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.

Translation commentary on Luke 22:16

Exegesis:

legō gar humin ‘for I tell you,’ cf. on 3.8.

ou mē phagō auto ‘I shall not eat it,’ strongly negative statement, cf. on 1.15. Here it refers not to the present situation but to the future.

heōs hotou plērōthē en tē basileia tou theou ‘until (the time) when it is fulfilled in the kingdom of God.’ The subject of plērōthē is probably to pascha (see commentaries) and this is here best understood in the wider sense of the feast of passover. The underlying idea appears to be that the passover feast and the redemption to which it refers are still imperfect and that they will become perfect en tē basileia tou theou, i.e. when the kingdom of God has come.

Translation:

Until, cf. on 1.20.

It is fulfilled. Some useful descriptive or explanatory renderings are, “it is given its real meaning” (Good News Translation), “the day of the perfect Passover” (The Four Gospels – a New Translation), ‘it has reached its mark,’ i.e., it has finished its task (Sranan Tongo), ‘the future day of its-coming-true’ (Javanese), ‘its-being-realized’ (Sundanese). For the verb cf. also on 4.21.

I shall not eat it. This refers to future passovers not to the present one, which Jesus is eating. To make this clear one may have to say, ‘I shall not eat it again,’ ‘after this one I shall not eat any more passovers.’

In the kingdom of God, or, ‘when the time comes that God rules.’

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 22:16

22:16a

For: The Greek conjunction that the Berean Standard Bible translates as For often introduces a reason or an explanation. In this verse Jesus explained more about his eagerness to eat that Passover meal with his apostles. This explanation begins in 22:16b. Jesus says that he will not eat the Passover meal again until its meaning is fulfilled in the kingdom of God.

Introduce his explanation in a natural way in your language. In some languages a conjunction may not be needed, as in several English versions.

I tell you: Jesus often used the phrase I tell you to introduce a statement that he wanted to emphasize. See the note on 17:34a for more information and translation suggestions.

you: The pronoun you is plural here. It refers to Jesus’ apostles.

22:16b–c

I will not eat it again until it is fulfilled: There are two ways to interpret the statement I will not eat it again until it is fulfilled:

(1) It indicates that after Jesus ate that Passover meal with his disciples, he would not eat another Passover meal until its meaning was fulfilled. For example:

I will not eat another Passover meal until it is given its true meaning (New Century Version)

(Berean Standard Bible, New Century Version, New International Version, King James Version, New American Standard Bible, Revised English Bible, God’s Word, New Living Translation (2004), Contemporary English Version, NET Bible, Phillips’ New Testament in Modern English)

(2) It indicates that Jesus would not eat another Passover meal, including the one that night with his disciples, until its meaning was fulfilled. Here is another way to translate this:

I shall not eat it until it is fulfilled (Revised Standard Version)

(Revised Standard Version, New Jerusalem Bible, Good News Translation, English Standard Version)

It is recommended that you follow interpretation (1). The whole context, especially 22:15, strongly implies that Jesus did eat the Passover meal with his disciples. (See also 22:21.) Although the word again is not included in some Greek manuscripts, it is necessary in English to express the right meaning.

until it is fulfilled: The Greek phrase that the Berean Standard Bible literally translates as until it is fulfilled refers to the time when the meaning that the Passover meal symbolizes will be completely fulfilled.

The Passover symbolizes God redeeming his people. He redeemed the Jewish people when he saved them from death and slavery in Egypt at the time of the first Passover. God redeemed his people from eternal death and slavery to sin through Jesus’ death as a substitute for them. The Passover lamb symbolizes Jesus.

Some other ways to translate this phrase are:

until its meaning is fulfilled (New Living Translation (2004))
-or-
until it is given its full meaning (Good News Translation)
-or-
until what it symbolizes is accomplished

The verb is fulfilled is passive. In some languages it may be necessary to translate it as active. If that is true in your language, you may supply “God” as the subject. For example:

until ⌊God⌋ fulfills the purpose/meaning of the Passover meal
-or-
until ⌊God⌋ causes what the Passover meal represents to happen

in the kingdom of God: In this context the phrase in the kingdom of God refers to the time when God will reign over everyone as king. At that time Jesus will reign with God, and God will give his people the complete freedom that Passover symbolizes. Because Jesus atoned for his people’s sin by his death for them, God will free them completely from sin and death. At that time there will be a great feast, and God’s people will celebrate with Jesus forever.

Some ways to translate in the kingdom of God here are:

when God rules his people as king
-or-
when God becomes King in the world
-or-
in God’s ⌊glorious⌋ reign/chieftaincy

kingdom of God: The phrase kingdom of God refers to God’s activity of ruling and caring for his people as their king. It does not refer here to a land or country that he rules over. For more information and translation suggestions, see the note on kingdom of God at 17:20a–b. See also kingdom of God in the Glossary.

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