grieving

The Greek that is translated as “grieving” or “sorrowful” in English is often translated metaphorically:

  • “his stomach died” (Mezquital Otomi)
  • “he was heavy in his stomach” (Uduk)
  • “his heart was pained” (Kpelle)
  • “he was sick in his mind” (Amganad Ifugao)
  • “his heart hung” (Loma)
  • “his heart was spoiled” (Mossi) (source for this and all above: Bratcher / Nida 1961)
  • “his interior was crying” (Bariai) (source: Bariai Back Translation)
  • “heart got shocked” (Kupsabiny) (source: Kupsabiny Back Translation)
  • “insides/heart-became-bad” (Mairasi ) (source: Enggavoter 2004)

See also sorrow and Seat of the Mind for traditional views of “ways of knowing, thinking, and feeling.”

evidentiality, he had great wealth

Avaric uses the so-called evidential verbal forms. Such forms are used when the speaker himself has not witnessed a given action or event, but has come to know about it indirectly or by report.

So, for example, when in the episode of the rich young man it is said that “he had great wealth,” this information, which was acquired by the teller from hearsay rather than from actual experience, can be expressed by means of these evidential verb forms. In addition, evidential verbs are used in the text of parables, being the standard form for reported speech in texts describing what the teller has not actually witnessed.

Source: Magomed-Kamil Gimbatov and Yakov Testelets in The Bible Translator 1996, p. 434ff.

complete verse (Matthew 19:22)

Following are a number of back-translations of Matthew 19:22:

  • Uma: “When he heard that, he was upset/sad, and he went away, because his goods were many.” (Source: Uma Back Translation)
  • Yakan: “When the man heard this he went away sad/grieved, because he had many riches/possessions.” (Source: Yakan Back Translation)
  • Western Bukidnon Manobo: “And when the young person heard this, he went home and his breath was very painful because he had great wealth.” (Source: Western Bukidnon Manobo Back Translation)
  • Kankanaey: “When he heard that which Jesus had said, he left them, sorrowing/mourning, because he was extremely rich.” (Source: Kankanaey Back Translation)
  • Tagbanwa: “When that young man heard that, he went being grieved, because he was really wealthy.” (Source: Tagbanwa Back Translation)
  • Tenango Otomi: “But when the man heard the word he was told, he was very sad, because he was a very rich man. So he went away.” (Source: Tenango Otomi Back Translation)

Translation commentary on Matthew 19:22

This refers to what Jesus has just said, and can be rendered if necessary as “these words.”

The Greek participle translated sorrowful (Good News Translation “sad”) comes from the same verb as that used of the disciples in 26.22. It also is used of Jesus during his experience in Gethsemane (26.37). It may have to be expressed by a separate verb, as in “he went away and was very sad,” or better, “he became very sad and went away.” Barclay has “he went sadly away.”

For he had great possessions (Good News Translation “because he was very rich”) is the sole reason given for the man’s rejection of Jesus. Possessions is not the same noun used in verse 21. Although it may be used of possessions of any type, it later came to have the more restricted meaning of “piece of ground” (see Acts 5.1). Here it is best taken in the broadest sense possible, though it is quite possible that the man’s possessions consisted primarily of land. Translators can say, “because he owned many things” or “because he owned a lot of property.”

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 .