complete verse (Luke 16:27)

Following are a number of back-translations of Luke 16:27:

  • Noongar: “‘Then the rich man, he said, ‘Then I beg you, Father Abraham, send Lazarus to the house of my father.” (Source: Warda-Kwabba Luke-Ang)
  • Uma: “‘From there, that rich man also said: ‘If it is thus, Father, I ask that you (sing.) order Lazarus to go to the house of my father.” (Source: Uma Back Translation)
  • Yakan: “Then the rich man said, ‘If it is like that, Grandfather, we can’t do anything about it (lit. I am not blaming). But I beg you, send Lasarus to the house of my father,” (Source: Yakan Back Translation)
  • Western Bukidnon Manobo: “And then the rich man spoke again, ‘If that’s the case, Grandfather, I only beg you to send Lazarus back to the house of my father,” (Source: Western Bukidnon Manobo Back Translation)
  • Kankanaey: “‘Then the rich man said, ‘I request you (sing.) then sir that you (sing.) send Lazarus to the house of my plural father,” (Source: Kankanaey Back Translation)
  • Tagbanwa: “The rich person spoke again, saying, ‘Well if it’s like that, Uncle, please send Lazaro to the house of Father.” (Source: Tagbanwa Back Translation)

request / beg (Japanese honorifics)

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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. The concept of “requesting” is translated in the Shinkaiyaku Bible as o-negai (お願い), combining “request” (negai) with the respectful prefix o (お).

(Source: S. E. Doi, see also S. E. Doi in Journal of Translation, 18/2022, p. 37ff. )

Japanese benefactives (okutte)

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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 Japanese shows different degree of politeness is through the choice of a benefactive construction as shown here in the widely-used Japanese Shinkaiyaku (新改訳) Bible of 2017.

Here, okutte (送って) or “send” is used in combination with kudasaru (くださる), a respectful form of the benefactive kureru (くれる). A benefactive reflects the good will of the giver or the gratitude of a recipient of the favor. To convey this connotation, English translation needs to employ a phrase such as “for me (my sake)” or “for you (your sake).” (Source: S. E. Doi, see also S. E. Doi in Journal of Translation, 18/2022, p. 37ff. )

Translation commentary on Luke 16:27 – 16:28

Exegesis:

eipen de ‘he said,’ change of subject.

erōtō se oun ‘then I beg you.’ oun means ‘in that case.’

hina pempsēs auton eis ton oikon tou patros mou ‘that you send him to my father’s house,’ i.e. ‘family,’ implying a restoring to life. oikos tou patros mou refers to his brothers, as v. 28 shows, not to his father.

(V. 28) echō gar pente adelphous ‘for l have five brothers,’ parenthetical clause explaining ‘my father’s house.’

hopōs diamarturētai autois ‘in order to warn them,’ final clause dependent upon pempsēs.

diamarturomai ‘to warn,’ or, ‘to testify,’ i.e. ‘to inform fully,’ preferably the former.

hina mē kai autoi elthōsin ‘lest they too may come,’ final clause dependent upon diamarturētai.

eis ton topon touton tēs basanou ‘to this place of torment.’ tēs basanou (cf. on v. 23) qualifying genitive.

Translation:

He said. The speaker often has to be specified.

My father’s house, or, ‘those who live in my father’s house,’ ‘my nearest kin,’ ‘my family.’

(V. 28) Where a more specific term for brothers (see 6.14) is obligatory they may be taken to have been younger brothers and/or of the same parents.

So that they may warn them, often better as a new sentence here, ‘cause him to warn them,’ or, ‘let him (go and) warn them’ (cf. e.g. Sranan Tongo, Tae,’ Good News Translation). Warn them, or more analytically, ‘tell them not to do as I did.’

Lest they … come, or, ‘in order that they … may not come,’ i.e. once they will have died; hence some adjustments may be required, cf. v. 22.

Place of torment, or, ‘place where I (or, we, exclus.) suffer torment/pain.’

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 16:27

Paragraph 16:27–31

16:27a–b

‘Then I beg you, father,’ he said: In this context the clause he said means that the rich man replied to Abraham. In some languages it may be natural to make the subject and object more explicit. For example:

The rich man replied ⌊to Abraham⌋

Then: The Greek conjunction that the Berean Standard Bible translates as Then here introduces an alternative request. Since Abraham could not send Lazarus to him, the rich man asked him to send Lazarus somewhere else instead. Another way to translate this conjunction is:

If that is true
-or-
In that case

I beg you: The Greek phrase that the Berean Standard Bible translates as I beg you introduces a request. Other ways to translate this phrase are:

I ask you (God’s Word)
-or-
please (New Century Version)

he said: The Berean Standard Bible has placed the phrase he said after the start of what the rich man said. In the Greek text, this phrase is at the beginning of the verse, before the quotation. Place it wherever it is natural in your language.

father…send Lazarus to my father’s house: The first time the word father occurs here, it refers to Abraham, but the second time, it refers to the rich man’s own father. In some languages this may be confusing. If this is so in your language, you can:

• Use a different term of respect for Abraham. For example:

honorable sir/ancestor

• Translate my father’s house in another way that is natural in your language. For example:

my parents’ house

my father’s house: The Greek phrase that the Berean Standard Bible translates as my father’s house probably refers literally to the house that had been owned by the rich man’s father. It is possible that the father had died, since only the brothers are included in the warning in 16:28b. Probably the five brothers had not divided the property and they still lived together in that house.

Sometimes the phrase my father’s house was used to refer to the members of one’s family, even if they were not all still living in the same house. As the next verse part makes clear, the rich man was thinking of his brothers. If adult brothers do not live together in one home in your culture, you may wish to translate this as:

my family

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