complete verse (Matt. 7:3 / Luke 6:41)

The Greek that is translated in English as “Why do you see the speck in your neighbor’s eye, but do not notice the log in your own eye?” or similar is translated in Uma with an existing figure of speech: “Why do we stare at the sleep in another’s eye, yet the piece of wood that is in our own eye we don’t know it’s there!” (Source: Kroneman 2004, p. 501)

In Una, it had to be translated with a more explicit translation because “a more literal and shorter version of this verse had led to major misunderstanding or zero understanding.” It’s back-translation says: “You (pl.) are doing very evil things, but you think, ‘We do not do evil things’. But, regarding other people who do not do very evil things, you think, ‘They are doing evil things, for shame’. As for the very big thorn that broke off and entered your eyes, you think, ‘There is no big thorn that entered my eye’, but with regard to the very small piece of wood dust that might have entered someone else’s eye, why would you say, ‘A piece of wood dust has entered his eye?’ That is not appropriate.” (Source: Dick Kronemann)

In Uripiv it is translated as “How is it you see the fowl dropping stuck on the bottom of your brother’s foot, but you can’t see the cow-pat you have stood on? … You could stand on his foot by mistake and make it dirtier!” (Ross McKerras remarked about this translation: “Our village father laughed when he heard this, which was the right reaction.”)

In Dan, “in one’s eye” can be very offensive in some dialects, so it was changed to “speck on your brother’s face” and “log on your own face.” (Source: Don Slager)

In Russian, this verse is also widely-used as an idiom in the wording of the Russian Synodal Bible (publ. 1876). (Source: Reznikov 2020, p. 46)

Other back-translations include:

  • Noongar: “Why do you see the speck in your brother’s eye, but you do not see the log in your own eye?” (Source: Warda-Kwabba Luke-Ang)
  • Yakan: “You who puts down his companion,’ said Isa, ‘why do you notice a speck (lit. of sawdust) in the eye of your companion but you, the tree trunk in your own eye you don’t notice.” (Source: Yakan Back Translation)
  • Western Bukidnon Manobo: “And again Jesus spoke, ‘You who are always rebuking your companions, why do you rebuke the sin of your companion which is just like a speck that got into his eye. But you — you have a sin which is as big as a log, which has blinded your eye, and you pay no attention to it.” (Source: Western Bukidnon Manobo Back Translation)
  • Kankanaey: “‘Why do you (sing.) notice the small bit-of-eye-discharge (as when waking up) in the eye of your (sing.) fellow, and you (sing.) don’t notice the large bit-of-eye-discharge in your (sing.) eye?” (Source: Kankanaey Back Translation)
  • Tagbanwa: “I don’t know why, when someone else has a foreign-body-in-the-eye which is only dust, that is what you (sing.) keep looking for. But when your own foreign-body-in-the-eye is wedged across your eye (implies too big to go in), you just leave it alone.” (Source: Tagbanwa Back Translation)

log

The Greek that is translated as “log” in English is translated in Gbaya with the ideophone kpíŋgíí, denoting something big or large.

Ideophones are a class of sound symbolic words expressing human sensation that are used as literary devices in many African languages. (Source: Philip Noss)

brother (fellow believer)

The Greek that is translated in English as “brother” or “brother and sister” (in the sense of fellow believers), is translated with a specifically coined word in Kachin: “There are two terms for brother in Kachin. One is used to refer to a Christian brother. This term combines ‘older and younger brother.’ The other term is used specifically for addressing siblings. When one uses this term, one must specify if the older or younger person is involved. A parallel system exists for ‘sister’ as well. In [these verses], the term for ‘a Christian brother’ is used.” (Source: Gam Seng Shae)

In Matumbi is is translated as alongo aumini or “relative-believer.” (Source: Pioneer Bible Translators, project-specific notes in Paratext)

In Martu Wangka it is translated as “relative” (this is also the term that is used for “follower.”) (Source: Carl Gross)

In the German New Testament translation by Berger / Nord (publ. 1999) it is often translated as Mitchristen or “fellow Christians.”

See also brothers.

Translation commentary on Luke 6:41

Exegesis:

ti de blepeis to karphos…, tēn de dokon … ou katanoeis? ‘why do you see the speck … but do not notice the beam…?.’ ti governs both interrogative clauses. Syntactically the clauses are co-ordinate but semantically the emphasis is distinctly on the second one. The saying has figurative meaning and refers to what a blind leader in the church (v. 39), who is not fully taught (v. 40), is likely to do and against which he has to be warned. blepeis and katanoeis in the next clause are synonymous and mean ‘you see,’ ‘you notice.’

to karphos to en tō opthalmō tou adelphou sou ‘the speck (which is) in the eye of your brother.’ adelphos is used here and in v. 42 in the sense of fellow-member of one’s own group.

karphos (also v. 42) ‘speck,’ ‘chip,’ i.e. any small piece of straw, chaff, wood, etc. (cf. Phillips, New English Bible, “speck of sawdust”). Here it is used in a literal sense but the figurative meaning of “something quite insignificant” is also present because of the figurative meaning of the saying as a whole.

tēn de dokon tēn en tō idiō ophthalmō ‘but the beam (that is) in your own eye.’

dokos (also v. 42) ‘beam of wood.’ The phrase refers to something which, as contrasted with karphos, it is impossible not to notice.

idios ‘one’s own,’ here used as possessive pronoun of the second person.

Translation:

Human nature being what it is, proverbs with comparable intent are found in several languages, e.g. ‘the ant in the eye of another one sees, the elephant in one’s own eye one doesn’t see’ (Balinese; cf. also the literary proverb quoted in 13.19), ‘you laugh at another but your own nose is running with snot’ (Marathi). This is not to say that such proverbs should be used in the translation, but to show that a rather literal rendering of Luke’s formally different wording can as a rule be easily understood, or where necessary explained.

Why expresses astonishment verging on indignation, ‘how is it possible that,’ ‘it is quite inconceivable that.’

Speck … log. Pairs expressive of a big difference in size are usually easy to find, e.g. ‘hair (of an ear of rice) … beam’ (Balinese), ‘splinter … pole/mast’ (Bahasa Indonesia RC), the name of a small seed of a certain kind of grass … ‘beam’ (Marathi, where the two terms rime and the proverb has become common usage).

In several languages the term for bodily brother (cf. on 6.14) can also be used in the very general sense meant here (and in 17.3; 22.32), which in Kekchí is expressed by, ‘big-brothers little-brothers,’ a term for a person of the same clan, and then for any neighbour. Elsewhere, however, one has to shift to ‘fellow,’ ‘companion,’ e.g. in Tae’ 1933, Batak Toba.

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 6:41

Paragraph 6:41–42

In this paragraph, Jesus continued to challenge his disciples to be good leaders. He stated that a good leader examines his life to makes sure that he obeys all of Jesus’ teachings. The disciple must change any of his attitudes and actions that do not conform to Jesus’ teaching. Only then can the disciple lead others to examine and change their lives.

Jesus used rhetorical questions to emphasize his teaching. He also used a metaphor and exaggeration. The very small piece of wood and the very large beam represent a person’s faults or sins that he should abandon. The exaggerated contrast between something very small and something very large emphasizes what Jesus was saying. It is wrong to condemn a friend for his faults if you have not critically examined and changed your own behavior.

In 6:41–42 Jesus used the singular form of “you.” However, in these verses he gave a general teaching that applies to any disciple. Use appropriate forms in your language for this. You may want to refer to the note on 6:27b–28, which gives suggestions for forms to use for general commands.

6:41a–b

Why do you look at the speck in your brother’s eye, but fail to notice the beam in your own eye?: This is a rhetorical question. Jesus used this rhetorical question to rebuke his disciples. He rebuked them for seeing a small fault in another person’s life and not seeing a large fault in their own life. Jesus was emphasizing that a person’s sins blind him so that he cannot help others. A person who does not examine his own life will be like a blind guide.

Some ways to translate this rebuke are:

• As a rhetorical question. For example:

Why do you notice the little piece of dust in your friend’s eye, but you don’t notice the big piece of wood in your own eye? (New Century Version)

• As a statement or an exclamation. For example:

You can see the speck in your friend’s eye. But you don’t notice the log in your own eye. (Contemporary English Version)
-or-
You should not pay attention to the dust in your brother’s eye while ignoring the plank of wood in your own eye!

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

6:41a

Why do you look at: The Greek word that the Berean Standard Bible translates as look at is literally “see.” In this context, this word implies that the person does more than “see” the speck of sawdust. He also criticizes him for it.

the speck in your brother’s eye: The Greek word that the Berean Standard Bible translates as speck refers to a very small bit of wood, straw, or dust. Some other ways to translate this are:

piece of sawdust (God’s Word)
-or-
little piece of dust (New Century Version)

Jesus was using the speck as a metaphor to refer to a small fault or sin of another person. If the meaning of the metaphor is not clear to people in your culture, you could say:

the small faults/sins that your brother does/has, which are like a speck of sawdust in his eye

in your brother’s eye: The Greek word that the Berean Standard Bible translates literally as brother’s refers in this context to anyone from the same religious community. It does not refer only to a blood relative. You could use the word “brother” if it can be used in a general sense. Or you may have a general word for everyone from your same community or clan. If not, some other ways to translate this could be:

your friend’s eye (New Living Translation (2004))
-or-
your companion’s/neighbor’s eye
-or-
someone else’s eye

6:41b

but fail to notice: The Greek phrase that the Berean Standard Bible translates as fail to notice means “not consider carefully.” It includes the idea of “you do not see and so you are not aware of.” Some other ways to translate this are:

don’t notice (Contemporary English Version)
-or-
fail to notice (Phillips’ New Testament in Modern English)

the beam in your own eye: The Greek word that the Berean Standard Bible translates as beam refers to a large, heavy piece of wood. It is usually used as a beam in building a house. Some other ways to translate this word are:

log (Good News Translation)
-or-
plank (New International Version)
-or-
big piece of wood (New Century Version)

Jesus was using the beam as a metaphor to refer to a large fault or sin that a disciple had done. If the meaning of the metaphor is not clear to people in your culture, you could say:

the big faults/sins that you do/have, which are like a beam in your own eye

It is, of course, impossible to have a beam in your eye. Jesus used the exaggerated contrast between something small and something large to emphasize what he was teaching. Jesus was teaching that it is wrong and hypocritical to condemn a friend for his faults if you have not examined and changed your own behavior.

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