The Hebrew, Ge’ez, and Greek that is usually translated into English as “peace,” when referring to one’s inner peace, is (back-) translated with a variety of idioms and phrases:
“rest the heart” (Central Mazahua) / “rest within” (Lacandon) (source: Nida 1952, p. 40 and 128ff.) / “wait well in your heart” (Yatzachi Zapotec) (source: Viola Waterhouse in Notes on Translation August 1966, p. 86ff.)
Many languages distinguish between inclusive and exclusive first-person plural pronouns (“we”). (Click or tap here to see more details)
The inclusive “we” specifically includes the addressee (“you and I and possibly others”), while the exclusive “we” specifically excludes the addressee (“he/she/they and I, but not you”). This grammatical distinction is called “clusivity.” While Semitic languages such as Hebrew or most Indo-European languages such as Greek or English do not make that distinction, translators of languages with that distinction have to make a choice every time they encounter “we” or a form thereof (in English: “we,” “our,” or “us”).
For this verse, translators typically select the exclusive form (excluding Jesus).
Source: Velma Pickett and Florence Cowan in Notes on Translation January 1962, p. 1ff.
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 Translator2002, 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, individual or several disciples address Jesus with the formal pronoun, expressing respect. Compare this to how that address changes after the resurrection.
In most Dutch as well as in Western Frisian, Gronings, and Afrikaans translations, the disciples address Jesus before and after the resurrection with the formal pronoun.
Following are a number of back-translations of Luke 22:9:
Noongar: “‘Where do you want us to prepare the food?’ they asked.” (Source: Warda-Kwabba Luke-Ang)
Uma: “They asked him: ‘Where, Lord, do you want us to prepare it?'” (Source: Uma Back Translation)
Yakan: “They said to him, ‘Sir, where do you want us to prepare it?'” (Source: Yakan Back Translation)
Western Bukidnon Manobo: “And they asked Jesus, ‘Which house will we cook in, for the Feast of Passover?'” (Source: Western Bukidnon Manobo Back Translation)
Kankanaey: “‘Where do you (sing.) want us (excl.) to go prepare it?’ they said.” (Source: Kankanaey Back Translation)
Tagbanwa: “‘So where, Master, do you want us to prepare it?’ they said.” (Source: Tagbanwa Back Translation)
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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 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 or み) can be used, as in mi-kao (御顔) or “face (of God)” in the referenced verses.
Living Water is produced for the Bible translation movement in association with Lutheran Bible Translators. Lyrics derived from the ESV® Bible (The Holy Bible, English Standard Version®).
nun ‘now’ (adverb of time), i.e. now that the divine promise that he should see the Messiah before dying had been fulfilled.
apolueis ton doulon sou, despota ‘thou releasest thy servant, O master,’ implying that the condition for his release has been fulfilled. This, of course, does not mean that Simeon is to die immediately.
apoluō ‘to set free,’ ‘to dismiss.’ Here the verb is used metaphorically and the metaphor is that of the manumission of a slave. This metaphor, however, has lost its original force and been changed into that of the release from a task. Simeon’s life had been devoted to the expectation of the Messianic salvation, and now that this expectation had been fulfilled, this task had come to an end. This implies that Simeon’s release from life is drawing near.
doulos ‘slave,’ ‘servant.’
despotēs ‘master,’ ‘lord,’ in the Septuagint often used of God (cf. also Acts 4.24; Rev. 6.10).
kata to rēma sou ‘according to thy word,’ referring back to v. 26.
en eirēnē ‘in peace,’ going with apolueis. In the Old Testament eirēnē, when used in connexion with dying, qualifies it as a natural death (Jer. 34.5, in LXX 41.5) or as the end of a long life of happiness (Gen. 15.15). Here the ‘peace’ in which Simeon will die is due to the fact that his life’s expectation had been fulfilled (cf. v. 26 and v. 30). Basic to this usage of eirēnē, or rather of the Hebrew shalom, of which it is the Greek translation in the Septuagint, is the meaning of ‘well being and harmony with God and with man.’
Translation:
Lord. Some versions use ‘master,’ ‘boss,’ i.e. the normal opposite of ‘slave/servant.’ Such a word, however, may be unacceptable as form of address to God; hence, ‘Lord,’ in Revised Standard Version and several other versions, cf. on 1.6, sub (a) and (c).
Lettest thou depart, or, ‘you can release (from his task),’ or, ‘you can give his leave/discharge to’ (cf. Bahasa Indonesia KB, Balinese; New English Bible); or, choosing expressions more clearly suggesting a euphemism for death, ‘cause-to-leave’ (Tboli; when speaking of a person who has just died, the Tboli always say ‘he’s left now’), ‘let return’ (Bahasa Indonesia, Malay, using a verb that may suggest the phrase ‘return to Allah’s mercy’), ‘allow to go away’ (Leyden, choosing a verb that can mean also ‘pass away’). If it is impossible to find a term that covers both shades of meaning, the meaning ‘release from a task’ should be given priority.
Thy servant, or, to indicate that the reference is to the speaker, ‘me, your servant’ (Balinese, Kituba, Tboli), ‘this your servant’ (Bahasa Indonesia KB). For servant, when used in connexion with God, see on 1.54.
In peace here refers to a state of mind, not to outward circumstances. Since it has a rather emphatic position in the sentence it is sometimes better rendered by something like ‘now that I can leave in (or, having) peace,’ ‘now that my mind is set at peace.’
According to thy word, or, ‘as you said to me’ (Ekari), “as you promised” (An American Translation); or, ‘this is what you promised,’ cf. also ‘already fulfilled your former promise’ (Tboli).
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.
apesteilen ‘he sent off,’ ‘he despatched,’ implying the idea of a commission. Subject is Jesus.
eipōn ‘saying,’ i.e. ‘instructing,’ ‘ordering.’
hetoimasate hēmin to pascha hina phagōmen lit. ‘prepare for us the passover meal that we may eat (it).’ hina phagōmen describes the potential result of hetoimasate in the form of a final clause.
(V. 9) pou theleis hetoimasōmen ‘where do you want us to prepare (it)?.’ For the construction cf. on 18.41. The emphasis is on pou.
Translation:
Prepare the passover for us, that we may eat it, or, “get our Passover supper ready for us to eat” (Good News Translation), or simply, ‘prepare the passover meal for us, or, our passover meal’ (cf. New English Bible).
(V. 9) Where will you have us prepare it?, or, ‘where do you want (or, would you like) us to prepare it?,’ or in a more expanded form, ‘what is your wish as to (the place) where we must prepare it?’; or in two clauses, ‘where must we prepare it? What do you wish, or, do you command (us)?.’
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.
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