12He said also to the one who had invited him, “When you give a luncheon or a dinner, do not invite your friends or your brothers and sisters or your relatives or rich neighbors, in case they may invite you in return, and you would be repaid.
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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 to do this is through the usage (or a lack) of an honorific prefix as shown here in the widely-used Japanese Shinkaiyaku (新改訳) Bible of 2017.
In these verses, the Greek and Hebrew that is translated as “restore” or “pay back” in English is translated in the Shinkaiyaku Bible as o-kaeshi (お返し), combining “restore” (kaeshi) with the respectful prefix o-. (Source: S. E. Doi, see also S. E. Doi in Journal of Translation, 18/2022, p. 37ff. )
Following are a number of back-translations of Luke 14:12:
Noongar: “Then Jesus said to the Pharisee, ‘When you invite people to feast with you, you must not invite good friends and brothers and rich people, because they will invite you to go back to their houses, and you will get back what you gave them.” (Source: Warda-Kwabba Luke-Ang)
Uma: “After that, Yesus also spoke to the houseowner. He said: ‘When we call people to attend our feasts, whether to each during the day or at night, let us not call/invite our friends, our relatives or the rich people in the town. Because they will definitely call/invite us later, with the result that our behavior is returned.” (Source: Uma Back Translation)
Yakan: “Then Isa said to the person who had invited him, ‘Na, you also, friend, if you make a feast, do not invite your friends or your brothers or your relatives or your rich neighbours/companions close to your house. For if you invite them, they will also invite you when they have a celebration. Then they repay/reward you for what you did for them.” (Source: Yakan Back Translation)
Western Bukidnon Manobo: “And Jesus said to the one who had given a feast, ‘And you also, friend, when you give a feast, don’t you just invite your acquaintances and your cousins and your neighbors who are rich, because as for them, they are wealthy and they will, in turn, invite you when they give a feast and they can pay back to you the good which you did for them.” (Source: Western Bukidnon Manobo Back Translation)
Kankanaey: “Then Jesus said to the one who had invited him, ‘If you (sing.) invite people to eat-with you (sing.), don’t be inviting only your (sing.) friends, relatives and rich townmates, because they will also go and invite you (sing.) and thus you (sing.) will be repaid.” (Source: Kankanaey Back Translation)
Tagbanwa: “And then Jesus spoke to the one who invited him. He said, ‘When you have a feast, don’t invite your friends, your siblings or other relatives, or rich neighbors. For of course, they will reciprocate by inviting you. Well, you will then have been rewarded.” (Source: Tagbanwa Back Translation)
Click or tap here to see the rest of this insight.
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 usage of an honorific construction where the morpheme are (され) is affixed on the verb as shown here in the widely-used Japanese Shinkaiyaku (新改訳) Bible of 2017. This is particularly done with verbs that have God as the agent to show a deep sense of reverence. Here, hanas-are-ru (話される) or “speak” is used.
Living Water is produced for the Bible translation movement in association with Lutheran Bible Translators. Lyrics derived from the ESV® Bible (The Holy Bible, English Standard Version®).
elegen de kai ‘and he said also,’ introducing an additional statement.
tō keklēkoti auton ‘to the man who had invited him,’ ‘to his host.’
hotan poiēs ariston ē deipnon ‘when you give a midday meal or an evening meal.’ For ariston cf. on 11.38.
deipnon ‘meal,’ ‘dinner,’ ‘evening meal.’
mē phōnei tous philous sou ‘do not invite your friends.’ phōneō is here synonymous with kaleō (cf. vv. 7ff).
mēde tous suggeneis sou ‘nor your relatives,’ cf. on 1.36, 58.
mēde geitonas plousious ‘nor rich neighbours,’ without article and possessive genitive sou following. This suggests the absence of personal relationships.
geitōn ‘neighbour’ in a general sense.
mēpote kai autoi antikalesōsin se ‘lest they on their part invite you in return.’ For mēpote cf. on 4.11. kai autoi lit. ‘they also,’ means ‘they on their part.’ antikaleō.
kai genētai antapodoma soi ‘and you get/receive payment,’ still modified by mēpote.
antapodoma ‘repayment,’ ‘reward.’
Translation:
Give a dinner or a banquet, or, ‘give/arrange a large meal (or, a feast) at noon or evening’ (see Exegesis).
Friends … brothers … kinsmen … neighbours are masculine, because only men would normally attend such a party, but this is not of special relevance in the context; hence, where the terms are neutral as to sex, specification may be unnecessary or even undesirable (cf. also the remark on “friends” in 15.9). Brothers (cf. 6.14) may refer to bodily brothers or close relatives, and kinsmen (cf. “kinsfolk” in 1.58) to less close relatives. For neighbour see 1.58.
The two clauses governed by lest are on the same level, the second is consecutive; for the rest same construction as in v. 8, cf. e.g. ‘it might happen that they … invite you and you are consequently repaid’ (Willibrord).
Also (or, ‘on their part’), and in return serve here to emphasize the reversal of the roles of host and guest.
You be repaid, or, ‘you get your payment’ (Sranan Tongo); or changing the subject ‘they give you something in exchange’ (Tzeltal), ‘they can do-to-you the same (lit. kind one)’ (Kituba), ‘they give-what-is-due to-you’ (Pohnpeian). Available renderings should be carefully handled, because the expression in question may also occur in the unfavourable sense of ‘to revenge’ (e.g. in Shona, Ekari, Bahasa Indonesia).
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.
In this paragraph Jesus taught that people should not invite to their feasts only people who can repay them by inviting them to a meal. They should also invite poor people who cannot repay them.
14:12a
Then Jesus said to the man who had invited Him: The Greek phrase that the Berean Standard Bible translates as the man who had invited Him is literally “the (one) having-invited him,” as in 14:9a. Here it refers to the Pharisee who had invited Jesus to eat dinner in his home (in 14:1a). See how you translated this same expression in 14:9a.
14:12b
When you host a dinner or a banquet: The phrase that the Berean Standard Bible translates as host a dinner or a banquet is literally “make a dinner or a banquet.” It refers to preparing a special meal or dinner for people to eat. The host may not actually make the food himself, but he pays for it and decides whom to invite. Other ways to translate the clause are:
When you are having guests for lunch or supper (Revised English Bible) -or-
When you give a luncheon or dinner (New International Version)
a dinner or a banquet: Jewish people normally ate two meals a day, one in the late morning, the other in the late afternoon or evening. The second meal was the main meal of the day. Either meal could be a special meal/feast for guests. English versions identify these meals in different ways. See the examples in the preceding note.
The point of Jesus’ advice was not the time of the meal but rather the people who were invited. If it is awkward to specify different meals in your language, it may be better to use one general term. For example:
a feast -or-
a meal
14:12c
do not invite your friends or brothers or relatives or rich neighbors: Jesus gave this command specifically to his host, so he used a singular form. However, Jesus intended what he said to apply to anyone who was wealthy enough to invite others to meals or parties.
This command is an example of hyperbole (deliberate exaggeration to emphasize a point). Jesus did not mean that a person should never invite his friends, brothers, relatives, or rich neighbors to a meal. Jesus himself invited his disciples to the Passover supper before he died, and before that he had many meals with his friends. Rather, he meant that his host should also invite other people who were too poor to invite him in return.
If the meaning of this hyperbole will not be clear, you may need to say something like:
rather than ⌊always⌋ inviting ⌊only⌋ your friends and brothers and other relatives, and your rich neighbors
brothers: The Greek word that the Berean Standard Bible translates as brothers sometimes includes sisters as well. However, if women do not attend formal meals or feasts in your culture, you may use a word that refers specifically to male siblings. The Greek word also sometimes includes other close relatives, such as cousins. So if it is natural in your language, you may use an expression that includes other close relatives.
relatives: The Greek word that the Berean Standard Bible translates as relatives is a general word that can refer to any family members or other relatives.
rich neighbors: The phrase rich neighbors refers to people who live nearby and who have a lot of money or property.
14:12d
Otherwise: The Greek conjunction that the Berean Standard Bible translates as Otherwise is more literally “lest.” For example:
lest they also invite you in return (Revised Standard Version)
This Greek conjunction was also used in 14:8c–9. See the note on “for…If so…Then” in 14:8c–9. Here it introduces a future situation that the host should desire to avoid. One way to summarize the idea is: Avoid inviting only friends and rich people who will invite you back so that this will not be your only reward.
The relationship between 14:12c and 14:12d may also be explained as a command that you should obey in order to avoid a bad result. In other words, do not invite only friends and rich people, because they will invite you back and that will be your only reward.
In some languages it may be clearer to express this relationship in other ways. For example:
in case they may invite you in return (New Revised Standard Version) -or-
for they will invite you back (Good News Translation)
In some languages this relationship may not need to be made explicit. For example:
they will only ask you back again (Revised English Bible) -or-
At another time they will invite you to eat with them (New Century Version)
they may invite you in return: The clause they may invite you in return means that the present guests may sometime invite their host to their own luncheon or dinner party. In some languages it may be necessary to say explicitly what they will invite the host to attend. For example:
they may also invite you ⌊to their own feast/party⌋
14:12e
and you will be repaid: The word repaid implies here that when guests invite their host back to a meal, that is like repaying or rewarding him for inviting them. The clause implies that the host only invited people whom he expected to invite him to a meal at a future time. It is also implied that being invited to other meals is the only reward this host can expect.
you will be repaid: The clause that the Berean Standard Bible translates as you will be repaid is literally “it becomes a repayment to you.” The Berean Standard Bible translates this as a passive clause. Other ways to translate this clause are:
and so ⌊they⌋ will repay you -or-
and this will be ⌊the extent of⌋ your reward/repayment
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