parable of the prodigal son (image)

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Image taken from the Wiedmann Bible. For more information about the images and ways to adopt them, see here .

For other images of Willy Wiedmann paintings in TIPs, see here.

sandal (illustration)

The Hebrew and Greek that is translated as “sandal” in English is illustrated for use in Bible translations in East Africa by Pioneer Bible Translators like this:

Image owned by PBT and Jonathan McDaniel and licensed with the Creative Commons Attribution 3.0 Unported License.

See also untie sandals.

sandal / shoe

The Hebrew and Greek that is translated as “sandal” or “shoe” similar in English is translated in Noongar as djena-bwoka or “feet kangaroo skin” (source: Bardip Ruth-Ang 2020) and in Mairasi as “foot thing” (source: Enggavoter 2004).

Click or tap here to see a short video clip about sandals (source: Bible Lands 2012)

See also cloth.

complete verse (Luke 15:22)

Following are a number of back-translations of Luke 15:22:

  • Noongar: “But his father called the workers. ‘Quickly!’ he said. ‘Bring the best clothes and dress my son! Put a ring on his finger and put shoes on his feet.” (Source: Warda-Kwabba Luke-Ang)
  • Uma: “‘But the father called his servants, and he said to them: ‘Hurry, get clothes that are very good, and clothe him. Slide-on his fingers with rings, and put-shoes-on him also.” (Source: Uma Back Translation)
  • Yakan: “But his father called the servants and said to them, ‘Hurry, bring the very best clothes here and dress him in them. Put also a ring/rings on him and shoes.” (Source: Yakan Back Translation)
  • Western Bukidnon Manobo: “But this father called the servants from the house, and he said, ‘You all bring here the good clothing, and you put it on him. Put a ring on his finger, and put shoes on his feet.” (Source: Western Bukidnon Manobo Back Translation)
  • Kankanaey: “‘But his father called his servants and said, ‘Hurry up. Go get the best clothes to dress-him-with. Also put on his hand a ring (lit. ring him) and put-shoes-on-him.” (Source: Kankanaey Back Translation)
  • Tagbanwa: “But his father called his slaves, saying, ‘Hurry! Bring here the best clothing and clothe him with it. Put a ring and footwear on him.” (Source: Tagbanwa Back Translation)

Scriptures Plain & Simple (Luke 15:11-32)

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 15:11-32:

Finally, Jesus told them this story:

       A man’s younger son once said,
              “Dad, give me my share of the family fortune!”
       So his father divided everything
              between him and his older brother.

       Soon the younger son packed up everything
       and left for a foreign country,
              where he wasted every cent of his inheritance.

       Then a terrible famine struck the land,
              leaving him famished and without food.

       So hungry was the young man that he took a job
              feeding bean pods to nasty pigs,
       and he would have eaten some of the pods himself,
              if only the owner had turned his back.

       At last, in desperation, he said to himself,
       “My dad’s workers have more than enough to eat,
              while I sit here with these pigs, starving to death.
       Best thing I can do is to go home and make up with my dad.
       I’ll say, “Dad, I’ve been a really lousy son,
              worthless and useless to both you and God.
       Fact is, I don’t deserve to be called your son —
              just treat me like one of your servants.”

       Before he even reached the road to the farmhouse,
       his father saw him and felt so sorry that he ran over
              and greeted the young man with hugs and kisses.

       “Dad, I’ve been a really lousy son,” said the boy.
       “I’m worthless and useless to both you and God.
              Fact is, I don’t deserve to be called your son.”

       But his father instructed the servants,
              “Hurry! Bring him the best clothes.
              Put a gold ring on his finger and sandals on his feet.
              And prepare our choice beef, so we can celebrate!
       My son was dead, and now he’s alive!
              My son was lost, and now he’s found.”

       Then the festivities began.
       Meanwhile, the older brother was coming in from the fields,
       when he heard the sound of music and dancing.
              “What’s going on?” he asked one of the servants.

       “Your younger brother has come home,” answered the servant,
       “and your father ordered us
              to prepare the choice beef for a feast.”
       This made the older brother so angry
              that he refused to go anywhere near the house.

       His father went out and begged him to join the celebration,
       but his son answered, “All my life I’ve obeyed you,
              and I’ve worked like a slave.
       Yet you’ve never even given me a small goat,
              so I could throw a party for my friends.
       This other son of yours blew all his money on hookers,
              and now that he’s back home,
       you’ve ordered our choice beef
              to be killed for a feast in his honor.”

       “My dear son,” replied his father, “You’re always here,
              and everything I have is yours as well.
       But don’t you think we should celebrate?
       Your brother was dead, and now he’s alive.
              He was lost, and now he’s found.”

Translation commentary on Luke 15:22

Exegesis:

eipen de ho patēr pros tous doulous autou ‘but his father said to his slaves,’ presumably when both had reached the house.

tachu exenegkate stolēn tēn prōtēn kai endusate auton ‘bring out quickly a robe, the best one, and put it on him.’ tachu goes with all imperatives in vv. 22f. stolēn tēn prōtēn may mean ‘the best robe’ (assuming the omission of tēn before stolēn), or, ‘a robe, the best one,’ hence, ‘the best we have.’ The latter is preferable.

ekpherō ‘to bring out,’ ‘to fetch.’

stolē (also 20.46) ‘robe’ ‘(long) garment.’

enduō ‘to clothe,’ ‘to put a garment on somebody,’ cf. on 8.27.

kai dote daktulion eis tēn cheira autou ‘and put a ring on his finger,’ or ‘give him a ring for his finger,’ preferably the former. cheir lit. ‘hand,’ here ‘finger.’

daktulios ‘ring’ as a sign of honour and, perhaps, even authority.

kai hupodēmata eis tous podas ‘and (put) shoes on his feet,’ with dote understood. For hupodēma cf. on 3.16.

Translation:

Quickly, cf. 14.21.

Best, i.e. ‘the most beautiful.’

Robe, or, ‘cloak,’ a long outer garment, see on 6.29.

Put it on him, or, ‘dress him in/with it,’ ‘let him clothe himself in it,’ ‘cause him to wear it.’ Him, or, ‘my son.’

Put a ring on his hand may require specification somewhere, e.g. ‘put/do/fit a ring on his finger,’ ‘put a finger ring on his hand/finger,’ or as a single verb, ‘put-a-finger-ring-on (him)’ (Balinese). In some cultures ‘bracelet … arm’ may have to be substituted, e.g. Ekari.

And (put) shoes on his feet, sometimes a specific verb, e.g. ‘shoe his-feet’ (Sundanese), or, ‘shoe (him)’ (cf. Balinese). For shoes, or, ‘sandals,’ cf. 3.16.

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.