The Greek that is translated as “goes out into the sewer” is translated in Kuku-Yalanji as “doesn’t stay there” and in Chipaya as “it goes to the outside.” (Source: B. Moore / G. Turner in Notes on Translation 1967, p. 1ff.)
complete verse (Matthew 15:17)
Following are a number of back-translations of Matthew 15:17:
- Uma: “The food that enters into our (incl.) mouths continues into our (incl.) stomachs and from there is immediately thrown-away. That is not what makes us (incl.) evil in the sight of God.” (Source: Uma Back Translation)
- Yakan: “Do you not understand that whatever food enters the mouth goes into the stomach and then goes out?” (Source: Yakan Back Translation)
- Western Bukidnon Manobo: “Don’t you think that what we put in our mouths goes into our stomachs and from there goes on out of our bodies? That’s not what displeases God.” (Source: Western Bukidnon Manobo Back Translation)
- Kankanaey: “Don’t you know that what a person causes-to-enter his mouth, it goes to his stomach and them comes-out?” (Source: Kankanaey Back Translation)
- Tagbanwa: “Don’t you know that whatever goes into the mouth, where it goes to is the abdomen/bowels, and then it exits.” (Source: Tagbanwa Back Translation)
- Tenango Otomi: “Don’t you know that concerning all the things a person eats, it goes to the inside of the person and then afterwards is passed out?” (Source: Tenango Otomi Back Translation)
formal pronoun: Jesus addressing his disciples and common people
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 Translator 2002, 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, Jesus is addressing his disciples, individuals and/or crowds with the formal pronoun, showing respect.
In most Dutch translations, Jesus addresses his disciples and common people with the informal pronoun, whereas they address him with the formal form.