basket, bushel, measure

The Greek that is translated in English with “basket” or “bushel” or “measure” is translated into Avaric with an existing term: “sah.” “To the European reader it is not clear how a lamp can be put under a measure, since such a reader has only a vague idea what this “measure” (modios in the original Greek) must look like. For the Avar, again, there is no problem here: everybody knows the word sah, which means exactly the same as the Greek modios.” (Source: Magomed-Kamil Gimbatov and Yakov Testelets in The Bible Translator 1996, p. 434ff. )

lamp

The Greek that is translated as “lamp” in English is translated in Noongar as karla-maat or “firestick” (source: Warda-Kwabba Luke-Ang).

put a lamp under a bushel basket

The now commonly-used German idiom ein Licht unter den Scheffel stellen, which means to be excessively humble (literally “put a light under the bushel”), was made popular in 1522 in the German New Testament translation by Martin Luther. (Source: Günther 2017, p. 85)

Since the German term Scheffel (“bushel”) is outdated and not widely known anymore, it was replaced in a 1975 revision of the Luther New Testament with Eimer (“bucket”). In the public reception this was seen as such an egregious error of judgment that that whole version was referred to mockingly as the Eimertestament (“bucket testament”) and withdrawn two years after its release. This choice of wording was not the only reason why that particular revision did not succeed. The revision was done mostly by linguists rather than theologians and aimed to have a highly communicative and modern style, which resulted in a loss of the specific style of the Luther Bible, something that the German church and public were not willing to accept. A more conservative revision followed in 1984 and the last revision was published in 2017. The 2017 edition actually restored some of Luther’s phrasing and terminology that had been replaced by earlier versions as long as they still reflected the meaning of the original Greek or Hebrew text.

In Latvian, the phrase turēt sveci zem pūra or “keep a candle under the bushel” has become part of the standard lexicon, going back to the 1682 New Testament translation by Ernst Glück (source: Pēteris Vanags in Glück’s landmark translation of the Bible into Latvian ).

complete verse (Luke 11:33)

Following are a number of back-translations of Luke 11:33:

  • Noongar: “‘No person lights a fire stick and hides it or covers its light. He lifts up the flame so people can see the light when they come inside.” (Source: Warda-Kwabba Luke-Ang)
  • Uma: “‘No person lights a lamp and hides [it] or covers it with a pot. A lamp is definitely put on its putting-place so that its shine is seen by people who enter.” (Source: Uma Back Translation)
  • Yakan: “Isa said yet, ‘There is nobody who lights a lamp and then hides it or covers it with a tall rice basket. But he places it on it’s lampstand so that those coming in will see the light.” (Source: Yakan Back Translation)
  • Western Bukidnon Manobo: “And Jesus spoke again saying, ‘Nobody lights a lamp and hides it or puts in underneath an upsidedown basket, but rather, he places it on underneath an upside down basket, but rather, he places it on a holder and when a person comes in, he is illuminated.” (Source: Western Bukidnon Manobo Back Translation)
  • Kankanaey: “Then Jesus continued parabling, ‘No one lights a lamp to then put it in a blocked-off-place or cover it with a basin but rather he sets-it-on-top (of something) so that it will be bright/light if a person enters.” (Source: Kankanaey Back Translation)
  • Tagbanwa: “And then Jesus said next, ‘No one lights a lamp and then hides it or covers it with a ganta-measure. On the contrary he will really put it on a stand/rest, so that the people who are entering will see its light.” (Source: Tagbanwa Back Translation)

Translation commentary on Luke 11:33

Exegesis:

oudeis luchnon hapsas ‘nobody, after lighting a lamp…’ cf. on 8.16 and references there.

eis kruptēn tithēsin ‘puts it in a cellar.’

kruptē ‘dark and hidden place,’ ‘cellar.’

[hupo ton modion] ‘under the peck measure,’ or, ‘measuring vessel.’

epi tēn luchnian scil. tithēsin ‘(he places it) on the lampstand,’ cf. on 8.16.

hina hoi eisporeuomenoi to phōs blepōsin ‘so that those who come in may see the light,’ cf. on 8.16.

Translation:

For the first and third parts of this verse see 8.16.

Cellar, or, ‘hole’ (Bahasa Indonesia), ‘place-under-the-house,’ i.e. between the poles on which the floor of a house is built (Javanese, Toraja-Sa’dan), ‘storeroom,’ ‘(place) where people put away (or, hide) things.’

Under a bushel. In some languages ‘under’ would suggest that the bushel is put on the light with the bottom down; hence, ‘overarches (it) with a bushel’ (cf. Javanese, Tae’ 1933), ‘puts a vessel over it’ (Sranan Tongo). For bushel one may use the term for any kind of vessel or basket, used to measure (or keep) cereals, and normally found in a house.

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 11:33

Section 11:33–36

Jesus taught about light and darkness

In this section, Jesus used the metaphors of a lamp, light, darkness, eye, and body. The lamp and the light are illustrations of Jesus and his teaching. Both Jesus’ life and teaching revealed God to the people. People whose spiritual eyesight was good were able to understand and accept his message. They were like someone whose mind or body was full of light. People who rejected his message were like a person who was full of darkness.

Jesus used these metaphors to tell the people (in 11:29–32) that their spiritual eyes were diseased. They could not receive the light of his message. If they had been willing to accept his message, then their minds would have been full of light. They would not have asked for another miracle to prove that God had sent him.

Some other possible headings for this section are:

Jesus’ message is like a lamp and like light
-or-
The light of the body (Good News Translation)

There are parallel passages for this section in Matthew 5:15 and 6:22–23.

Paragraph 11:33–36

There are two sayings about a lamp in this paragraph: one in 11:33 and another in 11:34–36. In 11:33 Jesus compared himself and his teaching to a lamp. People put a lamp where its light will be seen. In the same way, Jesus taught in public where everyone could hear and see him.

In 11:34 the topic is different. Here a person’s eye (his attitude toward Jesus’ message) is compared to a lamp. This lamp provides him with light (spiritual illumination or understanding).

11:33

In some languages, it may be necessary to make it clear here that Jesus was still speaking. If that is true in your language, you can begin this paragraph with something like:

⌊Then Jesus said⌋…

Here Jesus used a lamp to illustrate what he and his teaching were like. In your translation, you should keep the illustration of the lamp. If the figurative meaning of the lamp is not clear, you may wish to supply the meaning in a footnote. For example:

The lamp and the light are illustrations that represent Jesus and his teaching. Both Jesus’ life and his message revealed God to the people around him. What Jesus did and taught was not hidden from people. It was done where people could see and hear him.

Jesus used the same lamp illustration in Matthew 5:15 and Luke 8:16. However, he was not necessarily using the illustration to teach the same spiritual truth in each of these three passages.

11:33a

lamp: A lamp in Jesus’ time was a small pot that people put oil in. It had a wick that they lit at night to light up their house.

You should use a word in your language for a lamp that burns oil or kerosene. If there is no general word for lamp, you may use a word that refers to a candle, a lantern, or a flaming torch.

This same word occurs in 8:16a.

a cellar: The word that the Berean Standard Bible translates as a cellar refers to any hidden or secret place in a house where a person could put a lamp so that its light would be useless.

In some languages it will be necessary to use an active verb here. For example:

a place where no one can see it

Another way to translate this phrase is:

and then hides it (Good News Translation)

under a basket: The phrase under a basket implies that someone first turns a basket upside down and then puts it over a lamp. Another way to say this is:

covers it with a bowl

basket: The Greek word that the Berean Standard Bible translates as basket probably refers to a large basket that people used to measure grain. Some other ways to translate this are:

bowl (New International Version)
-or-
clay pot (Contemporary English Version)

In your translation, you could use a term for any container that is big enough to put a lamp underneath.

11:33b

Instead: The Greek conjunction that the Berean Standard Bible translates as Instead is literally “but.” Many English versions translate it that way. This conjunction shows the contrast between 11:33a and 11:33b. Show this contrast in a way that is natural in your language.

he sets it on a stand: A stand was a stone or wooden shelf where people normally put a lamp so it would give light inside the house. Some other ways to translate stand are:

a high place
-or-
lamp holder
-or-
lampstand (Good News Translation)

so those who enter can see the light: This clause explains the reason why people put lamps on stands. They put them on stands in order that the people who came into the house could see at night.

In your translation, avoid suggesting that the people came into the house in order to see the light. Rather, the phrase means that when they came in, they could see where things were, because the lamp lit up the house. Some ways to make this clear are:

so the people who come in can see (New Century Version)
-or-
to give light to all who enter the room (New Living Translation (1996))

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