Why does the word 'satan' translate to satan or something similar in all languages.

I was just curious so went to google translate and tried to translate the word 'satan' into all the languages available. I was expecting all the european languages to translate to satan, but guess what cultures having no connections like china, korea, haiti and even swahilese translate to sedan, setan, saitan etc.
So what do you all think about this?

I never really looked up what Satan is in other languages. Since Satan is the trickster or deceiver, the Indians probably referred to him as the Coyote. In this country it could be Congress.

reply to post by rickymouse


A group of baboons in english is a congress )) really!

reply to post by asen_y2k


Well then that explains congress.

Originally posted by asen_y2k
I was just curious so went to google translate and tried to translate the word 'satan' into all the languages available. I was expecting all the european languages to translate to satan, but guess what cultures having no connections like china, korea, haiti and even swahilese translate to sedan, setan, saitan etc.
So what do you all think about this?

edit on 27/12/12 by asen_y2k because: (no reason given)

What word is actually being translated? "Satan" is not a word and most of those cultures do not believe a concept like Satan. For example, "Sedan" in Swahili is actually the word "ago", I thought.

reply to post by Cuervo


Sedan is actually the chinese translation. In swahili its shetani, very similar. Most cultures it means evil , generally an evil person.

Because his evil is as old as time.....

Originally posted by asen_y2k
I was just curious so went to google translate and tried to translate the word 'satan' into all the languages available. I was expecting all the european languages to translate to satan, but guess what cultures having no connections like china, korea, haiti and even swahilese translate to sedan, setan, saitan etc.
So what do you all think about this?

edit on 27/12/12 by asen_y2k because: (no reason given)

My best guess is it's just a loan word. It's a fairly common thing one runs into when studying languages.

Originally posted by stonebutterfly
Because his evil is as old as time.....

But we don't have an universal word 'god', its different in all languages. Even ones which are similar.

Because Satan is a proper name, and thanks to missionaries, spreading the stink of religion onto everyone, many many languages have the word Satan.

reply to post by asen_y2k


Synonyms are: archfiend, Beelzebub, fiend, Lucifer, Old Nick, devil, serpent etc.

Czech - ďábel , not Satan(ish)

With the spread of Christianity the name Satan appearantly spread world wide....so a real Christian export

reply to post by asen_y2k


Probably the same reason Coffee and Coca Cola translates to the same or something very similar in all languages. The word is newer than the language.

It translates to "saatana" in finnish. So it's not that similar here.

reply to post by asen_y2k


Why does the name Tom, appear very similar if not the same in all languages??? Because it's a name. My name is my name, no matter where I am in the world, or who I tell it to.

reply to post by Hijinx


Thank you! I couldn't have expressed that better myself.

I'd be shocked to find my name was completely "different" in Mandarin, for example.

@ OP

The word "satan" does not exist in Indian languages, as far as I know. The generic indian word for devil is "Rakshas", which refers to a race of demonic beings.

The Arabic word for satan, "shaytaan" is sometimes used, but its not of Indian origin.

I think devil was assigned to people who were tricksters. A word identifying someone who would cause chaos. Like devilish kids on the night before Halloween. Satan was people that deceived others, relieving them of their wealth and belongings by many sort of means. Both names were interchangeable because both were chaotic people. This is what I get the impression of anyway. The original words were probably not satan or devil, that is probably a translation. Demons were evil spirits that dwelled in people, taking over their body. Something like a mental disease or addiction. I feel real Demons may exist but don't know what they mean. Then there is Lucifer. He m,ay have been some sort of deceiver also, I studied these three and they had similarities.

I think this was used to identify types of people who liked destroying or deceiving people out of their belongings. I'm not too sure that these were ever meant to represent a paranormal being originally.

Originally posted by PsykoOps
It translates to "saatana" in finnish. So it's not that similar here.

I remember Saatana Perkele and paska Hosu Not sure how to spell them correctly

Satan is short for Ha'Satan "the Adversary" in hebrew. Take the book of Job for instance:

Job 1:6 Now there was a day when the sons of God came to present themselves before the Lord, and Satan also came among them.

b.Job 1:6 Literally the Adversary, and so throughout this book


He's the angel of Death.

Most modern alphabetical languages evolved from ancient hebrew and ancient aramaic, and yes english derives from that root too.

Originally posted by asen_y2k
reply to post by Cuervo

 

Sedan is actually the chinese translation. In swahili its shetani, very similar. Most cultures it means evil , generally an evil person.

Well except for hoodoo. Papa Legba, pretty evil chap but not anyhwere near spelled like Satan.