufu kupita bila kiasi Waserafi; uliye bikira ukimzaa Mungu Neno, uliye Mzazi Mungu kweli. Tunakukuza we.

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