the Jews (Judeans)

In the English Good News Bible (2nd edition of 1992), this occurrence of the Greek hoi Ioudaioi, traditionally “the Jews” in English, is translated with “Judeans” or “people from Judea.” For an explanation of the differentiated translation in English as well as translation choices in a number of languages, see the Jews.

Martha

The name that is transliterated as “Martha” in English is translated in Finnish Sign Language with the sign signifying “hostess” (referring to Luke 10:40). (Source: Tarja Sandholm)


“Martha” in Finnish Sign Language (source )

In Spanish Sign Language it is translated with the signs for “woman” and “clean.” (Source: Steve Parkhurst)


“Martha” in Spanish Sign Language, source: Sociedad Bíblica de España

See also Mary (of Bethany) and more on Bible Odyssey: Mary and Martha ..

complete verse (John 11:19)

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

  • Uma: “So, there were many Yahudi people who came to comfort Marta and Maria at the death of their relative.” (Source: Uma Back Translation)
  • Yakan: “Therefore many Yahudi went to Marta and Mariyam to comfort them because their brother had died.” (Source: Yakan Back Translation)
  • Western Bukidnon Manobo: “There were many Jews from Jerusalem who had gone to Martha and Mary to comfort them because of their dead brother.” (Source: Western Bukidnon Manobo Back Translation)
  • Kankanaey: “So many Jews had gone to go comfort Marta and Maria.” (Source: Kankanaey Back Translation)
  • Tagbanwa: “and many were the Judio who went there to Marta and Maria’s place, to comfort them because of their brother who had died.” (Source: Tagbanwa Back Translation)
  • Tenango Otomi: “Many Jews had gone to greet Martha and Mary to comfort them about their brother who had died.” (Source: Tenango Otomi Back Translation)
  • Ojitlán Chinantec: “And many Jews came to the house of Martha and Mary to help on the occasion of the death of Lazarus, their brother.”
  • Huehuetla Tepehua: “Many Israelites had come to see Martha and Mary. They wanted to make them forget their sorrow about their dead brother Lazarus.”
  • Yatzachi Zapotec: “And many of our fellow Israelites from Jerusalem had arrived where Martha and Mary were to comfort them because their brother had died.” (Source for this and two above: John Beekman in Notes on Translation 12, November 1964, p. 1ff.)

Translation commentary on John 11:19

In Greek verses 18 and 19 are two separate sentences. Good News Translation combines them into one, thus bringing together the motifs of the short distance between Bethany and Jerusalem and the visit of the many Judeans. In some languages many Judeans can be best expressed as “many people from Judea” or even “many people from that part of the country.”

To comfort them about their brother’s death (Phillips “to offer them sympathy over their brother’s death”; New English Bible “to condole with them on their brother’s death”) is literally “to comfort them concerning the brother.” Either rendering (about their brother’s death or “about their brother”) is legitimate, as is also the rendering of Die Bibel im heutigen Deutsch (“to comfort the two of them”).

The verb rendered to comfort appears again in verse 31; elsewhere in the New Testament it is used only in 1 Thessalonians 2.11 (2.12 in Good News Translation) and 5.14, where it seems to have the meaning “to encourage” or “to cheer up.” In some languages an equivalent of comfort may be “to speak helpful words.” If one translates in this manner, it will be possible to translate the final phrase, more or less literally, “about their brother’s death” or “about the fact that their brother had died.” However, if one uses a verb meaning “to encourage” or “to cheer them up,” it may be necessary to indicate the brother’s death as cause, for example, “to cheer them up because of the fact that their brother had died.”

Embalming was not practiced in ancient Palestine, and so burial took place on the day of death. It was common, therefore, for the mourners to remain and offer their comfort to the bereaved after the time of burial.

Quoted with permission from Newman, Barclay M. and Nida, Eugene A. A Handbook on the Gospel of John. (UBS Handbook Series). New York: UBS, 1980. For this and other handbooks for translators see here .