16When Herod saw that he had been tricked by the magi, he was infuriated, and he sent and killed all the children in and around Bethlehem who were two years old or under, according to the time that he had learned from the magi.
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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 usage of an honorific construction where the morphemes rare (られ) or are (され) are affixed on the verb as shown here in the widely-used Japanese Shinkaiyaku (新改訳) Bible of 2017. This is particularly done with verbs that have God as the agent to show a deep sense of reverence. Here, meiji-rare-ru (命じられる) or “order/command” is used.
The Greek Iēsous is “only” a proper name but one with great importance. The following quote by John Ellington (in The Bible Translator1993, p. 401ff. ) illustrates this:
“In Matthew’s account of the birth of Jesus Christ, Joseph is told that when Mary gives birth to a son ‘you will name him Jesus, because he will save his people from their sins’ (1:21). This name is a Greek transliteration of the Hebrew name [Yeshua (יֵשׁוּעַ) which is a short form of a name meaning] ‘the Lord [Yahweh] saves.’ The name is very significant and is in itself especially dear to Christians around the world. (…) Unquestionably great importance is attached to the name of Jesus by Christians of all persuasions and backgrounds.”
While Iēsous (pronounced: /i.ɛː.suːs/) is transliterated as “Jesus” (pronounced /ˈdʒiːzəs/) in English (but was translated as “Hælend” [the “healing one”] in Old English — see Swain 2019) it is transliterated and pronounced in a large variety of other ways as well, following the different rules of different languages’ orthographies, writing systems and rules of pronunciation. The following is a (partial) list of forms of Jesus in Latin characters: aYeso, Azezi, Boiyesuq, Cecoc, Chesús, Chi̍i̍sū, Chisɔsi, Ciisahs, Ciise, Ciisusu, Djesu, Ɛisa, Ƹisa, Eyesu, Gesù, Gesû, Gesü, Ġesù, Ghjesù, Giêsu, ꞌGiê‑ꞌsu, Giê-xu, Gyisɛse, Hesu, Hesús, Hisus, Hisuw, Ià-sŭ, Iesen, Ié:sos, Iesu, Iesui, Iesusɨn, Iesusiva, Ié:sos, Ihu, Īhu, Iisus, Iisussa, Ijeesu, iJisọsị, Iji̍sɔ̄ɔsi, Iosa, Íosa, Ìosa, İsa, I’sa, Isiso, Isõs, Ísu, Isus, Isusa, Iisussa, Isuthi, Itota, Îtu, Isuva, Izesu, Izesuq, Jasus, Jeeju, Jeesus, Jeesuse, Jeezas, Jehu, Jeisu, Jeju, Jejus, Jesesi, Jeshu, Jeso, Jesoe, Jesosa, Jesoshi, Jesosi, Jesosy, Jesu, Jesû, Jesua, Jesuh, Jesuhs, Jesuo, Jesús, Jésus, Jesúsu, Jethu, Jezed, Jezi, Jézi, Ježiš, Jezu, Jezus, Jézus, Jėzus, Jēzus, Jezusi, Jėzus, Jezuz, Jiijajju, Jíísas, Jiisusi, Jiizas, Jíìzọ̀s, Jisas, Jisase, Jisasi, Jisasɨ, Jisaso, Jisesi, Jisɛ̀, Jisos, Jisọs, Jisɔs, Jisu, Jiszs, Jizọs, Jizɔs, Jizọsi, Jizọsu, Jòso, Jusu, Jweesus, Ketsutsi, Njises, Sesi, Sisa, Sísa, Sisas, Sises, Sīsū, Sizi, Txesusu, uJesu, Ujísɔ̄si, ŵaYesu, Xesosi, ´Xesús, Xesús, Yasu, Ya:su, yasuɛ, Yasuuⓐ, Ɣaysa, Yecu, Yeeb Sub, Yeeh Suh, Yeesey, Yeeso, Yeesso, Yēēsu, Yehsu, Yëësu, Yeiqsul, Yeisu, Yeisuw, Yeshu, Yē shú, Yeso, Yéso, Yesò, Yëso, Yɛso, ye-su, Yésu, Yêsu, Yẹ́sụ̃, Yěsù, Yésʉs, Yeswa, Yet Sut, Yetut, Yexus, Yezo, Yezu, Yiesu, Yiisa, Yiisu, Yiitju, Yis, Yisɔs, Yisufa, Yitati, Yusu, ‑Yusu, :Yusu’, Zeezi, Zezi, Zezì, Zezuz, Zezwii, Ziizɛ, Zisas, Zîsɛ, Zjezus, Zozi, Zozii, and this (much more incomplete) list with other writings systems: ᔩᓱᓯ, ᒋᓴᔅ, Հիսուս, ᏥᏌ, ኢየሱስ, ያሱስ, ܝܫܘܥ, Ісус, Їисъ, 耶稣, იესო, ईसा, イエス, イイスス, イエスス, 예수, येशू, येशो, ਈਸਾ, ພຣະເຢຊູ, ජේසුස්, যীশু, ଯୀଶୁ, ཡེ་ཤུ་, ‘ঈছা, இயேசு, ಯೇಸು, ພຣະເຢຊູ, ယေရှု, ઇસુ, जेजू, येसु, เยซู, យេស៊ូ, ᱡᱤᱥᱩ, ယေသှု, యేసు, ᤕᤧᤛᤢ᤺ᤴ, އީސާގެފާނު, ਯਿਸੂ, ꕉꖷ ꔤꕢ ꕞ, ⵏ⵿ⵗⵢⵙⴰ, ଜୀସୁ, يَسُوعَ,ㄧㄝㄙㄨ, YE-SU, ꓬꓰ꓿ꓢꓴ, 𖽃𖽡𖾐𖼺𖽹𖾏𖼽𖽔𖾏, ꑳꌠ, ᠶᠡᠰᠦᠰ (note that some of these might not display correctly if your device does not have the correct fonts installed).
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In some languages the different confessions have selected different transliterations, such as in Belarusian with Isus (Ісус) by the Orthodox and Protestant churches and Yezus (Езус) by the Catholic church, Bulgarian with Iisus (Иисус) by the Orthodox and Isus (Исус) by the Protestant church, Japanese with Iesu (イエス) (Protestant and Catholic) and Iisusu (イイスス) (Orthodox), or Lingala with Yesu (Protestant) or Yezu (Catholic). These differences have come to the forefront especially during the work on interconfessional translations such as one in Lingala where “many hours were spent on a single letter difference” (source: Ellington, p. 401).
In Literary and Mandarin Chinese where transliterations of proper names between the Catholic and Protestant versions typically differ vastly, the Chinese name of Jesus (Yēsū 耶稣) remarkably was never brought into question between and by those two confessions, likely due to its ingenious choice. (Click or tap here to see more).
The proper name of God in the Old Testament, Yahweh (YHWH), is rendered in most Chinese Bible translations as Yēhéhuá 耶和華 — Jehovah. According to Chinese naming conventions, Yēhéhuá could be interpreted as Yē Héhuá, in which Yē would be the family name and Héhuá — “harmonic and radiant” — the given name. In the same manner, Yē 耶 would be the family name of Jesus and Sū 稣 would be his given name. Because in China the children inherit the family name from the father, the sonship of Jesus to God the Father, Jehovah, would be illustrated through this. Though this line of argumentation sounds theologically unsound, it is indeed used effectively in the Chinese church (see Wright 1953, p. 298).
Moreover, the “given name” of Sū 稣 carries the meaning ‘to revive, to rise again’ and seems to point to the resurrected Jesus. (Source: J. Zetzsche in Malek 2002, p. 141ff., see also tetragrammaton (YHWH))
There are different ways that Bible translators have chosen historically and today in how to translate the name of Jesus in predominantly Muslim areas: with a form of the Arabic Isa (عيسى) (which is used for “Jesus” in the Qur’an), the Greek Iēsous, or, like major 20th century Bible translations into Standard Arabic, the Aramaic Yēšūaʿ: Yasua (يَسُوعَ). (Click or tap here to see more.)
Following are languages and language groups that use a form of Isa include the following (note that this list is not complete):
In Indonesian, while most Bible translations had already used Yesus Kristus rather than Isa al Masih, three public holidays used to be described using the term Isa Al Masih. From 2024 on the government is using Yesus Kristus in those holiday names instead (see this article in Christianity Today ).
Some languages have additional “TAZI” editions (TAZI stands for “Tawrat, Anbiya, Zabur, and Injil” the “Torah, Prophets, Psalms and Gospel”) of the New Testament that are geared towards Muslim readers where there is also a translation in the same language for non-Muslims. In those editions, Isa is typically used as well (for example, the Khmer TAZI edition uses Isa (អ៊ីសា) rather than the commonly used Yesaou (យេស៊ូ), the Thai edition uses Isa (อีซา) rather than Yesu (เยซู), the Chinese edition uses Ěrsā (尔撒) vs. Yēsū (耶稣), and the English edition also has Isa rather than Jesus.)
In German the name Jesus (pronounced: /ˈjeːzʊs/) is distinguished by its grammatical forms. Into the 20th century the grammatical rules prescribed a unique Greek-Latin declination: Jesus (nominative), Jesu (genitive, dative, vocative), Jesum (accusative), from which today only the genitive case “Jesu” is still in active use. Likewise, in Seediq (Taroko), the morphological treatment of “Jesus” also occupies a special category by not falling under the normal rule of experiencing a vowel reduction when the object-specific suffix an is added “since it was felt that the readers might resent that the name has been changed that drastically.” (Compare Msian for “Moses” (Mosi) as an object, but Yisuan for “Jesus” (Yisu).) (Source: Covell 1998. p. 249)
In Lamba the name ŵaYesu consists of a transliteration Yesu and the prefix ŵa, a plural form for “proper names when addressing and referring to persons in any position of seniority or honor.” While this was avoided in early translations to avoid possible misunderstandings of more than one Jesus, once the church was established it was felt that it was both “safe” and respectful to use the honorific (pl.) prefix. (Source C. M. Doke in The Bible Translator 1958, p. 57ff. )
In virtually all sign languages, “Jesus” is signed with the middle finger of each hand pointing to the palm (or wrist) of the other in succession (signing the nails of the cross). In the context of Bible translation this has been pointed out as theologically problematic since the “semantic connections of the original name Jesus do point towards ‘salvation,’ they do not naturally lead to crucifixion.” (Source: Phil King in Journal of Translation 1 (2020), p. 33ff.)
Following is the oldest remaining Ethiopian Orthodox icon of Jesus from the 14th or possibly 13th century (found in the Church of the Saviour of the World in Gurji, Ethiopia). As in many Orthodox icons, Jesus’ right hand forms the Greek letters I-C-X-C for IHCOYCXPICTOC or “Jesus Christ.” Another interpretation of the right hand is that it shows three fingers pointing to the Trinity, while the two other fingers point to Jesus’ two natures.
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 following is the so-called “Wales Window for Alabama.” It is a stained-glass window by the artist John Petts from Carmarthenshire, Wales, created in response to the 16th Street Baptist Church bombing which took place in 1963:
Stained glass is not just highly decorative, it’s a medium which has been used to express important religious messages for centuries. Literacy was not widespread in the medieval and Renaissance periods and the Church used stained glass and other artworks to teach the central beliefs of Christianity. In Gothic churches, the windows were filled with extensive narrative scenes in stained glass — like huge and colorful picture storybooks — in which worshipers could ‘read’ the stories of Christ and the saints and learn what was required for their religious salvation. (Source: Victoria and Albert Museum )
The style of the following drawing of Jesus by Annie Vallotton is described by the artist as this: “By using few lines the readers fill in the outlines with their imagination and freedom. That is when the drawings begin to communicate.” (see here ; see also We All are One in Christ)
Illustration by Annie Vallotton, copyright by Donald and Patricia Griggs of Griggs Educational Service.
The single Greek sentence (as in the Revised Standard Version text) has been made into three sentences in Good News Translation (the first two are separated by a period, while the second and third are separated by a dash).
Notice that Then is often not translated. This is a new section, and many languages will either not have a transition or will use a phrase such as “Now…” or “Later….”
Saw can be translated “realized,” “became aware of,” or “learned.”
The verb translated tricked appears elsewhere in Matthew’s Gospel only in connection with the mockery made of Jesus (20.19; 27.29, 31, 41 “make fun of,” Good News Translation). In the context here, it is usually translated in the sense of “deceived” or “fooled.”
For wise men, see comments on 2.1.
Good News Translation translates the Greek passive construction he had been tricked by the wise men by an active form: “the visitors from the East had tricked him.” Good News Bible also simplifies the structure by placing subject and verb close to one another: compare “When Herod realized … he was furious” of Good News Bible with Then Herod, when he saw … was in a furious rage. Some languages will make this long Greek sentence into even more than the three of Good News Bible; for example, “Herod realized the wise men had tricked him. Then he became furious. So he gave orders….”
Was in a furious rage translates a verb (“to be angry”) followed by an adverb “very.” Although the noun meaning “anger” occurs a number of times in the New Testament, this is the only occurrence in the New Testament of the verb itself. Barclay follows the form of the Greek (“was very angry”), while Moffatt and Phillips translate “was furiously angry”; Good News Translation has “was furious.” As the translations indicate, extremely strong emotion is intended. Translators should not be misled by Revised Standard Version‘s rage and picture Herod as having something like a rabid fit. Very strong anger or fury should be indicated.
It is necessary in many languages to have an object of sent. In those cases translators can say “He sent some soldiers” or “He ordered his soldiers to go.” It is then made explicit that it was the soldiers who killed: “He sent his soldiers to kill” or “He sent his soldiers to Bethlehem. They killed….” Of course other languages find it natural to omit the idea of “sending” and have, as in Good News Translation, “he gave orders to kill” or “he ordered that the boy babies should be killed.”
Sometimes direct discourse is necessary, as in “Herod said to his soldiers, ‘Go and kill…’ ” or “… ‘Go to Bethlehem and kill….’ ”
Male children (Good News Translation “boys”) translates the masculine plural form of the noun translated “child” in Matthew 2.8; see comments there.
Two years old or under implies that the astrologers had seen the star no earlier than two years previous. The phrase can be translated as “the boy babies who were less then two years old,” or “those boy babies who were not more than two years old,” or even, in some languages, “those boy babies who were not up to three years old.”
Ascertained translates the same verb used in Matthew 2.7.
According to the time: this often requires a new sentence, as in “This was in accordance with what the wise men had told him about when they saw the star” or “He chose babies of that age because he had learned from the wise men it had been two years since they had first seen the star.”
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 .
In this section, Matthew showed another way that scripture was fulfilled. Herod killed the children in and around Bethlehem, and so caused much mourning in that area.
Here are some other possible headings for this section:
The Killing of the children (Contemporary English Version)
-or-
Herod Kills the Baby Boys (New Century Version)
Paragraph 2:16–18
2:16a
When: The storyline resumes here. The narrative jumps back to the time soon after Joseph, Mary, and Jesus began their journey to Egypt (2:14). You may want to do one of the following:
• Indicate here that the narrative returns to an earlier time. For example:
⌊Soon⌋ after Joseph began the journey to Egypt with the child and his mother,…
• Indicate in 2:14 that Joseph began the journey and indicate that 2:15 temporarily jumps forward in time.
Herod saw: The Greek verb that the Berean Standard Bible translates as saw indicates that Herod knew that the wise men had deceived him.
Here are some other ways to translate this verb:
realized (New International Version)
-or-
found out (Contemporary English Version)
-or-
knew/understood
that he had been outwitted by the Magi: The Greek verb that the Berean Standard Bible translates as outwitted also means “deceived.” The wise men outwitted Herod in the sense that they did not follow his command to return to him and tell him about the child (2:8). God warned them not to go back to Herod. So they did not participate in Herod’s evil plan to kill the child. This word does not indicate that, from the beginning, the wise men intended to “deceive” Herod in an evil way.
Here are some other ways to translate this clause:
that the wise men were more clever than he thought
-or-
that the Magi were not going to return
This verb is passive.
Here are some other ways to translate this verb:
• As a passive verb. For example:
he saw that he had been tricked by the wise men (Revised Standard Version)
-or-
he saw that he had been deceived by the Magi
• As an active verb. For example:
Herod saw that the wise men had tricked him (New Century Version)
2:16b
he was filled with rage: The Greek phrase that the Berean Standard Bible translates as he was filled with rage means that Herod “became very angry.”
Here are some other ways to translate this phrase:
⌊he⌋ became enraged
-or-
he was very angry (Contemporary English Version)
2:16c
Sending orders, he put to death all the boys: It is implied that Herod sent his soldiers to kill all the boys. In some languages, it will be natural to include this implied information. For example:
he gave orders ⌊to his soldiers/men⌋ to kill all the boys
all the boys: Herod was only concerned about male children who were two years old and younger. You should use a term appropriate for that age group. For example:
baby boys
-or-
young boys
2:16d
in Bethlehem and its vicinity: The phrase its vicinity refers to the villages and settlements near Bethlehem.
Here are some other ways to translate this phrase:
in and around Bethlehem (New Revised Standard Version)
-or-
in Bethlehem and in the area near it
-or-
in ⌊the town of⌋ Bethlehem and its surrounding communities/towns
who were two years old and under: The phrase two years old and under includes boys from two years old all the way down to newborns.
Here are some other ways to translate this phrase:
two years old and younger (Good News Translation)
-or-
newborns up to two years old
2:16e
according to the time he had learned from the Magi: The clause according to the time he had learned from the Magi indicates that Herod calculated how old the child would have been based on the date that the wise men gave him. The wise men probably first saw the star less than two years before. But Herod wanted to make sure that his soldiers killed Jesus. So he told them to kill boys as old as two years.
Here are some other ways to translate this clause:
This was based on what he had learned from the wise men. (Contemporary English Version)
-or-
He calculated this age from the time that the astrologers had first seen the star.
-or-
He estimated this age based on the wise men’s words.
General Comment on 2:16c–e
It may be more natural in your language to have 2:16e before 2:16c. For example:
and 16ecounting from the time he had learned from the wise men, 16che gave orders to kill all the boys 16din Bethlehem and its vicinity who were two years old and under
The soldiers did as Herod ordered. It may be more natural in your language to include that implied information at the end of 2:16:
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