who was not wearing a wedding robe

The Greek in Matthew 22:11 that is translated as “who was not wearing a wedding robe” or similar in English is translated in the German New Testament translation by Berger / Nord (publ. 1999) as “who was not using one of the festive garments that were freely available in the wardrobe.”

complete verse (Matthew 22:11)

Following are a number of back-translations of Matthew 22:11:

  • Uma: “‘The king entered to see the guests. He saw in the midst of the guests, there was one who was not dressed in feast clothes.” (Source: Uma Back Translation)
  • Yakan: “‘When the sultan went inside to see the people who were there, he saw there a man whose clothes were not fitting for a wedding.” (Source: Yakan Back Translation)
  • Western Bukidnon Manobo: “And when the king came in because he will look at the people, he saw there a person who was not dressed in wedding clothes.” (Source: Western Bukidnon Manobo Back Translation)
  • Kankanaey: “‘A little-later, the king entered to talk-with his guests, and he saw one who had not dressed in something-fitting for the wedding-occasion.” (Source: Kankanaey Back Translation)
  • Tagbanwa: “That king went in there to meet those who had gotten invited. He saw there a person who was not dressed in the clothes he had given out to them, which were suitable for that wedding feast.” (Source: Tagbanwa Back Translation)
  • Tenango Otomi: “The king then went inside the house to see the people which were called. He saw that there was one person there who did not wear the clothing like the clothing people wear who attend wedding feasts.” (Source: Tenango Otomi Back Translation)

king

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Some languages do not have a concept of kingship and therefore no immediate equivalent for the Greek, Hebrew, Aramaic, and Latin that is translated as “king” in English. Here are some (back-) translations:

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  • Piro: “a great one”
  • Highland Totonac: “the big boss”
  • Huichol: “the one who commanded” (source for this and above: Bratcher / Nida)
  • Ekari: “the one who holds the country” (source: Reiling / Swellengrebel)
  • Una: weik sienyi: “big headman” (source: Kroneman 2004, p. 407)
  • Pass Valley Yali: “Big Man” (source: Daud Soesilo)
  • Ninia Yali: “big brother with the uplifted name” (source: Daud Soesilio in Noss 2007, p. 175)
  • Nyamwezi: mutemi: generic word for ruler, by specifying the city or nation it becomes clear what kind of ruler (source: Pioneer Bible Translators, project-specific translation notes in Paratext)
  • Ghomála’: Fo (“The word Fo refers to the paramount ruler in the kingdoms of West Cameroon. He holds administrative, political, and religious power over his own people, who are divided into two categories: princes (descendants of royalty) and servants (everyone else).” (Source: Michel Kenmogne in Theologizing in Context: An Example from the Study of a Ghomala’ Christian Hymn))

Faye Edgerton retells how the term in Navajo (Dinė) was determined:

“[This term was] easily expressed in the language of Biblical culture, which had kings and noblemen with their brilliant trappings and their position of honor and praise. But leadership among the Navajos is not accompanied by any such titles or distinctions of dress. Those most respected, especially in earlier days, were their headmen, who were the leaders in raids, and the shaman, who was able to serve the people by appealing for them to the gods, or by exorcising evil spirits. Neither of these made any outward show. Neither held his position by political intrigue or heredity. If the headman failed consistently in raids, he was superceded by a better warrior. If the shaman failed many times in his healing ceremonies, it was considered that he was making mistakes in the chants, or had lost favor with the gods, and another was sought. The term Navajos use for headman is derived from a verb meaning ‘to move the head from side to side as in making an oration.’ The headman must be a good orator, able to move the people to go to war, or to follow him in any important decision. This word is naat’áanii which now means ‘one who rules or bosses.’ It is employed now for a foreman or boss of any kind of labor, as well as for the chairman of the tribal council. So in order to show that the king is not just a common boss but the highest ruler, the word ‘aláahgo, which expresses the superlative degree, was put before naat’áanii, and so ‘aláahgo naat’áanii ‘anyone-more-than-being around-he-moves-his-head-the-one-who’ means ‘the highest ruler.’ Naat’áanii was used for governor as the context usually shows that the person was a ruler of a country or associated with kings.”

(Source: Faye Edgerton in The Bible Translator 1962, p. 25ff. )

See also king (Japanese honorifics).

Translation commentary on Matthew 22:11

As noted in the introduction to this section, verses 11-14 comprise a separate parable with a message of its own apart from the context in which it appears. In fact it makes little sense, if any at all, in its present location. How could a guest be expected to have secured a wedding garment if he had been invited directly off the street to come to the wedding? But this is not Matthew’s concern. For him the message of the parable is that a person who is invited to the Messianic banquet must not remain as he was when he was called. Participation in the banquet requires a transformation of life that is consistent with the profession of discipleship which one makes.

Look at reflects the situation in which, as a sign of courtesy, the host does not partake of the banquet but arrives later to see which guests have come and to talk with them. The translation may say “to see the guests who were there.”

Wedding garment may be rendered as “wedding clothes,” or the whole expression may be expressed as “was not wearing the proper clothes for a wedding.”

Since verses 11-14 are set off from the rest of the parable, as we noted above, then it is quite common to start a new paragraph here, as Revised Standard Version and Good News Translation have done.

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 .