room upstairs

The Greek that is translated as “room upstairs” of “upper room” in English is translated in a 1922 translation into Chagatai, a precursor language of both Uzbek and Uighur, with bala-xāna, “small room” of “children’s room.” “It is safe to say that the cultural structure of the Uighurs influenced the choice of this word for the translation. At the time of the translation, the attic room commonly used by the Uighurs living in East Turkistan was known as “bala-khana”, due to its smaller size compared to other rooms. Therefore, it is understood that the translators translated the source text by considering word choices such as this that would help society understand the text better. This choice of the translators can again be explained by the concept of cultural equivalents.” (Source: F. Erbay and F.N. Küçükballı in Acta Theologica 2025 45/2, p. 133ff. )

Other translations include:

  • Teutila Cuicatec: “upper room on the second floor”
  • Chuj: “one room which was above”
  • Eastern Highland Otomi: “a room upstairs”
  • Morelos Nahuatl: “a room on top of the house”
  • Isthmus Mixe: “the top floor of a more than one story house” (Source for this and above: Viola Waterhouse in Notes on Translation August 1966, p. 86ff.)

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). His 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 22:12)

Following are a number of back-translations of Luke 22:12:

  • Noongar: “He will take you up to see a room where everything is there for you. Prepare the meal there.'” (Source: Warda-Kwabba Luke-Ang)
  • Uma: “The houseowner will point out to you a big room on top. That room is already prepared ahead of time, its goods/furnishings are complete. Prepare our Paskah food there.'” (Source: Uma Back Translation)
  • Yakan: “Then he will show you a wide room upstairs in the house,’ said Isa. ‘That room is already made ready. There prepare our (incl.) food.'” (Source: Yakan Back Translation)
  • Western Bukidnon Manobo: “And Jesus said again, ‘And then he will show you a wide room above, which is already equipped. And there you can prepare our supper.'” (Source: Western Bukidnon Manobo Back Translation)
  • Kankanaey: “Then he will show you a wide room upstairs where all that we need is located. Prepare what we will eat there.'” (Source: Kankanaey Back Translation)
  • Tagbanwa: “Well, he will show you a wide room upstairs/up-in-the-house, complete with furnishings/utensils. There in that room is where you are to prepare.'” (Source: Tagbanwa Back Translation)

Translation commentary on Luke 22:12

Exegesis:

anagaion mega estrōmenon ‘a large furnished room upstairs.’

Translation:

Make ready, or, ‘make the/our (inclus.) meal ready.’

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 22:12

22:12a

And he will show you a large upper room: The clause he will show you indicates that the owner of the house will lead the two disciples to the room. Other ways to translate this are:

He will lead you to a large room upstairs
-or-
The owner will take you upstairs and show you a large room (Contemporary English Version)

a large upper room: The phrase a large upper room implies that the house had a large room built on top of the main part of the building. Often such a room had its own staircase on the outside of the house. In some cultures upper rooms may be unknown. If that is true in your culture, you may:

• Use a descriptive phrase. For example:

a large room built on top of the main part of the house

• Refer to it in a more general way. For example:

a large room

If you translate in a general way, you may want to include a footnote or a picture in your translation. For example, the TRT suggests this footnote:

Jews built houses that had flat roofs. Wealthier families often built a large room on the flat roof. (Translator’s Reference Translation)

already furnished: The Greek word that the Berean Standard Bible translates as already furnished indicates that the room already had furniture. This furniture included cushions or couches, and it may have included a table and other items. Other ways to translate this word are:

already made ready
-or-
furnished (New Century Version)
-or-
with furniture

22:12b

Make preparations there: The Greek clause that the Berean Standard Bible translates as Make preparations there is literally “There prepare.” It answers the disciples’ question in 22:9 about where they should prepare. The phrase Make preparations refers to preparing for the Passover meal, as Jesus ordered in 22:8. Refer back to that order in a natural way in your language. For example:

Prepare the Passover meal there. (New Century Version)
-or-
That is where you should prepare our meal. (New Living Translation (2004))

For more information and translation advice, see the notes on 22:8b–c.

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