peace (inner peace)

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The Hebrew, Ge’ez, and Greek that is usually translated into English as “peace,” when referring to one’s inner peace, is (back-) translated with a variety of idioms and phrases:

In American Sign Language it is signed with a compound sign consisting of “become” and “silent.” (Source: Yates 2011, p. 52)


“Peace” in American Sign Language (source )

See also peace (absence of strife) and this devotion on YouVersion and this one on Bible Gateway .

fully armed

The Greek in Luke 11:21 that is translated as “fully armed” or similar in English is translated in the German New Testament translation by Berger / Nord (publ. 1999) idiomatically with bis an die Zähne bewaffnet or “armed to the teeth.”

complete verse (Luke 11:21)

Following are a number of back-translations of Luke 11:21:

  • Noongar: “‘When a strong man prepares his spears to protect his house, then all his things stay safe.” (Source: Warda-Kwabba Luke-Ang)
  • Uma: “‘A demon may be compared to a strong person. If that strong person guards his house with his weapons [lit., “war goods”], nothing happens to the contents of his house.” (Source: Uma Back Translation)
  • Yakan: “‘For example if a person is strong and in weapons/is armed is watching his house his possessions are not in danger.” (Source: Yakan Back Translation)
  • Western Bukidnon Manobo: “And then Jesus caused people to understand that he was much more powerful than Satan, ruler of the demons. Jesus said, ‘If there is a strong person who is completely armed, and he guards over his house, no one can take away from him his possessions.” (Source: Western Bukidnon Manobo Back Translation)
  • Kankanaey: “‘Satanas can be compared to a strong person who is armed. If he is guarding his house, no one will be-able-to-steal his possessions.” (Source: Kankanaey Back Translation)
  • Tagbanwa: “For as long as a person who is strong and armed with bladed-weapons will guard his house, of course his belongings won’t easily be lost-permanently.” (Source: Tagbanwa Back Translation)

Translation commentary on Luke 11:21

Exegesis:

hotan ho ischuros ‘when the strong one, or, a strong man….’ The former is preferable because in the present context ho ischuros is best understood as a reference to Satan.

kathōplismenos ‘fully armed,’ apposition to ho ischuros.

phulassē tēn heautou aulēn ‘guards his own house.’

aulē (also 22.55) ‘courtyard’ (22.55), ‘farm,’ ‘house,’ ‘premises,’ ‘dwelling’ (here).

en eirēnē estin ta huparchonta autou ‘his possessions are in peace,’ i.e. are safe. For ta huparchonta cf. on 8.3.

Translation:

Fully armed, or, ‘equipped with (all) his weapons.’ Some renderings of ‘arms’ are, ‘fighting-things’ (Sranan Tongo), ‘that-which-hits’ (Toraja-Sa’dan), ‘equipment/tools of war’ (Tae,’ Trukese), or the name of the most common kind of weapons, e.g. ‘arrows’ (Ekari). One older version employed an existent phrase for ‘weapons,’ lit. ‘a man’s equipment,’ which later was discovered to be also in use as a veiled expression for ‘penis’!

Palace, preferably, ‘dwelling,’ ‘house,’ or ‘premises’ (rendered ‘place-of-the-house’ in Javanese, Balinese, and ‘by the side of the house’ in Toraja-Sa’dan).

Guards, or, ‘keeps watch over,’ ‘protects.’

Are in peace, or, ‘are safe/well-preserved/inviolate’ (Sranan Tongo, Balinese), and cf. ‘nothing will happen to all that is his’ (Tae’ 1933).

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.

SIL Translator’s Notes on Luke 11:21

Paragraph 11:21–22

In the following example, Jesus compared Satan to a strong man. Jesus then compared himself to someone who was even stronger. This example figuratively describes what Jesus did to Satan. He fought against Satan and won. After conquering Satan, he had the authority to cause Satan’s unclean spirits to leave people. This was like the stronger man who took the possessions of the weaker man.

11:21a

When a strong man, fully armed, guards his house: Here Jesus used an example to teach a principle. The example was of a strong man carrying weapons who guards his house against enemies. But Jesus was not actually talking about a strong man and a house. He was using this illustration to refer to Satan guarding the people over whom he had power.

In some languages it may be helpful to make explicit that this verse is an illustration. You may want to state that Satan is compared to the strong man. For example:

⌊Jesus continued by using a parable/illustration.⌋
-or-

⌊Satan can be compared to⌋ a strong man.

When a strong man: If your language does not normally introduce a new person into a story in a clause that begins with When, you may need to introduce the strong man in the way suggested above. For example:

⌊Satan can be compared to⌋ a strong man who has many weapons. When this strong man guards his house…

a strong man: In this context a strong man refers to a “soldier” or “warrior.” He is a man who is able to fight well. This phrase figuratively refers to Satan.

fully armed: The Greek word that the Berean Standard Bible translates as fully armed means “well equipped with weapons and armor.” The strong man is pictured as wearing armor like a soldier and carrying a sword and other military weapons. Some other ways to translate this phrase are:

with many weapons (New Century Version)
-or-
with all his weapons ready (Good News Translation)

his house: The Greek word that the Berean Standard Bible translates as house has a range of meanings, including “hall,” “courtyard,” “palace,” and “house.” If you have a word that refers to a large house, you may use it here. For example:

his own palace (Revised Standard Version)
-or-
his own mansion (God’s Word)

But you may also use a general word such as “house.” The focus here is not on the size of the building.

11:21b

his possessions are secure: The Greek expression that the Berean Standard Bible translates as secure is literally “at peace.” In this context it means “protected.” The things that the strong man owns are safe or secure because no one can come in and steal them. Some other ways to translate this clause are:

a thief will not be able to steal/take his belongings
-or-
nothing will happen to the things that he owns

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