received your consolation

The Greek in Luke 6:24 that is translated as “received your consolation” or similar in English is translated in the German New Testament translation by Berger / Nord (publ. 1999) with euren Anteil schon kassiert or “already received (or: “cashed in”) your share.”

They explain (p. 453): “Almost everywhere: ‘have already received your consolation.’ However, the Hebrew word that possibly forms the basis can be rendered not only as ‘consolation,’ but also as ‘resting place, possession of land,’ therefore translated here in the sense of a share in the promised land.”

woe (to you)

The Hebrew, Greek, Latin, and Ge’ez that is translated as “woe to you” or similar in English is translated in Martu Wangka as “you sit as sorry ones” (source: Carl Gross). Toraja-Sa’dan has two expressions that can be used: upu’ allomu or “to-their-end are your days” and sumpu sumandakmu or “finished is what-is-measured-out to you.” In the case of Luke 10:13, where “woe” is doubled, both are used for stylistic, non-repetitive purposes (see Reiling / Swellengrebel).

In Matumbi it is translated as Wakibona or “You will see” (source: Pioneer Bible Translators, project-specific notes in Paratext) and in the Contemporary Chichewa translation (2002/2016) with a phrase containing tsoka, a word to describe something bad that happens (or may happen) to a person because of doing something against established traditions in a community (source: Mawu a Mulungu mu Chichewa Chalero Back Translation).

In Hebrew it is translated as oy (אוֹי) and in Yiddish as oy (אוי) or vey (וֵויי). Note that oy vey in combination is also commonly used in Yiddish as an interjection of dismay and vey is derived from the German Wehe (which in turn has the same root than the English woe). (Source: Jost Zetzsche)

formal pronoun: Jesus addressing his disciples and common people

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, Jesus is addressing his disciples, individuals and/or crowds with the formal pronoun, showing respect.

In Nepali translations, Jesus addresses his disciples and other people with the medium honorific pronoun timīlē (तिमीले) or timīlēharū (तिमीलेहरू). His disciples respond with a high honorific pronoun. (Source: Chitra Chhetri in The Bible Translator 2009, p. 73ff. )

In most Dutch translations, Jesus addresses his disciples and common people with the informal pronoun, whereas they address him with the formal form.

See also formal 2nd person plural pronoun (Japanese).

complete verse (Luke 6:24)

Following are a number of back-translations of Luke 6:24:

  • Noongar: “But it is awful for you rich people now! You have had your happy life!” (Source: Warda-Kwabba Luke-Ang)
  • Uma: “‘But disaster to you rich people at this time because you have already received your joy.” (Source: Uma Back Translation)
  • Yakan: “‘But you who are rich now, you are to be pitied for you have experienced already a good situation here in the world.” (Source: Yakan Back Translation)
  • Western Bukidnon Manobo: “However, you people who are rich today, I pity you because when your wealth is gone, there is nothing else to make you happy in the future.” (Source: Western Bukidnon Manobo Back Translation)
  • Kankanaey: “‘But pitiful (i.e. inspiring pity) are you who are rich, because it is only now that you enjoy your life.” (Source: Kankanaey Back Translation)
  • Tagbanwa: “But very hard is what is in store for you who are wealthy now, for whom what is important (lit.heavy) in your minds/inner-beings is this wealth of yours, because you have already received your good-situation. There is nothing else for you to hope-for/expect.” (Source: Tagbanwa Back Translation)

formal 2nd person plural pronoun (Japanese)

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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 Japanese shows different degree of politeness is through the choice of a formal plural suffix to the second person pronoun (“you” and its various forms) as shown here in the widely-used Japanese Shinkaiyaku (新改訳) Bible of 2017. In these verses, anata-gata (あなたがた) is used, combining the second person pronoun anata and the plural suffix -gata to create a formal plural pronoun (“you” [plural] in English).

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

Translation commentary on Luke 6:24

Exegesis:

plēn ouai humin tois plousiois ‘but woe to you, rich people.’ As different from v. 20 and v. 27 humin is here best understood as referring to people who are not present. The use of the second person is probably due to stylistic reasons, i.e. Luke’s intention to preserve the formal correspondence with vv. 20-23 as much as possible.

plēn ‘but,’ usually marking a stronger contrast than alla.

ouai ‘woe,’ ‘alas,’ implying the thought of impending judgment (except 21.23), cf. Schonfield. It is construed with dative of the personal pronoun, followed by an apposition either in the dative (as here) or in the vocative (v. 25a), or it is construed with following vocative (v. 25b).

hoti apechete tēn paraklēsin humōn ‘because you have (now already) your comfort in full.’ paraklēsis cf. on 2.25.

apechō here transitive ‘to receive, or to have in full,’ i.e. ‘to have had.’ The emphasis is on the idea of ‘now’ implicit in the verb apechete.

Translation:

But, or, ‘on the contrary’ (Sundanese).

Woe to you. The rendering should denote not pity, but displeasure, curse, judgment; hence, ‘you will see misfortune/trouble’ (Shona 1963, Tzeltal), ‘rejection to you’ (an idiom that can be used here in Marathi), ‘disaster!,’ used as a curse (Malay), ‘pain/trouble will come to you’ (Kekchi, Highland Puebla Nahuatl), ‘you shall suffer’ (Amganad Ifugao), ‘to-their-end your days!,’ an idiomatic expression to great distress and despair (Toraja-Sa’dan). The group referred to by you, though probably not present, is addressed as if it were present. The rendering may have to differ from the one used before, as e.g. in Balinese, which uses ‘little ones,’ a form of address to one’s children or pupils, in vv. 20-23 but a generic, not intimate, form of address here.

You have received your consolation. The verb can also be rendered, ‘you possess already,’ ‘in your hands is already.’ The verbal noun may be rendered, ‘what comforts you’ (Pohnpeian), ‘what satisfies you’ (Ekari, here using metaphorically the term that it uses in a literal sense in vv. 21 and 25), ‘what gives you pleasure, or, makes you happy’; or simply, ‘your pleasure/delight’ (Shona 1966), ‘your happiness’ (Kituba, similarly Tboli), ‘all the joy you are going to get’ (Cuyono). With further adjustments the whole clause may be rendered, ‘your only riches (will be) the riches you possess at present’ (Tzeltal). Some of the expressions mentioned on 2.25 and references will not fit here since they express or imply the taking away of already existing sorrow, which is not the case here.

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 6:24

Paragraph 6:24–26

This paragraph contains four “woes.” Each woe is a general statement against those who are satisfied with their life here and do not seek God. Each “woe” contrasts with an earlier “blessed.” For example, 6:20b says:

Blessed are you who are poor

and 6:24a says:

But woe to you who are rich

As in the statements about being blessed, Jesus addressed the people as “you(plur).” He was making general statements. He did not mean that everyone was rich, well fed, or laughing. Use a form that is natural in your language for general statements that are true. For example:

Woe to you(sing) who
-or-
Woe to him
-or-
Woe to they/people who
-or-
Woe to those who

If possible, use the same pronoun as the one you used for the statement about being blessed.

6:24a–b

Verse 6:24a–b contrasts with 6:20b–c. The contrast is as follows: Those who are poor are “blessed” because they are part of God’s kingdom. Those who are rich are in trouble because they are not part of God’s kingdom.

Try to make this clear in your translation by using terms or expressions that correspond to the terms you used in 6:20.

6:24a

But: The Greek conjunction that the Berean Standard Bible translates as But marks the contrast between the four blessings in 6:20–23 and the four woes in 6:24–26.

woe to you: The Greek word that the Berean Standard Bible translates as woe describes a state or situation of intense distress. It expresses a sense of God’s coming judgment. Therefore, it is a warning and a call to people to change the way they are living. These “woes” state the distress that these people can expect in the future.

You may have a natural way to express this in your language. It may be a single word (or short expression) that communicates sadness, grief, or sorrow. Words like “woe” or “alas” in English do this. Some other ways you could translate this phrase are:

how horrible it will be for those (God’s Word)
-or-
But you…are in for trouble (Contemporary English Version)
-or-
What sorrows await you (New Living Translation (1996))

These “woes” are not a curse formula. They are not asking God to curse these people.

who are rich: The Greek word that the Berean Standard Bible translates as rich refers to people who have wealth. They usually have everything they need and even much more than they need. The word rich may also refer to people who have great privilege and status. People who are rich may be arrogant and depend on their wealth rather than God.

6:24b

for: The Greek conjunction that the Berean Standard Bible translates as for introduces the reason why the rich are in trouble. They are in trouble because they have already received comfort in this life.

you have already received your comfort: The Greek clause that the Berean Standard Bible translates as you have already received is literally “you are receiving in full.” Jesus meant that rich people receive on this earth all the ease and pleasure that they will ever get. God will not give them anything more to comfort them beyond what they get in this life. This implies that they will not experience the eternal blessings of the kingdom of God. Some other ways to translate this are:

you are receiving your comfort in full (New American Standard Bible)
-or-
you are receiving ⌊in this life⌋ all the comfort you will ⌊ever⌋ receive
-or-
because you have had your easy life (New Century Version)

comfort: The Greek word that the Berean Standard Bible translates as comfort is literally “encouragement.” The rich already have the help or encouragement they need in this world. This is what they are getting in return for adopting worldly values. However, when they face God’s judgment, there will be no help for them. They have not made God’s values a part of their life.

Another way to translate this is:

easy life (Contemporary English Version)
-or-
happiness (New Living Translation (2004))

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