purse

The Greek that is translated as “purse” in English is translated in Elhomwe as “money” since the concept of a purse is unknown. (Source: project-specific translation notes in Paratext)

Scriptures Plain & Simple (Luke 10:1-12)

Barclay Newman, a translator on the teams for both the Good News Bible and the Contemporary English Version, translated passages of the New Testament into English and published them in 2014, “in a publication brief enough to be non-threatening, yet long enough to be taken seriously, and interesting enough to appeal to believers and un-believers alike.” The following is the translation of Luke 10:1-12:

Later the Lord chose seventy-two other followers
and sent them out two by two to every town and village
       that he intended to visit. He said to them:

       “So many crops in the field, and so few workers!
              Pray for the Lord of the harvest to send more workers.
       Now go, and remember I’m sending you out
              like lambs among hungry wolves.
       Take only the clothes you absolutely need,
              and don’t waste time just hanging loose!
       Ask God’s blessing upon every home
              where you are welcomed,
              but withhold it where you are rejected.
       Stay with the first family that invites you,
       eating and drinking whatever they provide,
              without moving from place to place.
       Remember you are worth what you receive,
              if you work really hard.

       “When a town welcomes you, heal their sick and say,
              ‘The Ultimate Kingdom will soon be here!’
       But when a town rejects you,
              stand on the top of a soap box and shout,
       ‘This is your final warning!
              The Ultimate Kingdom will soon be here!’

       “My followers, I tell you now
       that no town will be judged more harshly
              than those that reject you!”

greet no one

The Greek in Luke 10:4 that is often translated as “greet no one” in English is translated literally in some languages where greetings take a notoriously long time, but elsewhere the intended meaning is conveyed by translations like “do not delay for salutations” (Sinhala), “do not pause … to give even one person greetings” (Kituba), and in some cases the concept of greeting is abandoned, such as “don’t-waste-time talking to people you meet” (Tboli) or “do not loiter … for useless words” (Navajo (Dinė)).

sandal (illustration)

The Hebrew and Greek that is translated as “sandal” in English is illustrated for use in Bible translations in East Africa by Pioneer Bible Translators like this:

Image owned by PBT and Jonathan McDaniel and licensed with the Creative Commons Attribution 3.0 Unported License.

See also untie sandals.

sandal / shoe

The Hebrew and Greek that is translated as “sandal” or “shoe” similar in English is translated in Noongar as djena-bwoka or “feet kangaroo skin” (source: Bardip Ruth-Ang 2020) and in Mairasi as “foot thing” (source: Enggavoter 2004).

Click or tap here to see a short video clip about sandals (source: Bible Lands 2012)

See also cloth.

complete verse (Luke 10:4)

Following are a number of back-translations of Luke 10:4:

  • Noongar: “Take no money bag, no begging bag, no shoes. Don’t stop and talk with people on the road.” (Source: Warda-Kwabba Luke-Ang)
  • Uma: “Do not carry a money wallet or food-bundle or two pairs of shoes. Do not spend a long time talking to people along the road.” (Source: Uma Back Translation)
  • Yakan: “Do not take a purse or a bag or shoes. Whoever you happen to meet on the road, do not rest and talk.” (Source: Yakan Back Translation)
  • Western Bukidnon Manobo: “Don’t you take money or a bag, or an extra pair of shoes. Don’t spend a long time talking to people that you meet on the trail.” (Source: Western Bukidnon Manobo Back Translation)
  • Kankanaey: “Don’t take-along money or a backpack or a change of chinelas, and don’t be-sidetracked by conversation on the way (lit. path).” (Source: Kankanaey Back Translation)
  • Tagbanwa: “Don’t take provisions of money (lit. what-to-buy-with), something in which to put what you are given, or a change of footwear. And don’t delay on the trail chatting with anyone.” (Source: Tagbanwa Back Translation)

Translation commentary on Luke 10:4

Exegesis:

mē bastazete ballantion ‘do not carry with you a purse.’

ballantion ‘money bag,’ ‘purse.’

mē pēran, mē hupodēmata ‘nor a knapsack, nor sandals.’ For pēra cf. on 9.3 and for hupodēma on 3.16. The seventy [two] are not forbidden to wear sandals but to carry an extra pair with them (cf. Plummer, Klostermann).

kai mēdena kata tēn hodon aspasēsthe ‘and do not greet any one on the road,’ because this would take too much time and would take them off their main duties (cf. Grundmann). aspazomai, cf. on 1.40.

kata tēn hodon ‘along the road,’ i.e. while going along the road, cf. Acts 8.36.

Translation:

Purse, or, ‘small bag.’ Where necessary one may replace the container by the contents, ‘money.’

For bag, or, ‘knapsack,’ see on 9.3; for sandals see on 3.16.

Salute no one. A literal rendering is possible in some languages where greetings take a notoriously long time, as in Zarma; or in Shona, where one might have used, ‘do not greet with the full formula of greeting’ (implying totem and praise names, inquiries about those at home and questions about whither the parties are bound). But elsewhere such a rendering would merely sound discourteous. To convey the intended meaning one may have to say then, ‘do not delay for salutations’ (Sinhala), ‘do not pause … to give even one person greetings’ (Kituba), and in some cases one has almost or entirely to abandon the concept of greeting, cf. ‘don’t-waste-time talking to people you meet’ (Tboli), ‘do not loiter … for useless words’ (Navajo). For to salute, or, ‘greet,’ see on 1.29, 40.

On the road, or, ‘on (or, while making) your/this journey.’

Quoted with permission from Reiling, J. and Swellengrebel, J.L. A Handbook on the Gospel of Luke. (UBS Handbook Series). New York: UBS, 1971. For this and other handbooks for translators see here . Make sure to also consult the Handbook on the Gospel of Mark for parallel or similar verses.