Like many languages (but unlike Greek or Hebrew or English), Tuvan uses a formal vs. informal 2nd person pronoun (a familiar vs. a respectful “you”). Unlike other languages that have this feature, however, the translators of the Tuvan Bible have attempted to be very consistent in using the different forms of address in every case a 2nd person pronoun has to be used in the translation of the biblical text.
As Voinov shows in Pronominal Theology in Translating the Gospels (in: The Bible Translator2002, p. 210ff. ), the choice to use either of the pronouns many times involved theological judgment. While the formal pronoun can signal personal distance or a social/power distance between the speaker and addressee, the informal pronoun can indicate familiarity or social/power equality between speaker and addressee.
Here, John addresses Herod with the informal pronoun, showing a lack of respect.
“John the Baptist” in Mexican Sign Language (source: BSLM )
In German Sign Language (Catholic) it is translated with the sign for the letter J and the sign signifying a Catholic baptism by sprinkling on the head.
In American Sign Language it is translated with the sign for the letter J and the sign signifying “shout,” referring to John 1:23. (Source: Ruth Anna Spooner, Ron Lawer)
“John” in American Sign Language, source: Deaf Harbor
In Vietnamese (Hanoi) Sign Language it is translated with the sign for leaping in the womb (see Luke 1:41) and baptism. (Source: The Vietnamese Sign Language translation team, VSLBT)
A question of cultural assumptions arose in Tuvan. The instinctive way to translate this name denotatively would be “John the Dipper,” but this would carry the highly misleading connotation that he drowned people. It was therefore decided that his label should focus on the other major aspect of his work, that is, proclaiming that the Messiah would soon succeed him. (Compare his title in Russian Orthodox translation “Иоанн Предтеча” — “John the Forerunner.”) So he became “John the Announcer,” which fortunately did not seem to give rise to any confusion with radio newsreaders! (Source: David Clark in The Bible Translator 2015, p. 117ff. )
In Noongar it is translated as John-Kakaloorniny or “John Washing” (source: Warda-Kwabba Luke-Ang).
A new oral translation into Yao / Ciyawo, spoken in Mozambique, uses John the one who ceremoniously washes/pours water, using a term (kusingula) that “indicates a ceremonial washing or pouring of water on a person in the Yawo’s expression of Islam which can be used for an act done in repentance of sin.” (Source: Houston 2025, p. 236)
Following is a Syriac Orthodox icon of John the Baptist from the 18/19th century (found in the Cathedral of Saints Constantine and Helen, Yabrud, Syria).
The wings are often depicted in icons of John the Baptist because of his status as a messenger. The scroll that John the Baptist holds quotes John 1:29 and reads (translated into English): “I saw and witnessed concerning him, ‘Behold the Lamb of God who takes away the sins of the world.’”
Orthodox Icons are not drawings or creations of imagination. They are in fact writings of things not of this world. Icons can represent our Lord Jesus Christ, the Virgin Mary, and the Saints. They can also represent the Holy Trinity, Angels, the Heavenly hosts, and even events. Orthodox icons, unlike Western pictures, change the perspective and form of the image so that it is not naturalistic. This is done so that we can look beyond appearances of the world, and instead look to the spiritual truth of the holy person or event. (Source )
The Greek that is translated as “lawful” in English is translated in a 1922 translation into Chagatai, a precursor language of both Uzbek and Uighur, with the Arabic loan word jayiz (جائز), meaning “permitted (because there is no prohibition by religion)” in an Islamic context. (Source: F. Erbay and F.N. Küçükballı in Acta Theologica 2025 45/2, p. 133ff. )
Following are a number of back-translations of Matthew 14:4:
Uma: “Like this the story of the death of Yohanes the Baptizer. King Herodes took/stole-away Herodias, the wife of his own relative/brother named Filipus. Many times Yohanes admonished/accosted Herodes for his behavior, he said to him: ‘You may not marry that woman! Your behavior transgresses the Law of Musa!’ Because of that, Herodes ordered his soldiers to catch/arrest Yohanes. They did catch him, tied him up and imprisoned him.” (Source: Uma Back Translation)
Yakan: “For Sultan Herod had commanded hep that Yahiya be arrested and bound and put in prison. It happened like this: Sultan Herod and his sister-in-law Herodiyas desired each other, and-what’s-more his younger brother Pilip, the husband of Herodiyas was still alive. So-then when they married (lit. became one) Yahiya scolded the sultan. Yahiya said to him, ‘It is not right/allowed that you are one with the wife of your brother. You are sinning.'” (Source: Yakan Back Translation)
Western Bukidnon Manobo: “The reason why John was killed was because he criticized Herod, saying, ‘You have broken the law because you married Herodias,’ he said. Herod was the brother-in-law of Herodias, because she was the spouse of his younger sibling Felipe and because of that criticism of John, Herod had him seized and put in prison. He would have killed John, but he was afraid of the Jews because they knew that John was inspired of God.” (Source: Western Bukidnon Manobo Back Translation)
Kankanaey: “Herod said this because of what had happened before. Because he had had Juan caught and had him imprisoned in-chains due to Juan’s having admonished/advised him. Because Herod, he had married his sister-in-law Herodias who was his younger-sibling Felipe’s wife. And Juan had repeatedly said that it was against the law that he marry her.” (Source: Kankanaey Back Translation)
Tagbanwa: “Because Juan was always saying to him, ‘It’s not acceptable/possible for you (pl.) to be living together, for it’s against the law to grab-for-yourself that sister-in-law of yours.'” (Source: Tagbanwa Back Translation)
Tenango Otomi: “This John had said to Herod: ‘It is not permitted that you live with your sister-in-law,’ he said to him.” (Source: Tenango Otomi Back Translation)
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®).
Many translators will begin a new sentence here, as we suggest in the above paragraph.
Said translates a Greek imperfect tense which draws attention to the continuation of the event in past time. Thus Good News Translation renders “For some time … had told” and Bibel im heutigen Deutsch, 1st edition “had repeatedly reproached (him).” To translate said may wrongly imply that this was a one-time event, done only on this occasion. “John had been saying” or “… had been telling Herod” will also indicate this action was repeated.
It is not lawful appeals to the teaching of Jewish religious law, which would not have permitted a man to marry his brother’s wife while the brother was still alive (see Lev 18.16; 20.21). Herod Antipas claimed to be a loyal Jew, and so it could be expected that the prophet John would speak out against what he had done. Since John’s argument is based upon the commands of the Jewish Law, one may translate “Our (Jewish) Law does not permit…” or “Our Jewish religion does not allow us to….”
For you to have her means “for you to marry her” (Die Bibel im heutigen Deutsch) or “for you to be married to Herodias” (Good News Translation). Some languages will prefer that a shift be made to indirect discourse: “because John had told him that he had no right to marry her” (Barclay). Translators should be careful not to use an expression which may mean simply to commit adultery or sleep with her.
Note our discussion in the previous verse of possible ways to restructure this passage.
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 .
.jpg){kind=link}
Leave a Reply
You must be logged in to post a comment.