Jesus heals a boy

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convulse

The Greek that is translated as “convulsions” or similar in English is translated in Low German idiomatically with the reduplicative rüttel un schüttel for “shake” (translation by Johannes Jessen, publ. 1933, republ. 2006).

complete verse (Luke 9:39)

Following are a number of back-translations of Luke 9:39:

  • Noongar: “An evil spirit quickly attacks him and screams and throws him down fitting so he foams at the mouth. The evil spirit always hurts him and will not leave him.” (Source: Warda-Kwabba Luke-Ang)
  • Uma: “When he is entered by an-evil-one, he shouts and thrashes-around, until his mouth foams. There is almost no going-out of the evil-one that makes-him-sick.” (Source: Uma Back Translation)
  • Yakan: “For he is demon possessed. Suddenly he will shout and then he becomes stiff and he convulses until his mouth is foaming. And the demon will only leave him when he is tired out (the child) and his body is bruised.” (Source: Yakan Back Translation)
  • Western Bukidnon Manobo: “Look at him because he is afflicted with a demon, and when it comes to afflict him, he suddenly screams and he shakes and he foams at the mouth, and this demon that afflicts him continues tormenting him until his body is bruised and the demon does not let go of him for a long time.” (Source: Western Bukidnon Manobo Back Translation)
  • Kankanaey: “Because there is a evil-spirit that possesses him. When it catches him, he suddenly-screams, convulses and his mouth foams. He excessively keeps-hardshipping him until he is exhausted and he doesn’t let-him-alone.” (Source: Kankanaey Back Translation)
  • Tagbanwa: “Every time he is made-crazy by an evil spirit, suddenly/unexpectedly he cries out, falls and stiffens, and his mouth froths. This one making him crazy really never leaves him and he’s been caused much pain.” (Source: Tagbanwa Back Translation)

Japanese benefactives (goran)

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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 benefactive construction as shown here in the widely-used Japanese Shinkaiyaku (新改訳) Bible of 2017. Here, goran (ご覧) or “see/behold/look” (itself a combination of “behold/see” [ran] and the honorific prefix go- — see behold / look / see (Japanese honorifics)) 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 9:39

Exegesis:

kai idou ‘and behold,’ emphatic introduction of the subsequent account of the boy’s illness, cf. on 1.20.

pneuma lambanei auton ‘a spirit takes, or, seizes him,’ i.e. from time to time, not permanently.

kai exaiphnēs krazei ‘and shouts suddenly.’ Subject of krazei is either the spirit through the boy’s voice (cf. New English Bible), or the boy (cf. Revised Standard Version), probably the former. exaiphnēs also 2.13.

sparassei auton meta aphrou lit. ‘convulses him with foam,’ i.e. so that he foams.

sparassō ‘to convulse,’ ‘to pull to and fro.’

aphros ‘foam.’

kai mogis apochōrei ap’ autou suntribon auton ‘and it withdraws from him (only) with difficulty, mistreating him,’ suntribon auton refers to an act which is simultaneous with apochōrei (cf. Willibrord) and it is best understood as supplementing mogis.

mogis ‘with difficulty,’ ‘with toil and pain.’

apochōreō ‘to go away,’ ‘to withdraw.’

suntribō ‘to mistreat,’ ‘to wear out,’ ‘to bruise.’

Translation:

For spirit, i.e. ‘evil/unclean spirit,’ ‘demon,’ see on 4.33, 35f; for seizes him see on 8.29.

Convulses — the rendering may make us of an idiom for a fit or convulsion, such as ‘cut nose’ (Ekari), or for some of its characteristics, such as spastic movements of legs, arms, and/or body, cf. e.g. ‘causes-him-to-be-contracted’ (Batak Toba), ‘torments him till he jerks’ (Balinese), ‘causes-him-to-turn-and-toss restlessly (lit. as-a-sun-hat)’ (Toraja-Sa’dan), ‘causes his body to break’ (Sranan Tongo).

He foams, or ‘his mouth is (or, lips are) foaming’ (Tae,’ Batak Toba; Toraja-Sa’dan), “He foams at the mouth” (An American Translation), ‘the foam is on his mouth’ (Nieuwe Vertaling).

Shatters him, and will hardly leave him, or, closer to the Greek word order, ‘leaves him only with difficulty, wearing him out, or, and meanwhile it torments him horribly’ (cf. Translator’s New Testament, Willibrord); or shifting him from the act to the resulting state, ‘when it leaves him at last he is wholly broken,’ ‘it leaves him only when (or, it does not leave him before) he is totally worn out.’ In this context to leave somebody is virtually synonymous with “to come out of somebody”, as used in 4.35 (which see).

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 9:39

9:39a

9:39 begins with a phrase that is literally “and behold” in Greek. The Berean Standard Bible and most English versions do not translate this phrase. In this context, this phrase introduces significant information in the story. Here is another way to translate this phrase:

what happens is: (Translator’s Reference Translation)

A spirit: The Greek word that the Berean Standard Bible translates literally as spirit here refers to an unclean spirit or a demon. Later in the story this same spirit is referred to as a “demon” (9:42b) and an “unclean spirit” (9:42c). In some languages it may be natural to refer to the spirit in the same way in all these places. See the note on “demons” in 9:1b. See also demon in the Glossary.

keeps seizing him: The Greek verb that the Berean Standard Bible translates as keeps seizing means “takes possession of” or “takes control of.” The form of the verb indicates that this action occurred from time to time or repeatedly. Another way to translate this is:

attacks him (Good News Translation)

and he screams abruptly: This clause tells the result of the spirit seizing the boy. There are two ways to interpret the Greek words that the Berean Standard Bible translates as he screams abruptly:

(1) It means that the boy screamed whenever the spirit seized him. For example:

he shrieks (God’s Word)

(Berean Standard Bible, New International Version, King James Version, New American Standard Bible, Revised Standard Version, NET Bible, New Living Translation (2004), Contemporary English Version, New Century Version, God’s Word)

(2) It means that the spirit screamed when it seized the boy. For example:

all at once it gives a sudden cry (New Jerusalem Bible)

(Revised English Bible, Good News Translation, New Jerusalem Bible)

In Greek, the subject of “screamed” is ambiguous. It can mean either “he” or “it.” If it is natural in your language to translate ambiguously, as the Greek does, you should do so. If you need to specify the subject, it is recommended that you follow interpretation (1), along with most English versions.

9:39b

It throws him into convulsions: The Greek clause that the Berean Standard Bible translates as It throws him into convulsions indicates that the demon caused the boy to have seizures. These seizures made him roll around on the ground and jerk uncontrollably. Such seizures are sometimes a symptom of the disease called epilepsy. Here Luke identified the cause as an unclean spirit. Other ways to translate this are:

causes him to have seizures
-or-
convulses him
-or-
shakes him (Contemporary English Version)

so that he foams at the mouth: The Greek phrase that the Berean Standard Bible translates as so that he foams at the mouth is literally “with foam.” In addition to causing the boy to have convulsions, the unclean spirit caused him to foam at the mouth. Use an expression in your language that describes what happens when a person has a seizure and white froth or bubbles come out of his mouth. For example:

and causes him to foam at the mouth (NET Bible)
-or-
until he foams at the mouth (New Revised Standard Version)
-or-
and froth/bubbles come from his mouth

9:39c

It keeps mauling him: The Greek verb that the Berean Standard Bible translates as mauling is translated in various ways in different contexts. In this context, it probably means to mistreat, wound, bruise badly, or torture. The demon was badly hurting the boy. Other ways to translate this include:

destroying him (New International Version)
-or-
torturing him severely (NET Bible)
-or-
keeps on tormenting him (Revised English Bible)

and rarely departs from him: The clause rarely departs from him means that the demon rarely left the boy alone. Most of the time it was possessing and controlling him. In some languages it may be more natural to translate this as:

It is almost always in control of him
-or-
It has him in its grip/power almost all of the time

General Comment on 9:39c

The Berean Standard Bible reverses the order of the two clauses in 9:39c. It may be more natural in your language to follow the Greek order. For example:

It hardly ever leaves him alone, torturing him severely. (NET Bible)

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