complete verse (Matthew 14:18)

Following are a number of back-translations of Matthew 14:18:

  • Uma: “Yesus said: ‘Bring it here.'” (Source: Uma Back Translation)
  • Yakan: “Isa said, ‘Bring them here to me.'” (Source: Yakan Back Translation)
  • Western Bukidnon Manobo: “‘Bring it here,’ said Jesus.” (Source: Western Bukidnon Manobo Back Translation)
  • Kankanaey: “But then Jesus said, ‘Bring-it here.'” (Source: Kankanaey Back Translation)
  • Tagbanwa: “‘Bring them here to me,’ said Jesus.” (Source: Tagbanwa Back Translation)
  • Tenango Otomi: “Jesus said to his learners: ‘Give me the bread and the fish.'” (Source: Tenango Otomi Back Translation)

Honorary "are" construct denoting God ("say")

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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 Japanese shows different degree of politeness is through the usage of an honorific construction where the morpheme are (され) is affixed on the verb as shown here in the widely-used Japanese Shinkaiyaku (新改訳) Bible of 2017. This is particularly done with verbs that have God as the agent to show a deep sense of reverence. Here, iw-are-ru (言われる) or “say” is used.

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

Translation commentary on Matthew 14:18

And he said: Good News Translation identifies the pronoun he as Jesus (“Jesus said”).

It may be necessary in some languages to substitute a descriptive phrase for them: “the loaves of bread and the fish.”

In many languages indirect speech will be preferable, as in “Jesus told them to take (or, bring) the bread and fish to him.”

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 .