The parable of the wise builder is translated in Yaosakor Asmat as “the wise builder is like the person who builds a house on stilts made of iron wood which last a long time, while the foolish builder is the one who builds a house on stilts made of white wood which will rot quickly.”
Daud Soesilio (in Noss 2007, p. 175) explains: “In Pirimapun, a swampy area on the southern coast of Indonesian Papua, the parable of the wise builder who builds on stone foundation and the foolish builder who builds on sand was rendered into the Asmat language as ‘the wise builder is like the person who builds a house on stilts made of iron wood which last a long time, while the foolish builder is the one who builds a house on stilts made of white wood which will rot quickly.’ This adaptation is necessary since one cannot find a single stone in this swampy area, and all houses are built on stilts. They use iron wood stilts for their more permanent houses, and they only use white wood stilts for the temporary houses that they use when they go hunting. White wood will not last. It is also interesting to point out that they use sand from the beach to make their walking paths firm.”
Following are a number of back-translations of Luke 6:47:
Noongar: “If a person comes to me and he listens to my words and does what I say, I will tell you what he is like.” (Source: Warda-Kwabba Luke-Ang)
Uma: “People who come to me hearing and following my teaching, they are like the people in this parable:” (Source: Uma Back Translation)
Yakan: “Whoever comes to me and listens to my words and obeys them I will explain to you as to what he is like.” (Source: Yakan Back Translation)
Western Bukidnon Manobo: “Any disciple of mine who hears my advice to him and acts on it, I tell you that” (Source: Western Bukidnon Manobo Back Translation)
Kankanaey: “The one who comes to me who listens and believes/obeys what I say, I will parable to you what he is like.” (Source: Kankanaey Back Translation)
Tagbanwa: “Now/today I will make known to you what the person is like who comes to me and listens to what I am saying, and then he obeys it.” (Source: Tagbanwa Back Translation)
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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 first person singular and plural pronoun (“I” and “we” and its various forms) as shown here in the widely-used Japanese Shinkaiyaku (新改訳) Bible of 2017. The most commonly used watashi/watakushi (私) is typically used when the speaker is humble and asking for help. In these verses, where God / Jesus is referring to himself, watashi is also used but instead of the kanji writing system (私) the syllabary hiragana (わたし) is used to distinguish God from others.
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 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).
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 Translator2002, 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 most Dutch translations, Jesus addresses his disciples and common people with the informal pronoun, whereas they address him with the formal form.
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®).
akouōn mou tōn logōn kai poiōn autous ‘hears my words and does them,’ i.e. puts the words into practise (cf. Phillips), or acts according to them (cf. The Four Gospels – a New Translation, An American Translation). As contrasted with the aorist tense of akousas and poiēsas in v. 49 the present tense of the participles in this verse refers to an abiding attitude, whereas in v. 49 the reference is to a decision that has been made.
hupodeixō humin tini estin homoios ‘I will show you whom he is like.’ Syntactically the subject of estin is pas ho erchomenos etc. After introducing this subject at length in the nominative the writer as it were interrupts himself and begins anew with hupodeixō ‘I will show,’ and takes up pas ho erchomenos in the clause which is dependent upon hupodeixō. Several translations render tini estin homoios as ‘what he is like’ (cf. Revised Standard Version) but as v. 48 shows tini is to be understood as masculine in gender, “whom he is like” (An American Translation).
Translation:
Without interruption the sentence may run like this, ‘I will show you whom everyone is like who comes … and does…,’ or to avoid subordination, ‘persons come, … and hear … and do … Whom are they like? I will show you that.’
My words, or, ‘what I say (to him), or, tell (him)’; cf. also “this teaching of mine” (An American Translation), “what I have to say” (Phillips).
Does them. The verb may have to be rendered less generically, e.g. ‘obeys (cf. on 2.51) them,’ or, ‘keeps/observes them.’
I will show you what (preferably, whom) he is like, or, ‘who he is’ (Sranan Tongo, where a literal rendering would suggest outward resemblance only). To show, or, ‘to cause-to-see’; or, since the seeing is with the eye of the mind, ‘to explain,’ ‘to make clear,’ “to give an idea” (The Four Gospels – a New 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.
In 6:47, the Berean Standard Bible has changed the order of the Greek clauses. The NET Bible has kept the Greek order. Compare the order of the two versions below.
47aI will show you what he is like 47bwho comes to me and hears my words 47cand puts them into practice. (New International Version)
47bEveryone who comes to me and listens to my words 47cand puts them into practice—47aI will show you what he is like: (NET Bible)
Consider which order is more natural in your language.
6:47a
I will show you: The phrase I will show you introduces a short parable. Another way to translate this is:
I will illustrate for you
In some languages, a word such as show may only be used when people actually see something with their eyes. If that is true in your language, you could say:
I will explain to you -or-
I will tell you
you: In Greek, the pronoun you is plural.
what he is like: The pronoun he refers to anyone who came to Jesus and listened and obeyed. Some other ways to translate he are:
the person -or-
such a one
The pronoun he does not refer to the person in 6:46 who calls Jesus Lord but does not obey.
6:47b
who comes to Me and hears My words: Other ways to translate the phrase hears My words are:
hears what I say -or-
hears what I tell him to do
6:47c
and acts on them: The Greek phrase that the Berean Standard Bible translates as acts on them is literally “doing them.” It refers to doing what Jesus said a person should do, especially in this sermon (6:20–49). Some other ways to translate this are:
does them (Revised Standard Version) -or-
obeys them (Good News Translation) -or-
obeys me (Contemporary English Version)
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