In British Sign Language it is translated with a sign that combines the signs for “tell-a-story” and “compare.” (Source: Anna Smith)
“Parable” in British Sign Language (source: Christian BSL, used with permission)
Scot McKnight (in The Second Testament, publ. 2023) translates it into English as analogy because “the Greek word has the sense of tossing down something alongside something else. Hence an analogy.”
Following are a number of back-translations of Matthew 13:35:
Uma: “From that, the word that was written by the prophet long ago was fulfilled: ‘I teach them with parables. I bring them teachings that were hidden from when the world was first created [lit., from the beginning of the creating of the world].'” (Source: Uma Back Translation)
Yakan: “Na, what one prophet had written in the holy-book was fulfilled, it said, ‘I speak in parables when I teach them. I tell them about what was not known since the world was created.'” (Source: Yakan Back Translation)
Western Bukidnon Manobo: “The reason he did this (inadvertently) is because that which was prophesied long ago by the inspired one of God is being fulfilled. It said, ‘I teach them parables. I relate to them that which was hidden long ago, beginning with the creation of the world, lasting until now.'” (Source: Western Bukidnon Manobo Back Translation)
Kankanaey: “That’s how he was teaching so that what God had-the prophet -say would be fulfilled saying, ‘Parables are what I will use to talk to them. I will tell them what was not made-known since (lit. beginning from) the creation of the world.'” (Source: Kankanaey Back Translation)
Tagbanwa: “His teaching was like that so that what was said by the prophets in the past would be fulfilled which was the word of God which said, ‘I will teach them wholly with illustrations. I will explain to them the things being hidden from the creation of the world.'” (Source: Tagbanwa Back Translation)
Tenango Otomi: “Thus he did because it was necessary to happen according to the word spoken by the spokesman for God who said: ‘I will seek to make comparisons in the word I speak to the people. I will tell the people the word which was not known since when the world was made,’ he said.” (Source: Tenango Otomi Back Translation)
Eugene Nida wrote the following about the translation of the Hebrew, Aramaic and Greek terms that are typically translated with “prophet” in English:
“The tendency in many translations is to use ‘to foretell the future’ for ‘prophesy,’ and ‘one who foretells the future’ for ‘prophet.’ This is not always a recommended usage, particularly if such expressions denote certain special native practices of spirit contact and control. It is true, of course, that prophets of the Bible did foretell the future, but this was not always their principal function. One essential significance of the Greek word prophētēs is ‘one who speaks forth,’ principally, of course, as a forth-teller of the Divine will. A translation such as ‘spokesman for God’ may often be employed profitably.” (1947, p. 234f.)
Following is a list of (back-) translations from other languages (click or tap for details):
Ayutla Mixtec: “one who talks as God’s representative”
Isthmus Mixe: “speaker for God” (source for this and two above: Viola Waterhouse in Notes on Translation August 1966, p. 86ff.)
Mezquital Otomi / Paasaal: “God’s messenger” (source: Waterhouse / Parrott in Notes on Translation October 1967, p. 1ff. and Fabian N. Dapila in The Bible Translator 2024, p. 415ff.)
Noongar: Warda Marridjiny or “News Traveling” (source: Warda-Kwabba Luke-Ang)
Kutu: mtula ndagu or “one who gives the prediction of the past and the future” (Source: Pioneer Bible Translators, project-specific translation notes in Paratext)
French 1985 translation by Chouraqui: inspiré or “inspired one” (“someone in whom God has breathed [Latin: in + spiro]) (source: Watson 2023, p. 45)
In Ixcatlán Mazatec a term is used that specifically includes women. (Source: Robert Bascom)
“In some instances these spiritual terms result from adaptations reflecting the native life and culture. Among the Northern Grebo people of Liberia, a missionary wanted some adequate term for ‘prophet,’ and she was fully aware that the native word for ‘soothsayer’ or ‘diviner’ was no equivalent for the Biblical prophet who spoke forth for God. Of course, much of what the prophets said referred to the future, and though this was an essential part of much of their ministry, it was by no means all. The right word for the Gbeapo people would have to include something which would not only mean the foretelling of important events but the proclamation of truth as God’s representative among the people. At last the right word came; it was ‘God’s town-crier.’ Every morning and evening the official representative of the chief goes through the village crying out the news, delivering the orders of the chief, and announcing important coming events. ‘God’s town-crier’ would be the official representative of God, announcing to the people God’s doings, His commands, and His pronouncements for their salvation and well-being. For the Northern Grebo people the prophet is no weird person from forgotten times; he is as real as the human, moving message of the plowman Amos, who became God’s town-crier to a calloused people.” (source: Nida 1952, p. 20)
In British Sign Language it is is translated with a sign that depicts a message coming from God to a person (the upright finger) and then being passed on to others. (Source: Anna Smith)
“Prophet” in British Sign Language (source: Christian BSL, used with permission)
This was to fulfil what was spoken by the prophet: see comments on 1.22. Here the sentence may be “He did this to make come true what the prophet said would happen.” The form used here is exactly the same as in 8.17, except there the prophet is identified as Isaiah. In fact some Greek manuscripts even include “by Isaiah the prophet” here. As TC-GNT indicates, its inclusion is obviously the more difficult wording, since the passage actually comes from Psalm 78.2 rather than from Isaiah. On the other hand, it is also possible that Isaiah’s name was inserted because he is the most famous of the Old Testament prophets. In light of the conflicting and difficult evidence, the UBS Greek text committee decided in favor of omitting the prophet’s name. But they rate this a “C” decision, indicating a considerable degree of doubt regarding the wording of the text.
It may be good in some languages to introduce the citation with “he said” or some similar marker of direct discourse.
I will open my mouth in parables makes use of the Semitic idiom “to open one’s mouth,” which means “to speak.” Thus it can be rendered as “I will speak in parables” or “I will use parables when I speak (to them).”
Utter (so also New English Bible) originally meant “belch” but later developed the meaning “proclaim” or “tell” (Good News Translation). Most modern English translations evidently prefer utter; Jerusalem Bible has “expound” and New American Bible “announce.” In the present context the verb is obviously used as a parallel to the verb “speak” of the first sentence. Other possible renderings of utter are “explain to them” or “teach them about.” Die Bibel im heutigen Deutsch translates the entire quotation as “I will speak in parables, only in parables will I uncover what has been hidden since the creation of the world.”
What has been hidden since the foundation of the world may be translated “things which God has not let people know since he created the world” or “things which people have never known before.”
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 .