Following are a number of back-translations of Luke 18:19:
Noongar: “Jesus asked him, ‘Why do you say I am ‘great’? No person is great, only God.” (Source: Warda-Kwabba Luke-Ang)
Uma: “Yesus said: ‘Why do you say that I am a good person? There is no-one else who is good, only God alone.” (Source: Uma Back Translation)
Yakan: “Isa answered, he said, ‘Why do you say that I am good? No one is good except only God.” (Source: Yakan Back Translation)
Western Bukidnon Manobo: “And Jesus answered, ‘Why do you say that my works are good, because there’s only one whose works are good, that is God.” (Source: Western Bukidnon Manobo Back Translation)
Kankanaey: “Jesus said, ‘Why do you (sing.) say I am good? Because absolutely no one is good but God only.” (Source: Kankanaey Back Translation)
Tagbanwa: “Replying, Jesus said, ‘Don’t glibly classify someone as good, even me, but on the contrary try-to-understand first what is meant by ‘good’. For God alone is really good.” (Source: Tagbanwa Back Translation)
Following are a number of back-translations of 1 Corinthians 5:9:
Uma: “In my previous letter I told you not to mix with people who behaved wrongly [sexual connotation].” (Source: Uma Back Translation)
Yakan: “In the letter I sent to you I said there, ‘Don’t be friends with the people who commit adultery-fornication.'” (Source: Yakan Back Translation)
Western Bukidnon Manobo: “In that first letter that I sent to you, I commanded you that it was necessary that you not go around anymore with people whose activities are filthy.” (Source: Western Bukidnon Manobo Back Translation)
Kankanaey: ” (incl.) my letter to you previously, I said that you were not to be-friends-with people who were doing what-was filthy.” (Source: Kankanaey Back Translation)
Tagbanwa: “In my first letter that I sent to you I did indeed say that it’s necessary for you not to go-around-as-friends-with people who behave-immorally with one who is not their spouse.” (Source: Tagbanwa Back Translation)
Tenango Otomi: “Concerning that letter I sent to you before, I told you what was necessary for you to do in that you not mix with adulterers.” (Source: Tenango Otomi Back Translation)
Following are a number of back-translations of Luke 19:8:
Noongar: “Zacchaeus stood up and said to Jesus, ‘Lord! Listen! I will give half of my wealth to poor people, and if I have robbed a person, I will give him four times more.'” (Source: Warda-Kwabba Luke-Ang)
Uma: “While the Lord Yesus was in the house of Zakheus, Zakheus stood up and said to him: ‘Lord, half of my goods I [will] give to the poor, and whoever I have deceived, I [will] return four times from what I deceived them.'” (Source: Uma Back Translation)
Yakan: “Then Sakkiyas stood up and he said to Isa, ‘Sir, one half of my wealth I (will) give to the poor. And if I have cheated someone I will return his money to him fourfold/four times as much.'” (Source: Yakan Back Translation)
Western Bukidnon Manobo: “And as for Zacchaeus, when Jesus and company arrived at his house, he stood up and he said, ‘I’m going to give half of all my wealth to the poor. And any person that I have cheated before, I’m going to return to him four times as much as I got.'” (Source: Western Bukidnon Manobo Back Translation)
Kankanaey: “Meanwhile Zakeus stood up and said to Jesus, ‘Lord, look! I will give to the poor the half of my possessions. If moreover there is someone I have cheated, I will return to him four-times the amount that I took.'” (Source: Kankanaey Back Translation)
Tagbanwa: “When they were now sitting in the house, Zaqueo stood up again and spoke, saying, ‘Lord, today, half of my possessions I will cause to be given to the poor. And whatever I have over-charged from anyone, four times the amount is what I will return to him.'” (Source: Tagbanwa Back Translation)
Following are a number of back-translations of 1 Corinthians 7:8:
Uma: “To people who are unmarried [lit., empty] and to widows, here are my words: it is good if you stay single like me.” (Source: Uma Back Translation)
Yakan: “Na, you unmarried men and women and widows (widowers are included) this is what I say to you. It is good if you are like myself not getting a wife or a husband.” (Source: Yakan Back Translation)
Western Bukidnon Manobo: “And as for you unmarried girls, unmarried men, widows and widowers– my advice to you is it’s better if you imitate me in having no spouse;” (Source: Western Bukidnon Manobo Back Translation)
Kankanaey: “As for you who have no spouse, especially you who are widowed, I say it would be good if you continue to not get-married just like myself.” (Source: Kankanaey Back Translation)
Tagbanwa: “Well, this is what I will say to the widows, women and men. If they can do it, it would be good if they hold fast to having no spouse, just like me.” (Source: Tagbanwa Back Translation)
Tenango Otomi: “I tell the people who have not already married, and also the widows, that those who do not marry, as I do in not being married, do well.” (Source: Tenango Otomi Back Translation)
DutchNBV21: “As for the widows and widowers, I should say that it would be good for them to remain alone, as I do.” Marijke de Lang explains (click or tap here to see)
Following the testing of this translation there was some criticism of the choice of the word ‘widower’ to render the Greek agamos ‘an unmarried person.’ There was also some unhappiness with the fact that the Greek word order, in which widowers were mentioned first and widows second, had been reversed.
There were two reasons behind the choice of the word ‘widower’ to render the Greek term agamos ‘unmarried.’ The first was the context of the chapter. Throughout ch. 7 Paul deals with the same group of people, men and women: in 7.1-7 men and women within marriage; 7.12-16 the man or the woman married to an unbeliever; 7.25-28 the girl or the boy as yet unmarried. It is consistent with this wider context that v. 8 should address a particular group, namely those who have lost a spouse. The second reason is the meaning of the Greek term agamos. Greek docs not have a specific term for ‘widower.’ The Liddell-Scott-Jones dictionary (Oxford: Clarendon Press, 1996) defines agamos as ‘unmarried, single, whether bachelor or widower.’ Greek does have a specific word for ‘widow,’ namely chera. Widows formed a particular social grouping, since along with orphans they were among the weakest members of society. To express the male equivalent of the widow, Greek simply used the term ‘unmarried person.’ As for reversing the word order, it was decided that the more natural Dutch order was to be preferred, otherwise it would sound peculiar.
An argument that some raised about the use of the word ‘widower’ for agamos was that it was a case of ‘filling in’ the text too much, being too explicit. The term ‘unmarried’ seemed to them to leave the meaning more open. However, it is questionable that this was the case in fact. Every word choice made directs the reader in a certain way and leads to certain associations. The word ‘unmarried’ is in itself no more open than the word ‘widower.’ In Dutch and English the word ‘unmarried’ conjures up something quite different from the word ‘widower.’ ‘Unmarried’ suggests that a person has never been married at all. (Source: The Bible Translator 2003, p. 424ff. )
Following are a number of back-translations of Luke 19:40:
Noongar: “Jesus said, ‘I tell you, if they are silent, these stones will start calling out!'” (Source: Warda-Kwabba Luke-Ang)
Uma: “Yesus said: ‘No! Because if my disciples were quiet, those stones would make-a-loud-noise praising me.'” (Source: Uma Back Translation)
Yakan: “He answered he said, ‘I tell you that if these don’t say anything, the stones in this road will call out praising me.'” (Source: Yakan Back Translation)
Western Bukidnon Manobo: “And then Jesus answered, ‘It cannot be, because if they stop praising then all of those stones there will replace them in praising, because it’s very necessary today that there is someone praising.'” (Source: Western Bukidnon Manobo Back Translation)
Kankanaey: “But Jesus said, ‘If they are quiet, in-the-future indeed (prophetic formula), even these stones will take-their-place in praising-me.'” (Source: Kankanaey Back Translation)
Tagbanwa: “Jesus replied, saying to them, ‘What I will say to you is true that if they are stopped, the rocks/stones will call out next.'” (Source: Tagbanwa Back Translation)
Bariai: “But he said, ‘I say to you(pl), if they be quiet, the stones will be yelling.’” (Source: Bariai Back Translation)
Kupsabiny: “Jesus said to the Pharisees, ‘I am telling you, if these people keep quiet, the stones will talk.’” (Source: Kupsabiny Back Translation)
Mairasi: “But Yesus said to them: ‘Believe this! If these people themselves will become quiet, then these many rocks which are here will hoot [shout]!’ says He to them.” (Source: Enggavoter 2004)
Hiligaynon: “Jesus answered them, ‘The truth, if they keep-quiet, the stones are the ones who will-shout praises.’” (Source: Hiligaynon Back Translation)
Following are a number of back-translations of 1 Corinthians 7:40:
Uma: “But she will be more blessed/fortunate if she no longer marries. That, of course, is just my own opinion. But even so, I say/think that the Spirit of God is with me as well.” (Source: Uma Back Translation)
Yakan: “But in my thinking, it is better if she does not get married again and I believe that this my thinking is from God’s Spirit.” (Source: Yakan Back Translation)
Western Bukidnon Manobo: “But her situation of this woman, will be much better if she does not marry. This is just my thinking, but I believe that the Holy Spirit has revealed this to me.” (Source: Western Bukidnon Manobo Back Translation)
Kankanaey: “But my opinion is that she will have more benefit if she remains widowed (lit. being-one), and I think that God’s Spirit is also guiding my thoughts.” (Source: Kankanaey Back Translation)
Tagbanwa: “But, in my opinion, she would be happier if she remained in her unmarried-state. And, this opinion of mine, it is indeed surely in harmony with the opinion of the Espiritu Santo of God.” (Source: Tagbanwa Back Translation)
Tenango Otomi: “But if the widow does not marry again, it is better. This is the word then that I think. But I know that the Holy Spirit puts into my mind what I say.” (Source: Tenango Otomi Back Translation)
Following are a number of back-translations of Luke 20:24:
Noongar: “‘Give me a coin. Whose face is on the coin and whose name?’ ‘The Emperor,’ they said.” (Source: Warda-Kwabba Luke-Ang)
Uma: “‘First show me a coin [lit., one piece of money]! Whose appearance/image and whose name is on that coin?’ They answered: ‘The image and name of Kaisar.”” (Source: Uma Back Translation)
Yakan: “‘Show me a coin (lit. hard money).’ When the money was there he said, ‘Whose picture and whose writing is it on this money?’ They said, ‘The picture of the King Leader and his writing.'” (Source: Yakan Back Translation)
Western Bukidnon Manobo: “‘Show me the money that you pay the tax with.’ And when Jesus saw it, he said, ‘Whose image and whose name is written on this?’ And they said, ‘That’s the image and the name of a king there in the town of Rome.'” (Source: Western Bukidnon Manobo Back Translation)
Kankanaey: “‘Please show me a money. Whose face and whose name is this?'” (Source: Kankanaey Back Translation)
Tagbanwa: “‘Bring me that money.’ After he took it, he said, ‘Well, whose is this picture and name here on this money?’ ‘Well, the Impiradur’s,’ they said in reply.” (Source: Tagbanwa Back Translation)
Following are a number of back-translations of 1 Corinthians 9:19:
Uma: “I am not anyone’s slave, I can follow my own desires. But even so, I purposely live like a slave of all people. I do that so that I can bring more-and-more people to believe in Kristus.” (Source: Uma Back Translation)
Yakan: “I here, I rule over myself, I am nobody’s slave. But even though it is like that, I consider myself a slave of all people in order that I may influence many people to follow Isa Almasi.” (Source: Yakan Back Translation)
Western Bukidnon Manobo: “And that’s not all, because even though it’s not proper that I act as a servant to anyone because I’m not the slave of anybody, I want to be the servant of everybody so that many people might come to believe in Jesus.” (Source: Western Bukidnon Manobo Back Translation)
Kankanaey: “Therefore I am free, no person being my slave master (lit. slave owner). But even though that is so, I have nonetheless made myself a slave of all people in order that I would persuade more to believe.” (Source: Kankanaey Back Translation)
Tagbanwa: “I really am not a slave to anyone. But it’s like I have enslaved myself to my fellowman so that, by my help, many more will trust and believe/obey Cristo.” (Source: Tagbanwa Back Translation)
Tenango Otomi: “Now, although no person is my boss, yet I do as though all the people are as my bosses. Because I want to cause many people to believe in Christ.” (Source: Tenango Otomi Back Translation)
