purple

The Greek that is translated as “purple” in English is translated as “blue-red” in Ojitlán Chinantec (source: M. Larson in Notes on Translation 1970, p. 1ff.) and in Elhomwe (source: project-specific translation notes in Paratext).

In Kasua was a little bit more involved, as Rachel Greco recalls (in The PNG Experience ):

“The Kasua people of Western Province have no word for the color purple. They have words for many other colors: black, red, white, yellow, green, and blue, but not for the color of royalty.

“About nine New Testament passages mention people placing a purple robe on Jesus. The Kasua translation team always wanted to use the word ‘red,’ or keyalo, to describe the robe. Tommy, one of the translation team helpers, disagreed because this is not historically accurate or signifies the royalty of Jesus.

“One of the main rules of translation is that the team must stick to the historical facts when they translate a passage. If they don’t, then how can the readers trust what they’re reading is true? Other questions about truth could bubble in the reader’s minds about the Scriptures. For this reason, Tommy was not willing to change the word purple. So the team hung up the problem, hoping to revisit it later with more inspiration.

“God did not disappoint.

“Years later, Tommy hiked with some of the men near their village. They saw a tree that possessed bulbous growths growing on the side of it like fruit. These growths were ‘the most beautiful color of purple I’d ever seen,’ explained Tommy.

“’What is the name of this tree?’ Tommy asked the men.

“’This is an Okani tree,’ they replied.

“Tommy suggested, ‘Why don’t you, in those passages where we’ve been struggling to translate the color purple, use ‘they put a robe on Jesus the color of the fruit of the Okani tree’?

“’Yeah. We know exactly what color that is,’ the men said enthusiastically.

“Everyone in their village would also visualize this phrase accurately, as the Okani tree is the only tree in that area that produces this kind of purple growth. So now, among the Kasua people, in his royal purple robe, Jesus is shown to be the king that he is.”

The poor man (image)

Hand colored stencil print on momigami by Sadao Watanabe (1979).

Image taken with permission from the SadaoHanga Catalogue where you can find many more images and information about Sadao Watanabe.

For other images of Sadao Watanabe art works in TIPs, see here.

 

 

The Rich Man and Lazarus (image)

The parable of The Rich Man and Lazarus is illustrated for use in Bible translations in West Africa by Wycliffe Cameroon like this:

Illustration 1999 Mbaji Bawe Ernest, © Wycliffe Bible Translators, Inc. Used with permission.

every day

The Hebrew, Greek and Latin that is translated as “every day” in English is translated in Chichewa as “day and day.” (Source: Mawu a Mulungu mu Chichewa Chalero Back Translation)

complete verse (Luke 16:19)

Following are a number of back-translations of Luke 16:19:

  • Noongar: “‘A man had much money. He wore beautiful clothes every day, and he ate and drank everything he wanted.” (Source: Warda-Kwabba Luke-Ang)
  • Uma: “‘There was a rich man. His clothes were like the clothes of a king, all of them were expensive. His everyday life was like a person-having-a-feast.” (Source: Uma Back Translation)
  • Yakan: “Then Isa said, ‘There was a rich man who always dressed in very expensive clothes and every day his food was only good. He had nothing lacking.” (Source: Yakan Back Translation)
  • Western Bukidnon Manobo: “And Jesus spoke again, ‘There was a man who was very rich, and this rich man was dressed in very expensive cloth, and every day he only ate those things which were very expensive and very delicious.” (Source: Western Bukidnon Manobo Back Translation)
  • Kankanaey: “Then Jesus related-a-story and said, ‘There was a rich-man who wore the most-expensive clothes and was always giving-feasts and making-merry.” (Source: Kankanaey Back Translation)
  • Tagbanwa: “Jesus also included in his teaching this illustration of his which was like this. He said, ‘There was a rich person whose clothes were wholly of first-class material, and well, because he was rich, he really had-as-much-as-he-wanted of good foods every day.” (Source: Tagbanwa Back Translation)

flax / linen

Flax Linum usitatissimum, from which linen cloth is made, was cultivated in the Middle East, including Canaan, at least as early as 5000 B.C. A document from Gezer (in Israel) from around King Saul’s time (1000 B.C.) refers to the cultivation of flax and states that flax and wool were the main materials for making cloth. According to Joshua 2:6, the Israelite spies were hidden under flax stalks by Rahab. Flax was grown extensively in Egypt and made into cloth and mats.

Pesheth and pishtah are probably the original Hebrew words for flax, if indeed the plant was domesticated in the Holy Land, as Zohary (Plants of the Bible. Cambridge University Press, 1982) proposes. They may be related to the word pashat, meaning “to strip off” or “to flay,” or to the word pasas, meaning “to disintegrate.” Pesheth and pishtah are used twenty times in the Old Testament, twice referring clearly to the plant itself (Exodus 9:31; Joshua 2:6). Other references are to the processed flax (Judges 15:14 et al.). A few cases refer to finished products, namely wicks (Isaiah 42:3 et al.), cords (Ezekiel 40:3), and items of clothing (Jeremiah 13:1 et al.).

It is likely that the Hebrews acquired the word shesh from the Egyptians during their sojourn in Egypt, since flax was cultivated there also. The Egyptian word for flax was shent (via shen-suten). Shesh is used thirty-eight times in the Old Testament: for the material that Pharaoh put on Joseph, for the Tabernacle curtains and hangings in Exodus, for the ephod, and for the priests’ tunics. The wise woman of Proverbs 31:22 wears it. In Ezekiel 16:10 et al. it is paired with silk, and in Ezekiel 27:7shesh from Egypt” is spoken of as material for the sails of ships.

Several references to linen use the Hebrew word bad. In Exodus 28:42 the priests’ underwear are made from bad, and it is used thereafter in Leviticus to describe various items of clothing—coat, breeches, girdle, and turban. It turns up again in Samuel’s and King David’s “ephods” and then again in Ezekiel and Daniel, where we see visions of “a man clothed in bad.”

Linen is referred by the Hebrew word buts in 1‑2 Chronicles, Esther, and Ezekiel, where the robes of the Temple choir, kings, and rich men are described.

The Old Testament has some references to the Hebrew word sadin (“linen garment”): Judges 14:12 (Samson promises them to his opponents), Proverbs 31:24 (the wise woman makes them), and Isaiah 3:23 (the rich women of Jerusalem wear them). The Septuagint uses the Greek word bussos or sindōn in these passages.

The Hebrew word ’etun occurs only in Proverbs 7:16, where it refers to a linen bedspread from Egypt.

In the New Testament there are three primary Greek words for linen: linon/linous, sindōn, and othonē/othonion. Linon is used to refer to garments of the angels in Revelation 15:6 as well as to the “smoldering wick” in Matthew 12:20. The synoptic Gospel writers refer to the linen cloth that Joseph and Nicodemus used to wrap Jesus’ body as a sindōn. Mark uses the same word to refer to the cloth that was worn by the unidentified young man at the time of Jesus’ arrest (Mark 14:51f.). John uses a different Greek word for Jesus’ burial cloths: othonion.

The rich man referred to in the Lazarus story (Luke 16:19) is clothed in “fine linen” (bussos). The Greek word bussos is the root word for bussinos, which refers to tunics, robes and turbans made from linen fabric (Revelation 18:12 et al.).

Flax is a little taller than a sesame plant, about a meter (3 feet) tall. Its leaves are narrow and the flowers are bright blue with five petals. The seed capsule contains oil that is used for cooking and also for thinning paint. After flax ripens, the plants are uprooted and the stalks are left to dry for a while. The stalks are then soaked, dried, and beaten to separate the fibers, which are then combed and woven into cloth.

Linen cloth was relatively costly in Israel, and being light and easy to dye it was highly valued. Their priests wore linen garments to combat sweating (see Ezekiel 44:18). They had to remove these holy garments when they left the Temple, “lest they communicate holiness to the people” (Ezekiel 44:19). The high esteem given to linen by the Jews is shown also by the fact that they used it for burying the dead, and we are told that the Dead Sea Scrolls were wrapped in linen cloths. However, the flax plant was special in other ways. The crushed stalks of flax plants were also used for making rope and lamp wicks. The seed was used for oil.

Today flax is raised more for the oil that comes from the seeds (called linseed oil) than for the fibers, although flax stalks are also made into special kinds of paper.

Metaphorical uses of flax are relatively few in the Bible, and all suggest the weakness of the material. In Judges 15:14 flax fiber is used as a simile for Samson’s fetters (they snapped like linen thread). Isaiah 42:3 says the Messiah will be gentle with weak people (“a dimly burning wick [pishtah] he will not quench”), in contrast to the typical iron-fisted tyrants of the day. Isaiah 43:17 describes the fate of the Babylonian enemies: they will be snuffed out “like a wick [pishtah].”

Linen cloth (or other cloth with a similar name) is surprisingly widespread. Cloth merchants in the translators’ area may know it under a trade language name, and if so, that can be used.In some places it is used only for burying people. In that case, if it is used in translation at all, the difference in culture should be explained in a footnote. Since linen is bleached white, a generic phrase such as “beautiful white cloth” can be considered in many places. In the three metaphorical passages mentioned above, an appropriate cultural image may be substituted, or an adverb expressing weakness or fragility.

Flax, Wikimedia Commons

Source: Each According to its Kind: Plants and Trees in the Bible (UBS Helps for Translators)

Se also linen.

Translation commentary on Luke 16:19

Exegesis:

anthrōpos de tis ēn plousios ‘there was (once) a rich man.’ No connexion with the preceding is indicated or suggested. Cf. also on v. 1.

kai enedidusketo porphuran kai busson ‘and he used to dress in purple and fine linen.’ The imperfect tense suggests habitual conduct.

endiduskomai ‘to dress oneself.’

porphura ‘purple,’ hence ‘purple garment,’ here referring to the upper garment.

bussos ‘fine linen,’ hence ‘fine linen cloth,’ here referring to the undergarment. Both words suggest expensive clothing.

euphrainomenos kath’ hēmeran lamprōs ‘enjoying himself splendidly every day.’ The participial clause is syntactically subordinate to the preceding clause but semantically of the same order. euphrainomenos refers probably to the feasts which the rich man gives.

lamprōs ‘splendidly,’ ‘luxuriously.’

Translation:

Who was clothed (or, used to dress) in purple and fine linen, or, ‘his garments were of purple (cloth) and fine linen.’ One may have to shift to terms for garments, and or/material known in the culture as expensive and luxurious, e.g. ‘in silk and satin’ (Tae’ 1933), or to make that connotation explicit, e.g. .’.. in expensive red and white cloth’ (cf. Kekchi), ‘beautifully dressed in a smooth sarong of fine cloth’ (cf. South Kekchi), ‘in a luxurious robe and shirt,’ “in the most expensive clothes” (Good News Translation).

Feasted sumptuously, or, ‘was having (lit eating) big feasts’ (Sranan Tongo), and cf. the note on “making merry” in 12.19.

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 16:19

Section 16:19–31

Jesus told a parable about a rich man and a poor man

In this section Jesus told a parable that contrasted the lives of a rich man and a poor man before and after they died. On this earth, the rich man had everything he wanted. The poor man lived in misery (16:19–21). After they died, their situations were the opposite. When the poor man died, angels took him to a wonderful place to be with Abraham. When the rich man died, he went to Hades where he suffered greatly (16:22–23). The rich man pleaded with Abraham for relief, but Abraham said that nothing could be done to change his situation (16:24–26). When the rich man asked Abraham to send Lazarus to warn his brothers, Abraham replied that they already had God’s word to warn them. If they did not pay attention to God’s word, they would also not pay attention if a dead person came back and warned them (16:27–31).

Another heading for this section is:

The Rich Man and Lazarus (New Century Version)

Paragraph 16:19–21

This paragraph describes the situation of a rich man and a poor man in their lives here on earth.

16:19a

This is the first verse in a new section, so you may want to make it explicit that Jesus was still speaking. If your section heading does not say that this section is a parable or story, you may also want to make this explicit. For example:

Then Jesus told this story/parable

Now: This verse begins with a Greek conjunction that the Berean Standard Bible (like the New American Standard Bible) translates as Now in order to show that it introduces background information. Most English versions do not translate this conjunction Introduce this background information in a natural way in your language.

there was a rich man dressed in purple and fine linen: Jesus began his story by telling about a rich man who is one of the two main characters in the story. In your translation, make sure you introduce the main characters in a way that is natural in your language.

dressed in purple and fine linen: The phrase dressed in purple and fine linen indicates that the rich man always wore the finest, most expensive clothes. He wore a purple robe as an outer garment, and his inner garment was made of linen. Purple dye was expensive, so only kings and rich people could wear that color.

If it is awkward to describe purple robes and linen undergarments in your language or if these details do not convey the right meaning, you may:

Make explicit the significance of these clothes. For example:

always wore expensive purple robes and the finest quality linen underclothes

Use a more general description. For example:

always dressed in the finest clothes (New Century Version)
-or-
wore expensive clothes (Contemporary English Version)

16:19b

who lived each day in joyous splendor: The two Greek words that the Berean Standard Bible translates as lived each day in joyous splendor are literally “being-merry/celebrating” and “sumptuously/lavishly.” In this context these words mean that the man was always enjoying himself by feasting on the finest foods. Some other ways to translate this phrase are:

feasted sumptuously (New Revised Standard Version)
-or-
enjoyed eating the most delicious foods
-or-
gave big feasts and made himself happy

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