The term that is translated as “test” or “trap” in English is rendered in Natügu with the phrase “catch him in a net.” (Source: David Clark)
In Noongar it is translated with a derivative of “fish trap” (source: Warda-Kwabba Luke-Ang).
In the German New Testament translation by Berger / Nord (publ. 1999) it is often translate idiomatically as einen Strick drehen or “give him enough rope so he will hang himself.”
The Greek that is translated as “lawful” in English is translated in a 1922 translation into Chagatai, a precursor language of both Uzbek and Uighur, with the Arabic loan word jayiz (جائز), meaning “permitted (because there is no prohibition by religion)” in an Islamic context. (Source: F. Erbay and F.N. Küçükballı in Acta Theologica 2025 45/2, p. 133ff. )
The Greek and Ge’ez that is typically translated as “tempt” or “temptation” in English is translated in Noongar as djona-karra or “reveal conduct” (source: Warda-Kwabba Luke-Ang) and in Tibetan as nyams sad (ཉམས་སད།), lit. “soul + test,” or in some cases as slu (སླུ།) or “lure / lead astray” (for instance in 1 Cor. 7:5 or Gal 6:1) (source: gSungrab website )
In Cherokee it is translated as “examined.” “‘Temptation’ is also translated using a traditional verb which means ‘to examine medically’ or ‘to interpret,’ as when divining or consulting a crystal. It expresses the idea that the tempted person is being ‘tested’ or examined.'” (Source: Bender / Belt 2025, p. 47)
Retrotraducciones en español (haga clic o pulse aquí)
Jesús y los discípulos salieron de Capernaúm y fueron a Judea, y después Jesús y los discípulos fueron a otro lugar cerca del río Jordán.
Otra vez muchas personas vinieron y Jesús los enseñaba como siempre era su costumbre.
Los Fariseos (decidieron) probar a Jesús con una pregunta y fueron a él diciendo: “Jesús, una pregunta: permite la Ley que un hombre decida a divorciar a una mujer?”
Jesús dijo: “¿Qué dice lo que Moisés escribió hace mucho, qué manda?”
Los Fariseos dijeron: “Moisés escribió que es permitido que un hombre escribe una carta de divorcio y se la da a la mujer para que se vaya.”
Jesús (respondió): “¿Porqué lo escribió Moisés en la Ley? Porque todas las personas son obstinadas y no entienden, por eso.
De verdad, hace mucho Dios hizo el mundo y lo dio al hombre y la mujer, por eso está escrito en el rollo, que un hombre se separe de sus padres cuando se case y los dos juntos se convierten en una persona.
Yo les advierto que Dios da que los dos ya están juntados eb matrimonio, y no pueden ser saparados.”
Jesús y los discípulos se fueron a casa y los discípulos preguntaron: “¿Qué significa lo que ahorita explicaste?”
Jesús respondió: “Si un hombre se casa con una mujer y después la divrocia y se casa con otra, el hombre es llamado adúltero, traiciona a la mujer.
En la misma manera una mujer que se casa con un hombre y después lo divorcia y se casa con otro es llamado adúltera.”
Jesus and the disciples left Capernaum and went to Judea, and afterwards Jesus and the disciples went to another place close to the River Jordan.
Again many people came and Jesus taught them as was always his custom.
The Pharisees (decided to) test Jesus with a question and they went up to him saying: “Jesus, a question: does the Law permit a man to decide to divorce a woman?”
Jesus said: “What did Moses write long ago, what did he order?”
The Pharisees said: “Moses wrote that a man is allowed to write a letter of divorce and give it to the woman to send her off.”
Jesus (answered): Why did Moses write it in the Law? Because all the people are stubborn and don’t understand, that’s why.
“Truly, long ago God made the world and gave it to a man and a woman, and that is why it is written in the scroll that a man will separate from his parents when he is newly married and the two together will become one person.
“I tell you that God gives that the two of them are already joined together in marriage and they cannot be separated.”
Jesus and the disciples went home and the disciples asked: “What is the meaning of what you explained just now?”
Jesus (answered): “If a man marries a woman and then divorces her and marries someone else, the man is called an adulterer, he betrays the woman.
“In the same way if a woman marries a man and then divorces him and marries someone else, the woman is called an adulteress.”
Here is Galilee, here is Judea, here is the Jordan River. Jesus is going from Galilee to Judea and to the land beyond the Jordan. Crowds of people followed Jesus. Jesus was teaching the people as usual.
The Pharisees heard that Jesus was coming. They decided among themselves, “Let’s put him to the test.” They asked Jesus:
— If a man and a woman are married, can they divorce afterward?
Jesus said to them:
— In the Law that Moses gave you, what is commanded?
The Pharisees replied:
— Moses authorized the man to write a certificate of divorce and divorce his wife by giving her this document.
Jesus said:
— Moses authorized a divorce by writing a divorce certificate just because you are stubborn. In the very beginning, when God created man and woman, this was the rule given: “A man grows up and leaves his father and mother and unites with his wife. Together they become as one person.” What God has joined together, man must not separate.
Some time later, the disciples asked Jesus in the house:
— Recently there was a conversation about divorce. Is it wrong to divorce?
Jesus replied:
— Any man who divorces his wife and marries another woman, he is violating marital fidelity. In the same way, any woman who divorces her husband and then marries another man is violating marital fidelity.
Original Russian back-translation (click or tap here):
Вот Галилея, вот — Иудея, вот — река Иордан. Иисус направляется из Галилеи в Иудею и в земли за Иорданом. Толпы народа шли за Иисусом. Иисус, как обычно, учил людей.
Фарисеи прослышали, что идет Иисус. Они решили между собой: «Давайте его испытаем». Они спросили Иисуса:
— Если мужчина и женщина вступили в брак, то потом им можно развестись?
Иисус им сказал:
— В Законе, который вам дал Моисей, что велено?
Фарисеи ответили:
— Моисей разрешил мужчине написать разводное свидетельство и развестись с женой, дав ей этот документ.
Иисус сказал:
— Моисей разрешил разводиться, написав разводное письмо, только потому что вы упрямы. В самом начале, когда Бог сотворил мужчину и женщину, такое было правило дано: «Мужчина, вырастает и оставляет отца и мать и соединяется со своей женой. Вдвоем они становятся как бы один человек». То, что соединил Бог, то человеку разъединять нельзя.
Спустя какое-то время, ученики спросили Иисуса в доме:
— Недавно был разговор о разводе. Разводиться нельзя?
Иисус ответил:
— Любой мужчина, который разводится со своей женой и женится на другой женщине, он нарушает супружескую верность. Так же и любая женщина, которая развелась со своим мужем, а потом выходит замуж за другого мужчину, нарушает супружескую верность.
Following are a number of back-translations of Mark 10:2:
Uma: “There were some Parisi people who arrived wanting to pick a fight. They asked him: ‘According to the law of our religion, can a man divorce his wife?'” (Source: Uma Back Translation)
Yakan: “Some Pariseo went close to him in order to trap him, they asked him, they said, ‘According to the law, is it possible if a person divorces his wife?'” (Source: Yakan Back Translation)
Western Bukidnon Manobo: “Then there were some Pharisee people who came to Jesus, for they were looking for a way to accuse him. They said, ‘Does the law allow us to divorce our wives?'” (Source: Western Bukidnon Manobo Back Translation)
Kankanaey: “There were also Pharisees that went to Jesus to try to trick-him -with-words. They said, ‘Does our law permit a man to divorce his wife?'” (Source: Kankanaey Back Translation)
Tagbanwa: “There were some Pariseo who went to Jesus there, for the motive in their mind was to test him through this question of theirs which said, ‘Is it in harmony with the law of Moises for a man to divorce his wife?'” (Source: Tagbanwa Back Translation)
The Greek that is a transliteration of the Hebrew Pərūšīm and is typically transliterated into English as “Pharisee” is transliterated in Mandarin Chinese as Fǎlìsài (法利賽 / 法利赛) (Protestant) or Fǎlìsāi (法利塞) (Catholic). In Chinese, transliterations can typically be done with a great number of different and identical-sounding characters. Often the meaning of the characters are not relevant, unless they are chosen carefully as in these cases. The Protestant Fǎlìsài can mean something like “Competition for the profit of the law” and the Catholic Fǎlìsāi “Stuffed by/with the profit of the law.” (Source: Zetzsche 1996, p. 51)
In Finnish Sign Language it is translated with the sign signifying “prayer shawl”. (Source: Tarja Sandholm)
Scot McKnight (in The Second Testament, publ. 2023) translates it into English as Observant. He explains (p. 302): “Pharisee has become a public, universal pejorative term for a hypocrite. Pharisees were observant of the interpretation of the Covenant Code called the ‘tradition of the elders.’ They conformed their behaviors to the interpretation. Among the various groups of Jews at the time of Jesus, they were perhaps closest to Jesus in their overall concern to make a radical commitment to the will of God (as they understood it).”
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