The Parable of the Sower

The parable of The Parable of the Sower is illustrated for use in Bible translations in West Africa by Wycliffe Cameroon like this:

Illustration 1999 Mbaji Bawe Ernest, © Wycliffe Bible Translators, Inc. Used with permission.

The following artwork is part of a series of 56 paintings on biblical themes by Kazakh artist Nelly Bube (born 1949):

Copyright by Norwegian Bible Society , used with permission.

For other images of Nelly Bube in TIPs, see here.

sunrise, sunset

The Hebrew and Greek terms that is translated as “sunrise” and “sunset” or similar in English are translated in Chichewa as “sun coming out” and “sun entering.” The understanding is that the sun moves and that when it is evening it goes back where it belongs. (Source: Mawu a Mulungu mu Chichewa Chalero Back Translation)

See also periods of the night.

complete verse (Matthew 13:6)

Following are a number of back-translations of Matthew 13:6:

  • Uma: “When the sun got hot, it wilted till it was dry, because its roots were not deep.” (Source: Uma Back Translation)
  • Yakan: “When the sun was shining, immediately (the plants) drooped and because the roots were not deep, they withered.” (Source: Yakan Back Translation)
  • Western Bukidnon Manobo: “However when the sun shone, the plant quickly dried up because what its roots had penetrated was very shallow only.” (Source: Western Bukidnon Manobo Back Translation)
  • Kankanaey: “But when the sun became-high, they wilted and withered, because their roots were lacking.” (Source: Kankanaey Back Translation)
  • Tagbanwa: “But when the heat became scorching, they shrivelled, because there was nowhere they’d been able to put their roots down deep.” (Source: Tagbanwa Back Translation)
  • Tenango Otomi: “The roots did not go deep into the earth. When the sun came up, it burned the seeds which had sprouted.” (Source: Tenango Otomi Back Translation)

Translation commentary on Matthew 13:6

They were scorched indicates a brief time lapse between verses 5 and 6, for in this verse they no longer refers to the seeds of verse 5, but rather to “the young plants” (Good News Translation). Evidently the seeds sprout after the heat of the day, but the next day, when the sun comes out in full force again, the newly sprouted plants are scorched by the same heat that initially made the seeds sprout so quickly. In many languages it will be necessary to transform the Greek passive were scorched to an active with the agent expressed, as in Good News Translation; for example, “the sun scorched the young plants.”

As Revised Standard Version indicates, root is singular in Greek; however, a number of translations prefer the plural “roots” (Good News Translation, New American Bible, New Jerusalem Bible, Phillips). In many languages it will be necessary to render “because they did not have enough roots,” or “… long enough roots,” or “… the roots did not go deep enough,” since plants require some degree of root before they will sprout. Die Bibel im heutigen Deutsch restructures considerably but with the same impact: “because they did not have enough soil.”

They withered away is translated “the plants soon dried up” by Good News Translation.

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 13:6

13:6a

But: There is something unexpected here. The seeds sprouted quickly (13:5b), but the plants did not live long (13:6). The Berean Standard Bible indicates this unexpected event with the conjunction But.

In some languages, it may be more natural to use a different conjunction or a phrase here. For example:

Then

In other languages, no conjunction is necessary here. For example:

When the sun came up

when the sun rose: This clause refers to the hottest part of the day. This was some hours after sunrise. Here this clause does not refer to soon after sunrise. It may be necessary to make this explicit. For example:

when the sun rose ⌊high in the sky⌋
-or-
when the sun became hot

the seedlings were scorched: The word scorched also means “burned.” This word indicates that the heat from the sun caused the plants to become dry and brown.

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

• Use a passive verb. For example:

the plants were dried by the sun

• Use an active verb. For example:

the sun burned the plants

• Use another type of verb. For example:

the plants soon wilted (New Living Translation (2004))
-or-
the plants drooped

13:6b

they withered: The Greek verb that the Berean Standard Bible translates as withered means “became dry.” When a plant becomes dry, its leaves shrink and turn brown, and the plant dies.

Here are some other ways to translate this clause:

the plants dried up (New Century Version)
-or-
they died (New Living Translation (2004))
-or-
they withered/shriveled

because they had no root: The phrase had no root exaggerates the fact that the plants had few roots. The plants did not have deep enough roots to live under the hot sun. The roots could not grow down past the rock to find water. In some languages, it may be more natural not to exaggerate here. For example:

because they did not have deep roots (New Century Version)
-or-
since their roots could not go deep
-or-
they did not have enough roots

root: The word root is singular, but refers to any number of roots here. In some languages, it may be more natural to use the plural “roots” here.

General Comment on 13:6b

The clause “because they had no root” is the reason clause. The clause “they withered” is the result clause. In some languages, it may be more natural to change the order of these clauses. For example:

And since they had no root, they withered away. (English Standard Version)

-or-

and because the roots had not grown deep enough, the plants soon dried up. (Good News Translation)

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