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 .

SIL Translator’s Notes on Matthew 22:12



22:12a

And he said to him: The pronoun he refers to the king. The pronoun him refers to the guest.

Also, because this clause introduces a question, it is possible to translate the verb said as “asked.” For example:

The king asked (Contemporary English Version)

Friend, how did you get in here without a wedding garment?: This is a rhetorical question. It is a rebuke. The king rebuked the man for coming into the wedding hall without proper clothes.

Here are some ways to translate this rebuke:

• Use a question. For example:

Friend, how did you get in here wearing clothes that are not fit for a wedding?
-or-
Friend, why didn’t you wear proper clothes for the wedding? (Contemporary English Version)

• Use a statement of rebuke. For example:

Friend, you should not be in here without clothes that are proper for a wedding.
-or-
My friend, you should not have entered here. You are wearing clothes that are not fit for a wedding.

Translate this rebuke in a way that is natural in your language.

Friend: The king probably addressed the man as Friend for two reasons. One was because he didn’t know the man’s name. The other is to soften the rebuke. Use a term of address in your language that could function in this way.

This same word is used in the same way in 20:13b.

how did you get in here: This question seems to assume that there were guards whose job it was to keep the wrong people out.

Here is another way to translate this question:

how were you allowed to come in here (New Century Version)

without a wedding garment: The Greek phrase that the Revised Standard Version translates as a wedding garment probably refers to clothing that was suitable to wear to a wedding. Here it probably refers to nice, clean clothes. This phrase probably does not refer to special clothes intended for weddings. This phrase is also in 22:11b.

Here are some other ways to translate this clause:

without proper wedding clothes (God’s Word)
-or-
in clothes that are not fit for a wedding

22:12b

And: This Greek connection can be translated “and” or “but” depending on context. Here there is something surprising about the fact that the man did not respond. For that reason many English versions translate this with an element of contrast. For example:

But (Revised English Bible)

he was speechless: The Greek verb that the English Standard Version translates was speechless is more literally “was muzzled.” It refers to something tied over an animal’s or person’s mouth to prevent it from opening. Here it is used in a figurative sense and means that the man “was silenced.” The man was in a place he should not have been. He knew that he was guilty, and that prevented him from making an excuse.

Here are some other ways to translate this clause:

had nothing to say (NET Bible)

-or-

had no excuse (Good News Translation)

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