complete verse (Luke 21:8)

Following are a number of back-translations of Luke 21:8:

  • Noongar: “Jesus replied, ‘Watch out! Don’t listen to lies. Many people will come to deceive, pretending that they speak for me, and they will say, ‘I am the One!’ and ‘The Day has come!’ Don’t follow them!” (Source: Warda-Kwabba Luke-Ang)
  • Uma: “Yesus said: ‘Be careful, that you may not be fooled/deceived. Because many people will appear who say that they are the Redeemer King. There will also be those who say that Kiama Day has really come. But do not follow them.” (Source: Uma Back Translation)
  • Yakan: “He answered he said, ‘Be careful so that you will not be deceived. For many will come who call themselves by my name and say that they are the Almasi. And they will also say, ‘The end of the world is now.’ But do not follow/obey them.” (Source: Yakan Back Translation)
  • Western Bukidnon Manobo: “And Jesus said, ‘Be on your guard so that you do not become disciples of lying people, because there are many who will appear using my name, and each one of them will say that he is the one that God chose to rule. And they will say also, ‘This is the time when God will punish mankind.’ However, don’t you believe it because it’s a lie.” (Source: Western Bukidnon Manobo Back Translation)
  • Kankanaey: “Jesus answered and said, ‘Be-careful so you will not deceived. Because many will come who will say, ‘I indeed am the Messiah,’ and they will also say, ‘The day has almost arrived.’ But you should not join them.” (Source: Kankanaey Back Translation)
  • Tagbanwa: “Jesus replied, saying, ‘Be careful that you aren’t misled by anyone. Because many will come who will falsely-claim my name, saying, ‘I am the one who is that one referred to as Cristo,’ and ‘It’s the end time now.’ But don’t you believe/go-along-with it.” (Source: Tagbanwa Back Translation)

formal pronoun: Jesus addressing his disciples and common people

Like many languages (but unlike Greek or Hebrew or English), Tuvan uses a formal vs. informal 2nd person pronoun (a familiar vs. a respectful “you”). Unlike other languages that have this feature, however, the translators of the Tuvan Bible have attempted to be very consistent in using the different forms of address in every case a 2nd person pronoun has to be used in the translation of the biblical text.

As Voinov shows in Pronominal Theology in Translating the Gospels (in: The Bible Translator 2002, p. 210ff.), the choice to use either of the pronouns many times involved theological judgment. While the formal pronoun can signal personal distance or a social/power distance between the speaker and addressee, the informal pronoun can indicate familiarity or social/power equality between speaker and addressee.

Here, Jesus is addressing his disciples, individuals and/or crowds with the formal pronoun, showing respect.

In most Dutch translations, Jesus addresses his disciples and common people with the informal pronoun, whereas they address him with the formal form.

Translation commentary on Luke 21:8

Exegesis:

blepete mē planēthēte ‘beware lest you are led astray.’

planaō ‘to mislead,’ here in the passive ‘to be misled,’ ‘to be deceived,’ ‘to be led astray.’

polloi gar eleusontai epi tō onomati mou ‘for many will come under my name.’ eleusontai means here ‘to appear on the scene.’

ho kairos eggiken ‘the time has drawn near,’ or, ‘is at hand.’ kairos is the moment appointed by God for the eschatological events to happen. eggizō (cf. 7.12) is used here in a temporal sense.

mē poreuthēte opisō autōn ‘do not go after them,’ ‘do not follow them.’ opisō (cf. 9.23) here implies following as a disciple, or an adherent.

Translation:

Take heed that you are not led astray. What is to be avoided is the being led astray, of course, but in some languages a literal rendering of the negation in the dependent clause may suggest that it is the opposite, i.e. the not being led astray. To prevent this a rendering by two co-ordinated imperatives may be advisable, ‘take heed; don’t be led astray.’ — Take heed, or, ‘take care,’ ‘be on your guard,’ ‘watch out.’ — That you are not led astray, or, ‘deceived/misled,’ or, ‘that you do not go astray, or, err, or, believe lies’; Sranan Tongo has an idiomatic phrase, ‘that people do not turn your head.’

For in my name, or more descriptively, ‘as though they were I (or, were representing me).’

The time, or making explicit what this term implies in this context, ‘his time,’ ‘the time that he/the Christ comes.’ In Ekari the appropriate idiom is, ‘(the time when) the knots will be untied’ (cf. the Tboli rendering of “at the end of” in 2.21).

Go after, see on “come after” in 9.23.

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.