famine

In Fuyug, “famine” is expressed as “drought.”

parable of the prodigal son (image)

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complete verse (Luke 15:14)

Following are a number of back-translations of Luke 15:14:

  • Noongar: “He used all the money. Then no rain fell on the land and the land grew no food. He had nothing, without money and without food. ” (Source: Warda-Kwabba Luke-Ang)
  • Uma: “When his money was all gone, there was famine in that town, to the point that his life was pitiful.” (Source: Uma Back Translation)
  • Yakan: “When he had spent all, that country suddenly had a great famine. Then he was in great need.” (Source: Yakan Back Translation)
  • Western Bukidnon Manobo: “And then his money ran out. And there happened a very bitter famine in that land, and as for him, he had no way to get what he needed.” (Source: Western Bukidnon Manobo Back Translation)
  • Kankanaey: “When his money was used-up, an extreme famine arrived in the country where he was, and he was left-with-nothing (lit. shaved).” (Source: Kankanaey Back Translation)
  • Tagbanwa: “Just as he had used it up in wasting it, a severe famine came to that place. Well, what else but he was scrounging around (lit. reaching through holes in the floor) in his poverty/severe-hardship.” (Source: Tagbanwa Back Translation)

Translation commentary on Luke 15:14

Exegesis:

dapanēsantos de autou panta ‘but when he had spent it all.’ panta points back to ousian in v. 13.

dapanaō ‘to spend,’ a neutral term (cf. dapanē in 14.28).

egeneto limos ischura kata tēn chōran ekeinēn ‘there arose a severe famine throughout that country.’

ischuros lit. ‘strong,’ here figuratively, ‘severe.’

kai autos ērxato hustereisthai ‘and he began to be in want.’ autos is not emphatic but resumes the subject of dieskorpisen (v. 13). For archomai with infinitive cf. on 4.21.

hustereomai (also 22.35) ‘to be in want,’ ‘to be needy,’ with following genitive, ‘to lack,’ ‘to be in need of.’

Translation:

When he had spent everything, or, ‘all that he possessed.’ To spend, or, ‘to use-up/finish’ (Bahasa Indonesia, similarly Sranan Tongo, lit. ‘to eat’).

A great famine arose, cf. “there came a great famine” in 4.25.

And he began to be in want, i.e. to lack the things that he needed to live, especially food, cf. ‘then he had nothing’ (Ekari), “and he faced starvation” (The Four Gospels – a New Translation).

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 15:14

15:14a

After he had spent all he had: The clause After he had spent all he had means that the young man had used up all his money. Other ways to translate this are:

In this way he spent all his money
-or-
He had nothing left when… (God’s Word)

15:14b

a severe famine swept through that country: The Greek clause that the Berean Standard Bible translates as a severe famine swept through that country is literally “there-came a severe famine.” Languages have different ways to describe the start or spread of a famine. Some other ways to translate this clause are:

a time came when there was no food anywhere in the country (New Century Version)
-or-
a bad famine spread through that whole land (Contemporary English Version)
-or-
that country experienced a severe famine (New Jerusalem Bible)

a severe famine: The phrase a severe famine refers to a time when there was little food available for humans or animals to eat.

15:14c

and he began to be in need: The Greek clause that the Berean Standard Bible translates as he began to be in need indicates that the younger son no longer had any money. He could not buy food, so he began to go hungry. Other ways to translate this clause are:

Soon he had nothing to eat. (Contemporary English Version)
-or-
He had nothing to live on. (God’s Word)
-or-
he began to starve (New Living Translation (2004))

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