The various Greek, Aramaic, Ge’ez, and Latin and Hebrew terms that are translated as “sea,” “ocean,” or “lake” in English are all translated in Chichewa with one term: nyanja. Malawi, where Chichewa is spoken, has a lot of lakes but does not share a border with the ocean. (Source: Mawu a Mulungu mu Chichewa Chalero Back Translation)
large numbers in Angguruk Yali
Many languages use a “body part tally system” where body parts function as numerals (see body part tally systems with a description). One such language is Angguruk Yali which uses a system that ends at the number 27. To circumvent this limitation, the Angguruk Yali translators adopted a strategy where a large number is first indicated with an approximation via the traditional system, followed by the exact number according to Arabic numerals. For example, where in 2 Samuel 6:1 it says “thirty thousand” in the English translation, the Angguruk Yali says teng-teng angge 30.000 or “so many rounds [following the body part tally system] 30,000,” likewise, in Acts 27:37 where the number “two hundred seventy-six” is used, the Angguruk Yali translation says teng-teng angge 276 or “so many rounds 276,” or in John 6:10 teng-teng angge 5.000 for “five thousand.”
This strategy is used in all the verses referenced here.
Source: Lourens de Vries in The Bible Translator 1998, p. 409ff.
See also numbers in Ngalum and numbers in Kombai.
Sung version of Mark 5
Translation commentary on Mark 5:13
Text:
After autois ‘them’ Textus Receptus, Soden, and Kilpatrick add eutheōs ho Iēsous ‘immediately Jesus,’ which is omitted by the rest of the modern editions of the Greek text.
Exegesis:
epetrepsen (10.4) ‘he permitted,’ ‘he allowed,’ ‘he consented.’
hōrmēsen (only here in Mark) ‘it rushed,’ ‘it swarmed.’
kata tou krēmnou eis tēn thalassan ‘down (from) the cliff into the lake.’
kata ‘down,’ ‘down from.’
krēmnos (only here in Mark) ‘steep slope (or, bank),’ ‘cliff.’
thalassa (cf. 1.16) ‘lake (of Galilee).’
epnigonto (only here in Mark; cf. sunpnigō in 4.7) ‘they choked,’ ‘they strangled,’ i.e. ‘they drowned.’
Translation:
Gave them leave is an obsolescent expression in English, meaning ‘he permitted them to go’ or, as in some languages, ‘he said, You may go.’
Came out must be more explicitly defined in some instances as ‘came out of the man.’
In speaking of the demons entering the swine it is probably necessary to adopt the same type of expression as in the case of demons entering into people, e.g. ‘went into the hearts of the pigs’ (Chicahuaxtla Triqui).
In many languages numbers of large magnitudes, such as this figure of 2,000, are very difficult to express in the indigenous system of numeration. For example, in Yucateco, which has a system based on 20’s, such a figure though apparently easy, is actually much more complicated than the Spanish terms, which are used almost exclusively for such higher numbers. In some cases, however, one can use the receptor language system, e.g. ‘two hundred ten times’ (Shilluk) and ‘twenty one-hundreds’ (Barrow Eskimo). However, in the choice of such a number the important consideration is not the apparent relative ease or difficulty of the expression, but which type of term would be more readily understandable.
There are usually no difficulties in finding adequate terms for ‘drowning,’ but some are quite specialized and descriptive, e.g. ‘choked on water’ (Tzeltal) and ‘went under up to the nose’ (Yucateco).
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 .
SIL Translator's Notes on Mark 5:13
5:13a
This verse tells how Jesus responded to the unclean spirits’ request in 5:12. Some English versions (such as the English Standard Version, New Living Translation, and New Revised Standard Version) introduce Jesus’ response with the connector “So” to indicate that Jesus agreed to their appeal. This reflects the presence of a connecting word in Greek. Connect 5:13 to 5:12 in a way that is natural in your language for this context.
He gave them permission: Jesus gave the unclean spirits permission to go to the pigs and control them. If your language prefers direct speech in this context, you may use it here. For example:
He said to them, “You may.”
-or-
He said to them, “Go.”
See Matthew 8:32.
5:13b
and: The Greek conjunction that the Berean Standard Bible translates as and connects 5:13a to 5:13b. It introduces what the unclean spirits did as a result of what Jesus had said to them in 5:13a. Other ways to express this connection in English are “so” (New Living Translation, 1996 edition) or “with that” (New Jerusalem Bible). Connect 5:13b to 5:13a in a way that is natural in your language.
the unclean spirits came out: The clause the unclean spirits came out indicates that the unclean spirits left the man and no longer controlled him. In some languages it may be necessary to include the man in this clause. For example, the God’s Word says:
The evil spirits came out of the man
If it is not natural in your language to say that an unclean spirit is in a person, you may not want to say that he came out. Use the natural expression in your language to describe what happens when an unclean spirit stops controlling a person. For example:
the unclean spirits released the man
-or-
the unclean spirits left the man
Refer to how you translated this expression in 1:26b. See also evil spirit in the Glossary.
5:13c
the herd of about two thousand: See the General Comment on 5:13c–d after 5:13d for suggestions on where you might place the phrase of about two thousand.
5:13d
rushed: The Greek word that the Berean Standard Bible translates as rushed refers to fast movement. It implies movement that cannot easily be stopped after it has started. It could be translated simply as “ran.” However, if your language has a more intense term than “ran,” consider using it here.
the steep bank: The Greek word that the Berean Standard Bible translates as steep bank refers to a steep hill or cliff right at the edge of the lake. After the pigs started down this slope, it was impossible for them to stop.
drowned in the water: The word drowned indicates that the pigs died in the water.
General Comment on 5:13c–d
Consider where it would be most natural in your language to say that there were about two thousand pigs in the herd. This may be as a separate sentence at the beginning or end of 5:13c–d. For example:
There were about two thousand pigs in the herd. They rushed down the steep bank into the lake and drowned.
-or-
The herd rushed down the steep bank into the lake and were drowned. The number of the pigs was about two thousand.
Notice that the examples above use numerals to write the number of the pigs. Check whether people in your language prefer numerals or words here.
It is possible to move the comment about two thousand pigs to 5:11, where the herd was introduced. For example:
About two thousand pigs were feeding on the nearby hillside.
-or-
A large herd of pigs was feeding on the nearby hillside. The number of the pigs was about two thousand.
Paragraph 5:14–17
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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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