teach

The Greek that is translated as a form of “teach” is translated with some figurative phrases such as “to engrave the mind” (Ngäbere) or “to cause others to imitate” (Huichol). (Source: Bratcher / Nida)

In Noongar it is translated as karni-waangki or “truth saying” (source: Warda-Kwabba Luke-Ang).

complete verse (Luke 23:5)

Following are a number of back-translations of Luke 23:5:

  • Noongar: “But they spoke more strongly, ‘Because this man says these things, people are beginning to argue and fight in everywhere in Judea. He started in Galilee and now he comes to this place.'” (Source: Warda-Kwabba Luke-Ang)
  • Uma: “But they just kept-on-insisting, saying: ‘He is stirring up the people with his teaching, all over the land of the Yahudi people. First he was in Galilea, but now he has come here.'” (Source: Uma Back Translation)
  • Yakan: “But they really insisted they said, ‘He causes trouble to the people because of his teaching. He started his teaching there in the place Jalil and he also taught in all of Yahudiya and now he is also here in Awrusalam.'” (Source: Yakan Back Translation)
  • Western Bukidnon Manobo: “But the people started shouting out all the more, saying, ‘The people who listen to his teaching are rioting! He started his teaching there in the province of Galilee and he has taught also in all the villages here in the province of Judea, and now he is here again in Jerusalem.'” (Source: Western Bukidnon Manobo Back Translation)
  • Kankanaey: “But they still insisted saying, ‘He has-been-throwing-all the many-people -into-a-riot, starting from Galilea up to Judea, and here he has also arrived here.'” (Source: Kankanaey Back Translation)
  • Tagbanwa: “But they were-persistent, saying, ‘Really through what he is teaching, he is inciting the people through the whole land of us (excl.) Judio to oppose the government. He began this which he is doing there in Galilea. Today/now what else but it’s now here.'” (Source: Tagbanwa Back Translation)

Judah, Judea

The name that is transliterated as “Judah” or “Judea” in English (referring to the son of Jacob, the tribe, and the territory) is translated in Spanish Sign Language as “lion” (referring to Genesis 49:9 and Revelation 5:5). This sign for lion is reserved for regions and kingdoms. (Source: John Elwode in The Bible Translator 2008, p. 78ff. and Steve Parkhurst)


“Judah” and “Judea” in Spanish Sign Language, source: Sociedad Bíblica de España

For more information on translations of proper names with sign language see Sign Language Bible Translations Have Something to Say to Hearing Christians .

See also Judah, Judah (son of Jacob) , and Tribe of Judah .

Scriptures Plain & Simple (Luke 23:1-5)

Barclay Newman, a translator on the teams for both the Good News Bible and the Contemporary English Version, translated passages of the New Testament into English and published them in 2014, “in a publication brief enough to be non-threatening, yet long enough to be taken seriously, and interesting enough to appeal to believers and un-believers alike.” The following is the translation of Luke 23:1-5:

The self-appointed committee of inquisitors
       then took Jesus to Governor Pilate of Judea
and started making accusations, “This man is a terrorist!
He’s telling our people not to pay taxes to Rome,
       and he claims to be king of our nation!”

“Are you their king?” asked Pilate.

“Those are your words,” Jesus replied.

“Not guilty!” declared Pilate in front of everyone.

But they kept objecting,
       “He’s been causing trouble all over Judea,
              ever since he came here from Galilee.”

Translation commentary on Luke 23:5

Exegesis:

hoi de epischuon legontes ‘but they insisted saying,’ i.e. ‘by saying.’

epischuō lit. ‘to be strong,’ here ‘to insist,’ ‘to persist.’

anaseiei ton laon ‘he stirs up the people.’ For laos cf. on 1.10.

anaseiō ‘to stir up,’ ‘to incite,’ probably somewhat stronger than diastrephō in v. 2.

didaskōn kath’ holēs tēs Ioudaias ‘teaching throughout all Judea.’ didaskōn may mean ‘while teaching’ (temporal) or ‘by teaching’ (causal), preferably the latter. Ioudaia is used here to indicate the area of Pilate’s jurisdiction.

kai arxamenos apo tēs Galilaias heōs hōde lit. ‘and having begun from Galilee till here,’ attached to the indication of Jesus’ present area of activity in order to indicate the origin of his operations. It is best rendered as an independent clause.

Translation:

They were urgent. The pronoun may have to be specified, cf. e.g. ‘the accusers’ (Javanese). The verb expresses that they firmly and stubbornly kept on accusing Jesus, repeating and pressing their charge against him, cf. ‘they held yet more determinedly to their earnest demand’ (Marathi), ‘they kept on pressing (the matter)’ (Zarma), ‘they repeated-stubbornly’ (Pohnpeian).

The people, cf. on 7.29.

Teaching, preferably, ‘by, or, with his teaching,’ ‘because he teaches them these/such things.’

Throughout all Judea, cf. on 7.17 and 4.44.

From Galilee even to this place, or as a new sentence, “He started in G. and now he has come here” (The Four Gospels – a New Translation, similarly An American Translation), “It (referring to Jesus’ teaching and to the disaffection it causes) started from G. and has spread as far as this city” (New English Bible).

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 23:5

23:5a

But they kept insisting: This phrase introduces the response that the Jewish leaders made to Pilate’s statement in 23:4. The leaders did not accept his decision. The Greek word that the Berean Standard Bible translates as kept insisting indicates that they persisted in accusing Jesus. They gave more details about their accusations against him. The word insisting does not imply that they spoke disrespectfully or loudly.

Some other ways to introduce this response are:

But they persisted in saying (NET Bible)
-or-
But they pressed their charge, saying (Phillips’ New Testament in Modern English)
-or-
But they still insisted saying

they: The word they refers to the chief priests and the other people who accused Jesus (23:4). The priests may have spoken to Pilate for the whole council, which was mentioned in 23:1. Other people in the council may also have spoken. In some languages it may be helpful to use a general term here. For example:

Jesus’ accusers

Refer to them in a natural way in your language.

23:5b–c

He stirs up the people…with His teaching: The statement He stirs up the people…with His teaching has a similar meaning as the statement in 23:2b (“subverting our nation”). It implies that when Jesus taught people, he influenced them to rebel against the Roman government. The Jewish leaders used the statement to persist in their accusation against Jesus. The Greek word that the Berean Standard Bible translates as stirs up is an idiom. In this context it means “causes [people] to be disturbed.” It also occurs in Mark 15:11.

Some other ways to translate this clause are:

By his teaching, he has disturbed/agitated the people…to make trouble
-or-
In his teaching he arouses people…to rebel
-or-
The things he teaches stir up the people

all over Judea: The phrase all over Judea refers to the entire land of Judea. The word Judea can be interpreted in two different ways here:

(1) It referred to all the land where the majority of the population were Jews.

(2) It referred to the Roman province named Judea. Pilate was the governor of this province.

English versions are ambiguous. It is recommended that you follow interpretation (1). It fits the context, since the leaders said that Jesus started his teaching in Galilee (23:5c) and had stirred up people all over Judea.

23:5c

He began in Galilee and has come all the way here: Here the Jewish leaders told Pilate that Jesus had begun his teaching in Galilee and had continued his teaching all the way to Jerusalem. Galilee is in the north of the country, and Jerusalem is in the south in the province of Judea. The leaders implied that Jesus had been causing trouble throughout the country by what he had been teaching the people. Some other ways to translate this statement are:

He started in Galilee and has come here. (God’s Word)
-or-
…all the way from Galilee to this place. (Phillips’ New Testament in Modern English)

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