host

The Greek that is translated as “host” in English is translated in Elhomwe as enyumba yootthinddaanyerana or “owner” (of the feast). (Source: project-specific translation notes in Paratext)

glory

Since Saint Lucian Creole French does not have one term for the Greek that is typically translated as “glory” in English, David Frank (in: Lexical Challenges in the St. Lucian Creole Bible Translation Project , 1998) gives examples on how varied that term is translated in its many mentions in Luke:

“The primary meaning of that Greek word is ‘bright, visible splendor.’ The same word has a variety of secondary and extended senses. Since there is not a well-understood Creole word for ‘glory’ and we had to translate it according to meaning, the renderings of ‘glory’ in Creole were diverse, as the following examples, all from the book of Luke, show:

  • Luke 2:9: èvèk klèté Bondyé té ka kléwé toupatou anlè yo (‘and God’s light was shining everywhere on them’)
  • Luke 2:14a: An syèl yo ka glowifyé Bondyé, yo ka di i gwan (‘In heaven they are praising God, they are saying he is great‘)
  • Luke 2:32b: èk i kay fè Izwayèl on plas pou moun konnèt (‘and he will make Israel a place for people to know‘)
  • Luke 4:6a: Mwen kay ba’w tout pouvwa èk wichès sé wéyòm sala (‘I will give you all power and riches of these kingdoms’)
  • Luke 9:26b: lè mwen kay vini an pouvwa mwen ka kléwé kon zéklè (‘when I will come in my power shining like lightning‘)
  • Luke 12:27b: pa menm Sòlomonn an tout wichès li ki té sa abiyé otan bèl kon yonn anpami yo (‘not even Solomon in all his riches was dressed as nice as one of them’)
  • Luke 14:10b: Sa kay ba’w lonnè wèspé an zyé lézòt sé moun-an (‘That will give you honor respect in the eyes of the other people’)
  • Luke 17:18: ki viwé di Bondyé mèsi (‘who returned to tell God thank you‘)
  • Luke 19:38b: Annou glowifyé Bondyé (‘Let’s praise God’)
  • Luke 21:27: épi pouvwa èk gwan klèté (‘with power and great light‘)
  • Luke 24:26: èk apwé sa i kay jwenn wèspé (‘and after that he will get respect‘)

See also the light of the knowledge of the glory of God.

complete verse (Luke 14:10)

Following are a number of back-translations of Luke 14:10:

  • Noongar: “But when your friend invites you, go to the lowest seat so your friend will come and say to you, ‘Go up higher my friend, to a better seat’. Then all the people who were invited, they will see that you are great in the eyes of your friend.” (Source: Warda-Kwabba Luke-Ang)
  • Uma: “So, when you (sing.) are called to go to a feast, it is better that you (sing.) sit in a low place, so that the houseowner will say to you (sing.): ‘Friend, come sit in that good seat over there.’ If like that, you will be more honored in the eyes of the people.” (Source: Uma Back Translation)
  • Yakan: “But if you are invited, sit down at the lower end, and when the host comes he will say to you, ‘Friend, don’t sit here. Go to the head of the table.’ Then the others who are invited will see that you are honored.” (Source: Yakan Back Translation)
  • Western Bukidnon Manobo: “But when we are invited to a feast, let’s not choose a good seat, and when we sit down we should sit down in a seat that’s not so very good. And then that person who is giving a feast, he can say to us, ‘Hey, friend–don’t you sit there, because you sit here in a good seat.’ And then we won’t be ashamed, but rather people will respect us.” (Source: Western Bukidnon Manobo Back Translation)
  • Kankanaey: “Therefore what you (sing.) should do if you (sing.) are invited to join-in-eating, you (sing.) will go join-in-sitting at the edge. Then the host will be responsible to tell you (sing.), ‘That’s a bad seat, come here because here’s a good one.’ So you (sing.) will be honored in the sight of the others who joined-in-eating.” (Source: Kankanaey Back Translation)
  • Tagbanwa: “What is good is, when you are invited, sit there where the insignificant are seated. For if it’s like that, when the one who invited you approaches, he will say to you, ‘Friend, move there to that far from ordinary seat.’ Well, you have been honored (lit. given praiseworthiness/glory of the body) in the presence of the others who were invited.” (Source: Tagbanwa Back Translation)

Japanese benefactives (osusumi)

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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 benefactive construction as shown here in the widely-used Japanese Shinkaiyaku (新改訳) Bible of 2017. Here, osusumi (お進み) or “proceed” is used in combination with kudasaru (くださる), a respectful form of the benefactive kureru (くれる). A benefactive reflects the good will of the giver or the gratitude of a recipient of the favor. To convey this connotation, English translation needs to employ a phrase such as “for me (my sake)” or “for you (your sake).”

(Source: S. E. Doi, see also S. E. Doi in Journal of Translation, 18/2022, p. 37ff. )

Translation commentary on Luke 14:10

Exegesis:

poreutheis anapese eis ton eschaton topon ‘go and lie down on the lowest place,’ or ‘take the lowest place.’ For anapiptō cf. on 11.37. It is equivalent to kataklinomai (v. 8).

hina … erei soi ‘so that … he may say to you,’ indicating the intended result.

phile, prosanabēthi anōteron ‘friend, come up higher,’ i.e. probably ‘approach to where the host is sitting,’ cf. Plummer. prosanabainō.

tote estai soi doxa ‘then you will have honour,’ i.e. ‘you will be honoured,’ contrasts with the last clause of v. 9, tote arxē etc. ‘then you will begin….’ For doxa cf. on 2.9.

enōpion pantōn tōn sunanakeimenōn soi ‘in the presence of all who sit with you.’

Translation:

But, or a stronger adversative, “no” (The Four Gospels – a New Translation, New English Bible), ‘instead’ (cf. Good News Translation and several others).

So that … he may say to you, or non-subordinated, ‘if you do that your host will come (in) and say to you,’ or, ‘then your host will say to you, when he comes (in).’

Go up higher, or, ‘go to (or, go and sit in) a higher place,’ ‘move closer to the highest place,’ the opposite of “the lowest place” in v. 9.

You will be honoured (or, “this will bring you honour”, Good News Translation) in the presence of all, or with some shifts, ‘the eyes of all … will see that you are considered important’ (cf. Tzeltal), ‘you certainly will get a good name among all’ (Uab Meto, similarly Trukese), ‘you will see (i.e. receive/have) honour…’ (one West Nyanja version).

All who sit at table with you, cf. 7.49.

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 14:10

14:10a

But: The Greek conjunction that the Berean Standard Bible translates as But introduces a command that contrasts with the command in 14:8b: “do not take the place of honor (14:8b)…but rather…take the lowest place (14:10a).” Most English versions use a similar contrasting conjunction or exclamation. For example:

No (New Jerusalem Bible)
-or-
Instead (Good News Translation)

However, in some languages, this contrast with 14:8b may not be clear. Your readers may connect the command in 14:10a to the immediately preceding result in 14:9c: “you will be humiliated.” If that is true in your language, you may want to introduce 14:10a as a command that is based on the fact that people do not want to be humiliated. For example:

So when you are invited (New Century Version)

Some versions also leave the connection implied. For example:

When you are invited to be a guest (Contemporary English Version)

Indicate the connection between the commands in 14:10a and 14:8b in a clear and natural way in your language.

when you are invited: In some languages it may be necessary to indicate the place to which you are invited. Supply the same word or phrase as in 14:8a. It may also be necessary to indicate that you actually arrive at the feast. For example:

But when ⌊you arrive⌋ ⌊at a wedding feast to which⌋ you have been invited

In other languages it may be redundant to repeat the information in this clause, since it is clear from 14:8a. If that is true in your language, you may want to leave this information implied. For example:

Instead, take the lowest place… (New Living Translation (2004))

you: As in 14:8a Jesus continued to refer to any of his listeners. Use an appropriate form in your language.

go and sit in the last place: The Greek expression that the Berean Standard Bible translates as go and sit in the last place is the same as the expression translated as “take the last place” in 14:9c. You may translate it with the same expression here if that is good style in your language. If it is not natural to repeat the same expression, you may use a similar expression, as the Berean Standard Bible has done.

go and sit: The Greek phrase that the Berean Standard Bible translates as go and sit is more literally “go and take.” Some English versions, such as the Revised Standard Version, translate it that way. The verb “go” refers here to what the guest should do after he arrives at the feast. He should go to the least important place. Some English versions use the verb “take” here, and since the action of going to a seat is already implied in English by the verb “take,” some versions, such as the New International Version, have left the verb “go” implied. You may do what is natural in your language here.

14:10b

so that: The Greek conjunction that the Berean Standard Bible translates as so that introduces the purpose for taking the lowest place at the feast (14:10a). Jesus told his listeners what they should do at a feast in order to be honored by the host.

In some languages it may be more natural to begin a new sentence here. See the examples in the next note.

your host will come and tell you: The clause your host will come probably refers to the host coming to the place where you and the other guests are seated. It probably does not imply that the host had not yet come to the feast. It is good to translate in a way that avoids implying that. For example:

Then when your host sees you, he will come and say (New Living Translation (2004))
-or-
so that when your host approaches he will say to you (NET Bible)
-or-
When the host comes to you, he may say (New Century Version)

and tell you: The words and tell you introduce a direct quotation of what the host would say. In some languages it may be more natural to use indirect speech here. For example:

he will tell you to move to a better seat

14:10c

Friend: The Greek word that the Berean Standard Bible translates literally as Friend was a common and polite way for one man to address another. If this would not be natural in your language, you may use another polite form of address, such as “Brother” or “Sir.” In some languages it may also be necessary to use a pronoun with the term of address. For example:

My friend (Contemporary English Version)

move up to a better place: The expression that the Berean Standard Bible translates as move up to a better place is literally “go up to a higher place.” It means “go and take one of the seats intended for the more important guests.” The new seat was better in the sense than it was considered to be a place of honor. See how you translated “place of honor” in 14:8b.

In some languages it may not be natural to talk about moving to a “better place” unless one first mentions the original place. For example:

⌊That place is not good enough for you!⌋ Here is a place that is better.

14:10d

Then: Here the word Then introduces the result of 14:10a–c. When the host finds his guest in such an unimportant seat, he may tell him to take a more important one. Other ways to express this result are:

This will bring you honor (Good News Translation)
-or-
In this way you will receive honor

you will be honored in front of everyone at the table with you: In Greek this clause is more literally “(there) will be for you honor before all your fellow guests.” In this context it indicates that all the other people at the feast will see the host honoring the guest. Some other ways to translate this are:

all your fellow-guests will see the respect in which you are held (Revised English Bible)
-or-
all the others will see how much ⌊the host⌋ respects you

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