Honorary "are" construct denoting God ("vow")

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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 usage of an honorific construction where the morpheme are (され) is affixed on the verb as shown here in the widely-used Japanese Shinkaiyaku (新改訳) Bible of 2017. This is particularly done with verbs that have God as the agent to show a deep sense of reverence. Here, chikaw-are-ru (誓われる) or “vow” is used.

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

Translation commentary on Luke 17:3

Exegesis:

prosechete heautois ‘be on your guard,’ cf. on 12.1, best understood as an introduction to the exhortation that follows (cf. Plummer, Lagrange).

ean hamartē ho adelphos sou ‘if your brother sins (against you),’ with eis se understood from hamartēsē eis se in v. 4, hence “if your brother wrongs you” (An American Translation). For adelphos cf. on 6.41.

eptimēson autō ‘rebuke him,’ ‘take him to task.’

kai ean metanoēse aphes autō ‘and if he repents, forgive him,’ syntactically parallel to ean hamartē etc. but semantically the point of the exhortation: if your brother wrongs you and if, upon being rebuked by you, he repents, you shall forgive him. For metanoeō cf. on 10.13.

Translation:

Take heed to yourselves, or, “keep watch on yourselves” (New English Bible), ‘take care what you do.’

For sins (i.e. against you) see v. 4; for to rebuke see on 4.35.

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 17:3

17:3a

Versions such as the Contemporary English Version, Good News Translation, God’s Word, New International Version, and New Living Translation (2004) supply the word “So” at the beginning of this verse. In Greek there is no conjunction. There are two ways to connect 17:3a to the context:

(a) It connects to 17:1–2. It implies that the disciples should be careful so that they do not cause one of these little ones to sin. Some English versions have a paragraph break between 17:3a and 17:3b to indicate this connection.

(b) It connects to 17:3b–4. It implies that the disciples should be careful how they live and how they treat people.

Both connections are implied, but (a) is more prominent. If you need to make the connection more explicit, you can choose option (a). For example, as noted above, the New International Version has “So” here to connect 17:3a to 17:1–2 as its conclusion. Connect 17:3a to the context in a natural way in your language.

Watch yourselves: The expression Watch yourselves is a warning. It means “be careful how you(plur) behave/act.” Some other ways to translate this are:

be careful what you do (Contemporary English Version)
-or-
be on your guard (Revised English Bible)

Paragraph 17:3b–4

In this paragraph, Jesus taught his followers that they must always forgive people who repent for sinning against them. This may be one way to avoid causing “one of these little ones” to sin (17:1–2).

17:3b

If your brother: The Greek phrase that the Berean Standard Bible translates as your brother refers to any believer in Jesus, whether male or female.

In some languages, the word brother may cause readers to think that Jesus referred only to family members or to males. If that is true in your language, you may need to translate this word with a different term. For example:

your fellow believer
-or-
a person who believes ⌊in me⌋
-or-
another believer (New Living Translation (2004))

your: The pronoun your is singular, but Jesus was speaking to all of his disciples. Jesus often used a singular form when he was speaking to a group. It indicates that he wanted each individual to listen carefully and obey him.

In some languages it may be confusing to use a singular form here. Use whatever form is natural in your language for this situation.

sins: The verb sins refers here to sinning against another person, as in 17:4. It means to speak, act, or think toward the person in a way that God does not approve. Sinning against someone can also include neglecting to do what God wants concerning that person.

Try to translate sins with a general term that can include sinning against a person in any way. Here are some problems to avoid:

(a) The term should not imply that a person sins only when he does serious crimes like murdering or stealing. He also sins when he gossips or treats someone unfairly.

(b) The term should not include accidents or mistakes that are not against God’s will.

If possible, use the same term that you use for sinning against God.

Some other ways to translate sins in this context are:

does wrong/bad to
-or-
treats badly

See also “sin,” sense B, in Key Biblical Terms.

rebuke him: Here the word rebuke means to tell someone that he has done wrong. In this context it probably refers to telling him the specific wrong that he has done against you. Some other ways to translate this are:

correct him (God’s Word)
-or-
reprove him (Revised English Bible)
-or-
tell him that he has done wrong

17:3c

if he repents: The Greek word that the Berean Standard Bible translates as repents means for a person “to change his mind, heart, or will.” In the Bible, it refers specifically to a person’s changing his mind and heart about sin. When a person repents, he is sorry for his past sins. He decides to stop sinning.

In this context of someone sinning against another person, the words he repents indicate that he regrets the wrong that he did to that person. He changes his attitude and behavior. Some ways to translate “repent” in this context are:

If he changes his thinking/mind/heart
-or-
If he rejects his sin
-or-
If he says that he will not do that sin again

Some languages may have an idiom for this type of change. For example:

If he turns from the sin

forgive him: Here the Greek word that the Berean Standard Bible translates as forgive means “pardon.” When someone pardons a person who has sinned against him, he decides not to punish the person or seek revenge against him. He also decides that he will not continue to be angry or resentful toward the person.

Some possible ways to translate forgive him are:

pardon him/her
-or-
release/free him from the sin/punishment
-or-
forget his wrongdoing

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