resurrection

The Greek and Latin that is translated as “resurrection” in English is translated in Chicahuaxtla Triqui and Pohnpeian as “live-up” (i.e. return to life) (source: Reiling / Swellengrebel) and in Iloko as panagungar: a term that stems “from the word ‘agungar,’ an agricultural term used to describe the coming back to life of a plant which was wilting but which has been watered by the farmer, or of a bulb which was apparently dead but grows again.” (Source: G. Henry Waterman in The Bible Translator 1960, p. 24ff. )

Likewise, in Matumbi yu’ya carries the meaning of “raise from the dead, resuscitate, come back from near death” and is used for dry plants that come back to life when you water them or sick children who revive after being healed. (Source: Pioneer Bible Translators, project-specific notes in Paratext)

In Estado de México Otomi, it is translated as “people will be raised from the dead,” in Teutila Cuicatec as “the dead having to come to life again,” in San Mateo del Mar Huave as “arose from the grave” (source: Viola Waterhouse in Notes on Translation August 1966, p. 86ff.), and in Kriol as gidap laibala brom dedbala or “get up alive from the dead” (source: Sam Freney in this article .)

See also resurrect / rise again (Jesus).

Learn more on Bible Odyssey: Resurrection .

complete verse (Matthew 22:23)

Following are a number of back-translations of Matthew 22:23:

  • Uma: “On that day also, several Saduki people came to Yesus. Those Saduki people were leader of the Yahudi religion who rejected [the idea] that people who die live again in the future.” (Source: Uma Back Translation)
  • Yakan: “That day some Sadduseo, Yahudi who do not believe that the dead will live again in the last day, came to Isa.” (Source: Yakan Back Translation)
  • Western Bukidnon Manobo: “And a little while later, the Sadducees came to Jesus. Now the Sadducees are the people who believe that nobody will be raised from the dead in the future.” (Source: Western Bukidnon Manobo Back Translation)
  • Kankanaey: “A little-later, there were some Saducees who went to Jesus. They are a party/group of the Jews who say that the dead will not live again.” (Source: Kankanaey Back Translation)
  • Tagbanwa: “That same day, some Saduceo also went to Jesus. As for these Saduceo, they uphold/support (the idea that) people who have died really aren’t made alive again.” (Source: Tagbanwa Back Translation)
  • Tenango Otomi: “That day some Sadducees went; they are those who say that the dead won’t resurrect. They said to Jesus:” (Source: Tenango Otomi Back Translation)

Translation commentary on Matthew 22:23

For a discussion of Sadducees, see 3.7. There is no article in the text, but most translators use “some,” as in Good News Translation.

As discussed elsewhere, came will have to be “went” in many receptor languages.

The text says simply that the Sadducees say there is no resurrection, but “did not believe” or “claimed that there was no” may be more natural.

Who say that there is no resurrection is in the present tense in the Greek, reflecting the viewpoint of the writer. Normally a translation attempts to reflect the writer’s position, but some readers today will need to have this in the past tense, otherwise they may be confused. Translators will have to decide which tense to use, basing the decision on local language requirements.

We have given several examples of translations of resurrection in the examples above. One further example is seen in a sentence such as “The Sadducees claimed that people do not rise again (to life) after they die.”

Revised Standard Version represents a fairly literal rendering of this verse, but it may be helpful to follow a somewhat more chronological order; for example, “The Sadducees were a Jewish group who did not believe that people would rise from death. And on the same day that the Pharisees tried to trick Jesus with a question, they came to him 24 and said….” Die Bibel im heutigen Deutsch has “On the same day the Sadducees came to Jesus. The Sadducees did not believe that the dead would rise. 24 ‘Teacher,’ they asked him….” Another possibility is “On that same day, some Sadducees came to Jesus to ask him a question. They were a group that did not believe that the dead would rise. 24 They asked him, ‘Teacher….’ ”

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 .