The Greek word in Matthew 25 that is translated as “lamps” in the vast majority of English translation is translated by a number of modern German translations (Neue evangelistische Übersetzung 2010, BasisBibel 2021, Neue Genfer Übersetzung 2009) as “torch” (Fackel).
Michael Peppard (in: Journal of Biblical Literature 2024, p 663ff. ) explains: “As signified by some German translations, many biblical scholars in Germany have interpreted λαμπάδες as torches for over one hundred years. Their arguments date back at least to Ludwig Schneller, the German Protestant pastor who lived in Palestine during the mid-1800s, founded the Schneller Orphanage in Jerusalem, and published a kind of exegetical memoir in 1896. The idea was later given scholarly gravitas by the influential Joachim Jeremias (…).
“The term λαμπάς in the parable is almost always mistranslated in English as ‘lamp,’ a word whose intended referent, in our era, is an ancient terra-cotta oil lamp. But the usual ancient Greek word for a terra-cotta oil lamp was λύχνος, while λαμπάς almost always means torch or some other bright blazing fire. The smaller λύχνος for indoor, table-top illumination is the one that Jesus, in a famous metaphor, advises listeners not to ‘hide under a bushel’ but to ‘put on a lampstand’ (Matt 5:14–16).
“Abstracted from any literary context, as in classical Greek dictionaries, λαμπάς signifies a pole or stick either wrapped with oil-soaked material or topped by a vessel with oil-soaked material inside. (…) A vessel torch had some kind of basin for holding oil and some durable material as a wick, as do many modern torches used at outdoor events. Thus, a torch would be ‘prepared,’ as in our parable (ἐκόσμησαν; Matt 25:7), by filling the basin with oil and arranging whatever material was functioning as the wick.”
The different Hebrew, Ge’ez, and Greek terms that are translated as “(olive) oil” and “(animal) fat” in English are translated in Kwere with only one term: mavuta. (Pioneer Bible Translators, project-specific translation notes in Paratext)
Many languages distinguish between inclusive and exclusive first-person plural pronouns (“we”). (Click or tap here to see more details)
The inclusive “we” specifically includes the addressee (“you and I and possibly others”), while the exclusive “we” specifically excludes the addressee (“he/she/they and I, but not you”). This grammatical distinction is called “clusivity.” While Semitic languages such as Hebrew or most Indo-European languages such as Greek or English do not make that distinction, translators of languages with that distinction have to make a choice every time they encounter “we” or a form thereof (in English: “we,” “our,” or “us”).
For this verse, translators typically select the exclusive form (excluding the wise).
Source: Velma Pickett and Florence Cowan in Notes on Translation January 1962, p. 1ff.
Following are a number of back-translations of Matthew 25:8:
Uma: “The stupid young-women said to their friends who were wise: ‘Friends, give us a little of your oil please, our torches are about to die.'” (Source: Uma Back Translation)
Yakan: “The stupid girls said to the wise ones, ‘Give us oil, for our lamps are soon going out.'” (Source: Yakan Back Translation)
Western Bukidnon Manobo: “And then the stupid ones said to the wise ones, ‘Give us some kerosene because our lamps are going out.'” (Source: Western Bukidnon Manobo Back Translation)
Kankanaey: “Whereupon the ones with no reserve said to their companions who were thoughtful/reflective, ‘Please give-us some of your oil, because here our (excl.) lights are going-out.'” (Source: Kankanaey Back Translation)
Tagbanwa: “Those simple-minded ones said, ‘Friend(s), give us (excl.) even just a little to put in these lamps of ours. For look at this, they’re just spluttering now because there’s nothing in them any more.'” (Source: Tagbanwa Back Translation)
Tenango Otomi: “The five foolish girls said to the wise girls: ‘Give us a little of your oil, because our lights now want to go out,’ they said.” (Source: Tenango Otomi Back Translation)
Hand colored stencil print on momigami by Sadao Watanabe (1979).
Image taken with permission from the SadaoHanga Catalogue where you can find many more images and information about Sadao Watanabe. For other images of Sadao Watanabe art works in TIPs, see here.
The following artwork “Ten Virgins” is by Nyoman Darsane (1939-2024):
Nyoman Darsane was born and raised as a Hindu. Like many Balinese rice farmers, his father was also a musician who played in the orchestra of the local ruler. Darsane was brought up together with one of the princes and educated in the palace. That provided him with a deep knowledge of Hindu-Balinese religion and culture. It paved the way for him to become not only a painter but also a musician, dancer, and puppet player. An academic training at the college in Semarang, Java, finally made him familiar with the Western tradition as well. His early paintings are reminiscent of Gauguin, van Gogh, and Nolde. Darsane thus belongs to the heterogeneous group of the so-called academicians, those artists who have studied at one of the country’s art colleges. Although they are experimenting with Western influences in style, they have continuously been searching for their own Balinese identity. In Darsane’s case a special emphasis adds to this search: since he converted to Christianity he has been trying to mold this religion into a Balinese form.
Darsane was supported by the Bishop Wayan Mastra (b. 1931), who theologically comes from a more evangelical background. As a tiny minority among the Hindu-Balinese people, the Bali Church embraced inculturation. Churches are built in traditional Balinese temple style and local artists have been asked to design the decoration of the buildings. Balinese music and dance are used in the liturgy and the impact of these cultural traditionscan be seen in Darsane’s paintings.
As a result of his conversion at the age of seventeen, Darsane had been excluded from his family and ostracized by his village community. The Hindu-Balinese religion originated from the encounter between Hinduism and Balinese tribal religions, and it still has many features of this primal religion. Religion and community are closely intertwined; whoever turns away from the common religion also renounces the solidarity of the community. Darsane’s constant effort to give Christianity a Balinese shape finally convinced his family and the community that he stilt is one of them. Today he is again well respected and his advice even in religious matters is highly appreciated. (Source: Volker Küster in Pongracz / Küster / Cook 2007, p. 34; image: p. 113)
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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).
Click or tap here to see the rest of this insight.
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 benefactive construction as shown here in the widely-used Japanese Shinkaiyaku (新改訳) Bible of 2017.
Here, wakete (分けて) or “divide” is used in combination with kudasaru (くださる), a respectful form of the benefactive kureru (くれる). A benefactive reflects the good will of the giver or the gratitude of a recipient of the favor. To convey this connotation, English translation needs to employ a phrase such as “for me (my sake)” or “for you (your sake).” (Source: S. E. Doi, see also S. E. Doi in Journal of Translation, 18/2022, p. 37ff. )
From the discussion about the lamps in Matthew 25.3, it is clear that the verb going out may mean either “will soon be going out” or “will go out too soon.”
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 .
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