humble (verb)

The Greek that is translated as “humbled” in English is rendered in Gumuz as “become small” (source: Loren Bliese), in Uma as “make hearts low” (“proud,” the opposite is translated as proud “make hearts high”) (source: Uma Back Translation), and in Cherokee as “prayerful” (source: Bender / Belt 2025, p. 38).

justification, justify

Click here to view graphically

The Greek that is translated as “justify” in English is translated into Tzotzil in two different ways. One of those is with Lec xij’ilatotic yu’un Dios ta sventa ti ta xc’ot ta o’ntonal ta xch’unel ti Jesucristoe (“we are seen well by God because of our faith in Jesus Christ”) (source: Aeilts, p. 118) and the other is “God sees as righteous” (source: Ellis Deibler in Notes on Translation July, 1967, p. 5ff.).

Other (back-) translations include:

The Parable of the Pharisee and the Tax Collector

Following is a 1973 painting of the JESUS MAFA project, a response to New Testament readings from the Lectionary by a Christian community in Cameroon, Africa. Each of the readings was selected and adapted to dramatic interpretation by the community members. Photographs of their interpretations were made, and these were then transcribed to paintings:

From Art in the Christian Tradition , a project of the Vanderbilt Divinity Library, Nashville, TN. Image retrieved March 23, 2026. Original source: librairie-emmanuel.fr.

he who, whoever

The Greek that is typically translated with a generic expressions such as “he who,” “whoever,” or “if anyone” in English is translated with the plural form (“they”) in Daga. “A literal translation of these conveys the idea that one specific unnamed individual is being discussed. Thus, for instance, in John 5:24 ‘he who hears my word and believes in him who sent me has eternal life’ meant in Daga that there was one fortunate individual to whom it applied.”

See also love your neighbor as yourself.

complete verse (Luke 18:14)

Following are a number of back-translations of Luke 18:14:

  • Noongar: “‘I tell you,’ Jesus said, ‘when the two men go back home, this tax collector is right in the sight of God and not this Pharisee. All people putting themselves high, they will be put down, and all people putting themselves down, they will be put up.'” (Source: Warda-Kwabba Luke-Ang)
  • Uma: “From there, Yesus finished his words, he said: ‘Truly I say to you: when they went home, that tax collector was the one who had been made straight in God’s sight, not that Parisi person. Because all who are proud [lit, make their hearts high], the Lord God makes them low/humble. And all who are humble [lit., make their hearts low], the Lord God makes them high.'” (Source: Uma Back Translation)
  • Yakan: “I tell you,’ said Isa, ‘that this person went home being considered straight/righteous by God but not the Pariseo was the straight one. For whoever makes himself great will be put down, and whoever puts himself down/humbles himself will be made great.'” (Source: Yakan Back Translation)
  • Western Bukidnon Manobo: “And Jesus said, ‘True I say to you that as for that tax-collector, when he went home to his house, God no longer thought about his sin because it was already forgiven. However, it was not like that with this boastful Pharisee because the person who thinks that he is very high before God, God will lower him; but the person who knows that he is very much a sinner, God will make him high.'” (Source: Western Bukidnon Manobo Back Translation)
  • Kankanaey: “Then Jesus concluded by saying, ‘I tell you that the one whom God counted-as righteous when they went-home, it was this person not the Pharisee. Because the one who causes himself to be made high will be brought low just the same, but the one however who lowers himself, he will be made-high.'” (Source: Kankanaey Back Translation)
  • Tagbanwa: “What I will say to you really is true, that as for that person, he went home being regarded by God as straight/righteous, for his sins were forgiven. But as for that Pariseo, he didn’t. Because it’s true, whoever is arrogant/self-important with be made low/unimportant, but the humble will be made important/high.'” (Source: Tagbanwa Back Translation)

formal 2nd person plural pronoun (Japanese)

Click or tap here to see the rest of this insight.

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 formal plural suffix to the second person pronoun (“you” and its various forms) as shown here in the widely-used Japanese Shinkaiyaku (新改訳) Bible of 2017. In these verses, anata-gata (あなたがた) is used, combining the second person pronoun anata and the plural suffix -gata to create a formal plural pronoun (“you” [plural] in English).

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

Translation commentary on Luke 18:14

Exegesis:

legō humin ‘I tell you,’ cf. on 3.8.

katebē houtos … eis ton oikon autou ‘this man went down to his home.’ katebē contrasts with anebēsan in v. 10.

dedikaiōmenos … par’ ekeinon ‘in the right relationship with God, more than the other,’ or, ‘rather than the other,’ i.e. ‘instead of the other,’ preferably the latter# The past participle dedikaiōmenos points to a situation that will last henceforth. The passive appears to imply God as agent.

dikaioō ‘to justify,’ ‘to set right with God.’ For the rest of v. 14 cf. on 14.11.

Translation:

This man … rather than the other, or, “it was he who … and not the other” (An American Translation, and similarly several other versions), ‘this man…, in contrast to the other’ (Nieuwe Vertaling), ‘this man…, but this did not happen to the other one’ (Sranan Tongo).

Went down to his house, or simply, ‘went home,’ ‘went back.’

Went … justified, or, ‘went … (as) a justified man’ (Bahasa Indonesia RC), ‘was a justified man, when he went…’ (cf. Good News Translation). The relation with God is often better made explicit, e.g. “justified in God’s sight” (Phillips) cf. also “approved by God” (The Four Gospels – a New Translation), “in the right with God” (Good News Translation); a rendering that is more directly related to the preceding prayer is, “went … acquitted of his sins” (New English Bible).

For v. 14b see remarks and references on 14.11.

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.