complete verse (Luke 9:55)

Following are a number of back-translations of Luke 9:55:

  • Noongar: “Jesus turned and told them off (lit.: “mouthed them”).” (Source: Warda-Kwabba Luke-Ang)
  • Uma: “But Yesus turned-to them and forbade them.” (Source: Uma Back Translation)
  • Yakan: “But he turned to the two of them and scolded them.” (Source: Yakan Back Translation)
  • Western Bukidnon Manobo: “However, Jesus turned to them and scolded them.” (Source: Western Bukidnon Manobo Back Translation)
  • Kankanaey: “But Jesus turned-to-face them and scolded them.” (Source: Kankanaey Back Translation)
  • Tagbanwa: “But Jesus faced them and rebuked them, saying, ‘You don’t know who is putting that into your minds. Because why I, who am the One From Heaven Born of Man/human, came here was not that I would wipe out people but on the contrary to save them.'” (Source: Tagbanwa Back Translation)

Honorary "rare" construct denoting God ("rebuke")

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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 usage of an honorific construction where the morpheme rare (られ) is affixed on the verb as shown here in the widely-used Japanese Shinkaiyaku (新改訳) Bible of 2017. This is particularly done with verbs that have God as the agent to show a deep sense of reverence. Here, shika-rare-ru (叱られる) or “rebuke” is used.

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

Translation commentary on Luke 9:55 – 9:56

Exegesis:

strapheis ‘turning (round),’ cf. on 7.9.

epetimēsen autois ‘he reproved them.’ For epitimaō cf. on 4.35.

(V. 56) kai eporeuthēsan ‘and they went (on).’ Subject is Jesus and all that were with him (cf. Phillips).

eis heteran kōmēn ‘to another village.’ heteros may be referring to another Samaritan village, or to a non-Samaritan village, probably the former.

Translation:

He turned, see on 7.9.

Rebuked them, i.e. ‘the companions just-mentioned’ (Javanese), ‘those two’ (Balinese). For the verb see on 4.35.

(V. 56) They is often better specified, e.g. “they all” (Phillips); Balinese has, ‘he went (honorific), accompanied by his disciples’ (cf. on v. 37).

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 9:55

9:55

But Jesus turned and rebuked them:
Jesus was probably leading the disciples along the road. He turned around to speak to James and John. He answered them by rebuking them, that is, by telling them that they were thinking in a wrong way. Jesus did not want them to ask God to kill the Samaritan villagers. Another way to translate this clause is:

But Jesus turned and scolded them (New Century Version)
-or-
But Jesus turned and corrected them for what they had said (Contemporary English Version)

rebuked: The word rebuked means that Jesus made it clear that what the disciples had said was wrong. They had a wrong attitude. In some languages it may be necessary to use direct speech. Supply something general such as:

said, “No. That is wrong.”

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