thorns

The Greek that is translated as “thorns” in English is translated in Low German with Dießeln or “thistles” which are familiar to speakers of Low German (translation by Johannes Jessen, publ. 1933, republ. 2006).

See also thistles.

complete verse (Matthew 13:22)

Following are a number of back-translations of Matthew 13:22:

  • Uma: “‘The seed that fell in the middle of the thorns stands-for people who hear the Word of God, but they are busy always just thinking about their lives in the world and they just want to gather riches in the world. All that makes them busy, with the result that there is no dwelling-place for the Word of God in their hearts, and there is no meaning/use for that Word in their lives.” (Source: Uma Back Translation)
  • Yakan: “And the seeds that fell into the thorns is a figure of the people who hear the message of God. But they are always thinking about their troubles in the world. That is what is the most valuable to them, their wealth. Therefore in the figure of plants, the message of God which they have heard is choked and does not bear fruit.” (Source: Yakan Back Translation)
  • Western Bukidnon Manobo: “And that which was planted which fell on the soil where the weeds were thorny there, it refers to the people who listen to the word, however they forget it because of their cares here in the world and their desire for money. And because of that the word of God profits nothing in them.” (Source: Western Bukidnon Manobo Back Translation)
  • Kankanaey: “What fell also in the thorny-area, they are those who hear the word of God, but they get-sidetracked by what they are worrying about and by their getting-rich, therefore the word that they heard is choked-out and it doesn’t bear-fruit.” (Source: Kankanaey Back Translation)
  • Tagbanwa: “Well as for this one, this scattered-on-place where weeds are sprouting all over, they are the ones who listen to the word of God, but their mind/thinking is bothered/busy with things here in the world. Wanting to increase wealth is what is big in their minds. What else but this word of God gets overpowered by this which is in their mind/thinking. That’s why there’s no fruit of believing in their lives.” (Source: Tagbanwa Back Translation)
  • Tenango Otomi: “Other people are compared with the earth in which there are thorns where the seed landed. These people hear about the word. But the work they have is all that they set their hearts on day after day. They earnestly seek how to become rich. Thus the word they heard did them no good.” (Source: Tenango Otomi Back Translation)

he who, whoever

The Greek that is typically translated with a generic expressions such as “he who,” “whoever,” or “if anyone” in English is translated with the plural form (“they”) in Daga. “A literal translation of these conveys the idea that one specific unnamed individual is being discussed. Thus, for instance, in John 5:24 ‘he who hears my word and believes in him who sent me has eternal life’ meant in Daga that there was one fortunate individual to whom it applied.”

See also love your neighbor as yourself.

age / (for)ever / eternity / eternal / permanent / of old / long ago

The Greek in the referenced verses that is typically translated as “age,” “(for)ever / eternity / eternal / permanent,” “of old / long ago” in English is translated in the German translation by Fridolin Stier (1989) consistenty as “world (or: “cosmic”) time” (Weltzeit).

Sarah Ruden (2021, p. lxii) explains the complexities of the translation of aiōn: “Trickiest of all [the words relating to time] is aion, most simply an ‘age’ or ‘era’ but sometimes denoting either the whole present world or the whole world to come. The same word can allude to all the limits of material existence (or to dangerous worldly distractions in particular), or to their absence in the eternal age to come. Looking forward, especially to ‘ages of ages’ (in the pattern of ‘King of Kings’), the meaning is ‘eternity.’”

word / command (of God) (Japanese honorifics)

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 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.

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

Translation commentary on Matthew 13:22

What was sown among thorns: see Matthew 13.7.

Translators can continue to treat in the same way the comparisons Jesus is making. An example is “As for the seed that fell in the place where there were thorn bushes, that is like the case of the person who hears the word…” or “… that is like what happens when someone hears the word….”

Note that the words As for indicate that the focus here changes from the seed that fell on rocky ground to the seed scattered among the thorns. In English, to begin the sentence with he who hears the word would mean that this focus would be lost, so we have not given that as a suggestion. If translators do need to restructure that way, they should be sure to find a way in their language to ensure that the focus is retained on what was sown among thorns.

The phrase hears the word can also be “listens to the message.”

The cares of the world is translated “the worries of this life” by Phillips (Good News Translation “… about this life”). The reference is to the ordinary concerns of daily life which are a part of everyone’s existence. These are not evil in themselves, as New American Bible suggests (“worldly anxiety”), though they may become evil when they dominate a person’s life. One may translate “the concerns of daily life.”

The noun translated delight by Revised Standard Version and “love” by Good News Translation has as its basic meaning “deception” or “deceitfulness.” However, the word may also mean either “pleasure in” or “love for,” which is the generally acknowledged meaning that it has in 2 Peter 2.13. One may translate “… but they worry about this life so much and love riches so much that they choke the message….” Bibel im heutigen Deutsch, 1st edition reverses the order of the last two clauses, “but they produce nothing, because they are completely filled with concerns about daily needs and allow themselves to be lead astray by riches.”

Note that cares and delight are both nouns which are expressed by verbs in these examples we have given. Many translators will find that this renders the verse easier to read. Another example is “but he is so concerned about matters of daily life and he loves riches so much that he doesn’t give the message a chance to grow.” An example using nouns is “but he lets the concerns of daily life and his love for riches take so much of his life that the message cannot survive” or “… that the message has no place.”

It proves unfruitful means that the word or message cannot bear fruit. Fruit is often used as a symbol to represent actions, or it can represent results. In this context, then, the meaning is “and it (the word) does not produce good results (in that person)” or “and the word does not affect the deeds (or, life) of that person.”

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 13:22

13:22a

The seed sown among the thorns: This clause refers to what happened when some seed fell among thorns. Be careful not to imply that the seed is being compared to a person. The comparison is to the entire situation.

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

• Use a passive verb. For example:

⌊The meaning of what happened to⌋ the seeds that were planted among thorns is this:

• Use an active verb. For example:

As for the seeds that ⌊the farmer⌋ planted among thorns, that is like

• Use another type of verb. For example:

As for the thorns where some seeds fell, that is like

This clause is similar to 13:20a, so translate it in a similar way.

thorns: The Greek word that the Berean Standard Bible translates as thorns refers to any kind of thorny plant. This same word occurs in 13:7a.

13:22b

is the one who hears the word: This clause is exactly the same as 13:20b. You should translate both clauses in the same way.

is: The word is indicates a comparison. It means “the situation in 13:22a represents….” In other words, sowing among thorns “is like” or “represents” someone who hears the word, but…it proves unfruitful. For example:

represents (New Living Translation (2004))
-or-
stand for (Good News Translation)

the one who hears the word: The word one refers to a certain type of person. In some languages, it may be more natural to use a plural word here. For example:

people who hear the message (Contemporary English Version)
-or-
those who hear God’s word (New Living Translation (2004))

13:22c

the worries of this life: The Greek word that the Berean Standard Bible translates as worries means “anxieties, worries, concerns.”

The phrase of this life refers to living in this world. It is contrasted with life in heaven.

Here are some other ways to translate this phrase:

the cares of the life on earth
-or-
the worries of life (God’s Word)
-or-
the worries/concerns of daily living

In some languages, it may be more natural to use a verb here rather than the noun worries. For example:

but worrying about life,
-or-
but they are so worried about daily life

13:22d

the deceitfulness of wealth: The Greek word that the Berean Standard Bible translates as deceitfulness describes something that deceives, tricks, or fools someone. The word riches refers to wealth/money. Money deceives people into thinking that it will make them happy, but it does not. Money also deceives people so that they seek riches more than they seek ways to follow God.

Here are some other ways to translate this phrase:

lure of riches (New Jerusalem Bible)
-or-
seduction/enticement of money
-or-
the lie that wealth ⌊will make one happy⌋

In some languages, it is more natural to use a verb here rather than the noun deceitfulness. For example:

wealth lead him astray
-or-
they…are fooled by the desire to get rich (Contemporary English Version)

choke the word: The verb choke refers to the way that weeds and thorns crowd other plants and prevent them from growing normally. This same word occurs in 13:7b.

Here, this word is used metaphorically. It refers to the way that “the worries of this life and the deceitfulness of wealth” keep a person’s mind too busy to think about the message of God.

Here are some other ways to translate this phrase:

prevent the word ⌊of God⌋ from growing
-or-
crowd/press the message out ⌊of his mind⌋
-or-
cause him not to think about the message
-or-
overpower the word ⌊of God⌋ ⌊in their mind/thinking⌋

13:22e

and it becomes unfruitful: The word it refers back to “the word.” When the word of God is choked, it is made unfruitful. Like the grain plants that were crowded and did not produce a crop, the word of God was crowded out of this person’s mind/heart and did not “bear fruit.”

unfruitful: The word unfruitful means “not producing fruit.” In the New Testament, fruit is a metaphor for “doing good deeds/actions.” Here the word unfruitful refers to the word of God having no effect on the person’s life.

Here are some other ways you could translate this:

• Keep the metaphor of being unfruitful. For example:

the word becomes unfruitful
-or-
the word produces no fruit ⌊in that person’s life⌋

• Translate the meaning of the metaphor. For example:

there is no response ⌊in that person’s life⌋

-or-

and so they do not act and think according to God’s message

© 2023 by SIL International®
Made available under the terms of a Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 License (CC BY-SA) creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0.
All Scripture quotations in this publication, unless otherwise indicated, are from The Holy Bible, Berean Standard Bible.
BSB is produced in cooperation with Bible Hub, Discovery Bible, OpenBible.com, and the Berean Bible Translation Committee.