23But as for what was sown on good soil, this is the one who hears the word and understands it, who indeed bears fruit and yields in one case a hundredfold, in another sixty, and in another thirty.”
Many languages use a “body part tally system” where body parts function as numerals (see body part tally systems with a description). One such language is Ngalum that uses a system that ends at the number 27 but can be extended. To clarify, the Ngalum translators have in some cases combined the traditional system with a numeric system.
“60,” for instance is translated as deng lao topa bangupnen tep, 60 “round two add wrist like, 60′ (one round, or deng is 27 in Ngalum, so two rounds — lao — is 54, plus — topa — bangup, that is “wrist” or “six” makes 60).
Likewise for the numbers 30 and 100 in these verses.
Source: Lourens de Vries in A survey of the history of Bible translation in Indonesia, Beekman Lecture 2013.
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.”
Following are a number of back-translations of Matthew 13:23:
Uma: “‘The seed that fell in the fertile [fat] ground stands-for people who hear the Word of God and really think-about/in-heart it. In those people the Word of God really fruits. There are those who fruit a little, there are those who fruit much, there are those who fruit very much.'” (Source: Uma Back Translation)
Yakan: “And what was broadcasted in the good soil is a figure of the people who hear the message of God and believe it. In the figure of plants, the message of God which they heard produces fruit in their livers. Some have very much fruit, some have much and others have enough/just right.'” (Source: Yakan Back Translation)
Western Bukidnon Manobo: “And that which was planted which falls on the good soil, it refers to the people who listen to the word of God,and they understand it, and it gains its end in them. For some it gains its end in a small way, for others it gains its end in a larger way, and for some it gains its end in a very large way.'” (Source: Western Bukidnon Manobo Back Translation)
Kankanaey: “As for what fell on the good soil, those are the ones who hear the word of God while-simultaneously also they understand it, and the word has results in their lives. Some have many results, some have a-moderate-number, and some also have little.'” (Source: Kankanaey Back Translation)
Tagbanwa: “But this one, this which is meant by good ground which is scattered on, these people listen and understand this truth. Well since they really take it to heart (lit. store it well in their heads), that’s why their(emphatic) believing bears fruit, like these full-headed grain-stalks with a hundred, sixty or thirty grains in each (head).'” (Source: Tagbanwa Back Translation)
Tenango Otomi: “But other people are compared with the good earth where the seeds landed. When they heard the words they understood about the word. It did them good in hearing the word. And some of those overflowingly the word they heard did them good.” (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®).
Note that as in verse 22, As for puts the focus on the seed. Therefore another way the sentence can be rendered is “As for the seed that was scattered on the good soil, that is like what happens when a person hears the word and understands it….”
What was sown on good soil pertains to the seeds of verse 8 (Good News Translation “the seeds sown in the good soil”). For good soil, see Matthew 13.8.
This is, an equational marker indicating a metaphor, is altered to a simile by Good News Translation through the rendering “stand for” (see also verse 19). Die Bibel im heutigen Deutsch translates “with others it eventually ends up like the seed which was sown on good ground.” Barclay translates “The picture of the seed which was sown on the good ground represents the man who hears the word and understands it.” Barclay also structures the last sentence of this verse in such a manner as to retain “the man” as the subject and at the same time to indicate clearly that a hundredfold … sixty … thirty are references to the original amount of seed placed on the soil: “He indeed bears a crop which produces sometimes a hundred times, sometimes sixty times, sometimes thirty times as much as he received.”
The idea of a person bearing fruit can be difficult for many readers. Translators generally find that using similes is very helpful, as in “he will do many good things, just like the seeds that produced plants with one hundred or sixty or thirty grains” (see Matthew 13.8 for the appropriate plant language) or “his life will become like the seeds that produced plants that had one hundred or sixty or thirty seeds each.” But see also the Barclay example cited above.
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 .
But the seed sown on good soil: This clause refers to what happened when some seed fell on good ground. 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 on good soil is this:
• Use an active verb. For example:
As for the seeds that ⌊the farmer⌋ planted on good soil, that is like
• Use another type of verb. For example:
As for the good soil where some seeds fell, that is like
This clause is similar to 13:20a and 13:22a. You should translate it in a similar way.
sown: This same word occurs in 13:19d, 13:20a and 13:22a. But here the seed was sown on the good soil on purpose. You may want to:
• Be consistent and use the same term here as in 13:19d, 13:20a and 13:22a.
• Indicate that the seed was sown here on purpose, and so use the term for “sow” that you used in 13:4a.
good soil: This phrase refers to the kind of soil in which plants grow well.
Here is another way to translate this:
fertile soil
This same phrase occurs in 13:8a.
13:23b
is the one who hears the word and understands it: This clause is very similar to 13:20b and 13:22b. The only difference is the added phrase and understands it.
is: The word is indicates a comparison. It means “the situation in 13:23a represents….” In other words, sowing in good soil “is like” or “represents” someone who hears the word and understands it. For example:
represents (New Living Translation (2004))
-or-
stand for (Good News Translation)
the one who hears the word and understands it: 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:
those who hear the message and understand it (Good News Translation)
-or-
those who truly hear and understand God’s word (New Living Translation (2004))
13:23c
He indeed: The Greek word that the Berean Standard Bible translates as indeed is a weak marker of emphasis. Here it emphasizes that among all the soils on which seed fell, the good soil is the only one that bears fruit.
Here are some other ways to translate this phrase:
He is the one who
-or-
he does bear fruit
Most English versions do not translate this word.
bears fruit: The verb bears describes what a plant or tree does when it develops grain or fruit. Notice that here Jesus kept the metaphor in his explanation.
This verb has the opposite meaning of “unfruitful” in 13:22e. Also see how you translated the similar phrase “produced a crop” in 13:8a.
Here are some other ways to translate this phrase:
• Translate the metaphor in a natural way in your language. For example:
produces crops (God’s Word)
• Translate the metaphor as a simile. For example:
⌊the message has results in their lives like a plant⌋ producing a crop
13:23d
and produces a crop—a hundredfold, sixtyfold, or thirtyfold: The Greek text is more literally “this one produces a hundred, and another sixty and another thirty.” This phrase continues the metaphor of the plants producing a harvest. This phrase is similar to 13:8b.
Here the singular “one” represents a group of people. Some people do many good deeds and they are like a plant that produces one hundred seeds of grain. Other people’s good deeds are like sixty seeds of grain. Still other people’s good deeds are like thirty seeds of grain.
Here are some other ways to translate this phrase:
• Translate the metaphor in a natural way in your language. For example:
produces ⌊fruit/grain⌋, some produce a hundred ⌊grains⌋, some sixty ⌊grains⌋, and some thirty
• Translate the metaphor as a simile. For example:
⌊some people’s good deeds are like a plant⌋ bearing a hundred ⌊seeds⌋, other ⌊people are like a plant that bears⌋ sixty ⌊seeds⌋ other ⌊people are like a plant that bears⌋ thirty ⌊seeds⌋
a hundredfold, sixtyfold, or thirtyfold: For advice on translating these numbers, see the note at 13:8b.
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