worry

The Greek and Hebrew that are translated as “worry” or “anxious” in English are translated in Navajo (Dinė) as “my mind is killing me.” (Source: Nida 1952, p. 24)

Nida (1952, p. 124) also gives other examples:

“The Piro in Peru use almost the same idiom when they say that a worried man is ‘one who is hard chased.’ The worried person is like a pursued animal in the forest trying to elude the hunter. The impenetrable jungle of the future, the failing strength, and the exhaustion of doubt all press hard upon the soul. And one’s heart seems to fail and even disappear. This is the very phrase employed by the Tzeltal Indians in the rugged mountains of southern Mexico. They describe ‘worry’ by the words ‘their hearts are gone.'”

See also anxious / worried about many things and worries/cares of the world/this age.

complete verse (Matthew 10:19)

Following are a number of back-translations of Matthew 10:19:

  • Uma: “‘When they carry you going to the judge [sitter], don’t be afraid about what you will say to them or how your answer. Because at that time God himself will say to you what is appropriate for you to say.” (Source: Uma Back Translation)
  • Yakan: “When they bring you to be judged do not be troubled/worried as to what you shall say. It will be given to you at that time as to what you will say.” (Source: Yakan Back Translation)
  • Western Bukidnon Manobo: “And if they take you to trial, don’t you be concerned about what you will say and how you will talk. You will only know that when you are in front of them, because then the proper thing for you to say will be given to you.” (Source: Western Bukidnon Manobo Back Translation)
  • Kankanaey: “When they interrogate you, don’t worry about what you will answer and what you will say, because at that hour/time, it will-be-made-known to you what is the correct thing-for you -to-say.” (Source: Kankanaey Back Translation)
  • Tagbanwa: “When you are being interrogated, don’t be distressed about what you will answer or say. For it’s certain that what you are to say will come into your mind.” (Source: Tagbanwa Back Translation)
  • Tenango Otomi: “When you are put on trial, don’t worry about what word you will speak to the judge. At the time when you defend yourselves at the judgment, then God will give you the word you must speak.” (Source: Tenango Otomi Back Translation)

formal pronoun: Jesus addressing his disciples and common people

Like many languages (but unlike Greek or Hebrew or English), Tuvan uses a formal vs. informal 2nd person pronoun (a familiar vs. a respectful “you”). Unlike other languages that have this feature, however, the translators of the Tuvan Bible have attempted to be very consistent in using the different forms of address in every case a 2nd person pronoun has to be used in the translation of the biblical text.

As Voinov shows in Pronominal Theology in Translating the Gospels (in: The Bible Translator 2002, p. 210ff. ), the choice to use either of the pronouns many times involved theological judgment. While the formal pronoun can signal personal distance or a social/power distance between the speaker and addressee, the informal pronoun can indicate familiarity or social/power equality between speaker and addressee.

Here, Jesus is addressing his disciples, individuals and/or crowds with the formal pronoun, showing respect.

In most Dutch translations, Jesus addresses his disciples and common people with the informal pronoun, whereas they address him with the formal form.

formal 2nd person plural pronoun (Japanese)

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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 choice of a formal plural suffix to the second person pronoun (“you” and its various forms) as shown here in the widely-used Japanese Shinkaiyaku (新改訳) Bible of 2017. In these verses, anata-gata (あなたがた) is used, combining the second person pronoun anata and the plural suffix -gata to create a formal plural pronoun (“you” [plural] in English).

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

Translation commentary on Matthew 10:19

They may need to be “those people” or “those men.”

Deliver … up: see comments on verse 17.

Don not be anxious: see 6.25. Here it may be “don’t worry about” or “don’t be upset thinking about.”

How you are to speak or what you are to say is retained in this form by most translations. But New English Bible condenses the two clauses into one (“what you are to say”), on the assumption that the two clauses linked by or are in reality expressing the same thought. This sort of construction is used rather frequently in the Scriptures, and it is technically called a hendiadys. Support for this interpretation is found in the last part of the verse, which repeats only the second half of the construction: what you are to say. If translators try to retain the two clauses, they may possibly do something very similar to Good News Translation. Otherwise they can say simply “what you are going to say” or “what you should say.”

For here is a transitional of cause: “because” or “the reason I tell you that is.”

Will be given to you, on the basis of what is said in verse 20, may be transformed into an active expression: “your Father in heaven will give you” or “the Spirit of your Father in heaven will give you.”

Sometimes given does not fit easily in the passage. “You will know” may be acceptable, although better is “your Father in heaven will cause you to know what you should say.” Also possible is “you will be told” or “God will tell you (or, will show you).”

Notice that in the text, the object of given comes before the verb, a feature of a passive sentence. In the examples in the preceding paragraph, what you are to say comes after the verb. Even if the passive is retained, this order may be better, as in Good News Translation “you will be given what you will say.”

In that hour: see 8.13 for essentially the same construction. Good News Translation, New Jerusalem Bible, and New English Bible all have “when the time comes.” Phillips and Barclay have “at that time,” and An American Translation has “at that very moment.” In many languages it will be better to put this phrase at the beginning of the clause: “for at that time, God will tell you what to say.”

Quoted with permission from Newman, Barclay M. and Stine, Philip C. A Handbook on the Gospel of Matthew. (UBS Handbook Series). New York: UBS, 1988. For this and other handbooks for translators see here .