Translation commentary on Luke 8:24

Exegesis:

proselthontes de diēgeiran auton ‘after going (to Jesus) they woke him up.’ For proserchomai cf. on 7.14.

diegeirō ‘to wake up (from sleep).’

epistata epistata ‘master, master.’ The repetition makes the vocative more emphatic. For epistatēs cf. on 5.5.

apollumetha ‘we are perishing,’ without indicating the way in which this happens.

epetimēsen tō anemō kai tō kludōni tou hudatos ‘he checked the wind and the rough water,’ cf. on 4.35.

kludōn with hudatos ‘rough water.’

kai epausanto ‘and they ceased,’ a general term.

egeneto galēnē ‘there was a calm.’

galēnē ‘calm,’ always of the sea.

Translation:

They went. Several versions indicate the goal, cf. ‘having come to him’ (Marathi), ‘the disciples approached Jesus’ (Balinese).

We are perishing. The translator should seek the idiomatic expression that people would commonly use in such a situation; in most cases this seems to require the inclusive pronoun. In honorific languages, however, linguistic etiquette may not allow that one includes one’s betters in one’s own situation; hence the exclusive pronoun, e.g. in Javanese, Sundanese. Sometimes the choice can be avoided, e.g. where an impersonal idiom is available, cf. ‘brought-to-destruction now’ (Balinese), ‘having-sunk’ (Marathi, using a past tense form without explicit pronoun and with a non-distinctive first person plural ending), or, ‘the boat is being wrecked.’ In this context a rendering that specifies the way in which they are perishing is also acceptable, cf. ‘we will drown’ (Tae,’ Sundanese).

Rebuked, or in this context, ‘caused to cease, or, to be calm.’

The raging waves may have to be expressed variously, e.g. ‘the high waves,’ ‘the stormy/seething water,’ ‘the water that-was-in-waves,’ ‘the rolling of the waves.’

And is consecutive here; hence, ‘so that’ (Balinese, Batak Toba).

They ceased, and there was a calm. Subject of the first clause are the winds, the second clause refers to the water; hence one may have to say something like, ‘the winds/storm ceased (or, ceased to blow, blew no more), and the water (or, waves/lake) became calm (or, still/smooth).’

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 8:24

8:24a

The disciples went and woke Him: This clause indicates that the disciples went to Jesus and woke him up. In some languages it may be natural to make explicit that the disciples went to Jesus. For example:

The disciples went to Jesus and woke him up (Good News Translation)

The Greek text has literally “they” here instead of The disciples. Refer to the disciples here in a natural way in your language.

went and woke: The disciples went to Jesus, but they and he were all in a small fishing boat. Jesus would have been lying just a few feet away from where the disciples were. In some languages it may be more natural to leave the action of going implied. For example:

the disciples woke him

In some languages it may be more natural to use different verbs. For example:

They came and roused him (Revised English Bible)
-or-
They approached Jesus and woke him

saying: The Greek verb that the Berean Standard Bible translates as saying is a general word for speaking. In some languages it may be natural to use a more specific verb like shouting or crying out in this context. For example:

The disciples woke him up, shouting… (New Living Translation (1996))

8:24b

Master, Master: The Greek word that the Berean Standard Bible translates as Master is a term that shows respect. It is a term that people used to address a person who has high position or status. See the note at 5:5a where the same term is used.

Master is repeated twice for emphasis. It communicates the urgency and panic the disciples were feeling at that moment. In some languages this repetition may not communicate urgency, or repetition may not be natural. If that is true in your language, use a different way to indicate this urgency. For example:

Oh, Master!
-or-
Master, ⌊help us!⌋

we are perishing: The Greek verb that the Berean Standard Bible translates literally as we are perishing means “we are going to die.” Some English versions (Contemporary English Version, New International Version, New Living Translation (2004)) use the word “drown,” which refers specifically to dying in water, so it is appropriate in this context. Use a word or an idiom that would be natural in this situation in your language.

The disciples’ statement we are perishing implied a request for Jesus to help and save them. If this may not be clear in your language, you may want to make it explicit. For example:

Master, master, we are going to drown. ⌊Please help/save us.⌋
-or-
Master, ⌊save us!⌋ We are about to die!

we are: In this context the disciples probably included Jesus in the word we. Use a form that includes all the people in the boat including Jesus. The disciples did not yet fully understand who Jesus was. So it was possible for them to believe that Jesus could die with them if he did not do something to stop the storm.

Paragraph 8:24c–25

8:24c

Then: This verse begins with a Greek conjunction that is often translated as “and.” Some English versions, such as the English Standard Version, translate it that way. The NET Bible says “so” in order to show that Jesus acted in response to the plea for help from his disciples. Some versions, such as the New International Version, do not translate this conjunction. But since this paragraph is the climax of this event, where Jesus rebuked the storm and it ended, other versions (Berean Standard Bible, God’s Word, King James Version) translate it as “then.” Consider whether it is natural to introduce or indicate this climax in a specific way in your language.

Jesus got up: The Greek verb that the Berean Standard Bible translates as got up is literally “having been awakened.” It does not mean “he stood up,” though Jesus may have stood when he spoke to the wind and water. The verb “having been awakened” is passive. Here it indicates that the disciples had awakened Jesus. Other ways to say this are:

Being awake ⌊now⌋
-or-
Having been awakened ⌊by the disciples⌋

You may need to pay special attention to the way you translate the sequence of events here. It is not necessary to imply that Jesus did not hear what the disciples said to him because he was still sleeping. Jesus probably woke up immediately when the disciples came to him in 8:24a. When the disciples woke him by saying, “Master, master, we are drowning,” Jesus responded by speaking to the wind and water.

rebuked the wind and the raging waters: The Greek word that the Berean Standard Bible translates as rebuked means to express strong disapproval to someone who does wrong. It includes either an implied or explicit command to stop doing what is wrong. Here it means “ordered to stop.” For example:

ordered the wind and waves to stop (Contemporary English Version)

Jesus spoke strongly to the wind and the waves as if they were people. He commanded the wind to stop blowing and the waves to be still. The same verb is used in 4:35a, 4:39a, and 4:41c.

In some languages, it may be more natural to express Jesus’ commands to the wind and water as direct speech. If so, you may be able to use the words from your translation of Mark 4:39. For example:

Be quiet and still!
-or-
Stop! Be calm!

raging waters: The Greek phrase that the Berean Standard Bible translates as raging waters refers to large waves. English versions have translated this in various ways, including:

rough water (New Jerusalem Bible)
-or-
turbulent waters (Revised English Bible)
-or-
surging waves (New American Standard Bible)

Translate this with a word or expression in your language that is natural for this situation.

8:24d

and they subsided: The Greek phrase that the Berean Standard Bible translates as and they subsided is literally “and they ceased/stopped.” The wind immediately stopped blowing and the waves stopped crashing against the boat.

and all was calm: This phrase describes what the sea was like after the storm subsided. It became completely quiet and still. It implies that the surface of the water was smooth or flat, without waves.

The Berean Standard Bible has supplied the word all, which is not in the Greek text. This Greek word normally describes a sea or lake, so it may be better to say:

the lake/water was calm
-or-

the surface of the water was smooth/flat

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