SIL Translator’s Notes on Luke 2013 – Page 140

SIL Translator’s Notes on Luke 8:44

8:44a

She came up behind Jesus: The woman probably came to Jesus from behind him because she did not want him to notice her. In your language you may want to make this explicit. For example:

she approached ⌊quietly/secretly⌋ from behind

and touched the fringe of His cloak: Mark 5:28 explains that the woman touched Jesus’ cloak because she believed that this would cause her to be healed. She did not touch him by accident. Translate this in a way that indicates that she touched him intentionally. For example:

⌊intentionally⌋ touched the edge of his cloak
-or-
touched the edge of his cloak ⌊in order to be healed⌋
-or-
touched the edge of his cloak ⌊so that Jesus’ power would heal her⌋

the fringe of His cloak: The Greek word that the Berean Standard Bible translates as fringe can refer generally to the edge or border of a piece of cloth. Or it can refer more specifically to the fringe or tassel that was sometimes part of the cloak that Jewish men wore. These fringes reminded them that they must stay devoted to God. (See Numbers 15:38–39 and Deuteronomy 22:12 for instructions about tassels.)

There are two ways to translate this:

• Use a word that refers to a “fringe” or “tassel” on the edge of a garment. For example:

threads that hang from the hem of his garment

• Use a more general term that refers to the hem or edge of the garment. For example:

edge
-or-
border
-or-
hem

cloak: The Greek word that the Berean Standard Bible translates as cloak refers to a long, loose outer garment like a coat or robe. If such a garment is not worn in your area, you may want to use a general expression. For example:

clothing
-or-
garment

Be careful not to use a term that would imply foreign or expensive clothing.

8:44b

her bleeding stopped: As in 8:43a, the bleeding refers to blood coming from the woman’s womb. Use an appropriate expression in your language. See the note on 8:43a.

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SIL Translator’s Notes on Luke 9:20

9:20a

But what about you?: The Greek phrase that the Berean Standard Bible translates as “But what about you” is literally “But you.” The pronoun you is emphatic and contrasts the disciples with the crowds in the previous verse.

Jesus asked: The Berean Standard Bible has placed the clause Jesus asked in the middle of what Jesus said. In the Greek text it comes before the speech begins. Place it where it is most natural in your language.

Who do you say I am?: Jesus asked the disciples to tell him who they thought he was. This question is similar to the one in 9:18b.

9:20b

Peter answered, “The Christ of God”: As in previous verse parts, Peter’s answer left some information implied. In some languages it may be natural to make this information explicit. For example:

You are the Christ from God. (New Century Version)

The phrase that the Berean Standard Bible translates literally as The Christ of God means:

the Christ from God (New Century Version)
-or-
the Messiah whom God has sent (God’s Word)

Be careful that you do not use a phrase that means “the Christ who belongs to God.”

Christ: Here the word Christ is used as a title. It is not just one of Jesus’ names. The Jews used this title to refer to the person whom God had appointed and promised to send as king and savior. The title Christ is the Greek translation of the Hebrew word “Messiah,” and the two words have the same meaning.

Some ways to translate Christ are:

• Use a title or a descriptive phrase in your language that has the same meaning as Christ. For example:

Messiah (Good News Translation)
-or-
Promised Deliverer
-or-
the Rescuer-King whom God sent

• Transliterate Christ or “Messiah” and include a phrase that explains the meaning. For example:

Karisiti, the appointed one
-or-
Cristo, the Savior whom God promised to send
-or-
the Messiah sent from God (Contemporary English Version)

• Transliterate Christ and indicate in some way that it is a title. For example:

the Kirisita

You may want to explain the meaning of Christ in a footnote or in a glossary. For example:

The word/title “Christ” refers to the king and savior whom God had promised to send.

SIL Translator’s Notes on Luke 9:52

9:52a

He sent messengers on ahead: The clause He sent messengers on ahead indicates here that Jesus told some men to go ahead of him and his other disciples to prepare people for his coming. Another way to translate this is:

He sent some men ahead of him (New Century Version)

9:52b–c

who went into a village of the Samaritans: The Greek phrase that the Berean Standard Bible translates as who went into is literally “And going they entered.” Another way to translate this is:

who went and entered (Revised Standard Version)

In some languages it may be more natural to start a new sentence here. For example:

They went into a Samaritan village (God’s Word)

a village of the Samaritans: The Greek phrase that the Berean Standard Bible translates literally as a village of the Samaritans refers to a village in Samaria in which Samaritan people lived. Samaria was a province or district between Galilee and Judea. The people there were partly Jewish and partly Gentile. For more information, see the introduction to Section 9:51–56. Other ways to translate this phrase are:

a village of Samaria people
-or-
a village in Samaria ⌊Province⌋

village: The Greek word that the Berean Standard Bible translates as village refers here to a small town or community. The same word occurs in 9:6a.

to make arrangements for Him: The phrase to make arrangements for Him expresses purpose. The messengers went to a village in the district of Samaria in order to make preparations before Jesus and his other disciples arrived. These preparations mainly involved arranging for food and lodging. But the disciples may also have announced that the Messiah was coming. If possible, you should translate this phrase in a general way that does not limit the kinds of preparation that Jesus asked the messengers to make. For example:

to prepare for his arrival (New Living Translation (2004))
-or-
to make arrangements for their visit

SIL Translator’s Notes on Luke 10:22

10:22a

In 10:21 Jesus had been praying to God his Father. Here in 10:22 he began to speak to his disciples as well as the other people who were listening to him. In some languages it may be necessary to make this explicit. For example:

⌊Then Jesus said to the people who were there⌋

In 10:23a Jesus spoke only to the disciples. Here in 10:22a the phrase you use should include the disciples as well as the other people who were there.

All things have been entrusted to Me by My Father: This clause describes the power and authority that Jesus’ Father, God, had given him. It indicates that God had given Jesus the ability to do anything he wanted to do and to know everything he wanted to know. He had also entrusted him with the authority to reveal knowledge to others. You should translate this clause in a way that will indicate the extensive authority and power that God gave Jesus. For example:

All ⌊authority and knowledge⌋ has been given to me by my Father.

This clause is passive. In some languages it may be more natural to make it active. For example:

My Father has given me all ⌊authority and knowledge⌋.

All things: In this context All things probably refers to all knowledge as well as all authority/power. It does not refer primarily to material things, though Jesus had power over those as well.

have been entrusted to Me by My Father: The Greek verb that the Berean Standard Bible translates as entrusted has several meanings. It can mean “to entrust/commit” or “to give” to someone. In this context it indicates that God entrusted to Jesus the same authority, power, and knowledge that he himself has. He also gave Jesus the authority to pass knowledge and power on to others.

10:22b–c

In translating these two verse parts, be careful not to use an expression that could imply that Jesus was an illegitimate son.

10:22b

No one knows who the Son is except the Father: This clause means, “No one fully knows the true identity or nature of the Son except his Father.” In this clause Jesus referred to himself as the Son. He referred to God as the Father. Other ways to translate this clause are:

No one truly knows the Son except the Father (New Living Translation (2004))
-or-

⌊God⌋ my Father is the only one who knows what ⌊I,⌋ his Son, am really like

10:22c

no one knows who the Father is except the Son: This clause is the other half of the statement in 10:22b. It means here, “No one fully knows the true identity or nature of the Father except his Son.” Jesus referred to himself as the Son and to God as the Father. Other ways to translate this clause are:

no one truly knows the Father except the Son (New Living Translation (2004))
-or-

⌊I,⌋ the Son, am the only one who knows what my Father is really like

10:22d

and those to whom the Son chooses to reveal Him: This clause identifies another group of people who can also truly know the Father. These people are those to whom Jesus the Son decides to make him known. Other ways to translate the clause are:

and also those to whom the Son decides to make Him known
-or-
along with those to whom He desires to reveal/show the Father

chooses: The Greek verb that the Berean Standard Bible translates here as chooses means “decides” or “wants.”

reveal: To reveal someone is to show what that person is like. It is to make known their true nature.

General Comment on 10:22b–d

Jesus was referring to himself as the Son. In some languages it may be necessary to use first person pronouns:

No one knows who ⌊I,⌋ the Son, am except the Father. No one knows who the Father is except ⌊me,⌋ the Son, and those to whom ⌊I⌋ choose to reveal him.

General Comment on 10:22c–d

In some languages, the repetition of “Son” and “Father” in these verses may be overly redundant. One way to avoid this repetition is:

I am the only one who knows my Father’s true nature, I and those to whom I decide to make him known.

SIL Translator’s Notes on Luke 11:12

11:12

Or: The Greek conjunction that the Berean Standard Bible translates as Or introduces another example that is similar in structure and meaning to the question in 11:11. In some languages, an alternate example like this may need to be introduced in another way. A specific connecting word like “or” may not be needed. For example:

Which one of you would give your child a scorpion if the child asked for an egg? (Contemporary English Version)
-or-
If/Suppose also that he asks you for an egg, will you give him a scorpion?

if he asks for an egg, will give him a scorpion?: This is also a rhetorical question. It also expects a negative answer. Jesus used this rhetorical question to emphasize that no father would ever give his son a scorpion instead of an egg. Jesus was stating that no father would deliberately give his son something that is harmful to him.

Some ways to translate this sentence and emphasize it are:

• As a rhetorical question. For example:

Or if your son asks for an egg, will you give him a scorpion?
-or-
Or if they ask for an egg, do you give them a scorpion? Of course not! (New Living Translation (2004))

• As a statement. For example:

If your son asks for an egg, you will certainly not give him a scorpion!

Translate this emphasis in a way that is most natural in your language.

an egg: An egg here refers to a chicken’s egg. An egg was another food suitable for children. In some languages it may be helpful to make explicit that the son wanted an egg in order to eat it. For example:

if he asks for an egg ⌊to eat⌋

If people in your area do not eat eggs, you can substitute some other type of food. If you do use a cultural substitute, you should include a footnote saying:

Jesus actually said ⌊a chicken⌋ egg. People in Israel regularly ate eggs.

a scorpion: A scorpion is a small creature, ranging from 1.3 to 20 centimeters long (½ inch to 8 inches long). It has eight legs and a poisonous stinger in its tail. No one in the Jewish culture of Jesus’ time would have eaten a scorpion (it was forbidden by Jewish law). If scorpions are not known in your culture, some ways to translate the word scorpion are:

• Use a general descriptive phrase. For example:

dangerous stinging things

• Use something in your culture that is similar to scorpions. For example:

centipedes

You may want to include a picture of a scorpion in your translation.

SIL Translator’s Notes on Luke 11:44

11:44a

Woe to you!:
Woe to you is the same phrase that was used in 11:43a. Jesus was still referring to the Pharisees. Consider if you need to make the Pharisees explicit here.

11:44b

For: The Greek conjunction that the Berean Standard Bible translates as For is the same conjunction as in 11:42b and 11:43b, where the Berean Standard Bible did not translate it. This conjunction introduces another reason why God was going to punish the Pharisees. Some English versions do not translate this conjunction. In some languages it may be natural to introduce this reason without using an explicit conjunction.

you are like unmarked graves: The clause you are like unmarked graves is a figure of speech called a simile. In this simile, Jesus compared the Pharisees to unmarked graves.

Unmarked graves looked like ordinary ground on the outside, so people did not realize that they contained rotting bodies inside. In the same way, the Pharisees appeared to be righteous and religious in their outward behavior. People did not suspect that their unseen inner thoughts and motives were full of evil.

In some languages it will be necessary to make one or more of the points of comparison explicit. For example:

because you ⌊have unseen/hidden filthiness/rottenness inside you⌋ like an unmarked grave
-or-
because you are like hidden graves ⌊that contain rotting/contaminating corpses⌋

unmarked graves: The Greek expression that the Berean Standard Bible translates as unmarked graves refers to graves that were not evident or identifiable as graves. Generally, tombs or graves were painted white so that people knew where they were located. Jesus was referring to places that had not been marked in this way. They looked normal on the outside, but inside they contained dead bodies. Their location was not hidden from view, but it was not obvious that corpses were buried there. Some other ways to translate this expression are:

graves with no marker
-or-
graves that people cannot distinguish

11:44c

which men walk over without even noticing: Sometimes, people walked across or stepped on such graves and did not realize that there were dead people underneath. When they did this, they became ceremonially unclean without knowing it.

The Pharisees were like these graves because they caused other people to become morally unclean. The ordinary people admired them and were influenced by them. But without realizing it, they learned evil ways of thinking and acting from the Pharisees.

men: The Greek word that the Berean Standard Bible translates as men here refers to people in general.

noticing: There is more than one implied object of noticing. The word can refer to:

(a) noticing that the graves contain rotting bodies

(b) noticing that they have become defiled/unclean

You may need to make some of this implied information explicit in a footnote or in your translation. For example:

which people can step on ⌊and become unclean⌋ without knowing it
-or-
If a person walks over ⌊the surface of a grave like this⌋, he will not know ⌊that there is something rotten/filthy inside that has made him unclean⌋.

A suggested footnote is:

A Jewish person who touched a grave became ceremonially/ritually unclean for seven days. See Numbers 19:16.

SIL Translator’s Notes on Luke 12:22

Section 12:22–34

Jesus encouraged his disciples to trust God to care for them

In the previous section Jesus told the crowd a parable to teach them not to be greedy. In this section he turned again to his disciples and taught them not to worry about the things they needed. Instead, they should think about the things that were important to God and share their possessions with the poor. God would provide what they needed.

Some other possible headings for this section are:

God’s Care For Those Who Trust In Him
-or-
Trust in God (Good News Translation)
-or-
Do not Worry (New International Version)

There is a parallel passage for this section in Matthew 6:25–34.

Paragraph 12:22–26

12:22a

Then Jesus said to His disciples: In the previous paragraph Jesus spoke to the crowd. Now he began to speak specifically to his disciples.

Therefore I tell you: In this context the clause that the Berean Standard Bible translates as Therefore I tell you introduces advice that Jesus was about to give to his disciples. The word Therefore shows that this advice was based on his teaching about the rich fool (12:21). The words I tell you indicate that the advice is important, and Jesus wanted to emphasize it. Other ways to translate the phrase in English are:

That is why I tell you (New Living Translation (2004))
-or-
Because of this, I now tell you

Translate the connection and the emphasis in a natural way in your language.

12:22b

do not worry about your life, what you will eat: The phrase your life, what you will eat refers to the food that they need to live. For example:

the food you need to stay alive (Good News Translation)

Jesus told his disciples that they should not be anxious about getting enough food to survive.

your life: The Greek word that the Berean Standard Bible translates as life refers here to living in this world. It is the same word that was used in 12:20b.

12:22c

or about your body, what you will wear: This phrase tells another thing about which the disciples should not worry. They should also not worry about the clothes that they need to cover their bodies. Other ways to translate this are:

or about the clothes you need for your body (Good News Translation)
-or-
And do not be anxious over having enough clothes for your body

In some languages it may be unnatural or redundant to specify that clothes are for wearing on the body. If that is true in your language, you may leave the body implicit. For example:

or about what you will wear

General Comment on 12:22a–b

In some languages it may be more natural to connect food and clothes more closely and to leave some of the information implied. For example:

not to worry about everyday life—whether you have enough food to eat or enough clothes to wear (New Living Translation (2004))
-or-
stop worrying about what you will eat or wear (God’s Word)

SIL Translator’s Notes on Luke 12:54

Section 12:54–59

Jesus told the people to prepare for what was about to happen

In this section Jesus again spoke to the crowd. He first rebuked them because they understood signs that the weather was going to change, but they did not understand what God was about to do. They did not know what to expect from God by the things that they saw Jesus doing. What he taught, the miracles he did, and the things that were happening to him showed that God had sent him. The people should have known and believed that he was the Messiah, and that they needed to listen to him and repent of their sins (12:54–57). Jesus warned them about this by telling them a parable about a legal dispute. The parable showed that they should reconcile with God before the time of judgment arrived (12:58–59).

Other possible headings for this section are:

Understanding the Times (New Century Version)
-or-
Discern What God Wants You to Do in These Days

There is a parallel passage for 12:54–56 in Matthew 16:2–3. There is a parallel passage for 12:57–59 in Matthew 5:25–26.

Paragraph 12:54–57

12:54a–b

Then: This verse begins with a Greek conjunction. The Berean Standard Bible and some other versions (New Century Version, New Living Translation (2004)) translate it as Then in order to show that it introduces the next thing that happened in the story. Some other versions translate this conjunction as “And” (King James Version, New American Standard Bible), while still others do not translate it (Contemporary English Version, English Standard Version, New International Version, New Revised Standard Version). Introduce this next event in a natural way in your language.

Jesus said to the crowds: In the preceding verses, Jesus was speaking mainly to his disciples. Here the Greek text indicates that Jesus began to speak to the whole crowd again. Some ways to indicate this in English are:

Jesus said to all the people (Contemporary English Version)
-or-
Jesus turned to the crowd and said (New Living Translation (2004))

Use a natural way in your language to make this clear.

As soon as you see a cloud rising in the west, you say, ‘A shower is coming,’ and that is what happens: The rain in Israel comes from the west, from the Mediterranean Sea. So whenever people saw dark rain clouds forming in the west, they would say, “It is going to rain.” And, as they predicted, it would rain. So this verse explains a situation that happened regularly, at various times during the year.

In some languages it may be helpful to make some of this information explicit in the text. For example:

When you see ⌊dark⌋ clouds coming ⌊from the sea⌋ in the west (Translator’s Reference Translation)

Be sure to use expressions that are natural in your language.

In other languages, a footnote may be more appropriate. See the suggested footnote in the General Comment on 12:54–55 at the end of 12:55a–b.

you say, ‘A shower is coming’: In this context the verb say can also apply to a thought that people do not speak out loud. Use a natural verb in your language.

In some languages it may be more natural to translate this quotation as indirect speech. For example:

you predict immediately that it is going to rain

A shower is coming: The phrase that the Berean Standard Bible translates as A shower is coming means that a fairly lengthy, heavy, or violent rain will soon start. If you have a specific term for a rainstorm or thunderstorm in your language, you may use it here. You may also use a general term such as “rain.” For example:

It’s going to rain (New International Version)

Some other ways to translate this expression are:

a strong rain will soon arrive
-or-
it will soon begin to storm

and that is what happens: The clause and that is what happens means “and it happens”; that is, it rains. If the expression you have used for “you say” in the previous phrase implies an accurate prediction, it may not be necessary to translate this clause explicitly.

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Source: SIL Translator’s Notes on Luke 2013