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 Nepali translations, Jesus addresses his disciples and other people with the medium honorific pronoun timīlē (तिमीले) or timīlēharū (तिमीलेहरू). This disciples respond with a high honorific pronoun. (Source: Chitra Chhetri in The Bible Translator 2009, p. 73ff. )

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

See also formal 2nd person plural pronoun (Japanese).

complete verse (Luke 22:10)

Following are a number of back-translations of Luke 22:10:

  • Noongar: “Jesus said, ‘Go into the city. A man carrying a jar of water, he will come to you. When he goes into a house, follow him,” (Source: Warda-Kwabba Luke-Ang)
  • Uma: “He said to them: ‘When you enter into the town, you will meet with a man who is carrying a water-fetching-container after fetching-water. Follow him coming to the house he enters.” (Source: Uma Back Translation)
  • Yakan: “He said to them, ‘When you have entered the town, you will meet a person carrying an earthenware-jar with water. Follow him to the house where he enters,” (Source: Yakan Back Translation)
  • Western Bukidnon Manobo: “And Jesus answered, ‘When you arrive in the town, you will meet a man carrying a jar filled with water. Follow him to the house that he enters.” (Source: Western Bukidnon Manobo Back Translation)
  • Kankanaey: “Then he said, ‘Go to the city. When you arrive there, you will meet a man who has gone to fetch-water. Follow him to the house he enters,” (Source: Kankanaey Back Translation)
  • Tagbanwa: “‘Like this is what you are to do,’ said Jesus, ‘go to the city. When you arrive there, you’ll see a man shouldering a water-drawing jar. Follow him to the house where he will go.” (Source: Tagbanwa Back Translation)

Honorary "are" construct denoting God ("say")

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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 usage of an honorific construction where the morpheme are (され) is affixed on the verb as shown here in the widely-used Japanese Shinkaiyaku (新改訳) Bible of 2017. This is particularly done with verbs that have God as the agent to show a deep sense of reverence. Here, iw-are-ru (言われる) or “say” is used.

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

Translation commentary on Luke 22:10

Exegesis:

idou lit. ‘behold’ (cf. on 1.20), here calling their attention to what follows, hence ‘listen.’

eiselthontōn humōn eis tēn polin sunantēsei humin anthrōpos ‘when you have entered the city a man will meet you.’ sunantēsei does not imply that the man would come with the purpose of meeting them and the intention of the Greek text is better brought out by rendering ‘you will meet’ or ‘you will find.’ sunantaō also 9.37.

keramion hudatos bastazōn ‘carrying a jug/jar of water,’ i.e. filled with water. keramion.

akolouthēsate autō eis tēn oikian eis hēn eisporeuetai ‘go after him into the house into which he goes,’ or, ‘which he enters.’

Translation:

If the manner of carrying has to be specified, as is often the case, one should conform to what is normal in the receptor culture, e.g. ‘carry-on-the-shoulder’ (Tae’), ‘carry-on-the-head’ (Uab Meto), ‘carry-on-the-back’ (Tzeltal). Ekari, not specifying how the water was carried, has, ‘a person who has gone to fetch water.’

Jar. The Medumba rendering refers to a gourd serving as water-vessel, elsewhere this may be a bamboo tube. Some languages use an instrumental noun derived from ‘to fetch-water’ (Tae,’ Batak Toba), or simply say, ‘place-of water’ (Trukese).

Meet. The non-purposive meaning the verb has here is in some languages rendered by a reciprocal expression, e.g. ‘will come-to-each-other you and a man…’ (Tae’).

Follow him into the house which he enters, or, ‘go along with him and enter the house which he enters.’

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 22:10

22:10a

He answered: The Greek phrase that the Berean Standard Bible translates as He answered is more literally, “And he said to them.” Use a natural phrase in your language to introduce this verse.

When you enter the city: At that time Jesus, Peter, and John were near the city of Jerusalem. Jesus indicated that Peter and John should go into the city itself.

In Greek this clause begins with a word that the versions such as the Revised Standard Version translate as “Behold.” It indicates that Jesus wanted Peter and John to listen carefully to what he said. It implies that something important will happen as Peter and John come into the city. Some other ways to translate the clause are:

Listen, when you have entered the city (NET Bible)
-or-
Go into the city, and you will… (God’s Word)

the city: The phrase the city refers to Jerusalem. The city of Jerusalem has not been referred to before in this section. So in some languages it may be more natural to refer to it by name here. For example:

As soon as you enter Jerusalem (New Living Translation (2004))

22:10b

a man carrying a jug of water will meet you: In the Jewish culture at that time it was unusual for a man to carry a water jar. Normally only women carried them. Jesus knew that this unusual action would show Peter and John which man he wanted them to follow.

The word meet does not by itself imply that there was a plan for the man to meet Peter and John. However, many scholars believe that Jesus had already arranged such a plan with the owner of the house. It is probably good to leave this ambiguous.

Some other ways to translate this clause are:

a man carrying a jar of water will come toward you
-or-
you will meet a man carrying a jar of water (Contemporary English Version)
-or-
you and a certain man will meet each other. He will be carrying a jar of water.

carrying a jug of water: Cultures have different ways to carry water. In the Jewish culture it would probably be most common for a man to carry a jug full of water on his shoulder. However, if people in your culture normally carry water on their heads or in some other way, you may use the normal expression for this.

jug of water: In that culture water jugs were made of baked clay. The phrase jug of water refers to a jug that contained water.

22:10c

Follow him to the house he enters: Most English versions indicate that Peter and John should go into the house, following the man. For example:

Follow him into the house that he enters (Good News Translation)

In this context the phrase Follow him indicates that Peter and John should walk with the man or close behind him. It does not indicate that they should follow him at a distance without his knowledge. If a word like Follow would imply this in your language, you may need to use a different verb. For example:

Go with him and enter the house that he enters
-or-
Take the same path that he takes. When he enters a house, you also enter it

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