οὐαὶ ταῖς ἐν γαστρὶ ἐχούσαις καὶ ταῖς θηλαζούσαις ἐν ἐκείναις ταῖς ἡμέραις· ἔσται γὰρ ἀνάγκη μεγάλη ἐπὶ τῆς γῆς καὶ ὀργὴ τῷ λαῷ τούτῳ,
23Woe to those who are pregnant and to those who are nursing infants in those days! For there will be great distress on the earth and wrath against this people;
The Hebrew and Greek that is translated as “nurse” in English is translated in German as stillen or “to quiet.”
The das Buch translation by Roland Werner (publ. 2009-2022) and the BasisBibel (publ. 2021) also use the same verb in Psalm 131:2 (for this choice, see here).
The Greek, Latin and Hebrew that are translated as “(become) pregnant” in English is rendered as “got belly” (Sranan Tongo and Kituba) as “having two bodies” (Indonesian), as “be-of-womb” (Sinhala), as “heavy” (Balinese), and as “in-a-fortunate-state” (Batak Toba). (Source: Reiling / Swellengrebel)
In Kafa it is translated as “having two lives” (source: Loren Bliese), in Southern Birifor as tara pʊɔ or “having stomach,” in Kamba as “be-heavy” (source for this and above: Andy Warren-Rothlin), in the Swabian 2007 translation by Rudolf Paul as kommt en andere Omständ, lit. “be in different circumstances,” and in Newari as “have in the womb” (source: Newari Back Translation).
In Mairasi it is translated as “have a soul [ghost].” (Source: Enggavoter, 2004)
The Hebrew and Greek that is translated into English as “the wrath of God” or “God’s anger” has to be referred to in Bengali as judgment, punishment or whatever fits the context. In Bengali culture, anger is by definition bad and can never be predicated of God. (Source: David Clark)
Translations in other languages:
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 to do this is through the usage (or a lack) of an honorific prefix as shown here in the widely-used Japanese Shinkaiyaku (新改訳) Bible of 2017. When the referent is God, the “divine” honorific prefix mi- (御) is used as in mi-ikari (御怒り) or “wrath (of God)” in the referenced verses. (Source: S. E. Doi, see also S. E. Doi in Journal of Translation, 18/2022, p. 37ff. )
See also anger and the coming wrath.
Following are a number of back-translations of Luke 21:23:
Exegesis:
ouai tais en gastri echousais kai tais thēlazousais ‘alas for those who are with child and for those who are nursing (children).’ ouai here implies the thought of sudden danger. For en gastri cf. on 1.31. For thēlazō cf. on 11.27.
en ekeinais tais hēmerais ‘in those days,’ goes with the whole clause. It refers to the same time as tote in vv. 20f.
anagkē megalē ‘great distress.’
epi tēs gēs ‘on earth,’ or, ‘in the land,’ preferably the latter. The land referred to is Palestine.
orgē ‘wrath,’ cf. on 3.7. Here it refers to God’s impending judgment.
tō laō toutō ‘for this people,’ ‘upon this people,’ i.e. the Jewish nation.
Translation:
Alas, or an equivalent exclamative particle indicating pity for suffering, or some such expression as, ‘poor/miserable (are),’ ‘you should pity,’ ‘what misfortune will this be for.’
Those who are with child, see on 2.5.
Those who give suck, referring to the situation mothers with babies will be in rather than to the process of suckling; hence, “women … who have children at the breast” (New English Bible, similarly Sranan Tongo), ‘women who have babies to suckle/nurse,’ “mothers with little babies” (Good News Translation). For to give suck.
Great distress shall be upon the earth, or, ‘will come over, or, will harass this earth’; or recasting the syntactic structure, ‘this earth will suffer great distress, or, will greatly be-distressed.’ For distress, primarily referring to physical disasters and suffering. The earth, or, ‘all men in (or, inhabitants of) this land.’
Wrath (will come) upon this people may have to be recast in the same way as the preceding phrase. For wrath, or, ‘judgment,’ ‘punishment,’ cf. on 3.7; for this people on 1.17.
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.
21:23a
How miserable: The Greek word that the Berean Standard Bible translates as How miserable is a lament. It is an exclamation of sorrow and pity. Some versions translate this Greek word with the English words “woe” (New Revised Standard Version) or “alas” (Revised Standard Version). Jesus lamented that it will be a terrible time for women who are pregnant or nursing babies. They will suffer greatly. Other ways to translate this lament are:
How terrible…! (Good News Translation)
-or-
Greatly to be pitied are…
-or-
Pity so much…
-or-
Alas for…
Languages have different ways to express laments like this. Express it in a natural way in your language.
those days: The Greek phrase that the Berean Standard Bible translates as those days refers to the time that Jesus spoke of in 21:20a–21:22b. At that time enemy armies will surround Jerusalem in order to attack and destroy it. Then people will have to leave Jerusalem and escape to the hills and mountains of Judea. Another way to translate this phrase is:
at that time
for pregnant and nursing mothers: It will be a terrible time for women who are expecting babies and for mothers taking care of infants. They will suffer greatly because it will be very hard for them to run away quickly. It will be hard for them to escape the armies that are coming to destroy Jerusalem.
In some languages it may be necessary to use indirect expressions to refer to pregnant women and nursing mothers. Use expressions that are suitable for public reading.
nursing mothers: The Greek phrase that the Berean Standard Bible translates as nursing mothers refers to women whose babies are still at the age when they nurse at the breast. But the important point here is not the act of breast-feeding. It is the fact that these mothers need to take care of an infant while they try to escape the armies. In some languages it may be natural to refer to this fact directly. For example:
mothers with little babies (Good News Translation)
-or-
mothers taking care of infants
21:23b
For: In the Greek text, 21:23b begins with the conjunction that the Berean Standard Bible translates as For. Here it introduces the explanation for Jesus’ lament in 21:23a. Another way to translate this conjunction is:
⌊I say this⌋ because
Some other English versions do not translate this conjunction. Begin the explanation in a natural way in your language.
there will be great distress upon the land: This statement means that the people in the land will be greatly distressed. They will suffer terribly during the time when the armies surround Jerusalem and attack it. Another way to translate this clause is:
Everywhere in the land people will suffer horribly (Contemporary English Version)
the land: The Greek phrase that the Berean Standard Bible translates as the land refers primarily here to the land of Judea, the province in which the city of Jerusalem was located. Judea was mentioned in 21:21a. However, the suffering would affect the whole land of Israel, where the Jewish people lived.
21:23c
and: The Greek conjunction that the Berean Standard Bible translates as and introduces the cause of the distress in 21:23b. The people of Israel would experience great distress and suffering because God was angry with them. In some languages it may be more natural to use a different conjunction to connect 21:23b and 21:23c. Use a natural way to express the connection in your language. See the translation examples in the next note.
wrath against this people: The Greek phrase that the Berean Standard Bible translates as wrath against this people refers to God’s anger toward the Jewish people because of their sins. It also refers to the way he would punish them by allowing the soldiers to attack them and kill many of them. Some other ways to translate this are:
and in his anger ⌊God⌋ ⌊will punish⌋ this people
-or-
as ⌊God⌋ shows his anger against his people
-or-
⌊there will be⌋ wrath against this people
Translate this phrase in a way that is natural in your language.
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