complete verse (Matthew 25:13)

Following are a number of back-translations of Matthew 25:13:

  • Uma: “Yesus finished that parable of his like this: ‘That’s why you must be on-the-watch, for you don’t know when I will come.” (Source: Uma Back Translation)
  • Yakan: “Therefore,’ said Isa, ‘watch out, for you do not know as to what day or what time I come back.'” (Source: Yakan Back Translation)
  • Western Bukidnon Manobo: “And Jesus said, ‘And just like that, you must be ready, because you don’t know what day or hour I will return.” (Source: Western Bukidnon Manobo Back Translation)
  • Kankanaey: “Then Jesus said concluding, ‘It is necessary then that you be always ready, because you don’t know the day and hour that I will come again.'” (Source: Kankanaey Back Translation)
  • Tagbanwa: “That’s why you are to be always prepared,’ was what Jesus added on, ‘for you don’t know the day or hour of my returning.'” (Source: Tagbanwa Back Translation)
  • Tenango Otomi: “Be like this also, be prepared for the day when the Man who comes from heaven arrives. For you do not know what day or hour he will come.” (Source: Tenango Otomi Back Translation)

formal pronoun: Jesus addressing his disciples and common people

Like many languages (but unlike Greek or Hebrew or English), Tuvan uses a formal vs. informal 2nd person pronoun (a familiar vs. a respectful “you”). Unlike other languages that have this feature, however, the translators of the Tuvan Bible have attempted to be very consistent in using the different forms of address in every case a 2nd person pronoun has to be used in the translation of the biblical text.

As Voinov shows in Pronominal Theology in Translating the Gospels (in: The Bible Translator 2002, p. 210ff. ), the choice to use either of the pronouns many times involved theological judgment. While the formal pronoun can signal personal distance or a social/power distance between the speaker and addressee, the informal pronoun can indicate familiarity or social/power equality between speaker and addressee.

Here, Jesus is addressing his disciples, individuals and/or crowds with the formal pronoun, showing respect.

In Nepali translations, Jesus addresses his disciples and other people with the medium honorific pronoun timīlē (तिमीले) or timīlēharū (तिमीलेहरू). This disciples respond with a high honorific pronoun. (Source: Chitra Chhetri in The Bible Translator 2009, p. 73ff. )

In most Dutch translations, Jesus addresses his disciples and common people with the informal pronoun, whereas they address him with the formal form.

See also formal 2nd person plural pronoun (Japanese).

formal 2nd person plural pronoun (Japanese)

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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 choice of a formal plural suffix to the second person pronoun (“you” and its various forms) as shown here in the widely-used Japanese Shinkaiyaku (新改訳) Bible of 2017. In these verses, anata-gata (あなたがた) is used, combining the second person pronoun anata and the plural suffix -gata to create a formal plural pronoun (“you” [plural] in English).

(Source: S. E. Doi, see also S. E. Doi in Journal of Translation, 18/2022, p. 37ff. )

Translation commentary on Matthew 25:13

“And Jesus concluded” is introduced as a transitional marker by Good News Translation to show that the bridegroom is no longer speaking. The verse is similar in function to 24.44, and its purpose is to make clear the teaching of the parable.

You know neither the day nor the hour may require further amplification: “You do not know either the day or the hour when the Son of Man will come” or “… when God’s rule will be established.”

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 .