30who will not receive a hundredfold now in this age—houses, brothers and sisters, mothers and children, and fields, with persecutions—and in the age to come eternal life.
Lloyd Peckham explains the Mairasi translation: “In secret stories, not knowable to women nor children, there was a magical fruit of life. If referred to vaguely, without specifying the specific ‘fruit,’ it can be an expression for eternity.”
The Greek in Mark 10:30 that is translated as “receive a hundredfold now in this age” or similar in English is translated in the German New Testament translation by Berger / Nord (publ. 1999) with in dieser Welt, in der Großfamilie der Christen, hundertfach zurückerhalten or “will receive back a hundredfold in this world, in the extended family of Christians.”
A man ran up to Jesus, knelt down before him and said:
— You are a good teacher! I want to have eternal life! What do I have to do to get it?
Jesus:
— Why do you call me “good teacher”? In the whole world, God alone is good. You know God’s commandments, don’t you? Don’t murder. Don’t violate marital fidelity. Don’t steal. Don’t cheat other people. Respect your father and mother.
That man said:
— Master! I have been practicing all these commandments since my childhood. I obey all the commandments.
Jesus looked at him. He liked the man. Jesus said:
— One thing is lacking in you. Go and sell everything you have. Give all the money you have to the poor. Your wealth will be in heaven. And when you have distributed everything, come and follow me.
The man was very sad and went away sad. This man had many houses, much land, much livestock. He had a great deal of wealth.
Jesus said to the disciples:
— It’s very hard and difficult for a rich man to enter the kingdom of God.
The disciples were confused.
Jesus said:
— My children, it is very hard and difficult for such a man to enter the kingdom of God. You know that it takes effort to thread the eye of a needle. Imagine that you have to thread a camel with its two big humps into the eye of a needle. It is very hard and difficult to do such a thing. And it is even more difficult for a rich man to enter the Kingdom of God.
The disciples were confused and began to say:
– Who then can be saved?
Jesus said to them:
The disciples were confused and began to say:
— Who then can be saved?
Jesus said to them:
— If you try to enter the kingdom of God by yourselves, it is impossible. God alone can provide the way there.
Peter said:
— We have left everything and are ready to follow you.
Jesus said:
— I tell you precisely that the person who will leave his brothers, his sisters, mother and father, children, and fields and will be ready to follow me, who is ready to testify about Jesus in front of everyone, such a person even in his lifetime will receive a hundred times more houses, brothers, sisters, more fields, mothers, children, but will also receive many sufferings, but such a person will have eternal life.
And Jesus also said:
— He who now holds a high position, will therefore be humbled. And he who is now humbled will be exalted!
Original Russian back-translation (click or tap here):
Один человек подбежал к Иисусу, пал перед ним на колени и сказал:
— Ты — добрый учитель! Я хочу получить жизнь вечную! Что нужно сделать для этого?
Иисус:
— Зачем ты называешь меня «добрый учитель»? Во всем мире один только Бог добрый. Ты ведь знаешь заповеди Бога? Не убивай. Не нарушай супружескую верность. Не воруй. Не обманывай других людей. Уважай отца и мать.
Тот человек сказал:
— Учитель! Я исполняю все эти заповеди с детства. Я повинуюсь всем заповедям.
Иисус посмотрел на него. Этот человек ему понравился. Иисус сказал:
— Одной вещи недостает тебе. Иди и все, что у тебя есть, продай. Все полученные деньги раздай бедным. Твое богатство будет на небе. И когда ты все раздашь, приходи и следуй за мной.
Этот человек сильно огорчился и грустный ушел. У этого человек было много домов, много земли, много домашнего скота. У него было очень много богатства.
Иисус сказал ученикам:
— Богатому человеку войти в Царство Божье очень тяжело и трудно.
Ученики смутились.
Иисус сказал:
— Дети мои! Такому человеку войти в Царствие Бога очень тяжело и трудно. Вы знаете, что нужно постараться, чтобы вдеть нитку в ушко иголки. Представьте, что вы должны вдеть верблюда с его двумя большими горбами в такое ушко иголки. Очень тяжело и трудно сделать такое. А богатому человеку войти в Царство Бога еще труднее.
Ученики смутились и стали говорить:
— Кто же тогда может спастись?
Иисус им сказал:
— Если вы сами стараетесь войти в Царство Бога, это невозможно. Только Бог один может дать путь туда.
Пётр сказал:
— Мы оставили все и готовы следовать за тобой.
Иисус сказал:
— Точно говорю вам, что человек, который оставит братьев своих, оставит сестер своих, мать и отца, детей, поле и будет готов следовать за мной, кто готов свидетельствовать об Иисусе перед всеми, такой человек еще при своей жизни получит в сто раз больше домов, братьев, сестер, больше полей, матерей, детей, но также получит множество страданий, но будет у такого человека жизнь вечная.
И еще Иисус сказал:
— Кто сейчас занимает высокое положение, потому будет унижен. А кто сейчас унижен, будет превознесен!
Retrotraducciones en español (haga clic o pulse aquí)
Jesús miró a los discípulos que vinieron y dijo: “Huy, qué difícil es que personas ricas se junten al reino de Dios.”
Los discípulos estaban sorprendidos y Jesús (dijo): Sí es difícil ir al reino de Dios. Por ejemplo: si tienes una aguja, ¿puedes empujar un camello a través el ollo del aguja? No, es difícil.
En la misma manera es muy difícil que personas ricas se junten al reino de Dios.” Los discípulos lo miraron con sorpresa y dijeron: “¿Cómo puede ser salavdo una persona?”
Jesús los miró y dijo: “Mira, una persona no puede salvar a una persona, es imposible, pero Dios puede todo.”
Los discípulos lo miraron y Pedro dijo: “Nosotros hemos dejado todas las cosas y ahora estamos juntos contigo.”
Jesús dijo: “Les digo la verdad, si algunas personas dejan a sus padres o a hermanos o a hijos, o dejan su casa o la tierra que es su propiedad y se van a predicar y ser testigos de mi, les advierto que seguro en el futuro Dios les dará cien veces más: propiedades de tierra, casas, hermanos, madres, y hijos pero ni modo que las personas estarán en contra de uds y los maltratarán y uds sufrirán y morirán pero después Dios les dará la vida eterna.
Ahora hay personas distinguidos que en el futuro fracasarán y estarán vulgares, y otras personas humildes y vulgares que en el futuro superarán y estarán distinguidos.
Jesus looked at the disciples who came to him and said: “Wow, how difficult it is for rich people to join the Kingdom of God.”
The disciples were surprised and Jesus (said): “Yes, it is difficult to go and join the kingdom of God. For example, if you have a needle, can you push a camel through the eye of the needle? No, it’s difficult.
“In the same way it is very difficult for rich people to join the kingdom of God.” The disciples looked at him with surprise and said: “How can a person be saved?”
Jesus looked at them and said: “Look, a person cannot save a person, it is impossible, but God can do everything.”
The disciples watched him and Peter said: “We have left all things and now we are with you.”
Jesus said: “I tell you the truth, if some people leave their parents or siblings or children, or they leave their houses or the land that they own and they go off to preach and witness of me, I tell you that surely in the future God will give them a hundred times more: lands to own, houses, siblings, mothers and children but never mind that the people will be against you and will mistreat you and you will suffer and die, but afterwards God will give you eternal life.
“There are people who are now distinguished and who in the future will fail and become lowly, and other people who are humble and lowly and who in the future will surpass and become distinguished.”
Following are a number of back-translations of Mark 10:30:
Uma: “he will get a big pay-back. In this life he will get a hundred times as many houses, relatives, mothers, children, gardens–and he will also get persecution. And in the future he will also get good life forever.” (Source: Uma Back Translation)
Yakan: “God will truly recompense/reward him causing-to-be-many the houses, and siblings male-female, mothers, children, and lands, as long as he is here in the world. But he will also experience persecution if he follows me. But even if he is persecuted,’ said Isa, ‘he will be given life without end there in the afterworld.” (Source: Yakan Back Translation)
Western Bukidnon Manobo: “that person will receive a hundred-fold of that which he left–houses, brothers, and sisters, his mother, his children and lands, and besides that, in the future he will be given eternal life. However, while he is still here on the earth, he will have to endure persecutions.” (Source: Western Bukidnon Manobo Back Translation)
Kankanaey: “he will receive a hundred times more in this life than the value of what he left. He will receive more houses, siblings/cousins, mothers, children and lands. He will also be persecuted, but in the future (lit. addition of days) he will be given life that has no end.” (Source: Kankanaey Back Translation)
Tagbanwa: “For it’s really certain that one hundred times as much (lit. one hundred doubles) is what he will receive in this life, houses, parents, siblings, children and livelihood, but this won’t run-out-of persecutions (lit, being caused suffering) by others. And then in the second life, life which is without ending will be his.” (Source: Tagbanwa Back Translation)
The Greek in the referenced verses that is typically translated as “age,” “(for)ever / eternity / eternal / permanent,” “of old / long ago” in English is translated in the German translation by Fridolin Stier (1989) consistenty as “world (or: “cosmic”) time” (Weltzeit).
Sarah Ruden (2021, p. lxii) explains the complexities of the translation of aiōn: “Trickiest of all [the words relating to time] is aion, most simply an ‘age’ or ‘era’ but sometimes denoting either the whole present world or the whole world to come. The same word can allude to all the limits of material existence (or to dangerous worldly distractions in particular), or to their absence in the eternal age to come. Looking forward, especially to ‘ages of ages’ (in the pattern of ‘King of Kings’), the meaning is ‘eternity.’”
Living Water is produced for the Bible translation movement in association with Lutheran Bible Translators. Lyrics derived from the ESV® Bible (The Holy Bible, English Standard Version®).
ean mē labē ‘unless he receive,’ ‘except he receive’: this construction goes back to the beginning of v. 29, oudeis estin hos aphēken … ean mē labē ‘there is none who left … unless he receive.’ The phrase can be freely translated, ‘Whoever left … will receive.’
en tō kairō toutō ‘in this time’: the word kairos (cf. 1.15) is here equal in meaning with aiōn ‘age’ and ‘this time (age)’ is contrasted with ‘the coming age’ in the next clause.
meta diōgmōn ‘with persecutions’: that is, among or accompanied by persecutions.
diōgmos (cf. 4.17) ‘persecution.’
en tō aiōni tō erchomenō ‘in the coming age,’ ‘in the future age.’
aiōn (cf. 3.29) ‘age.’
ho erchomenos ‘the coming one,’ ‘the future one’ (for this use of the participle of erchomai ‘come.’
zōēn aiōnion (cf. 10.17) ‘eternal life.’
Translation:
Hundredfold is often not easily translated, but in some languages one can say ‘if he leaves a home, a brother, a sister…, he will receive one hundred homes, brothers, sister….’
Receive must not be translated in the sense of ‘take into his hands.’ The equivalent expression in many languages is ‘will come to possess’ or ‘will come to have.’
With persecutions must in some languages be translated as a separate clause, e.g. ‘and at the same time he will be persecuted’ (or ‘treated bad’).
Age is a highly abstract concept which does not exist in some languages. The equivalent is ‘day’ or ‘time.’ In the age to come may be ‘the far off time’ (Tzeltal) or ‘in the future’ or ‘then later,’ in which case ‘now’ contrasts with ‘then later.’
For eternal life see 10.17.
Quoted with permission from Bratcher, Robert G. and Nida, Eugene A. A Handbook on the Gospel of Mark. (UBS Handbook Series). New York: UBS, 1961. For this and other handbooks for translators see here .
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