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:
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)
Following are a number of back-translations of Luke 2:45:
Noongar: “They did not see Jesus, so they returned to Jerusalem looking for him.” (Source: Warda-Kwabba Luke-Ang)
Uma: “But they did not find him. That is why they returned to Yerusalem to look for him.” (Source: Uma Back Translation)
Yakan: “Because they couldn’t find him, they went back to Awrusalam to search for him.” (Source: Yakan Back Translation)
Western Bukidnon Manobo: “When they could not find him, they returned to Jerusalem and looked for him.” (Source: Western Bukidnon Manobo Back Translation)
Kankanaey: “but he wasn’t there (lit. but none). So they returned to Jerusalem to go look for him there.” (Source: Kankanaey Back Translation)
Tagbanwa: “Well since they couldn’t find him, without anything further, they returned to Jerusalem searching.” (Source: Tagbanwa Back Translation)
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 2:41-52:
Every year Mary and Joseph went to Jerusalem for Passover,
and when Jesus was twelve, they went there as usual.
After Passover, his parents left,
not knowing Jesus had stayed on in the city.
They thought he was traveling with friends,
and they went a whole day before looking for him.
When they could not find Jesus with relatives or friends,
they returned to Jerusalem and for three days
anxiously searched everywhere.
Finally, they found Jesus in the temple,
listening to the teachers, asking them questions,
and surprising everyone by his wisdom and knowledge.
“Son, why have you done this to us?” asked his mother.
“Your father and I’ve been frantically searching for you.”
“Why did you have to search for me?” questioned Jesus.
“Didn’t you know I’d be here in my Father’s house?”
But they didn’t understand what he meant.
Jesus returned home to Nazareth with his parents,
and was always obedient to them.
But his mother never stopped thinking about all of this.
As Jesus grew up, he grew wiser and stronger —
so much so that God and people were pleased with him.
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®).
nomisantes de … ēlthon ‘but, supposing … they went’; de ‘but’ contrasts ouk egnōsan ‘they did not know’ (v. 43) with nomisantes ‘supposing…,’ the clause which is dependent upon nomisantes (i.e. auton einai en tē sunodia ‘him to be in the company’) motivates their going.
nomizō (also 3.23) ‘to believe,’ ‘to suppose.’
en tē sunodia ‘in the company of travellers.’
sunodia ‘group of people travelling together.’
hēmeras hodon ‘a day’s journey’; the accusative hodon ‘way,’ hence ‘journey,’ is of extent. Jewish sources differ considerably as to the length of a day’s journey, ranging from 15 to 40 miles (cf. Strack-Billerbeck II, 149) but it is safe to assume that a caravan of pilgrims would not do more than 15-20 miles a day.
kai anezētoun auton ‘and they were looking for him.’ The imperfect tense of anezētoun is best understood as a durative or iterative imperfect: Joseph and Mary supposed Jesus to be somewhere among the company of travellers and were, therefore, looking for him during that day’s journey among their relatives and friends.
anazēteō ‘to look for,’ especially of looking for human beings, with an implication of difficulty and thoroughness.
en tois suggeneusin kai tois gnōstois ‘among the relatives and acquaintances’; without a possessive pronoun or its equivalent, which is to be supplied from the context. For suggenēs cf. on 1.36.
gnōstos (also 23.49) ‘known,’ hence, when used of persons, ‘acquaintance,’ ‘friend.’
(V. 45) kai mē heurontes hupestrepsan ‘and not having found him, they returned.’ Here the aorist participle heurontes indicates an event preceding the event referred to by the main verb hupestrepsan ‘they returned.’
anazētountes auton ‘looking for him,’ indicating an event which is simultaneous with the event referred to by the main verb hupestrepsan ‘they returned.’
Translation:
Supposing him to be … they went … Rendering the participle by a co-ordinate or subordinate clause one may say something like, ‘They supposed that he was…; so/therefore/consequently they went…,’ or, ‘They went…, since they supposed that….’ To suppose implies that the author does not vouch for the opinion concerned, or even knows it to have been wrong, as brought out by Tae,’ which uses a verb basically meaning ‘to substitute,’ ‘to mistake a person for another,’ then, ‘to suppose wrongly.’ If one has to make explicit the implied direct discourse, one may say e.g. ‘thinking, “Certainly he is (or, we will find him) in…” .’
The company, or, ‘group of those who-were travelling same road with them’ (Kituba), ‘people on-the-same-journey’ (Balinese), ‘people that walk in-the-same-group’ (Tae’); Medumba, using the same compound pronoun as in 1.58, has ‘people who they-plus-they came.’
They went a day’s journey, or, ‘as much as one day they went’ (Tboli), ‘they did one day on the road’ (Kituba), ‘they travelled one-day’s-measure’ (Batak Toba).
And they sought him, or, expressing simultaneity, ‘and in the meanwhile they sought him (or, looked for him, or, tried to find him).’
Kinsfolk, see on 1.58.
Acquaintances usually refers to relationships which are somewhat less intimate than friendship. It can often be rendered by a derivation of, or a phrase built on, ‘to know,’ cf. ‘group of people who know each other’ (Thai), ‘people whom they-plus-they know’ (Medumba). Elsewhere the closest natural equivalent is a more generic term, covering both intimate and casual relationships, e.g. in Kituba, Batak Toba.
(V. 45) When they did not find him explains what follows; hence, “They did not find him, so they went back…” (Good News Translation).
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.
emphobōn de genomenōn autōn kai klinousōn ta prosōpa eis tēn gēn ‘when they became afraid/terrified and were bowing their faces to the ground.’ genomenōn is ingressive aorist and denotes the reaction to the appearance of the two men; klinousēn is present tense and denotes the attitude of the women at the moment when the men began to speak.
emphobos (also v. 37) ‘afraid, startled,’ ‘terrified.’
ti zēteite ton zōnta meta tōn nekrōn ‘why are you seeking the living one among the dead?’ The clause may express rebuke or mild criticism, preferably the latter. The use of the articles ton and tōn is probably due to the fact that the clause reflects proverbial sayings, though its meaning here is not to be taken literal.
Translation:
A shift from pronoun to noun and/or from subordination to co-ordination may be preferable, e.g. ‘The women became afraid and bowed … to the ground; (then/thereupon) the men said….’
They were frightened, see on “fear” in 1.12.
Bowed their faces to the ground, or, ‘they turned/made their faces towards the ground’ (Kele, Marathi). The phrase is sometimes rendered by one verb (several Indonesian languages). The rendering should express fear or confusion, rather than reverence or worship; hence, “lowered their eyes” (The Four Gospels – a New Translation), “stood with eyes cast down” (New English Bible, similarly Batak Toba).
Why do you seek, or, ‘you should not seek, or, look for, or, try to find.’
The living, or, ‘the living one,’ ‘the person who lives.’
Among the dead, or, ‘among dead people,’ ‘among corpses,’ ‘in the place of dead people’ (several Indonesian languages), ‘where dead people (or, corpses) are/lie.’
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.
In some languages, it may be natural to show a contrast between 2:44c and 2:45a. For example:
44c…they looked for him, 45abut they did not find him.
they could not find Him: In some languages, it may be more natural to say, “they did not see him.”
2:45b
they returned: Joseph and Mary turned around and started back toward Jerusalem. They probably did this the next morning, the day after they had left Jerusalem.
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