sign

The Greek that is typically translated in English as “sign” is translated in Huehuetla Tepehua as “thing to be marveled at” (source: Larson 1889, p. 279) and in Mairasi as “big work” (source: Enggavoter 2004).

teacher

The Greek that is translated as “teacher” (also: “master”) in English is translated in the 1941 Yiddish by Einspruch as rebe (רֶבּי) or “Rabbi” in an effort to identify Jesus as a teacher of the Jews. (Source: Naomi Seidmann in Elliott / Boer 2012, p. 151ff.)

Likewise, a number of Hebrew translations, including the 2018 and 2020 editions by the The Bible Society in Israel also use “Rabbi” (רַבִּי).

See also rabbi.

complete verse (Luke 21:7)

Following are a number of back-translations of Luke 21:7:

  • Noongar: “They asked, ‘Lord, when will these things come? And what will happen first so we can see when everything is starting to happen?'” (Source: Warda-Kwabba Luke-Ang)
  • Uma: “From there, his disciples asked, asking him: ‘Teacher, when will what you (sing.) said there earlier happen? And what will be the sign that it is ready to happen?'” (Source: Uma Back Translation)
  • Yakan: “Then they asked Isa they said, ‘Sir, when will that happen what you said? And what will be the sign that will appear when all that is soon going to happen?'” (Source: Yakan Back Translation)
  • Western Bukidnon Manobo: “And they asked Jesus, they said, ‘Chief, tell us when all these things will happen, and what will be the sign that it’s already the time for these things to take place that you spoke about a while ago?'” (Source: Western Bukidnon Manobo Back Translation)
  • Kankanaey: “Then they said, ‘Sir teacher, when will that happen and what sign will our (excl.) means-of-recognizing that that day has almost arrived?'” (Source: Kankanaey Back Translation)
  • Tagbanwa: “When the disciples heard, they questioned saying, ‘Teacher, when will those things come which you are talking about, and what will be the signs that all of that will now be fulfilled?'” (Source: Tagbanwa Back Translation)

Translation commentary on Luke 21:7

Exegesis:

epērōtēsan de auton ‘they asked him.’ In view of vv. 12ff the subject is presumably the disciples.

didaskale ‘teacher,’ cf. on 3.12.

pote oun tauta estai ‘then when will these things be, or, happen?’ oun points back to v. 6 to which also tauta refers.

ti to sēmeion hotan mellē tauta ginesthai ‘what will be the sign when these things are about to happen?,’ with estai understood. The underlying idea is that events due to divine intervention are announced by a sign. To know the sign means to know that the events are about to happen. For sēmeion cf. on 2.12.

Translation:

They, or, ‘his disciples/followers.’

The sign when (or, that) this is about to take place, or more explicitly, ‘the sign which will show that this is about (or, that the time has come for this) to happen’ (cf. Good News Translation).

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 21:7

Paragraph 21:7–11

21:7a

“Teacher,” they asked: In the Greek text, the phrase that the Berean Standard Bible translates as they asked is literally “and they asked him, saying.” This phrase comes before the word Teacher. Use a natural order in your language, and introduce the quotation in a natural way. Other ways to do this in English are:

So they asked him, “Teacher…” (NET Bible)
-or-
Then they questioned him ⌊about that⌋, saying, “Teacher…”
-or-
And they put to him this question, “Master,” they said (New Jerusalem Bible)

Teacher: The Greek word that the Berean Standard Bible translates as Teacher was a polite title for a Jewish religious leader. In this context the disciples addressed Jesus with respect as their teacher and master. Use a natural title in your language for this context. This title was also used in 18:18. For more information, see the note on 18:18a.

they: The pronoun they refers to the disciples who had been talking about the temple in 21:5. Refer back to them here in a natural way in your language.

when will these things happen?: The Greek word that the Berean Standard Bible translates as these things refers primarily to the temple being destroyed. It probably also includes the other events that would happen before and after the destruction of the temple. Some ways to translate the disciples’ question are:

when will these events happen/occur?
-or-
when will this be? (Good News Translation)
-or-
when will all this happen? (New Living Translation (2004))

In Greek, the question begins with a conjunction that the New American Standard Bible translates as “therefore.” The Berean Standard Bible and other English versions do not translate this conjunction. Do what is natural here in your language.

21:7b

what will be the sign that they are about to take place?: Here the disciples asked Jesus what sign would indicate that the events are about to happen. The Greek word that the Berean Standard Bible translates as sign refers here to a signal or indication. In this context the sign refers to an event or other indication that will show that the statement in 21:6 will soon happen. Other ways to translate the question are:

…what will happen in order to show that the time has come for it to take place? (Good News Translation)
-or-
…what will we see, so that we may know that these things will soon happen?

The word sign also occurs in 2:12, 2:34, 11:16, 11:29–30. See how you translated it there. Consider whether you should translate it in the same way here. You may need to translate it differently to fit this context.

that they are about to take place?: The phrase they are about to take place is literally “they will very-soon be accomplished.” It indicates that these events would soon happen.

© 2009, 2010, 2013 by SIL International®
Made available under the terms of a Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 License (CC BY-SA) creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0.
All Scripture quotations in this publication, unless otherwise indicated, are from The Holy Bible, Berean Standard Bible.
BSB is produced in cooperation with Bible Hub, Discovery Bible, OpenBible.com, and the Berean Bible Translation Committee.