wisdom

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The Hebrew, Aramaic, Ge’ez, Latin, and Greek that is translated as “wisdom” in English is rendered in various ways:

  • Amganad Ifugao / Tabasco Chontal: “(big) mind”
  • Bulu / Yamba: “heart-thinking”
  • Tae’: “cleverness of heart” (source for this and all above: Reiling / Swellengrebel)
  • Palauan: “bright spirit (innermost)” (source: Bratcher / Hatton)
  • Ixcatlán Mazatec: “with your best/biggest thinking” (source: Robert Bascom)
  • Noongar: dwangka-boola, lit. “ear much” (source: Portions of the Holy Bible in the Nyunga language of Australia, 2018 — see also remember)
  • Kwere “to know how to live well” (source: Pioneer Bible Translators, project-specific translation notes in Paratext)
  • Dobel: “their ear holes are long-lasting” (in Acts 6:3) (source: Jock Hughes)
  • Gbaya: iŋa-mgbara-mɔ or “knowing-about-things” (note that in comparison to that, “knowledge” is translated as iŋa-mɔ or “knowing things”) (source: Philip Noss in The Bible Translator 2001, p. 114ff. )
  • Chichewa: nzeru, meaning both “knowledge” and “wisdom” (source: Mawu a Mulungu mu Chichewa Chalero Back Translation)
  • Uma: “clearness” (source: Uma Back Translation)

In Hungarian Sign Language it is translated with a hand gesture referring to God to indicate a human quality to communicate that wisdom does not originate from man but is linked to and connected with the fear of God (source: Jenjelvi Biblia and HSL Bible Translation Group):


“Wisdom” in Hungarian Sign Language (source )

See also wisdom (Proverbs) and knowledge.

complete verse (Luke 21:15)

Following are a number of back-translations of Luke 21:15:

  • Noongar: “because I will give you good words and wisdom, so that not one of these bad people will be able to answer you and say that you are not telling the truth.” (Source: Warda-Kwabba Luke-Ang)
  • Uma: “I myself will give you clear answers, with the result that not one of your enemies will be able to refute or reject what you say.” (Source: Uma Back Translation)
  • Yakan: “For I will give you wisdom/knowledge so that you can answer them. And there will be none of your enemies/opponents able to oppose your words or to refute you.” (Source: Yakan Back Translation)
  • Western Bukidnon Manobo: “Because I am the one who knows how for you to answer their questions, and I will give you wisdom to think so that you might be able to answer. And then, as for your enemies, they will not be able to answer your reasoning and they will not also be able to say that what you are saying is a lie.” (Source: Western Bukidnon Manobo Back Translation)
  • Kankanaey: “because I will be the very one to give you intelligence/skill to speak and wisdom to answer so that your enemies will thus have no way to defeat you and to contradict what you are saying.” (Source: Kankanaey Back Translation)
  • Tagbanwa: “Because I am the one who will give you what you are to say which has far from ordinary understanding/wisdom, which none of your opponents will be able to answer or defeat.” (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.

1st person pronoun referring to God (Japanese)

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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 first person singular and plural pronoun (“I” and “we” and its various forms) as shown here in the widely-used Japanese Shinkaiyaku (新改訳) Bible of 2017. The most commonly used watashi/watakushi (私) is typically used when the speaker is humble and asking for help. In these verses, where God / Jesus is referring to himself, watashi is also used but instead of the kanji writing system (私) the syllabary hiragana (わたし) is used to distinguish God from others.

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

See also pronoun for “God”.

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 21:15

Exegesis:

egō gar dōsō humin stoma kai sophian lit. ‘for I will give you a mouth and wisdom.’ egō is very emphatic. stoma is used in a figurative sense, and it may either refer to power of speech (Plummer) or eloquence, or go with sophian as a hendiadys and mean ‘words of wisdom.’ The latter appears to be preferable.

hē ou dunēsontai antistēnai ē anteipein ‘which cannot resist or contradict….’ hē (dative) refers, strictly speaking, to sophian alone, but is to be understood as taking up the one concept of stoma kai sophian.

anthistamai ‘to resist,’ ‘to withstand,’ here referring to resisting the power or strength of their speaking.

anteipon ‘to speak against,’ ‘to contradict,’ here used in the sense of arguing against the defence of the disciples.

hapantes hoi antikeimenoi humin ‘all your opponents,’ cf. on 13.17.

Translation:

For I will, or to bring out the emphasis, ‘for it is I who will.’

Give you a mouth and wisdom, or, following the interpretation preferred in Exegesis, ‘give you words of wisdom (or, words which are wise),’ ‘cause/help you to speak wise words, or, wisely.’ For wisdom see on 2.40.

Which none … will be able to withstand or contradict has resultative force, ‘so that no one … will be able to withstand or contradict them, or, such words.’ If in the receptor language one or both verbs require a personal object, one may say e.g. ‘resist you and refute such words,’ or, ‘resist and oppose you (when you speak so).’ — To withstand. In Sranan Tongo the idiom is here, ‘to put to one side.’ — To contradict, i.e. to oppose (a person) in argument, or, to deny the truth (of something that is said).

Adversaries, or, ‘opponents/enemies/accusers.’

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 21:15

21:15a

For: The Greek conjunction that the Berean Standard Bible translates as For introduces the reason why the disciples should resolve not to prepare/plan or be anxious about how they should defend themselves. What Jesus said in 21:15 was the reason for what he told his disciples to do in 21:14. Another way to translate this conjunction is “because,” as in the Good News Translation. It may also be natural to begin this verse as a new sentence. For example:

⌊I say this⌋ because…

In some languages the connection may be implied without a conjunction.

I: The Greek word that the Berean Standard Bible translates as I is emphatic. Jesus emphasized that he himself would give his disciples words and wisdom. Another way to emphasize this in English is:

I am the one who…

Emphasize it in a natural way in your language.

speech and wisdom: The Greek text that the Berean Standard Bible translates as speech and wisdom is literally “a mouth and wisdom,” as in the Revised Standard Version. The word “mouth” is used figuratively for the words that the mouth speaks. In this context the phrase speech and wisdom means “wise words.” It refers to being able to speak wisely and rightly in any situation. Some other ways to translate this are:

the wisdom to know what to say (Contemporary English Version)
-or-
the right words and such wisdom that… (New Living Translation (2004))
-or-
eloquence and wisdom (Phillips’ New Testament in Modern English)

21:15b–c

that none of your adversaries will be able to resist or contradict: This clause tells the result of the wise words that the disciples will speak (21:15a). They will speak so wisely that their enemies will not know how to disprove what they say.

The words resist and contradict have similar meanings here. The word contradict refers specifically to saying that what someone has said is not correct. The word resist can also include other types of opposition. Jesus used both these words to emphasize what he said. Other ways to translate the clause are:

so that your enemies will thus have no way to defeat you and to contradict what you are saying
-or-
as for your enemies, they will not be able to answer your reasoning. They will also not be able to say that what you are saying is a lie.

adversaries: The Greek word that the Berean Standard Bible translates as adversaries means “opponents.” In this context it probably refers to people who would accuse the disciples in court. Another way to translate it is:

those who oppose/accuse you

Some languages express this meaning with an idiom. For example:

those who show a sour face toward you
-or-
those who have a mean heart toward you

resist: The Greek word that the Berean Standard Bible translates as resist means “withstand.” It implies here that the disciples’ enemies will not be able to prove that what the disciples say is wrong. They will not be successful in opposing them.

contradict: The word contradict means “speak against.” It indicates that no enemy will know what to say against the disciples’ wise words. The enemies will not be able to deny that the disciples are speaking the truth.

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