be dressed for action

The Greek that is translated as “be dressed for action” or literally as “gird your loins” in English is translated in the French Nouvelle Français Courant as manches retroussées or “roll up your sleeves.” (Source:
Katie Badie)

See also loins girded.

lamp

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

complete verse (Luke 12:35)

Following are a number of back-translations of Luke 12:35:

  • Noongar: “‘You must prepare for everything which will happen, dressed and waiting and your fire sticks alight,” (Source: Warda-Kwabba Luke-Ang)
  • Uma: “‘Don’t be lax, always be watchful waiting for my arrival. It is better that you be like the slaves who waited for the arrival of their nobleman from a wedding feast. Those slaves, their clothes were ready, and their lamps were continually lit, so that when their nobleman arrived and asked-to-be-opened the door, they [could] immediately open it for him.” (Source: Uma Back Translation)
  • Yakan: “Then Isa said yet, ‘You must always be ready for my return, like servants waiting for their master when he comes home from a wedding. They are dressed for work and they don’t turn off the lamp. When their master arrives and calls from the outside they immediately open for him.” (Source: Yakan Back Translation)
  • Western Bukidnon Manobo: “And Jesus told again a parable. He said, ‘Be on your guard before hand, so that you might not be startled by anything. You be like the servant who is waiting for his master to come home from a wedding which he attended.” (Source: Western Bukidnon Manobo Back Translation)
  • Kankanaey: “Jesus continued to say to his disciples, ‘You must be ready like servants who are waiting for their master who has gone to join-in-a-wedding. They are dressed and holding-torches so that thus when their master comes-home and knocks, they will be able to open the doorway immediately.” (Source: Kankanaey Back Translation)
  • Tagbanwa: “‘It’s good if you are always ready. Be like people who are prepared, and who have the lamp lit already, for they are waiting for their master coming from a wedding, so that when he arrives the door can be opened at once for him.” (Source: Tagbanwa Back Translation)

Translation commentary on Luke 12:35

Exegesis:

estōsan humōn hai osphues periezōsmenai ‘your waists must be girded,’ i.e. ‘you must be prepared for action.’ estōsan is imperative 3rd person plural. humōn is emphatic and indicates implicitly the agents of the girding.

osphus ‘waist,’ ‘loins’ as the place where a belt or girdle is worn.

perizōnnumi ‘to gird about,’ i.e. to tuck up one’s long garment by pulling it through a belt, here in the passive, with the part of the body where the belt is worn as subject.

kai hoi luchnoi kaiomenoi ‘and your lamps (must be) burning,’ with estosan understood, implying that it is night and anticipating the events told in vv. 36f. For luchnos cf. on 8.16. kaiō also 24.32.

Translation:

Let your loins be girded. A rather literal rendering sometimes conveys the required meaning, e.g. ‘tighten your belt’ (Ekari), ‘tighten the belt about your loins’ (Kele). Elsewhere the term for a similar act has the same metaphorical meaning, e.g. ‘have (it)-tucked-in’ (Balinese), ‘have (it)-rolled-up’ (Toraja-Sa’dan, similarly Yao), ‘have your clothing tucked up’ (Shona 1966), i.e. make ready for work at hand, by pulling up the long skirt-like garment between the legs and tucking it into the belt at the back, or by rolling or pulling it up around the waist. But in several languages only a non-figurative, functional rendering is acceptable, e.g. ‘be ready always’ (Tzeltal), ‘be prepared’ (Dan), ‘prepare yourselves,’ or a combination of a functional rendering of this (and the next) phrase with a literal one, e.g. “be ready for action, with belts fastened and lamps alight” (New English Bible, cf. also Good News Translation, The Four Gospels – a New Translation).

Your lamps burning, or, ‘and let your lamps give light,’ ‘keep/have your lamps shining.’ A non-figurative rendering of this phrase is both undesirable and unnecessary because of the short parable in vv. 36ff. For lamp see 8.16; the rendering chosen may also influence that of the verb, e.g. if the language distinguishes between the burning or light of a lamp and of a torch.

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 12:35

Section 12:35–48

Jesus’ servants should be watchful and faithful

In this section Jesus continued to teach his disciples. He told them to do their work faithfully and to be ready for the time he would return to earth. He used three illustrations that all emphasized how important it is to be prepared for his return. In 12:35–38 he described a man who had gone to a wedding feast. His servants needed to be ready to open the door for him at whatever time he returned. In 12:39 he described the owner of a house watching out for a thief who might come at an unexpected time. In 12:41–48, Jesus explained the difference between a faithful servant and an unfaithful servant. This encouraged his disciples to be faithful.

Some other headings for this section are:

Faithful and Unfaithful Servants (Contemporary English Version)
-or-
Be Ready for the Lord’s Coming (New Living Translation (2004))
-or-
Watchfulness (New International Version)

There is a parallel passage for 12:41–48 in Matthew 24:45–51.

Paragraph 12:35–38

In this paragraph Jesus continued to speak. It may be helpful to indicate this here at the beginning of this new section. For example:

⌊Jesus also said⌋…
-or-

⌊Jesus continued teaching⌋ ⌊his disciples⌋ ⌊and he said⌋…

12:35–36a

In 12:35–36a, Jesus used three figures of speech:

(1) Be dressed for service.

(2) Keep your lamps burning.

(3) Be like servants waiting for their master to return from the wedding banquet.

These figures of speech indicate that the disciples should be ready for Jesus’ return, just as servants should be ready for their master’s return. See the General Comment on 12:35–36a at the end of 12:36a for a way to reorder these figures of speech.

12:35

Be dressed for service: The Greek clause that the Berean Standard Bible translates as Be dressed for service is more literally “Have your waists/hips girded.” Jesus referred here to how servants tucked the lower part of their robe up into their belt so they could work more easily. The form of the Greek verb indicates that they should remain dressed in this manner. Some ways to translate this metaphor are:

• Use a specific metaphor that would be appropriate in your culture. For example:

Keep your belts tightened
-or-
Have your clothes tucked in

• Use a general metaphor and make the function explicit, as the Berean Standard Bible has done. For example:

Be dressed and ready to work

• Change the metaphor to a simile and supply the point of similarity. For example:

Be ready to serve me, ⌊like people who are⌋ dressed in their work clothes

• Translate the meaning without the figure of speech. For example:

Be ready for action (God’s Word)

The last option is especially appropriate if other options imply that the disciples are to dress in a particular way. The point is that they should be ready to serve Jesus.

keep your lamps burning: Jesus was referring to how good servants kept lamps burning all night when they thought their master would return so that everything would be ready for him. (See also Matthew 25:1–13.) In the same way, Jesus’ disciples should be ready for him to return at any time.

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