The Hebrew, Aramaic, and Greek that is typically translated in English as “serve,” “minister,” “walk with,” or “service” is translated in Igede as myị ẹrụ or “agree with message (of the one you’re serving).” (source: Andy Warren-Rothlin)
In Quetzaltepec Mixe, “serve” is translated as “obey.” (Source: Robert Bascom)
Retrotraducciones en español (haga clic o pulse aquí)
Jacobo y Juan fueron (a Jesús) y dijeron: “Maestro nosotros dos queremos pedir algo, por favor dinos que sí.”
Jesús (dijo): “¿Qué es lo que quieren decirme?”
Dijeron: “Cuando tú llegues a ser el rey superior sentado en el trono ¿podemos nosotros dos estar sentados a ambos lados de ti?”
Jesús (dijo): “No saben lo que me dicen. Mira, por ejemplo, un poco adelante yo beberé una copa amarga. ¿Uds lo pueden?
Otro ejemplo: yo bajaré en el agua del mar, quiere decir que sufriré fuertemente. ¿Uds lo aceptarían?” Los dos (dijeron que) sí podrían.
Jesús dijo: “yo sufriré e igual en el futuro uds dos sufrirán, pero antes Dios ya ha elegido dos personas que estarán sentados a ambos lados de mi, yo no puede elegirlos.”
Los diez discípulos estaban furiosos y pensaban que Jacobo y Juan eran malos.
Jesús se volteó (hacia los diez) y los llamó y los discípulos vinieron. (Jesús dijo): “Uds saben que en otros países los líders abusan a todas las personas simples, y los mandan.
Uds, los discípulos, no copien esta mentalidad, apartense.
Si uds quieren ser líderes deben servir y ayudar, el líder más importante debe ser humilde y servir y ayudar a las personas.
El hijo de hombre ha venido, ¿y todas las personas lo sirven? No, el opuesto, el hijo de hombre sirve a todas las personas.
El hijo de hombre acepta morir en lugar de ellos para salvar a muchas personas.”
James and John went (to Jesus) and said: “Teacher, the two of us want to ask something, please tell us yes.”
Jesus (said): “What do you want to tell me?”
They said: “When you become king, highly exalted sitting on the throne, can the two of us be seated on both sides of you?”
Jesus (said): You don’t know what you are saying to me. Look, an example: in a short while I will drink a bitter cup. Can you do that?
“Another example: I will go down in the waters of the sea, which means that I will undergo strong suffering. Would you accept that?” The two (said that) yes they could.
Jesus said: “I will suffer and likewise the two of you will suffer, but God has already chosen the two people who will sit on either side of me, I cannot choose them.”
The ten disciples were furious and thought that James and John were bad.
Jesus turned (towards the ten) and called them and the disciples came. (Jesus said):””You know that in other countries the leaders abuse the simple people, and order them around.
“You, the disciples, should not copy this mindset, no keep away from it.
“If you want to be leaders you have to serve and help, the most important leader must be humble ans serve and help the people.
“The Son of Man has come down, and do all the people serve him? No, the opposite, the Son of Man serves all the people.
“The Son of Man agrees to die in their place to save many people.”
Two disciples, the brothers James and John, sons of Zebedee, said to Jesus:
— We want to ask you to do one thing for us.
Jesus said:
— What do you want to ask me to do for you?
Brothers:
— In the future, when you are glorified and gain power and glory and sit on the throne, let us sit beside you, one on your right hand and one on your left.
Jesus said:
— Do you know or do you not know that I have many sufferings ahead of me? Will you be able to walk the same path — numerous sufferings, pain, death. Will you be able to endure it all?
The two brothers said:
— Yes, we are ready, we can.
Jesus said:
— Yes, different and numerous sufferings will I have. The same sufferings you will have. I will accept suffering, pain, death. In the same way you will have it. But, I don’t decide who gets to sit next to the throne. God decides that.
The other ten disciples heard Jesus talking to these two disciples and became angry.
Jesus called them over and said:
— With the Gentiles, the rulers subdue, humiliate the rest of the people. Do not do as they do. Remember, the one of you who wants to be superior, who wants to be the first, he must be inferior, like a servant, helping the others, taking care of them.
I, the Son of God who became a man, I have not come to subdue and humiliate, I have come to be lower, as a servant, ready to care and help. Even my life I am ready to give for the salvation of all people.
Original Russian back-translation (click or tap here):
Два ученика, братья Иаков и Иоанн, сыновья Заведея, сказали Иисусу:
— Мы хотим попросить тебя сделать для нас одну вещь.
Иисус говорит:
— Что вы хотите попросить меня, чтобы я сделал для вас?
Братья:
— В будущем, когда ты прославишься и обретешь власть и славу и воссядешь на престоле, позволь нам сесть рядом с тобой: одному по правую руку, другому — по левую.
Иисус сказал:
— А вы знаете или не знаете, что мне предстоят многочисленные страдания? Вы сможете пройти такой же путь — многочисленные страдания, боль, смерть, сможете ли все это претерпеть?
Два брата сказали:
— Да, мы готовы, мы можем.
Иисус сказал:
— Да, различные и многочисленные страдания будут у меня. Такие же страдания будут у вас. Я приму страдания, боль, смерть. Так же и у вас это будет. Но, не я решаю, кому сидеть рядом с престолом. Это решает Бог.
Остальные десять учеников услышали, как Иисус разговаривает с этими двумя учениками и стали гневаться.
Иисус их подозвал и сказал:
— У язычников правители подчиняют, унижают остальных людей. Вы не поступайте, как они. Запомните, тот из вас, кто хочет быть выше, кто хочет быть первым человеком, тот должен быть ниже, как слуга, помогать остальным, заботиться о них.
Я, сын Бога, ставший человеком, я пришел не для того, чтобы подчинять и унижать, я пришел, чтобы быть ниже, как слуга, готовый заботиться и помогать. Даже мою жизнь я готов отдать ради спасения всех людей.
The Greek that is translated as “Son of Man” and is mostly used by Jesus to refer to himself is (back-) translated in the following languages as (click or tap for details):
Tzotzil: “I who am equal with men” or “The Older Brother of Everybody” (“expressing the dignity and authority of the Messiah and the universality of his work”)
Tenango Otomi: “The Man Appointed” (i.e. the man to whom authority has been delegated) (source for this and preceding: Beekman, p. 189-190, see also Ralph Hill in Notes on Translation February 1983, p. 35-50)
Aguaruna: “One who was born becoming a person” (source for this and two above: M. Larson / B. Moore in Notes on Translation February 1970, p. 1-125.)
Western Bukidnon Manobo: “Older Sibling of Mankind” (source: Western Bukidnon Manobo Back Translation)
Kankanaey: “Child of a Person” (source: Kankanaey Back Translation)
Tagbanwa: “One From Heaven Born of Man/human?” (source: Tagbanwa Back Translation)
Tenango Otomi: “Man who came from heaven” (source: Tenango Otomi Back Translation)
Yatzachi Zapotec: “One who God sent, who was born a human” (a direct translation would have suggested “that the father is unknown due to the indiscretions of the mother” and where “he is the son of people” is used when one wants to disclaim responsibility for or relationship with a child caught in some mischief — source: Reiling / Swellengrebel)
Mezquital Otomi: “The son who became a person” (Source: B. Moore / G. Turner in Notes on Translation 1967, p. 1ff.)
Alekano: “The true man who descended from heaven” (source: Ellis Deibler in Notes on Translation June 1986, p. 36ff.)
Central Tarahumara: “One who has been stood up to help” (“This suggests that Christ has been given authority to some appointed task. A very generic word, help, was selected to fill in the lexically obligatory purpose required by the word which means to appoint or commission. Usually this word is used of menial tasks but not exclusively. The choice of this generic term retains the veiled reference to the character of Christ’s work which He intended in using the ‘Son of Man’ title.”)
Chicahuaxtla Triqui: “He who is relative of all people.” (“The Triqui word for relative is a rather generic term and in its extended sense sometimes is diluted to neighbor and friend. But the primary meaning is relative.”)
Tepeuxila Cuicatec: “The Person who Accompanies All People” (“The literal equivalents ‘son of man’ and ‘son of people’ were both rejected because of the false inference of natural birth involving a human father. Furthermore, it was necessary to expand any translation of the Bible by the addition of the pronoun ‘I’ so as to clarify the fact that Jesus is using the third person in referring to Himself. A common expression used by the Cuicatecos when difficulties befall someone, is to say to that one, ‘don’t worry, we are accompanying you.’ By this they mean they share that person’s sorrow. When wedding guests arrive at the home of a son who has just been married, they say to the father, ‘We have come to accompany you.’ By this they mean that they have come to share the father’s joy. These expressions do not refer to ordinary physical accompaniment, which is expressed by a set of different verbs. For example, visits are always announced by some such greeting as, “I have come to visit you,’ ‘I have come to see you,’ or ‘I have come to ask you something.’ The desire to accompany a friend on a journey is expressed by saying, ‘I will go with you.’ Translation helpers used the verb ‘accompany’ in constructing the phrase ‘I, the Person who Accompanies All People.'(…) It reflects the fact that Jesus closely identified Himself with all of us, understands our weaknesses, shares our burdens, rejoices with us in times of gladness, etc.”) (source for this and the three preceding: Beekman in Notes on Translation January 1963, p. 1-10)
Guhu-Samane: “Elder-brother-man” (“Since the term denotes an elder brother in every way such as honor, power, leadership, representation of the younger, etc. it is a meaningful and fitting — though not ostentatious — title.” Source: Ernest Richert in The Bible Translator 1965, p. 198ff. )
Navajo (Dinė): Diné Silíi’ii — “Man he-became-the-one-who” (“This terra presented a difficulty not only in Navajo but also one peculiar to all the Athapaskan languages. It lies in the fact that all these languages, so far as we know, have a word phonetically similar to the Navajo diné which has three meanings: ‘man, people in general,’ ‘a man,’ ‘The People’ which is the name the Navajos use for themselves. (The name Navajo was first used by the Spanish explorers.) Although it seemed natural to say diné biye’ ‘a-man his-son,’ this could also mean ‘The-People their-son’ or ‘a-Navajo his-son,’ in contrast to the son of a white man or of another Indian tribe. Since the concept of the humanity of Christ is so important, we felt that diné biye’ with its three possible meanings should not be used. The term finally decided on was Diné Silíi’ii ‘Man he-became-the-one-who.’ This could be interpreted to mean ‘the one who became a Navajo,’ but since it still would impart the idea of Christ’s becoming man, it was deemed adequate, and it has proven acceptable to the Navajos.”) (Source: Faye Edgerton in The Bible Translator 1962, p. 25ff. )
Toraja-Sa’dan: “Child descended in the world” (“using a poetic verb, often found in songs that [deal with] the contacts between heaven and earth”) (source: Reiling / Swellengrebel)
Obolo: Gwun̄ Ebilene: “Child of Human” (source: Enene Enene).
Mairasi: Jaanoug Tat: “Person Child” (source: Enggavoter 2004)
Costa Rican Sign Language: “It was impossible to translate the expression ‘Son of Man.’ The son-man sign simply means ‘male child.’ The Costa Rican Sign Language (LESCO) team opted for an interpretation of the term and translated it ‘Jesus.'” (Source: Elsa Tamez (in The Bible Translator 2008, p. 59ff. )
Lokạạ: wẹẹn wạ ọnẹn or “son of a person.” “This translation is symbolic in that it uses indigenous Lokạạ words. However, since the publication of the New Testament in 2006, this phrase has gained popularity within contemporary Lokạạ society as an expression to describe an important person whose career is going well. In the New Testament, the phrase ‘son of man’ is used to describe Jesus as prototypically human, but the Lokạạ phrase is now being used to describe an exceptional person in Lokạạ society.” (Source: J.A. Naudé, C.L. Miller Naudé, J.O. Obono in Acta Theologica 43/2, 2023, p. 129ff. )
In many West African languages, using a third person reference as a first person indicator is common practice with a large range of semantic effects. Languages that use the exact expression “son of man” as a self-reference or reference to another person include Lukpa, Baatonum, Mossi (“son of Adam”), Yoruba (“son of person”), Guiberoua Béte, or Samo. (Source: Lynell Zogbo in: Omanson 2000, p. 167-188.)
In Swahili the expression Mwana wa Mtu or mwana wa mtu or “son/daughter of human person,” which is used by several Bible translations, also has “the idiomatic meaning of ‘a human being’” (source: Jean-Claude Loba-Mkole in An Intercultural Criticism of New Testament Translations 2013, see here). The same is true for the Lingala expression Mwana na Moto — “son/daughter of human person.” (Ibid.)
In Balinese “we are again bordering on theological questions when we inquire as to which vocabulary shall be used to translate the texts where Jesus speaks of himself as ‘the Son of man.’ One of the fixed rules governing the use of these special vocabularies is that one may never use the deferential terms in speaking of oneself. This would be the extreme of arrogance. Now if one considers the expression ‘Son of man’ primarily as a description of ‘I,’ then one must continually indicate the possessions or actions of the Son of man by Low Balinese words. In doing this the mystery of the expression is largely lost. In any case the vocabulary used in most of the contexts would betray that Jesus means the title for himself.
“However, a distinction can actually be made in Balinese between the person and the exalted position he occupies. For example, the chairman of a judicial body may employ deferential terms when referring to this body and its chairman, without this being taken as an expression of arrogance. Considered from this standpoint, one may translate in such a way that Jesus is understood as using such deferential words and phrases in speaking of himself. The danger is, however, that the unity between his person and the figure of “the Son of man” is blurred by such usage.
“On request, the New Testament committee of the Netherlands Bible Society advised that ‘the sublimity of this mysterious term be considered the most important point and thus High Balinese be used.'”
“One of the first things that we did in working through the earlier part of the New Testament was to decide on how we would translate some of the more difficult technical terms. It was immediately obvious that something must be done with the translation of ‘the Son of Man,’ since the literal rendering anak manusia (literally ‘child of a man’) held absolutely no meaning for Malay readers. We felt that the title should emphasize the divine origin and authority of the one who used this title, and at the same time, since it was a title, we decided that it should not be too long a phrase. Finally, a phrase meaning ‘the One whom God has ordained’ was chosen (yang dilantik Allah). It is interesting to note that the newly-begun Common Indonesian (Alkitab Kabar Baik, published in 1985) has followed a similar route by translating ‘the One whom God has chosen’ (yang depilih Allah).”
Following are a number of back-translations of Mark 10:45:
Uma: “Even I the Child of Mankind, my purpose in coming to the world was not to be an orderer. I came to be a servant [one-ordered], and to give myself to be killed to redeem the wrongs of many people.'” (Source: Uma Back Translation)
Yakan: “For even I, the Son of Mankind,’ said Isa, ‘I did not come here to ask help of mankind but to help mankind. And I came to submit my life for redeeming many people so that they will not be punished because of their sins.'” (Source: Yakan Back Translation)
Western Bukidnon Manobo: “Because I, the older sibling of mankind, I did not come to the world for mankind to help me, but rather that I might help mankind and that I might also let myself be killed so that I might redeem many people.'” (Source: Western Bukidnon Manobo Back Translation)
Kankanaey: “You should follow-my -example, who am Child of a Person, because I did not come to be served but rather so that I would serve the many-people and give my life to redeem many.'” (Source: Kankanaey Back Translation)
Tagbanwa: “For the truth is, even as for me who am the One From Heaven Born of Man/human, what I came here for wasn’t to be served by others, but on the contrary that I would be the one who serves and to cause my life/breath to be severed, that being by which to take the punishment for the sin of the mass (of people).'” (Source: Tagbanwa Back Translation)
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®).
The following words have already been dealt with: for ho huios tou anthrōpou ‘the Son of man’ cf. 2.10; ēlthen ‘came’ in a profoundly theological sense, cf. 2.17 (diakoneō ‘serve,’ ‘be a servant (diakonos),’ cf. 1.13.
kai gar ‘for even’ (cf. Montgomery, Translator’s New Testament, Manson): American Standard Version and Revised Standard Version ‘for also’ could be misunderstood as meaning that someone else also came not to be served, etc. The Modern Speech New Testament ‘for indeed’ Moffatt, Goodspeed, O Novo Testamento de Nosso Senhor Jesus Cristo. Revisdo Autorizada ‘for the Son of man himself.’
dounai tēn psuchēn autou ‘to give his life’: which is to say, ‘to give himself’ (cf. discussion of psuchē in 3.4; 8.35).
lutron (only here in Mark; elsewhere in the N.T. only in the parallel Mt. 20.28; cf. antilutron 1 Tim. 2.6) ‘ransom,’ ‘price of release.’ As Deissmann points out, the word in koiné Greek signified the money paid for the release of slaves. In his discussion of the Biblical use of lutron and its cognates, however, Westcott shows that in the Bible the word loses its idea of the purchase price paid someone, and means rather ‘redemption,’ ‘release,’ as a theological term, based upon the experience of Israel’s release from the Egyptian bondage. There is, therefore, no connotation of someone to whom the price of release is paid, as would be the case if lutron were to be literally understood as ‘ransom.’ While the word ‘ransom’ correctly translates lutron, it must not be pressed to mean more than is justified by Biblical usage of the term.
anti (only here in Mark) ‘instead of,’ ‘in behalf of,’ this proposition is the object of debate. The majority of translations have simply ‘for’ (and its equivalents in other languages: pour, por, pro, für). Arndt & Gingrich classify its meaning here as being ‘in behalf of.’ Taylor, however, contends that it means ‘in the place of,’ ‘instead of,’ quoting Moulton & Milligan to the effect that the simple ‘instead of’ is by far the commonest meaning of the word. Certainly ‘in the place of,’ ‘in exchange for’ is the usual meaning of the preposition in the N.T. (cf. Mt. 2.22, 5.38 (bis), Lk. 11.11, Jn. 1.16, Rom. 12.17, 1 Thess. 5.15, 1 Pet. 3.9 (bis), 1 Co. 11.15, Heb. 12.16, Jas. 4.15).
Robertson, in his discussion of anti and huper (ibid., 630-32), points out that it is the action involved in the passage in which the preposition is used, which determines whether anti (and huper) indicates ‘in the place of’ or ‘in behalf of.’ With this Taylor agrees, saying that it is the meaning of lutron which determines the meaning of anti in this passage.
In light of these considerations (and of the similar phrase antilutron huper pantōn in 1 Tim. 2.6), it would seem that the majority of translations are justified in rendering lutron anti pollōn ‘a ransom for many.’
pollōn ‘of many’: it is generally agreed that ‘many’ here is not to be taken strictly in the sense of ‘some but not all,’ but in the general sense of ‘many’ as contrasted with the single psuchē which is given for their lutron.
Translation:
As noted above also must be translated with care, since it may imply that Jesus, along with others, came to serve. The interpretation of ‘Son of man himself’ is much to be preferred.
For Son of man, especially in connection with a first person pronoun, see 2.10.
Not to be served but to serve may be rendered quite explicitly as ‘did not come to have servants but to give himself to be a servant’ (Tzeltal). One may also translate as ‘not to have servants but rather to be a servant.’
In many languages give his life cannot be rendered literally. The meaning here, of course, is ‘to die,’ but the implication is that he surrenders himself to death, rather than being forced by others.
A ransom is easily translated in those parts of the world which employ such a term, e.g. as a ransom for someone captured, whether in fighting or in kidnapping. However, in some regions ransom is translated by a descriptive phrase meaning ‘to pay for something.’ For example, in Guerrero Amuzgo one may say ‘he died in order to pay for many,’ but this does not really convey the meaning of the original, for the implication of the Greek text is that by this payment many were ‘released.’ This is indicated in Guerrero Amuzgo by saying ‘paid for the sins of many,’ in which case the expression fits the religious context, but does obviously introduce an added factor. In Huastec the rendering has been ‘he will die in order to make many live.’ This translation has the advantage of showing the purpose of the dying in terms of the rescuing of those who are given life. In Mitla Zapotec the release is made explicit in ‘die to pay for many being released,’ the implied result of a ransom payment.
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 .
For: The Greek word that the Berean Standard Bible translates as For introduces the basis or reason for what Jesus said in 10:43–44. In other words, those who follow Jesus should serve others because even Jesus himself came to serve.
even the Son of Man: In Greek, the phrase that the Berean Standard Bible translates as even the Son of Man indicates an emphatic contrast with what people normally expected. Jesus as the Son of Man was the greatest leader, and it would be normal for people to serve him. Instead, he came so that he would serve people. The Berean Standard Bible shows this emphatic contrast with the word even. The New Jerusalem Bible shows it as follows:
For the Son of man himself
the Son of Man: The Greek phrase that the Berean Standard Bible translates as the Son of Man is literally “the Son of the human/person.” It is a title that Jesus often used to refer to himself. It implies that:
(a) he was a true human being, and he represented all people.
(b) he came from God and had authority from God.
Here are some other ways to translate this title:
the Man whom God Sent -or-
the True Man from God/Heaven -or-
the Representative of Mankind -or-
The Older Brother of All People
In some languages it may be necessary to indicate explicitly that Jesus was referring to himself here. For example:
I, the Son of Man
Refer to how you translated this phrase in 10:33b. You should translate it here as you did there.
did not come to be served, but to serve: When the Son of Man (Jesus) came to earth, he did not come as a great king that people should serve. He did not come to lord it over people, like the rulers he described in 10:42b.
When you translate 10:45a, make sure your translation does not imply that the Son of Man did not come. It may be clearer to translate as follows:
came to serve, not to be served -or-
came to serve others, not so that others would serve him
did not come to…but to…: In this context the expression come to refers to Jesus’ purpose for coming to the world, that is, to his work in the world. In some languages it may be necessary to indicate that in some way. For example:
did not come to this world to…but to… -or-
(my) work is not to…but to…
10:45b
and to give His life as a ransom for many: The phrase to give His life means “to die willingly for (others), to voluntarily die to benefit (others).” Jesus willingly and freely came to die as a sacrifice for people’s sins. When Jesus died, he freed from sin the people who would trust in him.
ransom: The Greek word that the Berean Standard Bible translates as ransom refers to something that is given to release or free someone else. For example, someone might give a sum of money as a ransom in order to set a slave or a prisoner free. Similarly, Jesus gave his life in order to set people free from their sin. His death was the ransom that released or redeemed people from their sin.
In some languages it may be natural to translate the noun ransom with a verb. For example:
to redeem many people (Good News Bible) -or-
to set many others free (Phillips’ New Testament in Modern English) -or-
to rescue many people (Contemporary English Version)
for many: The phrase for many means “on behalf of many people.” (Because of the prevalence of languages that use a verb phrase for “ransom,” the notes have not said anything about the literal meaning of the Greek word translated here as “for.” The word literally means “opposite,” and in this context means “in place of,” or “as a substitute for” (UBS Handbook page 336, Hendriksen pages 414–415, Lenski page 463, Lane page 383).)
Here are some other ways to translate this:
for the sake of many people -or-
so that many people may be saved
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All Scripture quotations in this publication, unless otherwise indicated, are from The Holy Bible, Berean Standard Bible.
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