formal pronoun: disciples addressing Jesus

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, 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 and Afrikaans translations, the disciples address Jesus before and after the resurrection with the formal pronoun.

See also this devotion on YouVersion .

complete verse (Luke 24:18)

Following are a number of back-translations of Luke 24:18:

  • Noongar: “One of the two, Cleopas, asked Jesus, ‘Are you the only single person in Jerusalem who does not know the things which have happened within Jerusalem these few days?'” (Source: Warda-Kwabba Luke-Ang)
  • Uma: “One, named Kleopas, asked Yesus, he said: ‘Have you (sing.) just arrived in Yerusalem that you do not know what happened several days ago?'” (Source: Uma Back Translation)
  • Yakan: “Then one of them, his name was Kelopas, answered, he said, ‘Is it that you don’t know what has happened recently in Awrusalam but all the people there know?'” (Source: Yakan Back Translation)
  • Western Bukidnon Manobo: “And one of them, named Cleopas, answered and he said, ‘You must be the only person who has come here to the town of Jerusalem who doesn’t know what’s going on.'” (Source: Western Bukidnon Manobo Back Translation)
  • Kankanaey: “Then one of them who was named Cleopas said, ‘You (sing.) must be the only one staying in Jerusalem who doesn’t know what has happened there in these days that have passed.'” (Source: Kankanaey Back Translation)
  • Tagbanwa: “One person whose name was Cleopas said, ‘Probably you alone of all the people in Jerusalem don’t know these things which happened here these days.'” (Source: Tagbanwa Back Translation)

Jerusalem

The name that is transliterated as “Jerusalem” in English is signed in French Sign Language with a sign that depicts worshiping at the Western Wall in Jerusalem:


“Jerusalem” in French Sign Language (source: La Bible en langue des signes française )

While a similar sign is also used in British Sign Language, another, more neutral sign that combines the sign “J” and the signs for “place” is used as well. (Source: Anna Smith)


“Jerusalem” in British Sign Language (source: Christian BSL, used with permission)

Learn more on Bible Odyssey: Jerusalem .

know (Japanese honorifics)

Click or tap here to see the rest of this insight.

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 or a person or persons to be greatly honored, the honorific prefix go- (御 or ご) can be used, as in go-zonji (ご存じ), a combination of “know” (zonji) and the honorific prefix go-.

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

Sung version of Luke 24

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®).

For more information, see here.

Translation commentary on Luke 24:18

Exegesis:

heis onomati Kleopas ‘one (of them) called Cleopas,’ or, ‘the one called Cleopas,’ preferably the former.

su monos paroikeis Ierousalēm kai ouk egnōs ta genomena en autē lit. ‘you alone stay in Jerusalem and do not know what has happened in her?,’ meaning ‘you alone of those who stay in Jerusalem do not know…?,’ i.e. ‘are you the only one of those staying in Jerusalem who does not know…?’ monos is emphatic and goes with both paroikeis and egnōs.

paroikeō ‘to live as a stranger in,’ ‘to stay in,’ or, ‘to live in,’ ‘to inhabit.’ The former is slightly preferable.

en autē ‘in her,’ i.e. ‘there.’

en tais hēmerais tautais ‘in these days,’ ‘lately,’ ‘recently.’

Translation:

In languages with obligatory honorifics Cleopas and his companion will have to use the polite terms common in addressing a stranger; these may be of a lower level of honorifics than those they would have used had they known that they were speaking to Jesus.

Are you the only visitor … who does not know the things…? The sentence may have to be recast, e.g. in order to describe the force of “only”: ‘do you not know the things … although all other strangers in J. know them’; or avoiding a rhetorical question: ‘it appears that you are the only traveller who does not know the things…’ (Marathi); or using a non-subordinate clause structure: ‘among the visitors to J. you alone do not know…?’ (cf. Kituba).

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 24:18

24:18a

One of them, named Cleopas: Cleopas is a man’s name. Transliterate it according to the sounds of your language. The text does not give the name of the other disciple. These two disciples were introduced in 24:13.

asked Him: The word Him refers to Jesus. However, the question shows that Cleopas did not recognize Jesus. Some other ways to introduce the question are:

replied (God’s Word)
-or-
asked Jesus (Contemporary English Version)

24:18b–c

Are You the only visitor to Jerusalem who does not know the things that have happened there in recent days?: In Greek this is a rhetorical question that expresses surprise. The beginning of the question is more literally, “Are you alone visiting in Jerusalem and…?” The word “you” is emphasized. This indicates that Cleopas was surprised that Jesus did not know about the events that he and his companion were discussing. It implies that everyone else in Jerusalem knew about those events.

Some ways to translate this surprise are:

• As a rhetorical question. For example:

Are you the only visitor in Jerusalem who doesn’t know the things that have been happening there these last few days? (Good News Translation)

• As a statement. For example:

You must be the only person staying in Jerusalem who does not know the things that have been happening there these last few days. (New Jerusalem Bible)

Translate this surprise in a way that is natural in your language.

the things that have happened there in recent days: This phrase refers to the events that happened to Jesus, especially the events listed in 24:20. The phrase in recent days refers to the events of the last week of Jesus’ life, especially to Jesus’ trial and crucifixion. Some other ways to translate it are:

what has happened there in the last few days (Revised English Bible)
-or-
what has happened recently (God’s Word)

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