The Greek that is a transliteration of the Hebrew Pərūšīm and is typically transliterated into English as “Pharisee” is transliterated in Mandarin Chinese as Fǎlìsài (法利賽 / 法利赛) (Protestant) or Fǎlìsāi (法利塞) (Catholic). In Chinese, transliterations can typically be done with a great number of different and identical-sounding characters. Often the meaning of the characters are not relevant, unless they are chosen carefully as in these cases. The Protestant Fǎlìsài can mean something like “Competition for the profit of the law” and the Catholic Fǎlìsāi “Stuffed by/with the profit of the law.” (Source: Zetzsche 1996, p. 51)
In Finnish Sign Language it is translated with the sign signifying “prayer shawl”. (Source: Tarja Sandholm)
Scot McKnight (in The Second Testament, publ. 2023) translates it into English as Observant. He explains (p. 302): “Pharisee has become a public, universal pejorative term for a hypocrite. Pharisees were observant of the interpretation of the Covenant Code called the ‘tradition of the elders.’ They conformed their behaviors to the interpretation. Among the various groups of Jews at the time of Jesus, they were perhaps closest to Jesus in their overall concern to make a radical commitment to the will of God (as they understood it).”
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Like a number of other East Asian languages, Japanese uses a complex system of honorifics, i.e. a system where a number of different levels of politeness are expressed in language via words, word forms or grammatical constructs. These can range from addressing someone or referring to someone with contempt (very informal) to expressing the highest level of reference (as used in addressing or referring to God) or any number of levels in-between. One way Japanese shows different degree of politeness is through the choice of a second person pronoun (“you” and its various forms) as shown here in the widely-used Japanese Shinkaiyaku (新改訳) Bible of 2017. The most commonly used anata (あなた) is typically used when the speaker is humbly addressing another person.
In these verses, however, omae (おまえ) is used, a cruder second person pronoun, that Jesus for instance chooses when chiding his disciples. (Source: S. E. Doi, see also S. E. Doi in Journal of Translation, 18/2022, p. 37ff. )
In the question of the Pharisees, you is emphatic. Revised Standard Version therefore translates the question “Are you led astray, you also?”
Did he fool you, too? is actually a passive construction in Greek, which is more literally “were you also led astray?” The implied agent of the passive verb “were led astray” is Jesus (he). Good News Translation changes the passive construction into an active one, and makes the agent he the subject. The questions raised by the Pharisees here and in verse 48 are so formed as to expect the answer “No.” In order to indicate the negative response to this question, it is possible to translate in some languages “We hope he did not fool you” or “… deceive you” or “… lead you in the wrong way.”
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 .
In Greek this verse begins with a connector that is often translated as “Therefore” or “So.” Here it could mean that or just introduce what happened next. Many English translations like the Berean Standard Bible leave the meaning implicit. Translate this connector in a way that is natural in your language. For example:
So (New American Bible, Revised Edition)
Have you also been deceived?: This is a rhetorical question. The Greek text emphasizes the word you. The Pharisees used it as a rebuke. They were upset that the police had not arrested Jesus. They were saying that it seemed that Jesus deceived the police, although they thought that that should not have happened.
There are at least two ways to translate this rebuke.
• Use a rhetorical question. For example:
Have you believed his lies too?
-or-
“You mean he has deceived you also?” (New International Version)
• Use a statement. For example:
So Jesus has fooled you also! (New Century Version)
Translate this rebuke in a way that is most natural in your language.
replied the Pharisees: This phrase introduces the Pharisees’ answer to the temple police. The Berean Standard Bible has placed this introduction at the end of the quotation. See the General Comment on 7:47.
Pharisees: The Pharisees were a strict Jewish religious group or party. See how you translated this word in 7:32, 45.
General Comment on 7:47
The Berean Standard Bible put the quote introduction at the end of the verse. In some languages it may be natural to put this introduction at the beginning of the verse, in the middle of the quotation. For example:
Then the Pharisees replied, “Surely you have not been deceived too, have you?” (New Revised Standard Version)
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