Luke 2:5 – TIPs

The Visit of the Shepherds

Painting by Chen Yuandu 陳緣督 (1902-1967)

Housed in the Société des Auxiliaires des Missions Collection – Whitworth University

Image taken from Chinese Christian Posters . For more information on the “Ars Sacra Pekinensis” school of art, see this article , for other artworks of that school in TIPs, see here.

Following is an artwork by Sister Marie Claire , SMMI (1937–2018) from Bengaluru, India:

For more information about images by Sister Marie Claire and ways to purchase them as lithographs, see here . For other images of Sister Marie Claire paintings in TIPs, see here.

The Greek that is translated as “engaged” or “betrothed” in English is translated in Pampanga as “having-been-given-approval” and Tagalog as “having-been-brought-before-the authorities” (both implying a couple which has already applied to the local civil registrar or priest for a license to marry). Tboli uses “braceleted” (a figurative expression for the giving of property for the dowry, an act that finalizes the marriage contract) and Uab Meto has “publicly pledged to marry (lit. “reciprocally-bound”)” (a term indicating that an interchange of gifts as a pledge for marriage has taken place).

complete verse (Luke 2:5)

Following are a number of back-translations of Luke 2:5:

Noongar: “He and his wife Mary, the two went to Bethlehem to write their names. Mary’s people had given Mary to Joseph to marry. Mary was pregnant.” (Source: Warda-Kwabba Luke-Ang)
Uma: “So also Yusuf left from Nazaret town, accompanied by Maria his fiancee, who was at the time pregnant. They left from Galilea land, climbed going to Yudea land, towards Betlehem town, the birth town of King Daud long ago. Yusuf had to request that his name be written there, because he was a descendant of King Daud.” (Source: Uma Back Translation)
Yakan: “He went together with his fiancé Mariyam to register. Mariyam was pregnant.” (Source: Yakan Back Translation)
Western Bukidnon Manobo: “And Joseph took along with him, Mary, the woman that was promised to him, because they would register themselves. Now Mary at that time was pregnant.” (Source: Western Bukidnon Manobo Back Translation)
Kankanaey: “Maria also went-along to go register, because it was arranged that they were to be married. Maria’s fetus was already full-term,” (Source: Kankanaey Back Translation)
Tagbanwa: “Maria also went with him, whom he had married, although they were not yet living together (implies sexual relations). Maria’s pregnancy was then about-full-term.” (Source: Tagbanwa Back Translation)
Enga: “That Maria [who was just mentioned], Josepe said he would take her as [his] woman, and he stood wooing her; because of that, while she sat, child in utero, they two went together, saying {we shall set [our] names}.” (Source: Adam Boyd on his blog)
Central Tunebo: (verses 3-5) “Everyone went to his own city to be counted. Joseph also went to be counted. Joseph was from the land of Galilee. He was from the city of Nazareth. Joseph’s grandfather is David. He is David’s relative. As a result he went to David’s city to be counted. He went to Bethlehem to be counted. In the city of Bethlehem. He went with Mary. Joseph would soon marry Mary. Mary was pregnant. They went together, with Mary.” (“The typical narrative text in Tunebo introduces 3 or 4 information bits in the first sentence. This includes the predicate and subject and, where appropriate, the object. A locative element is quite often introduced, too. From there, new information bearing on the stage or opening event is introduced, usually at the rate of one new bit per sentence, keeping the main verb constant.” Source: Edna Headland in Notes on Translation, 58/1975, pp. 2ff.)

Mary (mother of Jesus)

The name that is transliterated as “Mary” in English is translated in Spanish Sign Language with arms folded over chest which is the typical pose of Mary in statues and artwork. (Source: John Elwode in The Bible Translator 2008, p. 78ff. )

“Mary” in Spanish Sign Language, source: Sociedad Bíblica de España

In American Sign Language it is translated with a sign for the letter M and the sign for “virgin,” which could also be interpreted as “head covering,” referring to the way that Mary is usually portrayed in art works. (Source: Ruth Anna Spooner, Ron Lawer)

“Mary” in American Sign Language, source: Deaf Harbor

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

In the Burmese Common Language Version (publ. 2005), Mary is described as a king’s mother by using the royal noun suffix taw / တော် with the word “mother” in Matthew 1:16 and Luke 2:33. This is done to highlight the status of Jesus as a king or the divine Son. Othjer passages where taht is used include Matthew 2:11, 13, 14, 20, and 21. (Source: Gam Seng Shae in The Bible Translator 2002, p. 202ff. ) See also Jesus’ human vs. divine nature in modern Burmese translation.

In some Semitic languages, the transliteration for “Mary” is identical to the one for the prophetess “Miriam,” testifying to the fact that these names are identical (Arabic and the many translations that are reliant on Arabic: مَرْيَم, Hebrew: מִרְיָם, Ge’ez / Amharic and related languages: ማርያም).

Learn more on Bible Odyssey: Mary in Latin America and the Caribbean and Mary, the Mother of Jesus .

Peace to Mankind (Luke 2)

Illustration by Horst Lemke (1922-1985) for the German Gute Nachricht für Sie – NT68, one of the first editions of the Good News Bible in German of 1968. Lemke was a well-known illustrator who illustrated books by Erich Kästner , Astrid Lindgren and many others.

Sung version of Luke 2

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 .

Sung version of Luke 3 >>

Translation commentary on Luke 2:5

Exegesis:

apograpsasthai sun Mariam tē emnēsteumenē autō ‘to have himself registered with Mary who was betrothed to him’; apograpsasthai depends upon anebē and the aorist tense refers to the specific act of Joseph’s registering as contrasted with the present tense in v. 1 and v. 3, referring to the registering of ‘the whole world’ and of ‘everyone.’

sun Mariam ‘with Mary,’ goes either with apograpsasthai (Revised Standard Version) or with anebē (New English Bible), preferably the latter.

ousē egkuō ‘being pregnant,’ a second apposition to Mariam, best taken as preparing for the subsequent verse which describes the birth of Mary’s child, the main objective of the whole narrative. But this should not be overstressed by making it the opening phrase of the next verses, cf. on v. 6.

egkuos ‘pregnant.’

Translation:

To be enrolled is separated by several phrases from its immediate constituent “went up”. Where this would be confusing or unidiomatic, one may have to change the word order, bringing the two verbs closer together in v. 4, e.g. ‘he went up to have himself registered, (going) from…,’ cf. “he travelled up for this purpose from…” (The Four Gospels – a New Translation), or to make v. 5 into a separate clause or sentence, repeating the reference to the journey, e.g. ‘he went up there (or, he did so) in order to have himself enrolled.’

With Mary. To make it clear that this phrase goes with ‘went up’ (see Exegesis) one may have to change the word order again, cf. ‘he went up with M., …, in order to be enrolled’ (Thai), or to render the phrase as a clause or sentence, e.g. “and he took with him Mary” (The Four Gospels – a New Translation).

His betrothed, who was with child, two qualifications, both going with “Mary”, the former mentioning a fact already known to the reader, the latter giving new information. Where both would have to be rendered as relative clauses it may be preferable to make the second one into an independent sentence, cf. ‘Mary who was betrothed to him. She was pregnant.’ For his betrothed see on 1.27. — Who was with child, or, ‘was pregnant.’ Often the rendering differs from that of ‘to conceive’ (1.24) only by its being without indication of the ingressive aspect, cf. ‘to be pregnant’ with ‘to become pregnant’ (Dutch versions), or ‘to be with belly’ with ‘to receive belly’ (Sranan Tongo).

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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Verse: Luke 2:5