42The queen of the South will rise up at the judgment with this generation and condemn it, because she came from the ends of the earth to listen to the wisdom of Solomon, and indeed something greater than Solomon is here!
“one storey of growing” (using a term also denoting a storey or floor of a building) in Highland Totonac (source for this and one above: Reiling / Swellengrebel)
The Greek that is translated as “the ends of the earth (or: world)” is translated in Bilua as “the bottom of the sky” (= horizon) (source: Carl Gross), in Western Highland Purepecha as “beyond the horizon” (source: Nida 1947, p. 158), and in Chicahuaxtla Triqui as “to the far horizons” (source: Waterhouse / Parrott in Notes on Translation October 1967, p. 1ff.).
The Greek terms krino and katakrino/katadikazo that are translated as “judge” and “condemn” respectively in English are translated with only one term in Kutu (tagusa). (Source: Pioneer Bible Translators, project-specific translation notes in Paratext)
Ixcatlán Mazatec: “with your best/biggest thinking” (source: Robert Bascom)
Noongar: dwangka-boola, lit. “ear much” (source: Portions of the Holy Bible in the Nyunga language of Australia, 2018 — see also remember)
Kwere “to know how to live well” (source: Pioneer Bible Translators, project-specific translation notes in Paratext)
Dobel: “their ear holes are long-lasting” (in Acts 6:3) (source: Jock Hughes)
Gbaya: iŋa-mgbara-mɔ or “knowing-about-things” (note that in comparison to that, “knowledge” is translated as iŋa-mɔ or “knowing things”) (source: Philip Noss in The Bible Translator 2001, p. 114ff. )
Chichewa: nzeru, meaning both “knowledge” and “wisdom” (source: Mawu a Mulungu mu Chichewa Chalero Back Translation)
Following are a number of back-translations of Matthew 12:42:
Uma: “So also on the Kiama Day, the queen from the South will be made alive again together with you who live at this time, and she will point out your wrongs. Because she walked/journeyed here from her village that is very far away, because she really wanted to hear the words of King Salomo who was very clever. But there is here in your midst one whose life is bigger/more important than Salomo, but you still do not believe his words.” (Source: Uma Back Translation)
Yakan: “When the day is reached when God judges mankind, the woman sultan from the place Seba of old times will go and stand and blame/accuse you. For she, she came from the edge of the world because she wanted to hear the words of Sultan Sulaiman, the man with deep knowledge/wisdom in old times. I tell you, now there is somebody here with you with greater knowledge/wisdom than Sulaiman but you do not accept his teaching.'” (Source: Yakan Back Translation)
Western Bukidnon Manobo: “In the future on the day of judgment, you will also be scolded by the queen long ago who came from the country of Sheba, for she traveled a long way just to listen to wise King Solomon’s teaching. And today there is one who teaches who is greater than Solomon among you, and you by contrast, have not received his teaching.” (Source: Western Bukidnon Manobo Back Translation)
Kankanaey: “The woman also who was queen (reina) in Seba back-before, she will stand-up-with-(others) on that day to accuse you also, because as-for her, she went from the farthest country so that she would go hear what the wise King Solomon was saying, but I say to you that the one who is here now is greater than Solomon.'” (Source: Kankanaey Back Translation)
Tagbanwa: “At that day of judging, you will be rebuked by that woman also who reigned in Seba long ago. Because she travelled really far, coming from her country, for she wanted to comprehend the far-from-ordinary wisdom/understanding of king Solomon. But today, there is here with you one who is far more praiseworthy than Solomon, but you don’t want to listen.” (Source: Tagbanwa Back Translation)
Tenango Otomi: “Also the woman who rules in the south, when the day comes for God to judge, she will get up to accuse the people who live in these days. Because this woman came from a distant land in order to hear the words which Solomon knew. And here I am greater than Solomon and you do not want to listen to what I say.” (Source: Tenango Otomi Back Translation)
The Hebrew, Latin and Greek that is transliterated as “Solomon” in English is translated in Spanish Sign Language with the sign for “wise” referring to 1 Kings 3:12. (Source: Steve Parkhurst)
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®).
Of the South points to South Arabia, that is, Sheba. For the Scripture references see 1 Kings 10.1-13; 2 Chronicles 9.1-12. The Jews would have considered both the queen of Sheba and the people of Nineveh (Jonah 3.5) to be heathens.
If translators render queen of the South literally, it can mislead readers into thinking she was the ruler of all that is south, perhaps even a supernatural ruler of all forces from that direction. “Queen of a land to the south” will avoid that. However, since it is clear that this in fact refers to the queen of Sheba, there is no reason not to say that in the translation.
Will arise at the judgment with this generation and condemn it is exactly the same as in verse 41.
In many languages, came will be rendered as “went.”
From the ends of the earth represents the perpetuation of a Semitic idiom meaning “a very long distance.” Most English translations favor retaining the idiom, or at least a fraction of it; New American Bible translates “from the farthest corner of the earth.” Good News Translation restructures: “all the way from her country.” Translators can also say “a long distance” or “from a distant part of the earth.”
Hear may better be “listen to” in some languages.
The wisdom of Solomon would have been immediately understood by any Jew, for he was a Jewish king noted for his wisdom. Good News Translation both marks Solomon as a king and eliminates the abstract phrase the wisdom of Solomon by restructuring as “King Solomon’s wise teaching.” Many readers will require a footnote which further identifies Solomon. For many languages it will be impossible to speak of listening to a person’s wisdom; what one listens to is a person’s expression of his wisdom through words. Therefore “the wise things that Solomon taught.”
The last phrase and behold, something greater than Solomon is here has the same pattern as verse 41.
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 .
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