reveal

The Greek that is translated as “reveal” in English is translated in Maan with the expression “take the leaf from it.” (Source: Don Slager)

complete verse (Matthew 11:27)

Following are a number of back-translations of Matthew 11:27:

  • Uma: “‘Everything my Father gave/offered to me. There is no-one who knows me, I the Child of God, just my Father who knows me. So also there is no-one who knows my Father, just I his Child who knows him, and anyone whom I make-to-know who is my Father.” (Source: Uma Back Translation)
  • Yakan: “And Isa said yet, ‘Everything has been entrusted to me by my Father, God. Nobody knows as to who I am, I the Son of God, except only my Father, God. And nobody also knows as to who my Father is, except only I, his Son and whoever I choose to make my Father known to.” (Source: Yakan Back Translation)
  • Western Bukidnon Manobo: “Then Jesus said again to his disciples, ‘Everything has been entrusted to me by my Father God. There is no one who knows me, the Son of God, except my Father God. And there is no one that knows my Father God except I alone, his Son, and those people for whom that I act miraculously so that they will know him.” (Source: Western Bukidnon Manobo Back Translation)
  • Kankanaey: “Then Jesus said to the people, ‘I am the one to whom my Father has handed-over everything. Because no one entirely knows me if not my Father, and no one also knows my Father if not I and the people to whom I want to make him known.” (Source: Kankanaey Back Translation)
  • Tagbanwa: “After praying, he said next, ‘My Father has committed all things to me. No-one can really know/recognize the Son except the Father only. And also no-one can really know/recognize the Father except the Son, and whoever the Son will choose whom he will enlighten concerning the Father.” (Source: Tagbanwa Back Translation)
  • Tenango Otomi: “Jesus said to the people: ‘My Father delivered to me all the things for me to rule them. And no one arises to know well the Son of God, only his own Father knows him. And no one arises to know the Father, only his Son knows him and also those whom his Son wants to know.” (Source: Tenango Otomi Back Translation)

Father (address for God)

The Greek that is translated with the capitalized “Father” in English when referring to God is translated in Highland Totonac with the regular word for (biological) father to which a suffix is added to indicate respect. The same also is used for “Lord” when referring to Jesus. (Source: Hermann Aschmann in The Bible Translator 1950, p. 171ff. )

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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. In the widely-used Japanese Shinkaiyaku (新改訳) Bible of 2017, God the Father is addressed with mi-chichi (御父). This form has the “divine” honorific prefix mi– preceding the archaic honorific form chichi for “father.”

If, however, Jesus addresses his Father, he is using chichi-o (父を) which is also highly respectful but does not have the “divine” honorific. (Source: S. E. Doi, see also S. E. Doi in Journal of Translation, 18/2022, p. 37ff. )

See also Lord and my / our Father.

1st person pronoun referring to God (Japanese)

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 choice of a first person singular and plural pronoun (“I” and “we” and its various forms) as shown here in the widely-used Japanese Shinkaiyaku (新改訳) Bible of 2017. The most commonly used watashi/watakushi (私) is typically used when the speaker is humble and asking for help. In these verses, where God / Jesus is referring to himself, watashi is also used but instead of the kanji writing system (私) the syllabary hiragana (わたし) is used to distinguish God from others.

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

See also pronoun for “God”.

Translation commentary on Matthew 11:27

All things have been delivered to me by my Father is shifted to an active formation by Good News Translation: “My Father has given me all things.” Few commentators offer any real help regarding the interpretation and translation of All things. For many languages a clear antecedent will be obligatory; otherwise All things will be understood as “all material goods,” which is erroneous. Two routes of interpretation are possible: (1) The meaning may be the full authority (see 28.18) which the Father has given Jesus: “My Father has given me all power” (Bibel im heutigen Deutsch, 1st edition). (2) Or All things may mean “full knowledge (of God),” an interpretation which is supported by two observations: (a) The Greek verb delivered most naturally suits the contexts where a revelation is involved, and (b) the entire second half of the verse implies that a revelation is what is intended. TOB’s footnote also argues for the communication of a revelation, specifically of a revelation concerning the Kingdom of God and its secrets. However, the context would suggest that the content of the revelation is God himself. Accordingly, one may translate “God the Father has given me full knowledge of himself,” in which “full” is the equivalent of “all.”

With this interpretation, other ways to render the sentence are “God the Father has made me know everything about him,” “I know now everything about God my Father. He himself gave me that,” or “… He himself made me to understand.”

It is significant that Jesus affirms no one knows the Son except the Father before stating no one knows the Father except the Son. This fits in well with the situation where the truth of who Jesus is remains hidden even to John the Baptist (verses 2-3) and to the people of his hometown (verses 20-24). A similar thought is expressed in 16.17.

Knows: in biblical thought the idea of knowing supersedes mere knowledge, for it includes thorough, intimate knowledge that puts people in a special relationship to each other. In Amos 3.2, for example, the verb “know” is used of God’s election of Israel as his people: “You only have I known of all the families of the earth.” Jesus is here affirming that he and the Father stand in a unique and intimate relationship with one another: only the Father knows who Jesus really is, and only Jesus possesses true understanding of the Father.

Thus knows in this context means “knows who he really is.” A possible rendering can then be “No one knows who the Son really is except God the Father, and no one knows God’s true nature except the Son and whomever he chooses to reveal God to.” The sentence can be expressed with a positive construction instead of a negative: “Only God the Father knows who the Son really is, and only the Son and those he chooses to reveal it to, know the true nature of God.”

There will be languages where the Son will pose a problem, since the question will be raised “the son of whom?” Then translators must use “the Son of God.” But if possible the title the Son should be retained.

Similarly the Father should be retained, but it may be necessary to say “God the Father.”

Any one to whom may be better expressed as a plural in many languages: “those to whom” (Good News Translation).

In Greek chooses to reveal is without an object, but most languages will require either him or “the Father.”

Reveal is the rendering of most English translations; in this context it refers to revelation of the kind of knowledge the Father and the Son have of each other. Barclay translates “make … known.” The same verb appears in 10.26, where it is translated “be uncovered” by Good News Translation. Both in the Septuagint and in the New Testament, this is the normal verb for the revelation of divine secrets. Reveal can often be something like “make known.” However, quite often languages require that the knowledge being revealed be more specific, so translators have to say “show the true nature of God” or “reveal what God is really like.”

The idea of chooses should not be left out. The verse says there are people “to whom the Son chooses to reveal God’s nature.” Some even make the last phrase a separate sentence: “… and only the Son knows God’s true nature. Also there are people the Son chooses that he reveals God to.”

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 .

SIL Translator’s Notes on Matthew 11:27

Paragraph 11:27

In this paragraph, Jesus began speaking again to the crowd. His prayer in 11:25–26 was finished. You may want to make this clear in your translation. For example:

⌊Then Jesus said to the crowd⌋
-or-

⌊Jesus finished praying and then continued speaking with the people⌋

11:27a

All things have been entrusted to Me by My Father: The Greek word that the Berean Standard Bible translates as have been entrusted here means “authority/power has been given.” God the Father gave Jesus authority over everything. This includes nonphysical things such as knowledge. It does not mean that God gave Jesus all material goods.

This word is used with a similar meaning in Luke 4:6 where Satan said, “I will give you all their authority and splendor, for it has been given to me…” (New International Version)

This clause is passive. Here are some other ways to translate it:

• Use a passive verb. For example:

All things have been committed to me by my Father. (New International Version)
-or-
Everything has been put in my hands by my Father (Phillips’ New Testament in Modern English)

• Use an active verb. For example:

My Father has given me authority over everything. (New Living Translation (1996))
-or-
My Father has entrusted everything to me (New Living Translation (2004))

My Father: This phrase refers to God the Father. It does not refer to Joseph. In some languages, it may be necessary to make this more clear. For example:

my Father ⌊God⌋
-or-
my ⌊heavenly⌋ Father

11:27b–c

No one knows the Son except the Father: Here Jesus spoke of himself as the Son. In some languages, this may give the impression that Jesus was referring to someone other than himself. If this is true in your language, you should:

• Explain who the Son refers to. For example:

No one knows ⌊me⌋ the Son except the Father

• Explain in a footnote that Jesus is referring to himself. For example:

Jesus was referring to himself when he spoke of “the Son.”

knows: The Greek word that the Berean Standard Bible translates as knows in this context means “knows exactly, completely, through and through.” This does not mean to just make an acquaintance of someone or to know about someone. Jesus knows God fully, in a very intimate way.

Here are some other ways to translate this word:

truly knows (New Living Translation (2004))
-or-
really knows
-or-
knows well

the Son: The phrase the Son or “the Son of God” is a title for Jesus. This title indicates that Jesus has the same nature and character as God. It also indicates that the relationship between God the Father and Jesus, his Son, is similar in some way to the relationship between human fathers and sons. God the Father does not have a physical body. He did not have a sexual relationship that resulted in Mary becoming pregnant and giving birth to Jesus.

For further information, see the note on “My…Son” at 3:17b.

11:27d

and those to whom the Son chooses to reveal Him: These are the other people who know the Father. Jesus has shown the ways of the Father to his followers. All followers of Jesus will know the Father.

Here are some other ways to translate this clause:

and the person to whom the Son wants/wishes to show him
-or-
Also, the Son decides to make known the Father to certain people. ⌊These people also know the Father.⌋

chooses: The Greek word that the Berean Standard Bible translates as chooses can also be translated as:

decides (NET Bible)
-or-
wishes/wants
-or-
plans

reveal: This word means “make known” or “show openly.” The word refers to clearly showing what the true nature of something or someone is.

Here are some other ways to translate this word:

show

-or-

disclose

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