The Greek in Luke 10:11 that is typically translated in English as “Even the dust of your town we wipe from our feet as a warning to you” is translated more explicitly by the Italian La Sua Parola è Vita translation as “We do not have anything more to do with you and leave you to your fate. Here, take back also the dust of your city” (Non abbiamo più niente a che fare con voi e vi lasciamo al vostro destino. Ecco, riprendetevi anche la polvere della vostra città). (Source: Cotrozzi 2019)
In Toposa it is translated somewhat similarly as “We oppose you because of your badness. Even your dust we wipe off from our feet.” Schröder (2026, p. 135) comments on that translation: “In other passages that speak of ‘shaking/wiping the dust off,’ the team used a local substitute in rendering this symbolic action as throwing some dirt behind oneself (see shake the dust off your feet). The approach taken in this passage however needed to be different because using cultural substitution in direct speech would not resemble the original words closely enough for some readers in the target audience. Thus the translators compensate for the loss of meaning that occurs with a word-for-word rendering of the symbolic action by having the apostles state the significance of the act as part of their direct speech: ‘We oppose you because of your badness.’ In this way, the understanding of the audience is guided indirectly.”
See also shake off the dust from your feet.
The Greek in Luke 4:40 that is typically translated in English as “as the sun was setting” is translated by the Italian La Sua Parola è Vita translation as Più tardi, quando con il calar del sole il giorno del riposo era giunto al termine or “Later, when with the setting of the sun, the day of rest had come to an end.” Cotrozzi (2019) explains: “The explanatory addition provides the key to understanding the text correctly. Without the explicit hint at the day of rest the verse remains somewhat puzzling and evokes an eerie feeling in the reader due to the gloomy context that speaks of diseases, darkness and demons.”
See also sunrise / sunset.
The Greek in Luke 2:1 that is typically translated in English as “in those days” or “at that time” is translated by the Italian La Sua Parola è Vita translation as Qualche tempo dopo la nascita di Giovanni or “Some time after the birth of John.” Cotrozzi (2019) explains: “After a short summary of John’s youth (1:80) the story goes back in time. The shift, however, is not marked clearly in the original, and formal translations suggest that the events introduced in 2:1 followed those narrated in 1:80. The Greek phrase ἐν ταῖς ἡμέραις ἐκείναις (2:1) is best understood as referring back to the time of Herod the Great and more specifically the time after the birth of John the Baptist.”
The Greek in Luke 3:1 that is typically translated in English as “in the fifteenth year of the reign of Emperor Tiberius” is translated by the Italian La Sua Parola è Vita translation as Passarono circa due decenni. Era adesso il quindicesimo anno del regno dell’imperatore Tiberio Cesare or “About two decades passed. It was now the fifteenth year of the reign of Emperor Tiberius Caesar.” Cotrozzi (2019) explains: “There is a time gap between the last events recounted in 2:52 and those in 3:1. Jesus was 12 at the end of chapter 2 but about 30 years old when he began his work (3:23). As a result, some 18 years must have elapsed since 2:51-52. However, this is not readily apparent to most modern readers. All the more so since the gap coincides with a break at chapter level and is followed by the same name (Herod) as in 1:5 which seems to indicate continuity. What most readers are not aware of is that the same name refers in Luke to two different historical figures, Herod the Great (1:5) and his son Herod Antipas (3:1). Only a few Bibles — Danish Bibelen på Hverdagsdansk and Den Nye Aftale, English New Living Translation, French La Parole de Vie, German Die Gute Nachricht and Neues Leben Übersetzung, and Spanish Traducción en lenguaje actual — make this clear in the text.”
The Greek in Luke 4:1 that is typically translated in English as “Jesus, filled with the Holy Spirit, went away (or: returned)” is translated by the Italian La Sua Parola è Vita translation as Dopo essere stato battezzato, Gesù, pieno di Spirito Santo, si allontanò or “After being baptized, Jesus, filled with the Holy Spirit, went away.” Cotrozzi (2019) explains: “After the interposition of the long genealogy between the baptism of Jesus (3:21-22) and the temptations in the desert (4:1-13) there is need for a clear connection between these two events, all the more so because the episode about the temptations is placed at the beginning of a new chapter. When tempted by the devil, Jesus is full of the Holy Spirit because the latter descended upon him at baptism. Without a clear reference to the verses of the previous chapter, the reader can easily miss this important connection in 4:1.”
The Greek that is typically translated in English as “You brood of vipers!” is translated by the Italian La Sua Parola è Vita translation as Razza di vipere! Venite a farvi battezzare, ma non siete disposti a cambiar vita! Chi vi ha fatto credere di poter sfuggire così all’imminente castigod di Dio? or “You brood of vipers! You come to be baptized but are not willing to change your life! Who made you believe you could escape God’s impending punishment in this way?” Cotrozzi (2019) explains: “There is a gap in the logic of the argument that is filled only in v. 8, but even so it is not readily apparent to many readers why John reacts in this way. John criticized the superficial attitude of the people who were content with outward baptism but would not change their lifestyle, thinking that this would be enough to secure them salvation. (…) The words that are added to the text are marked as an explanatory addition.”
See also brood of vipers (Matthew 3:7).
The Greek in Luke 9:5 that is typically translated in English as “shake the dust off your feet as a testimony against them” is translated by the Italian La Sua Parola è Vita translation more explicitly as “shake the dust off your feet to show that you do not have anything more to do with them and that you leave them to their fate” (lasciandola scuotete la polvere dai vostri piedi per mostrare che non avete più niente a che fare con loro e li lasciate al loro destino). (Source: Cotrozzi 2019)
In Toposa, “shake the dust off your feet” was translated as “throw [some] soil behind you.” Throwing a handful of soil behind oneself without looking back is practiced mainly at funerals, but this substitution helps the audience to understand that it is a solemn act that is being performed, and that there will be no turning back.” (Source: Schröder 2026, p. 121).
See also Even the dust of your town we wipe from our feet as a warning to you and shake off the dust from your feet.
The Greek in Luke 1:11 that is typically translated in English as “angel of the Lord” is translated by the Italian La Sua Parola è Vita translation as angelo or “angel.” Cotrozzi (2019) explains: “Apart from a handful of verses where the context makes clear that fallen angels are in view (e. g. Matt 25:41; 2 Cor 12:17; Rev 9:11) the term ‘angel’ refers to a supernatural, spiritual being sent by God. This is the default sense that this term has in Italian, the meaning people think of when they hear this word in isolation. Since the occurrence in Luke 1:11 corresponds to the default case, there is no reason to state explicitly that the angel in question belongs to the Lord. On the contrary, the phrase ‘angel of the Lord’ may be confusing to readers not accustomed to church jargon.”
See also angel.
