Following are a number of back-translations of Mark 1:21:
Uma: “From there, Yesus with his followers went to Kapernaum-town. On the Yahudi worship day, he entered into the worship house and began to teach.” (Source: Uma Back Translation)
Yakan: “Isa and company went to the town Kapernaum. When Saturday came, the day of-no-work of the Yahudi, Isa went to the prayer-house to preach/teach to the people.” (Source: Yakan Back Translation)
Western Bukidnon Manobo: “They went to the town Capernaum, and when it was Saturday which is the Day of Rest, Jesus went into the Church of the Jews and there Jesus taught the people.” (Source: Western Bukidnon Manobo Back Translation)
Kankanaey: “Plural Jesus went to Capernaum. On the day for-resting, they entered the sinagoga (synagogue), and Jesus began to teach.” (Source: Kankanaey Back Translation)
Tagbanwa: “They went to Capernaum. When it was the Day of Rest, they entered the worship-place and then Jesus taught there.” (Source: Tagbanwa Back Translation)
Shipibo-Conibo: “Then they arrived at Capernaum. Then on the very day to rest, having entered into the small house to praise God in. he taught them.” (Source: James Lauriault in The Bible Translator 1951, p. 32ff. )
Balinese: “Then He together with those followers went to the city Kapernaum. There, when it was Sabat, He entered the place of worship and gave teaching.” (Source: J.L. Swellengrebel in The Bible Translator 1950, p. 75ff. )
English translation by Michael Pakaluk (2019): “So they make their way into Capernaum. And right away he began teaching in the synagogue there, on the Sabbath.”
Many languages distinguish between inclusive and exclusive first-person plural pronouns (“we”). (Click or tap here to see more details)
The inclusive “we” specifically includes the addressee (“you and I and possibly others”), while the exclusive “we” specifically excludes the addressee (“he/she/they and I, but not you”). This grammatical distinction is called “clusivity.” While Semitic languages such as Hebrew or most Indo-European languages such as Greek or English do not make that distinction, translators of languages with that distinction have to make a choice every time they encounter “we” or a form thereof (in English: “we,” “our,” or “us”).
For the first part of this verse (“our father Jacob” in English translations), translators often select the inclusive form, whereas for the second part (“gave us this well” in English translations) the exclusive form.
Source: Velma Pickett and Florence Cowan in Notes on Translation January 1962, p. 1ff.
The Yagua translators (who, along with the translations into Malay, Sundanese, and Balinese, chose the exclusive for both parts of the verse) justify this by saying “Our choice here is exclusive assuming that the Samaritan woman to maintain the independent and factious spirit which this account shows existed between Jews and Samaritans.”
Source: Paul Powlison in Notes on Translation with Drills, p. 165ff.
Another opinion on using the inclusive pronoun for this verse and the remainder of the story:
“The Samaritan woman, in my view, is trying to get the better of Jesus; she appeals to Jacob (v. 12) and to ‘our fathers’ (v. 20) as to authorities higher than Jesus. If this is true, then it was important for her to show that those authorities were acknowledged by Jesus also. Therefore, we can imagine her to have thought or said ‘Your and my ancestor’ (v. 12) or ‘ancestors’ (v. 20) — inclusive pronoun in both verses.
“As for the phrase ‘who gave us the well’, there is certainly much truth in the consideration: “Since the well was in Samaritan territory, presumably she would use the exclusive form.” Yet, the inclusive can be defended here also, I think. With the remark that Jacob and his sons drank from the well, she is pointing back to a time anterior to the present antithesis between Jew and Samaritan; the well was given to ancestors of both peoples. Moreover, she comes to fetch water from the well and Jesus hopes to quench his thirst with its water. “The well is of common interest for both you and me,” she may have meant. It seems possible to find a third appeal to higher authority in v. 25. The woman has acknowledged Jesus as a prophet, but to the Messiah even a prophet has to bow; he, the prophet, as well as she, will have to be shown all things by the Messiah. Accepting this interpretation, we again have to use the inclusive ‘we’, Yet there is a difference with the verses first mentioned. In v. 12 and v. 20 the pronominal first person plural was used in phrases connected with the past; v. 25 points to the future, to the time when the Messiah will come and teach. A consciousness among the Samaritans of a Messianic belief common to both Jews and themselves is a necessary presupposition of the interpretation of v. 25 given above. So we are led to the preliminary question whether such a consciousness existed in Jesus’ times.”
Following are a number of back-translations of Mark 1:32:
Uma: “That late-afternoon , the sun was setting, many people came to Yesus bringing all who were sick or possessed by demons.” (Source: Uma Back Translation)
Yakan: “When the sun had set, the people brought to Isa whoever was sick and those people (who were) demon possessed.” (Source: Yakan Back Translation)
Western Bukidnon Manobo: “And when the sun had gone down, all the sick and the afflicted with demons were brought by people to Jesus.” (Source: Western Bukidnon Manobo Back Translation)
Kankanaey: “As the sun was going-down, the inhabitants brought to Jesus all who were possessed by evil-spirits and the sick.” (Source: Kankanaey Back Translation)
Tagbanwa: “When the sun set, all who were sick and were possessed by evil spirits were brought to Jesus.” (Source: Tagbanwa Back Translation)
Balinese: “When it was evening and the sun had set, all the sick people and those that were possessed by demons were brought before Jesus.” (Source: J.L. Swellengrebel in The Bible Translator 1950, p. 75ff. )
English translation by Michael Pakaluk (2019): “In the evening, when the sun set, they brought to him everyone who had something wrong, and everyone afflicted by devils.”
Following are a number of back-translations of Mark 1:11:
Uma: “God spoke from heaven saying to him: ‘You (sing.) are my Son whom I love. You (sing.) are the one who makes-happy my heart.'” (Source: Uma Back Translation)
Yakan: “And there was a voice from heaven saying, ‘You are my beloved Son. I am really pleased with you.'” (Source: Yakan Back Translation)
Western Bukidnon Manobo: “Then God in heaven was heard saying, he said, ‘You are my dear Son. I am very much pleased with you.'” (Source: Western Bukidnon Manobo Back Translation)
Kankanaey: “Then there was a voice from heaven that said, ‘You (sing.) are my much-loved child. You (sing.) are the one-with-whom-I-am-continually-satisfied.'” (Source: Kankanaey Back Translation)
Tagbanwa: “At the same time there was speech coming from heaven/sky which said, ‘You (sing.) really are my held-very-dear Son. I really am very pleased with you.'” (Source: Tagbanwa Back Translation)
Balinese: “And then there was a voice from heavens. as follows: ‘You my child 1are Father’s Son who is loved by Father, only to you is the pleasing of Father’s heart.'” (Source: J.L. Swellengrebel in The Bible Translator 1950, p. 75ff. )
English translation by Michael Pakaluk (2019): “And there was a voice from heaven: ‘You are my son, my beloved one. I delight in you.’”
Following are a number of back-translations of Mark 1:22:
Uma: “The people were surprised to hear his teaching. Because he did not teach like the religion teachers. His teaching [was] like a person who really had-authority/power.” (Source: Uma Back Translation)
Yakan: “The people were amazed/wondered when they heard his preaching/teaching. For the teaching of Isa was really different from the teaching (usihat) of the religious-teachers of the religious law. For Isa had power when he spoke.” (Source: Yakan Back Translation)
Western Bukidnon Manobo: “The people, when they heard his teaching, were very amazed, for his teaching was not like the teaching of the teachers of the law of the Jews. For Jesus, by contrast, had great power to teach.” (Source: Western Bukidnon Manobo Back Translation)
Kankanaey: “The many-people were surprised by the way he taught, because in his teaching, they could-see that he had authority, which was not like the way of the teachers of the law.” (Source: Kankanaey Back Translation)
Tagbanwa: “The people were amazed, because it was clear from his words/speech that he was one who had true wisdom/understanding of what he was teaching. Not like the explainers of law who always mention/refer-to what had been taught by others.” (Source: Tagbanwa Back Translation)
Shipibo-Conibo: “Then, when he was teaching them. they were all startled. He taught them like one who had strength, not as the book wise ones did.” (Source: James Lauriault in The Bible Translator 1951, p. 32ff. )
Balinese: “Ah, astonished were all the people there at His teaching, because He taught in the way of a man full of power, wholly otherwise than is the way of those learned in the religion of Taurat [Torah].” (Source: J.L. Swellengrebel in The Bible Translator 1950, p. 75ff. )
English translation by Michael Pakaluk (2019): “Well, they were overwhelmed by his teaching, because he taught them as someone who had authority, and not as the scribes.”
Many languages distinguish between inclusive and exclusive first-person plural pronouns (“we”). (Click or tap here to see more details)
The inclusive “we” specifically includes the addressee (“you and I and possibly others”), while the exclusive “we” specifically excludes the addressee (“he/she/they and I, but not you”). This grammatical distinction is called “clusivity.” While Semitic languages such as Hebrew or most Indo-European languages such as Greek or English do not make that distinction, translators of languages with that distinction have to make a choice every time they encounter “we” or a form thereof (in English: “we,” “our,” or “us”).
For this verse (“declare all things to us” in English translations), translators typically select the exclusive form.
Source: SIL International Translation Department (1999)
