Language-specific Insights

complete verse (Luke 11:19)

Following are a number of back-translations of Luke 11:19:

  • Noongar: “If I drive them out that way, how do your disciples drive them out? Your own disciples show that you are wrong!” (Source: Warda-Kwabba Luke-Ang)
  • Uma: “But there are also your own companions who expel demons. With what authority do your companions expel demons. Surely with the authority of God. So, from the deeds of your own companions, it is clear that your false-charges are wrong.” (Source: Uma Back Translation)
  • Yakan: “If this is true, with whose power do your disciples drive out demons? They will be the ones who say that your thinking is at fault.” (Source: Yakan Back Translation)
  • Western Bukidnon Manobo: “If the power that I use to drive away demons really comes from Satan, then where does the power that your companions use to drive away demons, come from? By means of the activity of your disciples, it can be known that you are mistaken.” (Source: Western Bukidnon Manobo Back Translation)
  • Kankanaey: “If that is true, how then have your disciples been causing-evil-spirits -to-leave? Even they, they will confirm that what you are saying is mistaken!” (Source: Kankanaey Back Translation)
  • Tagbanwa: “But supposing it’s true that I drive out evil spirits by the ability/means of Beelzebub, well where does the ability come from of your followers who can also drive out evil spirits? They are the ones who can testify that you have really made a mistake.” (Source: Tagbanwa Back Translation)
  • Kabwa: “Well, if it is true that, me I chase out demons by the authority of Beelzebul, now your students they chase out [demons] by the authority of whom?”
  • Suba-Simbiti: “But if me I chase out a demon by the authority of Beelzebul, your students also chase out demons by the authority of Beelzebul?” (Source for this and above: R.M. Mészároš in Journal of Translation 18/2022, p. 115ff. )

complete verse (Luke 11:36)

Following are a number of back-translations of Luke 11:36:

  • Noongar: “If light fills all your body, and no part is in darkness, all your body will become bright, like fire when its light shines on you.'” (Source: Warda-Kwabba Luke-Ang)
  • Uma: “If the Lord shines-on our hearts to the point that there is no longer any darkness, all our lives are really light, like a house that is shined-on by a lamp.'” (Source: Uma Back Translation)
  • Yakan: “If your whole body is light and there is none, not even a little bit of darkness, your whole body is very light/bright it is as if there is a lamp shining on it.'” (Source: Yakan Back Translation)
  • Western Bukidnon Manobo: “If his understanding of what is right is good, he has no evil deeds. It’s as if what he does is bright, just like he were illuminated by a lamp.” (Source: Western Bukidnon Manobo Back Translation)
  • Kankanaey: “Because if your (sing.) mind is totally bright/lit-up with absolutely no darkness, you (sing.) will be properly illuminated as if with a strong light.'” (Source: Kankanaey Back Translation)
  • Tagbanwa: “But as long as your mind/thinking has been enlightened by God, it has no more that is dark. Your whole life is really clear/bright, as if being right in the light of a bright lamp.'” (Source: Tagbanwa Back Translation)
  • Amele: “If your whole body is light (fulacdoc) and not in darkness it is completely light. Like the light (fulacdoc) of a lamp (gowoc ‘flame, light, lamp’) goes throughout the whole place so that light (fulacdoc) lights your whole body” (Source: John Roberts in this article )
  • Kabwa: “Therefore, if your whole body is full of light without any darkness, it will shine just as a lamp gives you light with its brightness.”
  • Suba-Simbiti: “Therefore whenever it happens that your whole body has light, and darkness is not in there, you will see well, like when you are given light by a lamp which is lit.” (Source for this and above: R.M. Mészároš in Journal of Translation 18/2022, p. 115ff. )

complete verse (Luke 12:39)

Following are a number of back-translations of Luke 12:39:

  • Noongar: “And you already know this truth: if a man owns his house and he knows when the thief will come, he will not allow the thief to break his house and enter it.” (Source: Warda-Kwabba Luke-Ang)
  • Uma: “‘Store my parable in your hearts: If the house-owner knows ahead-of-time what time robbers will come, he will definitely guard so that they do not enter.” (Source: Uma Back Translation)
  • Yakan: “But remember this, that if the owner of a house knew at what time the thief will arrive he would certainly watch/stay awake and he would not let/abandon his house to be broken into and entered.” (Source: Yakan Back Translation)
  • Western Bukidnon Manobo: “And Jesus said again, ‘Don’t you forget that if the owner of the house knew when the thief would come, he would have carefully be on guard and that thief could not have entered into his house.” (Source: Western Bukidnon Manobo Back Translation)
  • Kankanaey: “‘Remember this also: if the house owner had known the hour that the thief would arrive, he would have been prepared so the thief would not have-been-able-to-enter.” (Source: Kankanaey Back Translation)
  • Tagbanwa: “Consider this. Supposing a householder knew at what hour a thief would come, of course he wouldn’t just allow his house to be entered.” (Source: Tagbanwa Back Translation)
  • Kabwa: “If a house owner would know the time when a thief is coming, he would prepare himself, and the thief would not enter inside his house.”
  • Suba-Simbiti: “If only a house owner would know the time at which a thief would come, he would prepare himself. He would not sleep, leaving the thief destroying his house.” (Source for this and above: R.M. Mészároš in Journal of Translation 18/2022, p. 115ff. )

complete verse (Luke 17:6)

Following are a number of back-translations of Luke 17:6:

  • Noongar: “Jesus said, ‘If you had faith like a tiny seed, you could tell this tree, ‘Pull yourself up with the roots and plant yourself in the sea’. And the tree would do what you said.'” (Source: Warda-Kwabba Luke-Ang)
  • Uma: “The Lord Yesus said: ‘If you have faith even just [the size of] a chigger, you can say to this big tree: ‘Pull yourself up from there, move over there into the sea!’ it would definitely really move according to your command.” (Source: Uma Back Translation)
  • Yakan: “Their Lord answered, he said, ‘If you trust God even just a little, figuratively if it’s size is only like the mustard seed, you can say to that big tree over there, ‘Uproot yourself and change your place going into the sea,’ and it will do what you say.'” (Source: Yakan Back Translation)
  • Western Bukidnon Manobo: “And Jesus answered, ‘If you have faith which is as big as even one small mustard seed, you can say to this big tree, ‘Go away from there, and be transferred into the sea.’ And that will be that, and it will obey you.'” (Source: Western Bukidnon Manobo Back Translation)
  • Kankanaey: “And he said, ‘Even though your faith is small like the smallest seed, you can say to this large tree, ‘Pluck-out your (sing.) roots and go to the ocean so that that will be your (sing.) growing-place,’ and it will go and obey.'” (Source: Kankanaey Back Translation)
  • Tagbanwa: “The Lord Jesus replied, saying, ‘Hopefully your believing will become like a little mustasa’ seed which keeps on growing until it is a big plant. For if your believing in me is like this, really even supposing you will say to that tree to be pulled up and stand next in the sea, it’s certain it would do as you say.” (Source: Tagbanwa Back Translation)
  • Kabwa: “Even if you were to have small faith like a small mustard seed, you would tell a big fig tree thus, ‘Uproot here, you should go, you should plant yourself in the lake!’ it would obey you.”
  • Suba-Simbiti: “Whenever you have just small faith, [even] if it were like a small mustard seed, you would tell this fig tree thus, ‘Uproot, you should go, you should be planted in the lake!’ and it would obey you.” (Source for this and above: R.M. Mészároš in Journal of Translation 18/2022, p. 115ff. )