The Greek and Latin that is translated as “resurrection” in English is translated in Chicahuaxtla Triqui and Pohnpeian as “live-up” (i.e. return to life) (source: Reiling / Swellengrebel) and in Iloko as panagungar: a term that stems “from the word ‘agungar,’ an agricultural term used to describe the coming back to life of a plant which was wilting but which has been watered by the farmer, or of a bulb which was apparently dead but grows again.” (Source: G. Henry Waterman in The Bible Translator 1960, p. 24ff. )
Likewise, in Matumbiyu’ya carries the meaning of “raise from the dead, resuscitate, come back from near death” and is used for dry plants that come back to life when you water them or sick children who revive after being healed. (Source: Pioneer Bible Translators, project-specific notes in Paratext)
In Estado de México Otomi, it is translated as “people will be raised from the dead,” in Teutila Cuicatec as “the dead having to come to life again,” in San Mateo del Mar Huave as “arose from the grave” (source: Viola Waterhouse in Notes on Translation August 1966, p. 86ff.), and in Kriol as gidap laibala brom dedbala or “get up alive from the dead” (source: Sam Freney in this article .)
Following are a number of back-translations of Luke 20:35:
Noongar: “but men and women who are good enough, they will rise from the dead, they will live in the coming days and then they will not marry.” (Source: Warda-Kwabba Luke-Ang)
Uma: “But the people who are made alive again by the Lord God and who are worthy to receive a portion in the new world, they no longer take-wives and take-husbands.” (Source: Uma Back Translation)
Yakan: “But the people that God considers worthy to be made alive again from the dead and to live in heaven will not take a wife or husband.” (Source: Yakan Back Translation)
Western Bukidnon Manobo: “however, those people whom God regards as worthy of being raised from the dead and living in heaven, they will not get married in the future when they are in heaven.” (Source: Western Bukidnon Manobo Back Translation)
Kankanaey: “but those whom God considers worthy to live again and join him in heaven, they don’t get-married there.” (Source: Kankanaey Back Translation)
Tagbanwa: “But when those who have died are made alive again, as for those people who have been shown-grace/mercy by God that they can enter his kingdom in heaven, they won’t be marrying any more,” (Source: Tagbanwa Back Translation)
The Greek in the referenced verses that is typically translated as “age,” “(for)ever / eternity / eternal / permanent,” “of old / long ago” in English is translated in the German translation by Fridolin Stier (1989) consistenty as “world (or: “cosmic”) time” (Weltzeit).
Sarah Ruden (2021, p. lxii) explains the complexities of the translation of aiōn: “Trickiest of all [the words relating to time] is aion, most simply an ‘age’ or ‘era’ but sometimes denoting either the whole present world or the whole world to come. The same word can allude to all the limits of material existence (or to dangerous worldly distractions in particular), or to their absence in the eternal age to come. Looking forward, especially to ‘ages of ages’ (in the pattern of ‘King of Kings’), the meaning is ‘eternity.’”
Living Water is produced for the Bible translation movement in association with Lutheran Bible Translators. Lyrics derived from the ESV® Bible (The Holy Bible, English Standard Version®).
hoi de kataxiōthentes tou aiōnos ekeinou tuchein kai tēs anastaseōs tēs ek nekrōn ‘but those who are judged worthy to attain that age and the resurrection from the dead.’ kataxioō. ho aiōn ekeinos is the age to come, cf. on 18.30. It is to be viewed in terms of temporal sequence. For ek nekrōn cf. on 9.7.
Translation:
Those who are accounted (or, thought/called) worthy, or slightly simplified, ‘those who are worthy,’ ‘those who are allowed’ (Bahasa Indonesia RC). The agent to be understood with this passive form is God. — Those, or, because of the subsequent reference to marriage “the men and women” (Good News Translation). For worthy see on 3.16.
To attain to, or ‘to reach/gain/find/experience,’ ‘to share in’ (cf. Balinese), ‘to be participants in’ (cf. Navajo).
To that age and to the resurrection from the dead is basically a hendiadys, the second phrase modifying or explaining the first; hence e.g. ‘that age, when the dead come to life again.’ — That age, i.e. ‘the age to come.’ The resurrection from the dead has virtually the same meaning as “the resurrection” in vv. 27 and 33.
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.
But those who are considered worthy: The phrase those who are considered worthy contrasts with the “sons/people of this age” in 20:34. Express the contrast in a natural way in your language. Another way to do this is:
As for those who are considered worthy
This phrase applies in general to anyone and everyone who is considered worthy. Some other ways to translate it are:
Anyone who is considered worthy -or-
If a person is considered worthy
Since this verse tells what such people will not do, the Contemporary English Version has:
no one who is worthy (Contemporary English Version)
Translate the phrase in a natural way in your language.
those who are considered worthy: The phrase those who are considered worthy refers here to people whom God regards as worthy to live in the coming age. They are the people who were righteous during their life on earth.
The verb are considered worthy is passive. Some ways to translate it are:
• Use a passive verb. For example:
those who are regarded as worthy (NET Bible)
• Use an active verb and supply God as the subject. For example:
those whom God considers worthy
• Focus on the meaning worthy and leave the meaning considered implied. For example:
those who will be worthy (New Century Version)
Translate the meaning in a natural way in your language.
to share in the age to come and in the resurrection from the dead: The Greek verb that the Berean Standard Bible translates as to share means “to experience, attain.” This is a general meaning that can be translated in different ways in various contexts. The word gets its specific meaning from the context where it occurs. Some ways to translate it here are:
worthy to share in that age and in the resurrection from the dead (NET Bible) -or-
worthy of a place in that age and in the resurrection from the dead
In some languages the meaning to share in is implied in the context and does not need to be translated explicitly. For example:
worthy to rise from death and live in the age to come (Good News Translation) -or-
worthy to come back to life and live in the next world (God’s Word)
in the age to come and in the resurrection from the dead: In this context the phrases the age to come and the resurrection from the dead have a similar meaning. The phrase the age refers to the future time that the Sadducees called “in the resurrection” at 20:33. People will rise from the dead and live in the new age. That new age is sometimes identified as heaven.
In some languages it may be helpful to reverse the order of the phrases the age to come and the resurrection from the dead. For example:
worthy to be made alive again from the dead and to live in heaven -or-
worthy of being raised from the dead and living in heaven
the age to come: The phrase the age to come is in contrast to “this age,” or this present world, mentioned in 20:34. The same Greek word for age is used in both 20:34 and 20:35. Use a natural way in your language to make the contrast clear.
20:35c
will neither marry nor be given in marriage: The people, both men and women, whom God causes to live again, will not marry. No one in that age will get married, and no one will continue to be the husband or wife of the person they were married to on this earth. See how you translated the similar phrase “marry and are given in marriage” in 20:34. Some ways to translate this phrase are:
will not then marry (Good News Translation) -or-
do not marry (New Jerusalem Bible)
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