“In Angal Heneng there are three different forms of the verb depending on involvement of speaker and hearer in the action, and all three are illustrated in Luke 10:18-19. When Jesus says, ‘I saw Satan fall,’ it is assumed that the speaker [Jesus] saw the action and the hearers didn’t, and the form of the verb indicates such. When Jesus continues and says ‘I have given you power [or: authority],’ the form used indicates that both speaker and hearers were together when the action occurred. But on the verb of the clause expressing ‘Jesus said to them,’ a third form is used which indicates that neither the writer (Luke) nor the addressee (Theophilus) were there at the time the incident occurred.” (Source: Deibler / Taylor 1977, p. 1076.)
scorpion
The Hebrew and Greek that is translated as “scorpion” in English is translated in North Tanna as “centipedes” (Luke 10:19) or “millipede” (Luke 11:12) (source: Ross McKerras).
The literal translation in Noongar is nirnt-daalang or “tail-tongue” (source: Warda-Kwabba Luke-Ang) and in Uma it is translated as “stinging-caterpillar” (Source: Uma Back Translation).
There is complete agreement that these words refer to the scorpion. Many scholars accept that ‘aqrav was also a nickname for a type of whip used for punishing criminals.
The scorpion is an eight-legged creature. In the land of Israel it grows to about 13 centimeters (5 inches) long, but in some tropical countries scorpions can be up to 18 centimeters (7 inches) long. The front pair of legs has claws similar to those on a crab, and the tail, which it can arch over its head, carries a fierce sting. It feeds on other insects and on small reptiles, such as baby lizards. It grasps its prey in its claws and stings it with its tail, either killing it or paralyzing it.
In the Hebrew Bible the scorpion epitomizes harsh, inhospitable living conditions.
Scorpions are found almost worldwide, except in the Arctic tundra and on some islands. In most places, therefore, a local word will be available.
Source: All Creatures Great and Small: Living things in the Bible (UBS Helps for Translators)
complete verse (Luke 10:19)
Following are a number of back-translations of Luke 10:19:
- Noongar: “Listen! I have given you power so you can walk on snakes and on scorpions and you can beat all the power of Satan. And no thing will hurt you.” (Source: Warda-Kwabba Luke-Ang)
- Uma: “So, so that you know: I give you authority, that you can step on snakes or poisonous-centipedes and defeat all the strength of our enemies. No-one [will] wound you.” (Source: Uma Back Translation)
- Yakan: “Look, I have given you supernatural-power so that even if you step on a snake or a skorpion nothing will happen to you. And you also will not be defeated by our (incl.) enemy the leader of demons. Nothing can destroy you whatever.” (Source: Yakan Back Translation)
- Western Bukidnon Manobo: “Remember this, I gave you power so that even if you stepped on snakes or scorpions, you would not be bitten. And you also cannot be overcome by the power of our enemy, Satan, and there is nothing that can harm you.” (Source: Western Bukidnon Manobo Back Translation)
- Kankanaey: “And I indeed also am the one who gave you your power so that even if you step on snakes and centipedes, nothing will happen to you but rather you will defeat all the power of Satanas.” (Source: Kankanaey Back Translation)
- Tagbanwa: “Think about this, that you have been given by me the authority to overcome all the strength of our (incl.) opponent who is Satanas and his people, they being like snakes and scorpions which you will tread on but you won’t get harmed.” (Source: Tagbanwa Back Translation)
enemy / foe
The Greek, Hebrew, Aramaic, Ge’ez, and Latin that is translated as “enemy” or “foe” in English is translated in the Hausa Common Language Bible as “friends of front,” i.e., the person standing opposite you in a battle. (Source: Andy Warren-Rothlin)
In North Alaskan Inupiatun it is translated with a term that implies that it’s not just someone who hates you, but one who wants to do you harm (Source: Robert Bascom), in Tarok as ukpa ìkum or “companion in war/fighting,” and in Ikwere as nye irno m or “person who hates me” (source for this and one above: Chuck and Karen Tessaro in this newsletter ).
formal 2nd person plural pronoun (Japanese)
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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 formal plural suffix to the second person pronoun (“you” and its various forms) as shown here in the widely-used Japanese Shinkaiyaku (新改訳) Bible of 2017. In these verses, anata-gata (あなたがた) is used, combining the second person pronoun anata and the plural suffix -gata to create a formal plural pronoun (“you” [plural] in English).
(Source: S. E. Doi, see also S. E. Doi in Journal of Translation, 18/2022, p. 37ff. )
formal pronoun: Jesus addressing his disciples and common people
Like many languages (but unlike Greek or Hebrew or English), Tuvan uses a formal vs. informal 2nd person pronoun (a familiar vs. a respectful “you”). Unlike other languages that have this feature, however, the translators of the Tuvan Bible have attempted to be very consistent in using the different forms of address in every case a 2nd person pronoun has to be used in the translation of the biblical text.
As Voinov shows in Pronominal Theology in Translating the Gospels (in: The Bible Translator 2002, p. 210ff. ), the choice to use either of the pronouns many times involved theological judgment. While the formal pronoun can signal personal distance or a social/power distance between the speaker and addressee, the informal pronoun can indicate familiarity or social/power equality between speaker and addressee.
Here, Jesus is addressing his disciples, individuals and/or crowds with the formal pronoun, showing respect.
In most Dutch translations, Jesus addresses his disciples and common people with the informal pronoun, whereas they address him with the formal form.
1st person pronoun referring to God (Japanese)
Click or tap here to see the rest of this insight.
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 first person singular and plural pronoun (“I” and “we” and its various forms) as shown here in the widely-used Japanese Shinkaiyaku (新改訳) Bible of 2017. The most commonly used watashi/watakushi (私) is typically used when the speaker is humble and asking for help. In these verses, where God / Jesus is referring to himself, watashi is also used but instead of the kanji writing system (私) the syllabary hiragana (わたし) is used to distinguish God from others.
(Source: S. E. Doi, see also S. E. Doi in Journal of Translation, 18/2022, p. 37ff. )
See also pronoun for “God”.
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