teach

The Greek that is translated as a form of “teach” is translated with some figurative phrases such as “to engrave the mind” (Ngäbere) or “to cause others to imitate” (Huichol). (Source: Bratcher / Nida)

In Noongar it is translated as karni-waangki or “truth saying” (source: Warda-Kwabba Luke-Ang).

Mark 2:13-17 in Russian Sign Language

Following is the translation of Mark 2:13-17 into Russian Sign Language with a back-translation underneath:


Source: Russian Bible Society / Российское Библейское Общество

There is a lake in Galilee. Jesus went back again to this lake. The crowds followed Jesus everywhere. Jesus was teaching the people. Then Jesus went on his way and passed by the place where the tax collectors sit. There was a man there named Levi. His father’s name was Alphaeus. Jesus was walking by, saw Levi and said: “Follow me.” Levi decided to leave his occupation and followed Jesus. After a while, Jesus and his disciples entered Levi’s house. A large table with food was prepared there. Jesus sat down at the table. The disciples, the tax collectors, and the sinners also sat down. Where were these people from? They were all those who had followed Jesus. They ate together, drank together, socialized together.

The teachers of the law and the Pharisees found out that Jesus was eating and drinking with the tax collectors and with the sinners. “How is this possible,” they began to say. They turned to Jesus’ disciples:

— Your teacher eats and drinks with tax collectors and sinners. How can he do this? It is an abomination.

Jesus heard and said:

— Here is a doctor. Does he need to go to healthy people to treat them? No! A doctor needs to go to sick people to treat them. So do I — I don’t need to go to the righteous, I need to go to sinners to call them.

Original Russian back-translation (click or tap here):

В Галилее есть озеро. Иисус вернулся снова к этому озеру. Толпа народа повсюду шла за Иисусом. Иисус учил народ. Потом Иисус отправился в путь и проходил мимо места, где сидят сборщики налогов. Там был человек по имени Левий. Имя его отца — Алфей. Иисус шел мимо, увидел Левия и сказал: «Следуй за мной». Левий решил оставить свое занятие и последовал за Иисусом. Спустя какое-то время Иисус вместе с учениками вошли в дом Левия. Там был приготовлен большой стол с едой. Иисус сел за стол. Сели также ученики, сборщики налогов, а также грешники. Откуда были эти люди? Это все те, кто следовали за Иисусом. Они вместе ели, пили, общались.

Учителя закона и фарисеи узнали, что Иисус ест и пьет вместе со сборщиками налогов и с грешниками. «Как же это возможно» — стали говорить они. Они обратились к ученикам Иисуса:

— Ваш учитель ест и пьет вместе со сборщиками налогов и грешниками. Как он может так поступать? Это мерзко.

Иисус услышал и сказал:

— Вот врач. Разве нужно ему идти к здоровым людям, их лечить? Нет! Врачу нужно идти к больным, чтобы их лечить. Так же и я — мне не нужно мне идти к праведникам, мне нужно идти к грешникам, чтобы призвать их.

Back-translation by Luka Manevich

<< Mark 2:1-12 in Russian Sign Language
Mark 2:18-22 in Russian Sign Language >>

Mark 2:13-17 in Mexican Sign Language

Following is the translation of Mark 2:13-17 into Mexican Sign Language with back-translations into Spanish and English underneath:


© La Biblia en LSM / La Palabra de Dios

Retrotraducciones en español (haga clic o pulse aquí)

Jesús estaba caminando y enseñando y la gente iba con él, y allá había personas que estaban sentadas cobrando impuestos, y había un hombre llemado Levi que estaba sentado cobrando impuestos, y Jesús caminando lo vio (y dijo): “Ven conmigo”.

Levi se paró y se acercó al grupo y fue con el grupo y algunas otras personas, pecadores, seguían la idea y también fueron con el grupo.

Fueron a la casa de Levi y Jesús y los discípulos y las personas alrededor estaban comiendo y bebiendo.

Los maestros de la ley y los Fariseos vinieron y lo vieron, y lo consideraron raro y dijeron a los discípulos: “Jesús acepto estar con los cobradores de impuesto y otros pecadores y está comiendo y bebiendo en medio de ellos, ¿cómo?”

Jesús estaba comiendo y los oyó y se volvió y dijo: “Miren, un ejemplo, personas que están bien y sanos no necesitan ir al doctor, sino otras personas enfermas necesitan ir al doctor.

En la misma manera, yo no he venido para advertir a las personas buenas y perfectas que necesitan ser salvados, sino todas estas pecadores necesitan ser salvados.”


Jesus went again to the area close to the lake.

Jesus was walking and teaching and the people went along with him, and there were people sitting there who where collecting taxes and there was a man named Levi who was sitting (at his booth) collecting taxes, and Jesus walked along and saw him (and said): “Come with me”.

Levi stood up and joined the group and went with them and some other people, sinners, followed suit and also went with the group.

They went to the house of Levi and Jesus and his disciples and the people around were eating and drinking.

The teachers of the law and the Pharisees came and saw it and they thought it was strange and they said to the disciples: “Jesus accepts being with tax collectors and other sinners, and he is eating among them, how?”

As Jesus was eating he heard this and he turned around and said: “Look here, an example, people who are well and healthy do not need to go to a doctor, but other people who are ill need to go to a doctor.

“In the same way I have not come to warn people who are good and perfect that they need to be saved, on the contrary, all these people who are sinners need to be saved.”

Source: La Biblia en LSM / La Palabra de Dios

<< Mark 2:1-12 in Mexican Sign Language
Mark 2:18-22 in Mexican Sign Language >>

complete verse (Mark 2:13)

Following are a number of back-translations of Mark 2:13:

  • Uma: “After that, Yesus went again to the edge of the lake. Very many people gathered, and he taught them.” (Source: Uma Back Translation)
  • Yakan: “So-then Isa went again to the edge of lake Jalil. The crowds of people gathered there to him and he taught them.” (Source: Yakan Back Translation)
  • Western Bukidnon Manobo: “After this Jesus left there and he went again to the seashore, and many people gathered to him and he taught them.” (Source: Western Bukidnon Manobo Back Translation)
  • Kankanaey: “Jesus went again to the edge of the lake. In-a-large-group were the people who gathered where he was and he taught them.” (Source: Kankanaey Back Translation)
  • Tagbanwa: “Jesus returned again to the shore of the Lake of Galilea. He was followed by very many people. They were again taught by Jesus.” (Source: Tagbanwa Back Translation)
  • English translation by Michael Pakaluk (2019): “So again he went out along the sea. And the entire crowd went out to him. So he taught them.”

start of sections in Mark with the Greek καὶ

One of the distinctions of the gospel of Mark is a breathlessness of telling the story of Jesus. One way that is achieved is by using the Greek kai, normally “and” in English, at the beginning of sections. Different versions and languages have found their own ways of translating it, but the German translation by Walter Jens (publ. 1990, 1998) is unique by consistently using Und ich erzähle or “And I’m telling (you)” for every such occurrence of kai.

location (of God) (Japanese honorifics)

Click or tap here to see the rest of this insight.

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 to do this is through the usage (or a lack) of an honorific prefix as shown here in the widely-used Japanese Shinkaiyaku (新改訳) Bible of 2017. When the referent is God, the “divine” honorific prefix mi- (御 or み) can be used, as in mi-moto (みもと) referring to the location (of God) in the referenced verses.

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

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

Click or tap here to see the rest of this insight.

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, oshie-rare-ru (教えられる) or “teaching” is used.

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