Translation commentary on Luke 8:49

Exegesis:

eti autou lalountos ‘while he was still speaking.’

erchetai tis ‘somebody came.’ The historical present has a note of suddenness.

para tou archisunagōgou lit. ‘from the leader of the synagogue,’ or, since he is with Jesus and not at home, ‘from the house of the leader of the synagogue’ (cf. Bible de Jérusalem, de chez le chef).

archisunagōgos (also 13.14) ‘leader, or president of the synagogue,’ whose duty it was to take care of the arrangements for the worship services.

legōn hoti ‘saying,’ introducing direct speech.

tethnēken hē thugatēr sou ‘your daughter has died,’ but in English better rendered ‘your daughter is dead,’ cf. on 7.12.

mēketi skulle ton didaskalon ‘do not trouble the teacher anymore.’ For skullō cf. on 7.6. didaskalos as a title occurs usually in the vocative (cf. on 3.12), but here in the accusative.

Translation:

While he was still speaking, or, ‘he was still speaking, there/suddenly…’ (Balinese); the idea of continuance inherent in “still” may here be rendered otherwise, cf. “before he had finished speaking” (The Four Gospels – a New Translation).

Your daughter is dead; do not trouble the Teacher any more. Supposing that the messenger is one of the ruler’s servants, languages like Javanese, Sundanese will use honorific forms here. The first clause is the actual message, the second points to the consequences of the new situation; it expresses not a prohibition but an advice, ‘you should not…,’ or ‘there is no need now to….’ For to trouble, or, ‘to bother,’ ‘to put to inconveniences,’ ‘to give labour’ (Marathi), cf. also on the reflexive form in 7.6. Sometimes a circumlocutionary rendering of the verb must be given, cf. e.g. ‘do not keep saying to the teacher, “Please, come (to my house)” ,’ or, ‘Why don’t you say to the teacher, “You are not to come”?’ (Auca). — If Teacher has to be possessed one may say ‘our (inclus.) Teacher/Master.’

Quoted with permission from Reiling, J. and Swellengrebel, J.L. A Handbook on the Gospel of Luke. (UBS Handbook Series). New York: UBS, 1971. For this and other handbooks for translators see here . Make sure to also consult the Handbook on the Gospel of Mark for parallel or similar verses.

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