neighbor - relative

The Hebrew and Greek that is translated as “neighbor” or “relative” in English is translated in the Contemporary Chichewa translation (2002/2016) and the Buku Lopatulika translation (1922/2018) with just one word: nansi. This word can also be translated as neighbors whom you share a blood relation with because in Chewa context a community is mostly comprised of people of blood relations. (Source: Mawu a Mulungu mu Chichewa Chalero Back Translation)

complete verse (Luke 15:9)

Following are a number of back-translations of Luke 15:9:

  • Noongar: “When she finds the coin, she calls her friends and other people of her town, and she says to them, ‘I am very happy because I found my coin, the lost one. We must be happy together. Let’s celebrate!'” (Source: Warda-Kwabba Luke-Ang)
  • Uma: “When she finds it, she calls her friends and neighbors, she says to them: ‘Come rejoice with me. Because I found again my money that was lost.'” (Source: Uma Back Translation)
  • Yakan: “And when she has found it, she will call her friends and her neighbours telling them to gather in her house. And she says to them, ‘Let us (incl.) be glad for I have found the gold-coin that was lost.'” (Source: Yakan Back Translation)
  • Western Bukidnon Manobo: “And when she finds it she calls her companions and her neighbors, and she says, ‘Let’s rejoice because I found this piece of money that I lost.'” (Source: Western Bukidnon Manobo Back Translation)
  • Kankanaey: “And when she finds it, then she will call her friends and neighbors and will say, ‘Be-happy-with me, because here-now I have found my coin that was lost!'” (Source: Kankanaey Back Translation)
  • Tagbanwa: “Well, after finding it, she will invite her friends and neighbors. ‘Come on,’ she says, ‘join in my celebration, for I have indeed found that money of mine which was lost.'” (Source: Tagbanwa Back Translation)

Scriptures Plain & Simple (Luke 15:8-10)

Barclay Newman, a translator on the teams for both the Good News Bible and the Contemporary English Version, translated passages of the New Testament into English and published them in 2014, “in a publication brief enough to be non-threatening, yet long enough to be taken seriously, and interesting enough to appeal to believers and un-believers alike.” The following is the translation of Luke 15:8-10:

Jesus told the people another story:
       What would a woman do if she lost
              one of the ten gold coins from her wedding bracelet?
       Wouldn’t she light a lamp, sweep the floor,
              and crawl on her hands and knees until she found it?
       Then she’d call in her friends and neighbors and say,
              “Celebrate with me! I’ve found the coin I lost.”
       “God is no less excited,” explained Jesus,
              “when only one person turns to him.”

Translation commentary on Luke 15:9

Exegesis:

kai heurousa ‘and when she has found (it),’ same transition as in v. 5 (see there).

hēn apōlesa ‘which I lost,’ cf. on apōlesas in v. 4.

Translation:

In the Greek the word for friends is in the feminine form, but this is not of specific relevance in this context. Therefore, if the normal term to be employed in the receptor language is neutral as to gender, no specification of sex is needed, as a rule; it may even be undesirable where the specification ‘women-friends’ would suggest the existence of boy-friends better not mentioned—as is the case in some versions. The same is true where ‘woman neighbours’ would have such implications.

The coin which I had lost. This construction, though formally different, has the same meaning as ‘my sheep which was lost’ (v. 6).

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 15:9

15:9a

she calls together her friends and neighbors: See the note on 15:6a.

her friends and neighbors: In Greek, the words that the Berean Standard Bible translates as friends and neighbors are forms that refer only to females.

If your language has such feminine forms for “friends” and “neighbors,” you may use them here. You may also use specific terms for “female friends” and “female neighbors” if that would be appropriate in your cultural context. Otherwise, you may use general terms that can refer to both men and women, as English versions have done.

15:9b

to say: The Greek word that the Berean Standard Bible translates as to say is literally “saying,” as in 15:6b. See the note there.

‘Rejoice with me, for I have found my lost coin.’: See the note on the similar quotation in 15:6b.

my lost coin: The Greek phrase that the Berean Standard Bible translates as my lost coin is literally “the lost coin.” The God’s Word has another way to translate this phrase:

the coin that I lost

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