speechless

The Greek in Matthew 22:12 that is translated as “speechless” in English is translated in Lashi as “he had no reply whatsoever.”

complete verse (Matthew 22:12)

Following are a number of back-translations of Matthew 22:12:

  • Uma: “The king said: ‘Friend, why did you (sing.) come to the feast not dressed in feast clothes?’ He did not answer.” (Source: Uma Back Translation)
  • Yakan: “The sultan said to that man, ‘Friend, how did you get in here without being dressed for a wedding?’ The man did not answer.” (Source: Yakan Back Translation)
  • Western Bukidnon Manobo: “And he said, ‘Hey, Mister, why did you dare to come to this gathering not wearing wedding clothes.’ But this person didn’t have anything to answer.” (Source: Western Bukidnon Manobo Back Translation)
  • Kankanaey: “‘My friend,’ he said, ‘why are you (sing.) here and you (sing.) didn’t put-on something for a wedding?’ But he kept-quiet.” (Source: Kankanaey Back Translation)
  • Tagbanwa: “The king said, ‘Friend, why have you come in here not dressed in the clothes which are suitable for a wedding feast?’ That person couldn’t respond.” (Source: Tagbanwa Back Translation)
  • Tenango Otomi: “He said to him: ‘Listen, man, how did you get in here? And you aren’t wearing the clothing like the clothing people wear who attend wedding feasts,’ he said to him. But this man didn’t answer a word.” (Source: Tenango Otomi Back Translation)

Translation commentary on Matthew 22:12

Friend is a polite form of address (see 20.13); it is the noun by which Jesus addresses Judas when he comes to betray him in the garden (26.50).

How did you get in here without a wedding garment? is divided into two sentences by Die Bibel im heutigen Deutsch: “How did you get in here? You are not wearing festive clothes.” Another possibility is “Friend, you are not wearing the proper clothes for a wedding. How come you are here?” When the king asks how did you get in, he is not asking about the method by which the man came. Rather, it is a way of exclaiming about the inappropriate clothes the man is wearing. Since the question is rhetorical, one may also render “You are not wearing the proper clothes for a wedding feast, and so you have no right to be here.”

And he was speechless is rendered “The man had no excuse” by Die Bibel im heutigen Deutsch. More literally the text is “And the man was silent” (New Jerusalem Bible). One may also translate “There was nothing that the man could say.”

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 .