staff, walking stick

The Greek that is translated as “staff” or “walking stick” in English is translated in Noongar as boorn-yaniny or “wood-walking” (source: Warda-Kwabba Luke-Ang).

complete verse (Luke 9:3)

Following are a number of back-translations of Luke 9:3:

  • Noongar: “But first, Jesus told them, ‘Don’t take any thing with you on the road you will travel: no walking stick, no begging bag, no money and no other clothes (lit.: “kangaroo skin” — see cloth).” (Source: Warda-Kwabba Luke-Ang)
  • Uma: “Before they left, he said to them: ‘Do not carry anything on your journey. Don’t carry a food-bundle or food or money. Do not carry two shirts or walking stick[s].” (Source: Uma Back Translation)
  • Yakan: “And he said to them, ‘Don’t take anything on your journey. Don’t take a walking stick or a bag or food or money. And don’t take a blouse/shirt for changing.” (Source: Yakan Back Translation)
  • Western Bukidnon Manobo: “And he commanded them, he said, ‘Don’t you take along your possessions with you on your trip, even a walking stick, don’t you take it. Don’t you carry a handbag, don’t you take food, don’t you take money, and even a change of clothes, don’t you take it.” (Source: Western Bukidnon Manobo Back Translation)
  • Kankanaey: “He instructed them, ‘Take-along nothing in your walking. Don’t take-along a walking-stick, backpack, food, money, or change of clothes.” (Source: Kankanaey Back Translation)
  • Tagbanwa: “He instructed them saying, ‘Don’t take any provisions along when you travel, whether a walking-stick, something in which to put what you may be given, food, money or a change of clothes.” (Source: Tagbanwa Back Translation)

Translation commentary on Luke 9:3

Exegesis:

mēden airete eis tēn hodon ‘do not take anything for the journey.’ For airō cf. on 4.11; here it is used in a weakened meaning ‘to take,’ or, ‘to carry along.’

mēte rabdon mēte pēran lit. ‘nor a staff, nor a bag,’ elaborations of mēden (as are the following phrases).

rabdos ‘staff,’ ‘rod,’ used in travelling.

pēra ‘knapsack,’ ‘traveller’s bag,’ or (possibly but not preferably) ‘beggar’s sack.’

mēte arton mēte argurion lit. ‘nor bread nor money.’ They are to live on what will be given to them.

mēte [ana] duo chitōnas echein lit. ‘nor to have two undergarments each.’ The infinitive echein may be an imperatival infinitive (Klostermann), or represent a shift from direct to indirect speech (Plummer), in which case it is dependent on eipen. The latter is slightly preferable.

Translation:

Take nothing, or, ‘take nothing with you.’ Nothing, or where this would be hyperbolical, ‘no such things as,’ to be taken with the following negative phrases.

For your journey, or as a verbal clause, ‘when you go (or, go-on-journey),’ either at the end or at the beginning of the clause (Toraja-Sa’dan, Balinese).

No…, nor (thrice), repeating the negation in the elaborating phrases. Some languages prefer phrases governed by one negative particle, cf. e.g. ‘do not take-with-you necessities for travel, as-there-are, staff, bag, … etc.’ (Javanese, Sundanese), ‘no…, or (thrice)’ (Batak Toba, Tae’). Elsewhere such a series is preferably given in pairs, ‘staff (n)or bag, food (n)or money’ (cf. Toraja-Sa’dan).

Bag, or, ‘knapsack (lit. place for provisions)’ (Bahasa Indonesia in 10.4), ‘basket’ (Batak Toba; similarly Tae’ 1933 in 10.4, lit. ‘that-in-which-something-is-carried-on-the-back’), ‘bundle’ (Balinese, using a derivation of the verb ‘to tie (up),’ similarly Sranan Tongo in 10.4); or with a shift from the container to the contents, ‘provisions’ (Low Malay, Tae,’ in 10.4).

Bread, or ‘a piece of bread,’ see references on 4.3.

Money, or, ‘some money,’ ‘a sum of money.’ Where a generic term for the means of payment locally in use (such as ‘cowrie shells,’ in Ekari) is lacking, a generic plural of a commonly accepted local coin may be possible.

Do not have two tunics, or, “nor are you each to have a second coat” (New English Bible). A shift from direct to indirect discourse (the interpretation preferred in Exegesis) will often be undesirable in the receptor language; then the other interpretation is to be followed, as done in Revised Standard Version and the majority of the versions investigated; a few versions omit the verb, cf. Good News Translation. To have two tunics may refer to the wearing of two tunics/shirts, the one over the other, or to taking one extra for change. If one must choose, the first is preferable. For the noun see on “coat” in 3.11.

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 9:3

9:3a–b

Jesus told his apostles not to take anything with them on this trip. They should depend on God to provide what they needed as they preached and healed. God would provide for them through people who would give them a place to stay. See Matthew 10:10.

The clause “Take nothing for the journey” in 9:3a is a general command. Specifically, Jesus told the disciples not to take the things listed in 9:3b.

9:3a

Take nothing for the journey: The clause Take nothing for the journey indicates that the disciples should not carry anything with them on their journey.

9:3b

no staff: A staff was a walking stick.

no bag: The term that the Berean Standard Bible translates as bag could refer to one of two things:

(1) A traveler’s bag or knapsack. Such a bag would be for carrying things to be used on the trip. For example:

traveler’s bag (New Living Translation (2004))

(Berean Standard Bible, New Jerusalem Bible, Contemporary English Version, God’s Word, New Living Translation (2004))

(2) A beggar’s bag. This kind of bag would be for putting in food or money that people would give them. For example:

beggar’s bag (Good News Translation)

(Good News Translation)

If possible, use a general word, as most English versions do. If you must be specific, it is recommended that you follow interpretation (1). This interpretation fits the context well.

no bread: The word bread describes the main food of the Jewish people. Here the term bread is used in a general way to refer to any type of food. Jesus did not want the apostles to take any food with them. Another way to translate this is:

no food (Good News Translation)

no second tunic: A tunic was a long undergarment. The disciples should not take an extra shirt or set of clothes. See the note on “tunics” at 3:11a. Some other ways to translate this expression are:

or even a change of clothes (Contemporary English Version)
-or-
not even an extra shirt (Good News Translation)

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