Jesus heals a boy

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teacher

The Greek that is translated as “teacher” (also: “master”) in English is translated in the 1941 Yiddish by Einspruch as rebe (רֶבּי) or “Rabbi” in an effort to identify Jesus as a teacher of the Jews. (Source: Naomi Seidmann in Elliott / Boer 2012, p. 151ff.)

Likewise, a number of Hebrew translations, including the 2018 and 2020 editions by the The Bible Society in Israel also use “Rabbi” (רַבִּי).

See also rabbi.

complete verse (Luke 9:38)

Following are a number of back-translations of Luke 9:38:

  • Noongar: “Among the crowd, one man shouted, ‘Lord! I beg you, look at this my son, my only son!” (Source: Warda-Kwabba Luke-Ang)
  • Uma: “There was a man in the midst of the many people who called, he said: ‘Teacher! Help me! Look at my child for me. He is my only child.” (Source: Uma Back Translation)
  • Yakan: “There was a man from the crowd calling, he said, ‘O Sir, I beg you have pity on my child, this is my only child.” (Source: Yakan Back Translation)
  • Western Bukidnon Manobo: “There was a man there who called to Jesus, he said, ‘Oh Chief, come and look here at my male child, my son. He is my only child.” (Source: Western Bukidnon Manobo Back Translation)
  • Kankanaey: “Then one of them shouted-right-out, ‘Lord! Please kindly (strong request particle) look, because this is my only child!” (Source: Kankanaey Back Translation)
  • Tagbanwa: “There was a man there in that mass who was calling out, saying, ‘Teacher, please do pity my child who is a young-boy. He’s my only child.” (Source: Tagbanwa Back Translation)

request / beg (Japanese honorifics)

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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 to do this is through the usage (or a lack) of an honorific prefix as shown here in the widely-used Japanese Shinkaiyaku (新改訳) Bible of 2017. The concept of “requesting” is translated in the Shinkaiyaku Bible as o-negai (お願い), combining “request” (negai) with the respectful prefix o (お).

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

Japanese benefactives (yatte)

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 benefactive construction as shown here in the widely-used Japanese Shinkaiyaku (新改訳) Bible of 2017.

Here, yatte (やって) or “do for their sake” is used in combination with kudasaru (くださる), a respectful form of the benefactive kureru (くれる). A benefactive reflects the good will of the giver or the gratitude of a recipient of the favor. To convey this connotation, English translation needs to employ a phrase such as “for me (my sake)” or “for you (your sake).” (Source: S. E. Doi, see also S. E. Doi in Journal of Translation, 18/2022, p. 37ff. )

Translation commentary on Luke 9:38

Exegesis:

kai idou lit. ‘and behold,’ cf. on 1.20.

anēr apo tou ochlou eboēsen ‘a man from the crowd shouted.’ apo tou ochlou goes with anēr and has the function of a partitive genitive, cf. “a man in the crowd” (New English Bible). For a different interpretation cf. The Four Gospels – a New Translation. For boaō cf. on 3.4.

didaskale ‘teacher,’ cf. on 3.12.

deomai sou epiblepsai epi ton huion mou ‘I beseech you to look at my son.’ For epiblepō cf. on 1.48.

hoti monogenēs moi estin ‘for he is my only child,’ cf. on 7.12.

Translation:

A man from the crowd, i.e. from amongst the many people mentioned in v. 37.

Cried, or, ‘shouted,’ ‘spoke loudly.’

For to look upon see on “to regard” in 1.48 and the closely synonymous “to look on” in 1.25; for he is my only child see on “child” in 1.7 and “only son” in 7.12.

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 9:38

9:38a

Suddenly: The phrase that the Berean Standard Bible translates as Suddenly calls readers to notice to something surprising and sudden. Other ways to express the meaning of this Greek phrase are:

Just then (New Revised Standard Version)
-or-
And suddenly (New Jerusalem Bible)

Use a natural way in your language to introduce something that is sudden or surprising.

a man in the crowd: In some languages it may be more natural not to specify the gender of the person who called to Jesus. For example:

someone in the crowd (Contemporary English Version)

This may be a good option if it is clear from the rest of the story that this is referring to a man with a son.

cried out: The Greek word that the Berean Standard Bible translates as cried out means “shouted” or “spoke loudly.” It implies that the man was standing farther back in the crowd or that the crowd was making a lot of noise. The man had to speak loudly in order for Jesus to hear him. Do not use a term that implies that the man was angry.

9:38b

Teacher: The Greek word that the Berean Standard Bible translates as Teacher was a polite title for a Jewish religious leader. It was a title of respect for a Jewish man who had authority to teach the things about God. In some languages the appropriate way to address a religious teacher may be:

Sir Teacher
-or-
Sir
-or-
Master

Be careful not to use a term that can refer only to a school teacher.

I beg You: The Greek word that the Berean Standard Bible translates as beg means to ask or plead urgently for something in a humble way. Other ways to translate this word are:

I implore you (New Jerusalem Bible)
-or-
please (New Century Version)

look at my son: The Greek word that the Berean Standard Bible translates as look at is a literal translation of a Hebrew idiom. The Hebrew idiom means “to help, to be concerned with, to look upon and help.” The same verb occurs in 1:48a, where the Berean Standard Bible translates it as “looked with favor on.” The boy’s father wanted Jesus to do more than merely look at his son. He wanted Jesus to help his son by casting out the demon. Other ways to translate this idiom are:

do something for my son (Contemporary English Version)
-or-
have mercy on my son and help him
-or-
look with pity on my son

Notice from the following context in 9:41–42 that someone needed to bring the boy to Jesus. So it is probable that Jesus could not “see” the boy from where he was standing.

9:38c

for he is my only child: The clause for he is my only child gives the reason for the father’s urgent request that Jesus heal the boy. If the boy died, the man would have no other child left. Some English versions introduce this reason as a separate sentence. For example:

He’s my only child! (God’s Word)

Express this reason in a way that is natural in your language.

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