Matthew 15:21-28 in Mexican Sign Language

Following is the translation of Matthew 15:21-28 (“The Canaanite Woman’s Faith”) into Mexican Sign Language with glosses (labels for signs) and a back-translation underneath:


© La Biblia en LSM / La Palabra de Dios

Glosas y retrotraducciones en español (haga clic o pulse aquí)

(v. 21)
glosas: JESÚS SALIR CL:índice-dirigió-de-allí ARRIBAR COLONIA LUGAR TIRO Y SIDÓN, ENTRAR.

trad 1: Jesús salió y llegó a lugares (comunidad, región) llamada Tiro y a Sidón
trad 2: Jesús salió, se digirió a la región (de) Tiro y Sidón; arribó y entró (a la región).

(v. 22)
glosas: ALLÁ MUJER VIVIR COLONIA, SU FAMILIA ORIGINAL ANTEPASADO+++ REGIÓN CANAÁN. ESO
MISMO MUJER, SALIR CL:1-ir-triste MIRA(descubre) JESÚS 2-CLAMA FUERTE: ¡SEÑOR SUYO FAMILIA DAVID TRADICIÓN LO-MISMO JESÚS, MI HIJA MUJER GRAVEMENTE FUERTE SUFRIR HAY ADENTRO DEMONIO, TÚ SENTIR(misericordia) AYUDARME++ FAVOR(ruego)++++.

trad 1: Allí una mujer nativa de esa región cananea salió y al ver a Jesús gritó muy fuerte diciendo “¡¡¡Señor!!! Descendiente del (Rey) David (hijo de David) mi hija está sufriendo tiene un demonio
ayúdame (ten misericordia)”.
trad 2: Una mujer que vivía allí, cuya familia era de origen Cananea, salió (caminando con mucha tristeza) y al verle a Jesús gritó muy fuerte (diciendo) “¡Señor, descendiente del (Rey) David! Mi hija está grave, sufre mucho (lit. fuerte sufrimiento), tiene (un) demonio dentro (de ella). ¡Ten misericordia y ayúdame! ¡Por favor, por favor, por favor, por favor”!

(v. 23)
glosas: JESÚS VOLTEAR-VER(dur) RESPUESTA NADA SILENCIO APAGAR. / ELLOS DISCÍPULOS CL:5-acercarse-1(molesta) OYE JESÚS, ELLA MUJER 2-GRITA++ A-TI INSISTIR NOSOTROS CL:5-5-viendo-molesto PEDIR ROGARON(favor) TÚ DICE DESPÍDELA-VETE++++.

trad 1: Jesús no le dio respuesta alguna, se quedó callado, sus discípulos se acercaron a Jesús y le pidieron que le dijera a la mujer que se fuera pues iba detrás de ellos gritando, dando voces y todo mundo le volteaba a ver.
trad 2: Jesús se volvió para verla, (pero) no le dio respuesta, se quedó callado. Los discípulos, (que estaban molestos) se acercaron y le dijeron “Jesús, esa mujer sigue gritando y te está insistiendo. Nosotros (seguimos) volteando a verla. Te pedimos, por favor dile ‘¡Fuera! ¡Largo! ¡Vete de aquí’”!

(v. 24)
glosas: JESÚS CL:ver-volver-gesto-comprender OYE YO DICE(a mujer): COLONIA PERSONA JUDÍOS COMUNIDAD ELLOS COMO PARECE PARECIDO OVEJAS PERDER CL:5-5-dispersar-perder+++, DIOS MANDAR ENVIAR YO CL:1-venir AYUDAR 2-VEN++ SOLO COMUNIDAD.

trad 1: Jesús desvió la mirada de los discípulos hacia ella y le dijo, “Dios me envió a las ovejas perdidas (pecadores) del pueblo de Israel”.
trad 2: Jesús los vio (a sus discípulos) y volvió su vista (hacia ella y delicadamente le dijo) “Yo te digo, las personas judías son parecidas a ovejas perdidas que se han dispersado. Dios me ha enviado, he venido a ayudarles y a llamarles para que vengan, sola (a esa) comunidad”.

(v. 25)
glosas: PERO ELLA MUJER VER CL:1-acercarse-1-Jesús ARRODILLAR OYE(arriba) ¡SEÑOR POR-FAVOR AYUDARME(socórreme)+++!

trad 1: Entonces la mujer se acercó a Jesús y se hinco frente a Él y le pidió “Señor, ayúdame por favor, ayúdame”.
trad. 2 Pero la mujer quedó mirándolo, se acercó (a Jesús), se arrodilló (y le pidió) “Señor, ayúdame por favor, ayúdame”.

(v. 26)
glosas: JESÚS VER-abajo(misericordia) OYE EJEMPLO MESA NIÑOS CL:sentados-alrededor PAN COMERdur. PAPÁ 1-venir QUITAR PAN TOMAR DAR-MUA PERRO CHICO CL:abrir-boca-morder COMER. ¿TÚ PENSAR BIEN? NO+++//.

trad 1: Jesús le respondió “no es correcto que el pan de los hijos el padre se los quite de la mesa y se los dé a los perros chiquitos”.
trad 2: Jesús la vio (con misericordia y respondió): “Oye, por ejemplo: los niños están sentados alrededor de una mesa comiendo pan y el padre se acerca a ellos y les quita el pan, arrancándolo y dándolo al perrito (o los perritos) para comer. ¿Piensas (que esto sería) bueno? (Pues) no”.

(v. 27)
glosas: MUJER VERarriba “SEÑOR SÍ++, TÚ TIENES RAZÓN. PERO EJEMPLO HOMBRE DUEÑO SUYO PERRO CHICO, MESA NIÑOS CL:sentados-alrededor PAN COMERdur, OCURRIR FALLA PAN CL:comida-caer-al-piso+++, PERRO CHICO CL:perrito-patas-animal-mover(der,izq) MORDER+++ COMER.” Palma(misericordia) //

trad 1: La mujer le dijo “Señor, estando comiendo los hijos en la mesa, si se caen pedazos de pan al piso el perro del dueño de allí come”.
trad 2: La mujer le vio (y le dijo) “Señor, sí, tienes razón. Pero, por ejemplo, los niños están sentados alrededor de la mesa comiendo pan, si por casualidad trozos de pan caen al suelo, el perrito del hombre corre a comérselos” (y ella siguió mirándole, suplicando en silencio misericordia).

(v. 28) glosas: JESÚS VER(admirar) OYE MUJER ¡HUY GRANDE FE! ¡TÚ PEDIR-ME YO HACER!/// MISMO-INSTANTE TIEMPO ALLÍ HIJA DENTRO DEMONIO CL:salir-de-persona-postrada PIRARSE. HIJA gesto-aliviar ALIVIAR(rápido) SANO.

trad 1: Jesús le respondió “mujer tu fe es grande y lo que me pides eso voy a hacer” y en ese instante su hija era liberada del demonio y su hija quedó sana al momento.
trad 2: Jesús la vio (con admiración y le dijo) “Mujer, ¡grande es (tu) fe! He hecho lo que me pediste”. Al mismo tiempo, el demonio (que estaba) dentro de su hija salió y se fue. (De inmediato su) hija se alivió (y quedó) sana.

Glosas preparadas por Alfredo González Yáñez (traductor sordo)
Traducción 1 por Fidel Montemayor Zetina
Traducción 2 por Shelley Dufoe

glosses (v. 21) (click or tap here)

JESUS GO-OUT CL:index-windy-path-from-there ARRIVE AREA/REGION PLACE TYRE AND SIDON, ENTER.

translation: Jesus went out, (headed towards), arrived at and entered the region of Tyre and Sidon.

glosses (v. 22) (click or tap here)

THERE WOMAN LIVE AREA/REGION, POSS-3 FAMILY ORIGINAL ANCESTOR+++ REGION CANAAN. THAT THE-SAME-ONE WOMAN, LEAVE/GO-OUT CL:1-go-sadly SPOT(discover) JESUS SHOUT STRONG: LORD POSS-2 FAMILY DAVID TRADITION/MANY-GENERATIONS THE-SAME-ONE JESUS, POSS-1 CHILD/OFFSPRING FEMALE GRAVELY-ILL STRONG SUFFER HAVE INSIDE DEMON, INDEX-2 FEEL(compassion) YOU-HELP-ME++ PLEASE(pleading)++++.

translation: A woman (who) lived in the area, whose family was of Canaanite origin, went out (walking sadly). She spotted Jesus and loudly shouted “Lord, descendent of (King) David! My daughter is gravely ill and suffering a lot, she has a demon inside (her). Feel compassion and help me! Help me! Please, please, please, please!”

glosses (v. 23) (click or tap here)

JESUS TURN-LOOK(woman, dur) RESPOND NOTHING SILENT SWITCHED-OFF. / INDEX-3pl(left) DISCIPLES CL:5-approach-1(upset) HEY JESUS, INDEX-3 WOMAN 2-SHOUT++ TO-INDEX-2 INSIST INDEX-2pl-excl. CL:5-5-multitud-turn-look(upset) REQUEST PLEASE INDEX-2 TELL-HER GO-AWAY++++.

translation: Jesus turned and observed the woman, without responding, he remained silent. The disciples (who were upset) approached him and said “Jesus, that woman continues to shout and insist. We (keep) turning around to look at her. We ask you to please tell her ‘Go away, leave, get out of here, shoo!’”

glosses (v. 24) (click or tap here)

JESUS LOOK(disciples, dur)-TURN-LOOK(to-woman) HEY INDEX-1 TELL-YOU(to the woman): COLONY PEOPLE JEWISH COMMUNITY INDEX-3pl LIKE SEEM SIMILAR SHEEP LOST CL:5-5-disperse+++, GOD ORDER SEND INDEX-1 CL:1-come HELP 2-COME-HERE++, ONLY COMMUNITY.

translation: Jesus looked (at his disciples, then turned his gaze towards the woman, and gently told her), “I tell you, Jewish people are like lost sheep that have scattered. God has sent me, I have come to help them and call them to come, only (that) community.”

glosses (v. 25) (click or tap here)

BUT INDEX-3 WOMAN LOOK CL:1-approach-1(Jesus) KNEEL HEY LORD PLEASE YOU-HELP-ME+++!

translation: But the woman looked at him, approached him, knelt (and pleaded) “Lord, please help me, help me, help me!”

glosses (v. 26) (click or tap here)

JESUS LOOK-DOWN(mercy) HEY EXAMPLE TABLE CHILDREN CL:sitting-in-circle BREAD EATdur. DAD CL:1-come TAKE-AWAY BREAD GRAB GIVE-TO DOG LITTLE-ANIMAL open-mouth-bite EAT. YOU THINK GOOD? NO+++ //.

translation: Jesus looked down at her (with compassion and responded) “For example: the children are sitting around a table eating bread and the dad approaches them and takes away the bread, grabbing it and giving it to the little dog(s) to eat. Do you think (that would be) good? No.”

glosses (v. 27) (click or tap here)

WOMAN LOOK-UP “LORD YES++, INDEX-2 HAVE REASON. BUT EXAMPLE MAN OWNER POSS-3 DOG LITTLE-ANIMAL, TABLE CHILDREN CL:sitting-in-cirle BREAD EATdur, OCCURRENCE FAIL/ERROR BREAD CL:food-fall-to-ground DOG LITTLE-ANIMAL CL:dog-paws-move(right, left) BITE/CHEW+++ EAT.” Palms(mercy) //

translation: The woman looked up (at him and said) “Lord, yes, you’re right. But, for example, the children are sitting around a table eating bread and if scraps happen to fall to the floor, the man’s little dog scurries to eat them,” (and she continued looking at him, silently pleading for mercy).

glosses (v. 28) (click or tap here)

JESUS LOOK-AT(admiration) HEY WOMAN WOW GREAT/LARGE FAITH! INDEX-2 ASK-ME INDEX-1 DO!/// THE-SAME TIME WAY-OVER-THERE CHILD/OFFSPRING FEMALE INSIDE-OF DEMON CL:come-out-of-prone-person LEAVE-QUICKLY. CHILD/OFFSPRING gesture-feel-better FEEL-BETTER(quickly) HEAL/HEALTHY.

translation : Jesus looked at her (with admiration and told her) “Woman, (you have) great faith! You asked me, and I have done it. At that same moment, over there the demon (that was) inside her daughter quickly came out and left, and her daughter was instantly healed.

English glosses and back-translation by Shelley Dufoe

See also Mark 7:24b – 30 in Mexican Sign Language.

See also Sign Language Bible Translations Have Something to Say to Hearing Christians .

possessed by a demon

The Greek that is translated as “possessed by a demon” in English is translated in Matumbi in two ways. Either as mundu mwene moka / “having a demon” or bandu babalobi moka / “being acdrunk with a demon.” (Source: Pioneer Bible Translators, project-specific notes in Paratext)

mercy

The Hebrew, Aramaic, Greek, and Latin terms that are typically translated as “mercy” (or “compassion” or “kindness”) in English are translated in various ways. Bratcher / Nida classify them in (1) those based on the quality of heart, or other psychological center, (2) those which introduce the concept of weeping or extreme sorrow, (3) those which involve willingness to look upon and recognize the condition of others, or (4) those which involve a variety of intense feelings.

While the English mercy originates from the Latin merces, originally “price paid,” Romance languages (Italian, Spanish, Corsican, Catalan) and other Germanic languages (German, Swedish, DanishBarmherzigkeit, barmhärtighet and barmhjertighed, respectively) tend to follow the Latin misericordia, lit. “misery-heart.”

Here are some other (back-) translations:

See also steadfast love.

complete verse (Matthew 15:22)

Following are a number of back-translations of Matthew 15:22:

  • Uma: “There was a Kanaan woman, she was not a Yahudi person. That woman came to Yesus continually calling, she said: ‘Lord, descendant of King Daud! Have pity on me! My daughter is possessed [lit., ridden] by a demon, she is no longer in-good-shape/coherent at all.'” (Source: Uma Back Translation)
  • Yakan: “There was a woman of the tribe Kana’an who lived in that place. She went to Isa and she called, ‘O Sir, descendant of Da’ud, have pity/mercy on me because my little daughter is demon possessed and she is really hard pressed by the demon.'” (Source: Yakan Back Translation)
  • Western Bukidnon Manobo: “And there was there a woman living who was from Canaan. She came to meet Jesus because she will beg. She said, ‘Oh Chief, descendant of King David long ago, pity me because I have a daughter who is tormented greatly because she is afflicted with a demon.'” (Source: Western Bukidnon Manobo Back Translation)
  • Kankanaey: “There was a woman who was a Gentile who lived there. She approached Jesus and repeatedly shouted, ‘Lord, descendant of David, have-mercy please (strongest request)! Because my child who is a young-lady whom a demon possessed is being extremely hardshipped.'” (Source: Kankanaey Back Translation)
  • Tagbanwa: “There was a woman from there who wasn’t a Judio who came to Jesus for help. On her arrival, she spoke loudly, saying, ‘Lord, who is a descendant of king David, please pity me! For my daughter is possessed by an evil spirit. She is really having a very hard time.'” (Source: Tagbanwa Back Translation)
  • Tenango Otomi: “There at the town Jesus arrived at, there lived a woman who wasn’t a Jew, she was from the land of Canaan. The woman went and said to him loudly: ‘Listen Lord, you the descendant of David, have pity on me. My daughter walks with an evil spirit. She is very much oppressed, please heal her,’ she said.” (Source: Tenango Otomi Back Translation)

demon

The Hebrew and Greek that is typically translated/transliterated in English as “demon” is translated in Central Mazahua as “the evil spirit(s) of the devil” (source: Ellis Deibler in Notes on Translation July, 1967, p. 5ff.).

In Sissala it is translated with kaŋtɔŋ, which traditionally referred to “either a spirit of natural phenomena such as trees, rivers, stones, etc., or the spirit of a deceased person that has not been taken into the realm of the dead. Kaŋtɔŋ can be good or evil. Evil kaŋtɔŋ can bring much harm to people and are feared accordingly. A kaŋtɔŋ can also dwell in a person living on this earth. A person possessed by kaŋtɔŋ does not behave normally.” (Source: Regina Blass in Holzhausen 1991, p. 48f.)

In Umiray Dumaget Agta it is translated as hayup or “creature, animal, general term for any non-human creature, whether natural or supernatural.” Thomas Headland (in: Notes on Translation, September 1971, p. 17ff.) explains some more: “There are several types of supernatural creatures, or spirit beings which are designated by the generic term hayup. Just as we have several terms in English for various spirit beings (elves, fairies, goblins, demons, imps, pixies) so have the Dumagats. And just as you will find vast disagreement and vagueness among English informants as to the differences between pixies and imps, etc., so you will find that no two Dumagats will agree as to the form and function of their different spirit beings.” This term can also be used in a verb form: hayupen: “creatured” or “to be killed, made sick, or crazy by a spirit.”

In Yala it is translated as yapri̍ija ɔdwɔ̄bi̍ or “bad Yaprija.” Yaprijas are traditional spirits that have a range presumed activities including giving or withholding gifts, giving and protecting children, causing death and disease and rewarding good behavior. (Source: Eugene Bunkowske in Notes on Translation 78/1980, p. 36ff.)

In Lamnso’ it is translated as aànyùyi jívirì: “lesser gods who disturb, bother, pester, or confuse a person.” (Source: Fanwong 2013, p. 93)

In Paasaal it is translated as gyɩŋbɔmɔ, “beings that are in the wild and can only be seen when they choose to reveal themselves to certain people. They can ‘capture’ humans and keep them in hiding while they train the person in herbalism and divination. After the training period, which can range from a week to many years, the ‘captured’ individual is released to go back into society as a healer and a diviner. The gyɩŋbɔmɔ can also be evil, striking humans with mental diseases and causing individuals to get lost in the wild. The Pasaale worldview about demons is like that of others of the language groups in the area, including the Northern Dagara [who use kɔ̃tɔmɛ with a similar meaning].” (Source: Fabian N. Dapila in The Bible Translator 2024, p. 415ff.)

In the still widely-used 1908 Tswana (also: Setswana) translation (by Robert Moffat, revised by Alfred Wookey), the term badino or “ancestor spirit” is used for “demon,” even though in the traditional understanding there is nothing inherently negative associated with that term. Musa Dube (in: Journal of Society of New Testament 73, 1999, p. 33ff. ) describes this as an example of “engaging in the colonization of the minds of natives and for advancing European imperial spaces. The death and burial of Setswana culture here was primarily championed through the colonization of their language such that it no longer served the interests of the original speakers. Instead the written form of language had equated their cultural beliefs with evil spirits, demons and wizardry. This colonization of Setswana was in itself the planting of a colonial cultural bomb, meant to clear the ground for the implantation of a worldwide Christian commonwealth and European consciousness. It was a minefield that marked Setswana cultural spaces as dangerous death zones, to be avoided by every intelligent Motswana reader or hearer of the translated text.”

In Kachin, the term Nat (or nat) us used for “demon” (as well as “devil” and “unclean/evil spirit“). Like in Tswana, the meaning of Nat is not inherently negative but can be positive in the traditional Nat worship as well. Naw Din Dumdaw (in The Bible Translator 2024, p. 94ff.) argues that “the demonization of Nat created a social conflict between Kachin Christians and Kachin non-Christians. Kachin converts began to perceive their fellow Kachins who were still worshipping Nats as demonic and they wanted to distance themselves from them. Likewise, the Nat-worshiping Kachin community perceived the Kachin converts as betrayers and enemies of their own cultural heritage. (…) The demonization of the word Nat was not only the demonization of the pre-Christian religion but also the demonization of the cultural heritage of the Kachin people. When the word Nat is perceived as demonic, it creates an existential dilemma for Kachin Christians. It distances them from their cultural traditions.”

See also devil and formal pronoun: demons or Satan addressing Jesus.

Lord

The Hebrew adonai in the Old Testament typically refers to God. The shorter adon (and in two cases in the book of Daniel the Aramaic mare [מָרֵא]) is also used to refer to God but more often for concepts like “master,” “owner,” etc. In English Bible translations all of those are translated with “Lord” if they refer to God.

In English Old Testament translations, as in Old Testament translations in many other languages, the use of Lord (or an equivalent term in other languages) is not to be confused with Lord (or the equivalent term with a different typographical display for other languages). While the former translates adonai, adon and mare, the latter is a translation for the tetragrammaton (YHWH) or the Name of God. See tetragrammaton (YHWH) and the article by Andy Warren-Rothlin in Noss / Houser, p. 618ff. for more information.

In the New Testament, the Greek term kurios has at least four different kinds of use:

  • referring to “God,” especially in Old Testament quotations,
  • meaning “master” or “owner,” especially in parables, etc.,
  • as a form of address (see for instance John 4:11: “Sir, you have no bucket”),
  • or, most often, referring to Jesus

In the first and fourth case, it is also translated as “Lord” in English.

Most languages naturally don’t have one word that covers all these meanings. According to Bratcher / Nida, “the alternatives are usually (1) a term which is an honorific title of respect for a high-ranking person and (2) a word meaning ‘boss’, ‘master’, or ‘chief.’ (…) and on the whole it has generally seemed better to employ a word of the second category, in order to emphasize the immediate personal relationship, and then by context to build into the word the prestigeful character, since its very association with Jesus Christ will tend to accomplish this purpose.”

When looking at the following list of back-translations of the terms that translators in the different languages have used for both kurios and adonai to refer to God and Jesus respectively, it might be helpful for English readers to recall the etymology of the English “Lord.” While this term might have gained an exalted meaning in the understanding of many, it actually comes from hlaford or “loaf-ward,” referring to the lord of the castle who was the keeper of the bread (source: Rosin 1956, p. 121).

Click or tap here to see the rest of this insight

Following are some of the solutions that don’t rely on a different typographical display (see above):

  • Navajo: “the one who has charge”
  • Mossi: “the one who has the head” (the leader)
  • Uduk: “chief”
  • Guerrero Amuzgo: “the one who commands”
  • Kpelle: “person-owner” (a term which may be applied to a chief)
  • Central Pame: “the one who owns us” (or “commands us”)
  • Piro: “the big one” (used commonly of one in authority)
  • San Blas Kuna: “the great one over all” (source for this and above: Bratcher / Nida)
  • Guhu-Samane: Soopara (“our Supervisor”) (source: Ellis Deibler in Notes on Translation July, 1967, p. 5ff.)
  • Balinese: “Venerated-one” (source: Reiling / Swellengrebel)
  • Yanesha’: “the one who carries us” (source: Nida 1952, p. 159)
  • Northern Emberá: Dadjirã Boro (“our Head”)
  • Rarotongan: Atu (“master or owner of a property”)
  • Gilbertese: Uea (“a person of high status invested with authority to rule the people”)
  • Rotuman: Gagaja (“village chief”)
  • Samoan: Ali’i (“an important word in the native culture, it derives from the Samoan understanding of lordship based on the local traditions”)
  • Tahitian: Fatu (“owner,” “master”)
  • Tuvalu: Te Aliki (“chief”)
  • Fijian: Liuliu (“leader”) (source for this and six above: Joseph Hong in The Bible Translator 1994, p. 329ff. )
  • Bacama: Həmə miye: “owner of people” (source: David Frank in this blog post )
  • Hopi: “Controller” (source: Walls 2000, p. 139)
  • Iyansi: Mwol. Mwol is traditionally used for the “chief of a group of communities and villages” with legal, temporal, and spiritual authority (versus the “mfum [the term used in other Bantu languages] which is used for the chief of one community of people in one village”). Mwol is also used for twins who are “treated as special children, highly honored, and taken care of like kings and queens.” (Source: Kividi Kikama in Greed / Kruger, p. 396ff.)
  • Ghomala’: Cyəpɔ (“he who is above everyone,” consisting of the verb cyə — to surpass or go beyond — and — referring to people. No human can claim this attribute, no matter what his or her social status or prestige.” (Source: Michel Kenmogne in Theologizing in Context: An Example from the Study of a Ghomala’ Christian Hymn )
  • Binumarien: Karaambaia: “fight-leader” (Source: Oates 1995, p. 255)
  • Warlpiri: Warlaljamarri (owner or possessor of something — for more information tap or click here)

    We have come to rely on another term which emphasizes God’s essential nature as YHWH, namely jukurrarnu (see tetragrammaton (YHWH)). This word is built on the same root jukurr– as is jukurrpa, ‘dreaming.’ Its basic meaning is ‘timelessness’ and it is used to describe physical features of the land which are viewed as always being there. Some speakers view jukurrarnu in terms of ‘history.’ In all Genesis references to YHWH we have used Kaatu Jukurrarnu. In all Mark passages where kurios refers to God and not specifically to Christ we have also used Kaatu Jukurrarnu.

    New Testament references to Christ as kurios are handled differently. At one stage we experimented with the term Watirirririrri which refers to a ceremonial boss of highest rank who has the authority to instigate ceremonies. While adequately conveying the sense of Christ’s authority, there remained potential negative connotations relating to Warlpiri ceremonial life of which we might be unaware.

    Here it is that the Holy Spirit led us to make a chance discovery. Transcribing the personal testimony of the local Warlpiri pastor, I noticed that he described how ‘my Warlaljamarri called and embraced me (to the faith)’. Warlaljamarri is based on the root warlalja which means variously ‘family, possessions, belongingness’. A warlaljamarri is the ‘owner’ or ‘possessor’ of something. While previously being aware of the ‘ownership’ aspect of warlaljamarri, this was the first time I had heard it applied spontaneously and naturally in a fashion which did justice to the entire concept of ‘Lordship’. Thus references to Christ as kurios are now being handled by Warlaljamarri.” (Source: Stephen Swartz, The Bible Translator 1985, p. 415ff. )

  • Mairasi: Onggoao Nem (“Throated One” — “Leader,” “Elder”) or Enggavot Nan (“Above-One”) (source: Enggavoter 2004)
  • Obolo: Okaan̄-ene (“Owner of person(s)”) (source: Enene Enene)
  • Angami Naga: Niepu (“master,” “owner”)
  • Lotha Naga: Opvui (“owner of house / field / cattle”) — since both “Lord” and YHWH are translated as Opvui there is an understanding that “Opvui Jesus is the same as the Opvui of the Old Testament”
  • Ao Naga: Kibuba (“human master,” “teacher,” “owner of property,” etc.) (source for this and two above: Nitoy Achumi in The Bible Translator 1992 p. 438ff. )
  • Seediq: Tholang, loan word from Min Nan Chinese (the majority language in Taiwan) thâu-lâng (頭儂): “Master” (source: Covell 1998, p. 248)
  • Thai: phra’ phu pen cao (พระผู้เป็นเจ้า) (divine person who is lord) or ong(kh) cao nay (องค์เจ้านาย) (<divine classifier>-lord-boss) (source: Stephen Pattemore)
  • Arabic often uses different terms for adonai or kurios referring to God (al-rabb الرب) and kurios referring to Jesus (al-sayyid الـسـيـد). Al-rabb is also the term traditionally used in Arabic Christian-idiom translations for YHWH, and al-sayyid is an honorary term, similar to English “lord” or “sir” (source: Andy Warren-Rothlin).
  • Tamil also uses different terms for adonai/kurios when referring to God and kurios when referring to Jesus. The former is Karttar கர்த்தர், a Sanskrit-derived term with the original meaning of “creator,” and the latter in Āṇṭavar ஆண்டவர், a Tamil term originally meaning “govern” or “reign” (source: Natarajan Subramani).
  • Burunge: Looimoo: “owner who owns everything” (in the Burunge Bible translation, this term is only used as a reference to Jesus and was originally used to refer to the traditional highest deity — source: Michael Endl in Holzhausen / Riderer 2010, p. 48)
  • Aguacateco: Ajcaw ske’j: “the one to whom we belong and who is above us” (source: Rita Peterson in Holzhausen / Riderer 2010, p. 49)
  • Konkomba: Tidindaan: “He who is the owner of the land and reigns over the people” (source: Lidorio 2007, p. 66)
  • Chichewa: Ambuye Ambuye comes from the singular form Mbuye which is used to refer to: (1) someone who is a guardian or protector of someone or group of people — a grandparent who has founded a community or village; (2) someone who is a boss or master over a group of people or servants and has absolute control over them; (3) owner of something, be it a property, animals and people who are bound under his/her rule — for people this was mostly commonly used in the context of slaves and their owner. In short, Mbuye is someone who has some authorities over those who call him/her their “Mbuye.” Now, when the form Ambuye is used it will either be for honorific when used for singular or plural when referring to more than one person. When this term is used in reference to God, it is for respect to God as he is acknowledged as a guardian, protector, and ruler of everything. (Source: Mawu a Mulungu mu Chichewa Chalero Back Translation).
  • Hdi uses rveri (“lion”) as a title of respect and as such it regularly translates adon in the Old Testament. As an address, it’s most often with a possessive pronoun as in rvera ɗa (“my lion” = “my lord” or “sir”). So, for example, Genesis 15:2 (“O Lord God”) is Rvera ɗa Yawe (“My lion Yahweh”) or Ruth to Boaz in Ruth 2:13: “May I find your grace [lit. good-stomach] my lion.” This ties in nicely with the imagery of the Lord roaring like a lion (Hosea 11:10; Amos 3:8; Joel 3:16). Better still, this makes passages like Revelation 5:5 even richer when we read about rveri ma taba məndəra la Yuda, “the Lion of the tribe of Judah”. In Revelation 19:16, Jesus is rveri ta ghəŋa rveriha “the lion above lions” (“lord of lords”). (Source: Drew Maust)

Law (2013, p. 97) writes about how the Ancient Greek Septuagint‘s translation of the Hebrew adonai was used by the New Testament writers as a bridge between the Old and New Testaments: “Another case is the use of kurios referring to Jesus. For Yahweh (in English Bibles: ‘the Lord‘), the Septuagint uses kurios. Although the term kurios usually has to do with one’s authority over others, when the New Testament authors use this word from the Septuagint to refer to Jesus, they are making an extraordinary claim: Jesus of Nazareth is to be identified with Yahweh.”

See also Father / Lord.

Japanese benefactives (awarende)

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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 choice of a benefactive construction as shown here in the widely-used Japanese Shinkaiyaku (新改訳) Bible of 2017.

Here, awarende (あわれんで) or “have mercy/compassion” is used in combination with kudasaru (くださる), a respectful form of the benefactive kureru (くれる). A benefactive reflects the good will of the giver or the gratitude of a recipient of the favor. To convey this connotation, English translation needs to employ a phrase such as “for me (my sake)” or “for you (your sake).” (Source: S. E. Doi, see also S. E. Doi in Journal of Translation, 18/2022, p. 37ff. )

Translation commentary on Matthew 15:22

And behold translates a frequently used attention-getter; see comments on 1.20, where it is first used in the Gospel. As there, a phrase such as “And it happened that” can be used, or the phrase can be dropped if it is not natural in the receptor language.

Canaanite is found numerous times in the Old Testament, though it is used only here in the New Testament. The problem is that there was no longer a political country called “Canaan” in New Testament times. Some scholars are of the opinion that this was the Semitic manner of referring to the people of Phoenicia at the time that Matthew’s Gospel was written.

Canaanite woman is frequently rendered as “a woman from Canaan,” but here this results in the awkward phrase “a woman from that area who was from Canaan.” And it is not proper to say that she came from a country that no longer existed. “A woman who lived in that area who was of the people from Canaan” or “a woman from the area who was of the group called Canaanites” may be better.

From that region is best taken to mean that the woman lived in that region: “living in that locality” (New American Bible) and “from those parts” (New English Bible; Barclay “these parts”).

Came out translates the same verb rendered “went away” in verse 21, and it raises a question regarding the exact location of Jesus at the moment that the Canaanite woman came to him with her request. The problem is that the Greek of verse 21 may imply that Jesus only headed in the direction of Tyre and Sidon, but did not in fact get beyond the borders of northern Galilee. If this is accepted as the meaning, then came out states that the woman left her territory and went down to northern Galilee where Jesus was at the time. Without hesitation Jerusalem Bible‘s footnote says “Since the woman has left pagan territory it is in Israel that Jesus grants his favour.” Both Zürcher Bibel and Luther 1984 support this interpretation, as does Moffatt (“came out of these parts”). But came out may describe no more than the woman’s departure from her home or village; or it may be used loosely in the sense of “came” (New English Bible), which seems to be the intent of “presented herself” (New American Bible) and “came to” (Good News Translation, Die Bibel im heutigen Deutsch, New International Version, Barclay, Phillips). Revised Standard Version is ambiguous, with woman from that region came out (similarly An American Translation).

Cried is not used here to mean “weep.” Rather the woman “cried out” (Good News Translation) or “shouted.”

The noun of address by which the woman appeals to Jesus may mean either Lord (so also New American Bible, Phillips) or “sir” (Good News Translation, Jerusalem Bible, New English Bible, Barclay). If the meaning is “sir,” then it is equivalent to an honorific and so may be omitted from explicit mention in English translation. On the other hand, if the meaning is Lord, then this will have to be stated explicitly in the text. See comment at 8.25.

Son of David is a Jewish Messianic title (see comments at 12.23). It is especially noteworthy that a Canaanite woman would speak to Jesus in this way.

In many languages, O Lord, Son of David will have to be the first thing the woman says. O is no longer common in English as a means of addressing people, which is why Good News Translation has dropped it. There are also translators who will find that the two terms of address together is not natural, and they may find it better to separate them somewhat, as Good News Translation has.

In some languages the title Son of David does not lend itself naturally as a term of address. This is true, for example, in languages where the formula for a title would result in “the One people call Son of David.” A woman calling out in a desperate attempt to get someone’s attention would certainly not take time to say all that. Son of David with a footnote to explain that it is a Messianic title will be much more appropriate.

For Have mercy on me, see comments at 9.27.

Severely possessed by a demon (Good News Translation “has a demon and is in a terrible condition”) translates two words in Greek, a verb modified by an adverb, which mean literally “terribly possessed.” Both New Jerusalem Bible and New English Bible render “is tormented by a devil”; Barclay translates “is possessed by a demon and is very ill.” Phillips is fairly dramatic: “is in a terrible state—a devil has got into her!” Another possible rendering is “is suffering very much because she is possessed by an evil spirit.”

For possessed by a demon, see comments at 4.24.

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 .