# Anyone here speak German? **URL:** \ **Category:** Factual Questions\ **Created:** [August 23, 2007, 11:46pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/anyone-here-speak-german/416704 "2007-08-23T23:46:00Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 19\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Cap\_n\_Obvious](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/e56c9b/32.png) [@Cap\_n\_Obvious](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Cap_n_Obvious)\ **Post date:** [August 23, 2007, 11:46pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/anyone-here-speak-german/416704/1 "2007-08-23T23:46:00Z")
If so, could you tell me what Selig sind die Todten die in dem Herrn Sterben says when translated into English? I’d appreciate it greatly. I found the phrase on the tombstone of my great great grandfather, and it’s bugging me. ---
**Author:** ![Chez\_Guevara](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/aeb1de/32.png) [@Chez\_Guevara](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Chez_Guevara)\ **Post date:** [August 23, 2007, 11:57pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/anyone-here-speak-german/416704/2 "2007-08-23T23:57:16Z")
_Blessed are the dead, which die in the Lord_ (Revelation 14.13). ---
**Author:** ![Cap\_n\_Obvious](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/e56c9b/32.png) [@Cap\_n\_Obvious](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Cap_n_Obvious)\ **Post date:** [August 24, 2007, 12:03am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/anyone-here-speak-german/416704/3 "2007-08-24T00:03:46Z")
Thank you. 🙂 ---
**Author:** ![Chez\_Guevara](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/aeb1de/32.png) [@Chez\_Guevara](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Chez_Guevara)\ **Post date:** [August 24, 2007, 12:12am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/anyone-here-speak-german/416704/4 "2007-08-24T00:12:02Z")
I was happy to help. ---
**Author:** ![John\_Mace](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/john_mace/32/185_2.png) [@John\_Mace](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/John_Mace)\ **Post date:** [August 24, 2007, 1:20am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/anyone-here-speak-german/416704/5 "2007-08-24T01:20:05Z")
You missed a word (one in English, but 3 in German): _Auf Deutsch: Selig sind die Toten, die in dem Herrn sterben von nun an._ In English: Blessed are the dead who die in the Lord henceforth. ---
**Author:** ![Chez\_Guevara](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/aeb1de/32.png) [@Chez\_Guevara](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Chez_Guevara)\ **Post date:** [August 24, 2007, 1:51am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/anyone-here-speak-german/416704/6 "2007-08-24T01:51:03Z")
Yes but the Cap’n should know what’s on his great great grandfather’s tombstone. ---
**Author:** ![Zahava424](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/z/76d3ee/32.png) [@Zahava424](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Zahava424)\ **Post date:** [August 24, 2007, 3:24am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/anyone-here-speak-german/416704/7 "2007-08-24T03:24:42Z")
[QUOTE=John Mace] You missed a word (one in English, but 3 in German): _Auf Deutsch: Selig sind die Toten, die in dem Herrn sterben von nun an._ In English: Blessed are the dead who die in the Lord henceforth. [/QUOTE] That’s a switch. Often, phrases that are several words in English can be said in one word in German, no? ---
**Author:** ![Siam\_Sam](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/d78d45/32.png) [@Siam\_Sam](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Siam_Sam)\ **Post date:** [August 24, 2007, 4:37am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/anyone-here-speak-german/416704/8 "2007-08-24T04:37:56Z")
[QUOTE=Zahava424] That’s a switch. Often, phrases that are several words in English can be said in one word in German, no? [/QUOTE] I speak a little German and have found that it can work either way. ---
**Author:** ![Frylock](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/ce7236/32.png) [@Frylock](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Frylock)\ **Post date:** [August 24, 2007, 6:06am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/anyone-here-speak-german/416704/9 "2007-08-24T06:06:21Z")
[QUOTE=Zahava424] That’s a switch. Often, phrases that are several words in English can be said in one word in German, no? [/QUOTE] Tidbit: “von nun an” is literally “from now on.” -FrL- ---
**Author:** ![panamajack](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/47e85d/32.png) [@panamajack](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/panamajack)\ **Post date:** [August 24, 2007, 7:29am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/anyone-here-speak-german/416704/10 "2007-08-24T07:29:45Z")
I’ve seen a number of German tombstones (in the US) that use the quote as given (without the _von nun an_). It is normally in German Bible translations, in case anyone was wondering. The original Greek is one word, _aparti_ (derived from _apo_, [away] “from”, and _arti_, “now”). It’s not related to English “apart”. ---
**Author:** ![John\_Mace](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/john_mace/32/185_2.png) [@John\_Mace](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/John_Mace)\ **Post date:** [August 24, 2007, 3:00pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/anyone-here-speak-german/416704/11 "2007-08-24T15:00:38Z")
[QUOTE=Zahava424] That’s a switch. Often, phrases that are several words in English can be said in one word in German, no? [/QUOTE] Whydoyousaythat? 🙂 ---
**Author:** ![Sal\_Ammoniac](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/8dc957/32.png) [@Sal\_Ammoniac](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sal_Ammoniac)\ **Post date:** [August 24, 2007, 3:21pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/anyone-here-speak-german/416704/12 "2007-08-24T15:21:00Z")
\*“Selig” \*means “blessed”? Take that, Barry Bonds! ---
**Author:** ![bordelond](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bordelond/32/150_2.png) [@bordelond](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/bordelond)\ **Post date:** [August 24, 2007, 3:51pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/anyone-here-speak-german/416704/13 "2007-08-24T15:51:00Z")
> [@](#): > > “Selig” means “blessed”? Take that, Barry Bonds! 😃 While we’re here, is the surname _Zelig_ simply a (Yiddish?) version of _Selig_, or does it have a completely different meaning? ---
**Author:** ![John\_Mace](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/john_mace/32/185_2.png) [@John\_Mace](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/John_Mace)\ **Post date:** [August 24, 2007, 7:29pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/anyone-here-speak-german/416704/14 "2007-08-24T19:29:44Z")
[QUOTE=bordelond] 😃 While we’re here, is the surname _Zelig_ simply a (Yiddish?) version of _Selig_, or does it have a completely different meaning? [/QUOTE] According to [this authoritative cite](http://www.babynames.com/name/ZELIG), yes. ---
**Author:** ![Siam\_Sam](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/d78d45/32.png) [@Siam\_Sam](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Siam_Sam)\ **Post date:** [August 25, 2007, 12:57am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/anyone-here-speak-german/416704/15 "2007-08-25T00:57:35Z")
And don’t forget [Woody Allen.](http://imdb.com/title/tt0086637/) ---
**Author:** ![vetbridge](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/v/b5e925/32.png) [@vetbridge](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/vetbridge)\ **Post date:** [August 25, 2007, 3:44pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/anyone-here-speak-german/416704/16 "2007-08-25T15:44:26Z")
My dad spoke a little German. When he was exasperated he would yell, “I do not have a hat on my head” in German. It sounded like some horrible/cruel/naziesque phrase, “Ich habe nicht einen Hut auf meinem Kopf!” unless you knew what it meant. ---
**Author:** ![Shodan](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/9f8e36/32.png) [@Shodan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Shodan)\ **Post date:** [August 25, 2007, 4:10pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/anyone-here-speak-german/416704/17 "2007-08-25T16:10:23Z")
Lots of German sounds like that. When my German-speaking _grossmutti_ was angry, I knew it. Regards, Shodan ---
**Author:** ![diggleblop](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/ac91a4/32.png) [@diggleblop](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/diggleblop)\ **Post date:** [August 25, 2007, 4:14pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/anyone-here-speak-german/416704/18 "2007-08-25T16:14:55Z")
By the way, for future reference, check out [Google Translate](http://www.google.com/translate_t). ---
**Author:** ![kellner](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/c2a13f/32.png) [@kellner](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/kellner)\ **Post date:** [August 25, 2007, 4:36pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/anyone-here-speak-german/416704/19 "2007-08-25T16:36:35Z")
[QUOTE=diggleblop] By the way, for future reference, check out [Google Translate](http://www.google.com/translate_t). [/QUOTE] > [@](#): > > The Todten is blessed in the Mr. Sterben 🙂 The exact phrasing and spelling are from Luther’s bible translation and a bit archaic. E.g. the software doesn’t recognize “Todten” because that would spelled “Toten” today.