world (Chinese)

The Hebrew and Greek that is translated as “world” in English is translated in Mandarin Chinese with shìjiè (世界). While shìjiè is now the commonly used term for “world” in Chinese, it was popularized as such by Chinese Bible translations. (Source: Mak 2017, p. 241ff.)

See also world.

complete verse (Matthew 18:7)

Following are a number of back-translations of Matthew 18:7:

  • Uma: “Disaster people in this world, because there is much that causes them to fall. There will definitely be some who cause-to-fall, but disaster to the people who cause-to-fall.” (Source: Uma Back Translation)
  • Yakan: “Mankind is to be pitied for there really are temptations that cause them to sin. Surely temptations will come. But to be pitied is the person who tempts his companion to sin so that his companion sins, for God will surely punish him.'” (Source: Yakan Back Translation)
  • Western Bukidnon Manobo: “Pity mankind because there are means by which people are successfully tempted. Things like that will always happen, but greatly pity the person who, through him, anyone who believes in me is successfully tempted.” (Source: Western Bukidnon Manobo Back Translation)
  • Kankanaey: “The people on this earth are pitiful because of the many temptations they face. There are admittedly of course temptations that will arrive, but pitiful nevertheless is the person who is the pathway of that temptation.” (Source: Kankanaey Back Translation)
  • Tagbanwa: “The situation here in the world really is very hard for very many are the possible sources of what causes people to sin. There is really no removing these possible sources of what causes to sin. But what will be experienced by these people from whom these things come is really terrifying.” (Source: Tagbanwa Back Translation)
  • Tenango Otomi: “It is painful here on earth because there is no lack of things that cause a person to sin. And people are always committing sin, but how great will be the punishment of the person who causes his fellowman to sin.” (Source: Tenango Otomi Back Translation)

Translation commentary on Matthew 18:7

Woe (Good News Translation “How terrible”): see comment at 11.21.

The world here speaks of “the people of the world” as opposed to “God’s people.”

The noun translated temptations to sin (literally “stumbling blocks,” or better, “traps”) in its initial occurrence, and temptations in its other two occurrences in this verse, is discussed in 13.41, and the corresponding verb in 5.29 and 18.6.

Sin often needs a subject, in this case, the people of the world. Barclay has restructured in a helpful way: “The tragedy of the world is the existence of the things which make men sin.” Similar translations are “How terrible it is that there are things in the world that make people sin” and “The terrible thing about the world is that there are things that lead people to sin.”

For it is necessary that temptations come can be rendered as “It is inevitable that there will be things that cause people to sin,” “Things that make people give up their faith are always going to happen,” “We cannot avoid having things happen that could cause us to sin,” or “Things that can cause us to sin must happen.”

By whom the temptation comes is translated “for the one who causes them” by Good News Translation and “for the one who is guilty of it” by Bibel im heutigen Deutsch, 1st edition. Barclay translates the last part of the verse “but tragic is the fate of the man who is responsible for the coming of such a thing!”

The phrase the man by whom is not referring to one specific individual, but means “any person who causes someone else to do wrong.” “But how terrible it will be for someone who is the cause of another sinning” will be one way to render the idea of this sentence. The verse can be “There are bound to be things that make people sin, but the person who is responsible for those things has a terrible fate in store.”

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 18:7



Paragraph 18:7

18:7a

Woe to the world: This clause means that the world will experience pain and deep sorrow. It is a prediction and warning by Jesus that something bad is going to happen to the world. It implies that God will judge and punish the world. It is not a curse.

Here are some other ways to translate this expression:

How terrible for the world (Good News Translation)
-or-
The world is going to experience great pain and sadness
-or-
Great trouble is waiting for the world

The word Woe also occurs in 11:21a.

the world: This phrase refers to the people in the world. For example:

the people of the world (New Century Version)

These people are opposed to the people of God.

for the causes of sin: The Greek word that the Berean Standard Bible translates as the causes of sin is the noun form of the verb translated as “causes…to stumble” in 18:6a. Here it refers to the people of the world “causing others to sin.” More specifically, it refers to causing to sin these little ones who believe (in 18:6a).

Here are some other ways to translate this phrase:

because it tempts people to sin (New Living Translation (2004))
-or-
because of the way it causes people to sin (Contemporary English Version)
-or-
because they tempt/cause believers to sin

18:7b

Verse 18:7b is the reason that the people of the world will have pain and sorrow (in 18:7a). The Greek introduces this reason with a conjunction that many English versions translate as “For.”

Some English versions, including the Berean Standard Bible, do not translate this conjunction. Instead, they let the context indicate the connection. In some languages, it will not be necessary to translate this conjunction either.

These stumbling blocks must come: The phrase stumbling blocks is the same word translated as “causes of sin” in 18:7a.

In some languages, it will not be natural to say that temptations come. So you may need to use another verb. Or you can translate the noun stumbling blocks as a verb. For example:

These temptations must/will happen
-or-
Such things will always happen (Good News Translation)
-or-
People will always be tempted
-or-
People ⌊of the world⌋ will always tempt/cause ⌊believers⌋ to sin

must come: The Greek word that the Berean Standard Bible translates as must come indicates that temptations must/will happen. This is because the world is evil.

Here are some other ways to translate this word:

must happen (Revised English Bible)
-or-
will always happen (Good News Translation)

18:7c

but: There is a contrast here. The contrast is that, even though temptations will certainly come (18:7b), the person who is the source of them cannot escape responsibility (18:7c). The Berean Standard Bible indicates this contrast with the conjunction but.

woe to the man through whom they come: This is the same sort of clause as “Woe to the world” in 18:7a. However, here Jesus focused his prediction and warning on the person who causes the temptation rather than on the whole world.

This whole clause expresses a passive idea. It refers to the person who is the source of the temptation. He is the person who tempts/causes a believer to sin.

Here are some other ways to translate this clause:

Great trouble is waiting for the person who tempts/causes ⌊a believer⌋ to sin
-or-
how terrible for the one who causes them to happen (New Century Version)

-or-

God will punish the person who does this.

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