21yet such a person has no root but endures only for a while, and when trouble or persecution arises on account of the word, that person immediately falls away.
The Greek that is translated as “endure for a while” or “temporary” in English versions is idiomatically translated in Kekchí as “they are like passers by,” an apt description of the transient enthusiast for Christianity. In Toraja-Sa’dan it is translated as “their heart is shallow.” in Javanese as “they are not steadfast” and in Pamona as “only a moment is their heart quiet.”
In the German translation by Fridolin Stier (1989) it is translated as “a person of the moment (lit.: “blink of an eye)” (ein Mensch des Augenblicks). trans
Following are a number of back-translations of Matthew 13:21:
Uma: “But their faith is not strong, that is why they do not last long. If they are persecuted/bothered or things are made difficult for them because of their faith in the Good News, they [right away] retreat/back-slide.” (Source: Uma Back Translation)
Yakan: “But the message of God does not grow deep roots in their livers. Therefore they do not remain long. When trouble comes or when they are persecuted because they follow the message, they no longer believe.” (Source: Yakan Back Translation)
Western Bukidnon Manobo: “But their faith was not drawn tight, and it is not long before trouble comes to them or tribulation because of their receiving the word of God, and they return to their former custom.” (Source: Western Bukidnon Manobo Back Translation)
Kankanaey: “But the word didn’t take-root in their minds, therefore when difficulties arrive or they are hardshipped due-to their having-received the word of God, they do not continue to believe but rather they immediately turn-their-backs-on their faith.” (Source: Kankanaey Back Translation)
Tagbanwa: “But they don’t store it well in their heads. That’s why they don’t hold fast in their believing/obeying, like plants which don’t have roots. When hardship comes or they will be caused to suffer because of this believing/obeying of theirs of the word of God, they will drop/give-up at once.” (Source: Tagbanwa Back Translation)
Tenango Otomi: “These are the people who do not grab the word well. It takes very little for them to separate from the word. When they are persecuted for the word which they believe, then their hearts turn back.” (Source: Tenango Otomi Back Translation)
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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 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-kotoba (みことば) or “word (of God)” in the referenced verses.
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®).
Yet he has no root in himself: in such a context root is used symbolically of “stability” or “steadfastness.” Revised Standard Version retains the root imagery, but this is not necessary and perhaps not even the best procedure to follow, since the comparison shifts from a plant to a person. INCL maintains the figure with some effectiveness (“but the message does not take root in them”), while Good News Translation drops the imagery (“But it does not sink deep into them”). Other possibilities include “but it does not make a deep impression on them,” “but they don’t really make it part of them,” and “but the word does not really establish itself in their lives.”
Endures for a while translates an adjective in Greek which means “temporary” or “lasting only for a while.” Other than the Marcan parallel (4.17), the word occurs elsewhere in the New Testament only twice (2 Cor 4.18; Heb 11.25). New English Bible has “no staying-power,” Die Bibel im heutigen Deutsch “unstable” or “unsteady.” The phrase endures for a while can be handled in either of two ways. The subject can be the person who received the word, as in “he believes only for a short time” or “he accepts the message only for a little while.” A second way is for the word to be the subject, as in “the word stays in him only for a short time” or “this word does not remain a part of his life very long.” Of course, this phrase should flow naturally from the previous one.
Tribulation (Good News Translation “trouble”) is found elsewhere in Matthew in 24.9, 21, 29. Persecution occurs only here in the Gospel. The word refers to a campaign to oppress or punish people because of their belief or their race. The combination of the two words is found elsewhere only in Mark 4.17 and 2 Thessalonians 1.4, though Romans 8.35 is similar with the addition of “hardship” (Good News Translation). The first of these two nouns (tribulation) is used of difficulties in general; the second does refer to persecution in particular. Depending on the receptor language, translators have used words like “troubles,” “suffering,” and “hard times” for tribulation and persecution. However, some translators have employed verbal phrases to render these terms, as in “when people (start to) persecute him and cause him to suffer” or “… make trouble for him and give him suffering.”
These things happen on account of the word, that is, “because he has believed (or, accepted) the message.” As in verse 19, word is used in the sense of “message” (Good News Translation).
Fall away (Good News Translation “give up”) occurs with similar meaning in 24.10; Mark 4.17; 14.27, 29; John 16.1. It can be rendered as “he stops believing the word” or “he abandons his faith.”
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 .
In this verse, Jesus explained the meaning of the seed that had few roots and withered away (13:6b). Jesus explained the meaning by keeping part of the metaphor.
But: Something unexpected happens here. We would expect a person who “receives [the message] with joy” (in 13:20c) to continue receiving/believing the message. But he does not. The Berean Standard Bible introduces this unexpected event with the conjunction But.
Here is another way to introduce this unexpected event:
yet (New Revised Standard Version)
since he has no root: This clause means “this type of person has no roots from the seed/message growing in him.” This means that this person has not allowed the roots of the message to enter his heart/mind and really change him.
Remember that Jesus compared people to different types of soil. And he compared the message to seed. So it is the seed that produces roots, not the person. The person is the thin soil in which the seed grows no roots.
As in 13:6b, this is an exaggeration. It means that the person has not allowed many roots to enter the soil of his heart/mind and really change him.
Here are some other ways to translate this metaphor:
• Make the metaphor more complete. For example:
he has no/few roots ⌊from the seed/word growing⌋ in him
• Translate some of the meaning of the metaphor. For example:
he does not let God’s word grow deep in his heart/mind
• Translate the meaning of the phrase without the metaphor. For example:
he does not let the teaching go deep into his life (New Century Version)
-or-
he does not allow the message to deeply enter his heart
-or-
he does not allow the word/message to really change him
13:21b
The Greek conjunction that the Berean Standard Bible leaves untranslated and some English versions literally translate as “but” occurs when a pair of clauses is related, and the first clause (13:21a) contains the word “no.” This conjunction does not always introduce a clear contrast. In many languages, it will be better to introduce 13:21b with another conjunction. For example:
so (New Century Version)
-or-
and (Good News Translation)
remains for only a season: This phrase indicates that the person accepts the message for only a short time.
Here are some other ways to translate this phrase:
does not endure (NET Bible)
-or-
receives ⌊it⌋ only for a short time
-or-
he lasts only a little while (God’s Word)
13:21c
trouble: The word trouble generally describes troubles or difficulties of all kinds.
Here are some other ways to translate this word:
suffering (God’s Word)
-or-
difficulty
-or-
tribulation (English Standard Version)
In some languages, it will be more natural to translate this noun as a verb. For example:
when ⌊people⌋ make him suffer
persecution: This word refers to “deliberately harming someone,” “mistreating someone,” or “causing someone to suffer.” Persecution occurs when people harass others physically, such as beating them or forcing them to leave their homes and taking their possessions. Persecution also occurs when people say hurtful things.
Here are some other ways to translate this word:
oppression
-or-
harassment
In some languages, it will be more natural to translate this noun as a verb. For example:
when people oppress/harm him
The verb form (“persecute”) of this word occurs in 10:23a.
comes: This word can also be translated as “arises.” However, in some languages, it is not natural to say that tribulation and persecution “come” or “arise.” In some languages, it will be more natural to say:
when they have problems and when people are cruel to them
because of the word: The words because of indicate that “because he heard and received the word,” others persecuted him.
Here are some other ways to translate this phrase:
due to the word ⌊of God⌋
-or-
because ⌊he received/welcomed⌋ the word
the word: You should translate the word in the same way as you translated it in 13:19a (“the message”) and 13:20b.
13:21d
he quickly falls away: This clause means that the person quickly stops believing the message.
Here are some other ways to translate this clause:
he soon turns away ⌊from the message⌋
-or-
it is not long before he stops believing ⌊God’s message⌋
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