have mercy on me

The Greek that is translated in English as “have mercy on me” is translated in Roviana as “(Son of David,) love me, help me!” (source: Carl Gross) and in Mairasi as “(Daud’s Child,) desire my face (=love me)” (source: Enggavoter 2004).

See also mercy.

mercy

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The Hebrew, Aramaic, Greek, Ge’ez, and Latin terms that are typically translated as “mercy” (or “compassion” or “kindness”) in English are translated in various ways. Bratcher / Nida classify them in (1) those based on the quality of heart, or other psychological center, (2) those which introduce the concept of weeping or extreme sorrow, (3) those which involve willingness to look upon and recognize the condition of others, or (4) those which involve a variety of intense feelings.

While the English mercy originates from the Latin merces, originally “price paid,” Romance languages (Italian, Spanish, Corsican, Catalan, Friulian) and other Germanic languages (German, Swedish, Danish — Barmherzigkeit, barmhärtighet and barmhjertighed, respectively) tend to follow the Latin misericordia, lit. “misery-heart.”

Here are some other (back-) translations:

See also steadfast love and Seat of the Mind / Seat of Emotions.

complete verse (Luke 18:39)

Following are a number of back-translations of Luke 18:39:

  • Noongar: “People in front of Jesus told him off and said ‘Shut up.’ But he shouted, ‘Son of David! Pity me!'” (Source: Warda-Kwabba Luke-Ang)
  • Uma: “The people walking ahead of Yesus were angry at him, they said: ‘Be quiet!’ But he just shouted louder, he said: ‘Descendant of King Daud, please have pity on me!'” (Source: Uma Back Translation)
  • Yakan: “He was scolded by the people in front and told not to be noisy. But he caused his shouting to be even louder. ‘Oy, descendant of King Da’ud,’ he said, ‘have pity/mercy on me.'” (Source: Yakan Back Translation)
  • Western Bukidnon Manobo: “And those people who were ahead of Jesus, they told him to stop, but he kept on shouting even more, ‘Hey Jesus, descendant of King David long ago, pity me!'” (Source: Western Bukidnon Manobo Back Translation)
  • Kankanaey: “Those who were going ahead, they scolded him so that he would-be-quiet koma, but he shouted even-more, ‘Descendant of David, please have mercy!'” (Source: Kankanaey Back Translation)
  • Tagbanwa: “He was told by the people there in the lead to stop making so much noise. But he in fact shouted far louder, ‘Descendant of king David, please do really pity me!'” (Source: Tagbanwa Back Translation)

David

The name that is transliterated as “David” in English means “beloved.” (Source: Cornwall / Smith 1997 )

In Spanish Sign Language it is translated with the sign signifying king and a sling (referring to 1 Samuel 17:49 and 2 Samuel 5:4). (Source: John Elwode in The Bible Translator 2008, p. 78ff. )


“Elizabeth” in Spanish Sign Language, source: Sociedad Bíblica de España

In German Sign Language it is only the sling. (See here ).


“David” in German Sign Language (source )

For more information on translations of proper names with sign language see Sign Language Bible Translations Have Something to Say to Hearing Christians .

The (Protestant) Mandarin Chinese transliteration of “David” is 大卫 (衛) / Dàwèi which carries an additional meaning of “Great Protector.”

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

Learn more on Bible Odyssey: David .

Japanese benefactives (awarende)

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 benefactive construction as shown here in the widely-used Japanese Shinkaiyaku (新改訳) Bible of 2017.

Here, awarende (あわれんで) or “have mercy/compassion” 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 18:39

Exegesis:

hoi proagontes epetimōn autō hina sigēsē ‘those who were in front told him sharply to be silent,’ i.e. “to hold his tongue” (New English Bible). For epitimaō cf. on 4.35.

proagō ‘to go before,’ ‘to walk ahead.’

autos de pollō mallon ekrazen ‘but he (emphatic) shouted out much more,’ i.e. ‘all the more, or, the louder.’ The imperfect tense of ekrazen is repetitive.

Translation:

Those who were (or, walked) in front, i.e. ‘of the group/caravan.’

Rebuked him, telling, see on 4.35.

He cried out all the more, or, ‘he shouted even louder because of it’ (Tzeltal), ‘he began to scream more than ever’ (Yao). The concept “all the more” is expressed in several versions by the use of verbs indicating excessive, increasing or surpassing activity (cf. e.g. Shona, Ekari, Nyanja, Kituba, Fulah).

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.