snare

The now commonly-used German expression Fallstrick for “snare,” but today only used in German in the sense to cause someone to stumble (“jemandem einen Fallstick legen”), was first coined in 1534 in the German Bible translation by Martin Luther. (Source: Günther 2017, p. 65)

For other idioms or terms in German that were coined by Bible translation, see here.

complete verse (Luke 21:35)

Following are a number of back-translations of Luke 21:35:

  • Noongar: “Because the Day will come to all people of every part of the Earth.” (Source: Warda-Kwabba Luke-Ang)
  • Uma: “My arrival will strike all people in the world, like a snare traps a mouse.” (Source: Uma Back Translation)
  • Yakan: “For that day will really come suddenly figuratively like a trap snapping shut and all people in the shallow of this world are hit/caught.” (Source: Yakan Back Translation)
  • Western Bukidnon Manobo: “because this is how fast this day is going to overtake all mankind.” (Source: Western Bukidnon Manobo Back Translation)
  • Kankanaey: “Because the people in all the many-countries on the surface of the earth will emphatically be startled-speechless like a bird caught in a bird-snare.” (Source: Kankanaey Back Translation)
  • Tagbanwa: “Because it’s true, what my returning here will be like is a bamboo-trap which is sprung, for all the people here under the heavens will truly panic.” (Source: Tagbanwa Back Translation)

Translation commentary on Luke 21:35

Exegesis:

hōs pagis ‘like a trap,’ goes with the preceding clause in Nestle; this is followed in the majority of modern translations, cf. e.g. Revised Standard Version, Translator’s New Testament, New English Bible. The punctuation and reading GOOD NEWS BIBLE are followed by AV and Good News Translation.

hōs pagis gar epeleusetai ‘for like a trap it will come.’ Subject is hē hēmera ekeinē, eperchomai followed by epi (cf. on 1.35) is equivalent to eperchomai with dative (cf. on v. 26).

pagis ‘trap,’ ‘snare,’ here figuratively for a sudden and unexpected danger.

epi pantas tous kathēmenous epi prosōpon pasēs tēs gēs lit. ‘upon all who are sitting on the (sur)face of the whole earth,’ i.e. ‘all who are living on the whole earth.’ epi prosōpon meaning ‘upon’ is a Hebraism.

Translation:

The reading of GOOD NEWS BIBLE will result in a rendering like, ‘for like a snare it will come upon all…,’ or, if one has to be quite explicit, e.g. ‘just as a snare seizes a bird/animal, so will the day come upon all….’ For snare one may have to use, ‘noose,’ ‘trap,’ or ‘net’ (Medumba) for catching birds or wild animals.

The rendering of come upon may be coloured by the metaphor, e.g. ‘close upon,’ ‘catch,’ ‘fall upon.’

All who dwell upon the face of the whole earth, or, “all men, wherever they are, the whole world over” (New English Bible); in Balinese the equivalent idiom is, ‘all men under-the-vault-of the sky.’

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 21:35

21:35

For: The Greek conjunction that the Berean Standard Bible translates as For introduces an explanation or reason for the warning that Jesus gave in 21:34d. Connect this verse with 21:34 in a natural way in your language. In some languages a conjunction may not be needed.

it will come upon all who dwell on the face of all the earth: This clause refers back to the “day” mentioned in 21:34d. The clause indicates that the events that happen on that day will affect everyone in this world. No one should think that the day will affect only certain people. Every human being will be affected.

In some languages it is not natural to speak of a day as “coming upon” people. Some other ways to translate the clause are:

• Translate the meaning without this idiom. For example:

All people all over the world will be affected by that day.
-or-

⌊What happens on⌋ that day will impact everyone all over the earth.

• Use a different idiom to express this meaning. For example:

That day will catch all the people dwelling on earth.

Translate the clause in a natural way in your language.

the face of all the earth: The phrase the face of all the earth refers to the surface of the ground all over the world. This is a figurative way to refer to the whole earth. In some languages it may not be natural to mention the face or surface of the world. If that is true in your language, you may translate the phrase without the figure of speech. For example:

on the earth (New Living Translation (2004))

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