the poor

The Hebrew that is translated as “the poor” in English is translated in Chichewa as “people without power.” In Chichewa context this refers to those who are in the lower class in terms of both social status and political influence in a community. (Source: Mawu a Mulungu mu Chichewa Chalero Back Translation)

In Cherokee it is translated as “those who are not doing well.” “The concept of poverty was unknown to Cherokee prior to European arrival due to the sharing of resources among clan members and the shared and welfare tradition known as gadugi (ᎦᏚᎩ). In contrat, the concepts of rich and poor play a large role in the world and message or the New Testament (…) This phrase (‘those who are not doing well’), still used today for ‘poor,’ speaks to a more general understanding of well-being than the presence of monetary resources.” (Source: Bender / Belt 2025, p. 45)

See also poor (Ps. 41:1).

sell

The Hebrew and Greek that is translated as “sell” in English is translated in Noongar as wort-bangal or “away-barter.” Note that “buy” is translated as bangal-barranga or “get-barter.” (Source: Bardip Ruth-Ang 2020)

See also buy and buying / selling.

fat, oil

The different Hebrew 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)

complete verse (Matthew 26:9)

Following are a number of back-translations of Matthew 26:9:

  • Uma: “It should have been sold so that the money [lit., its price] be given to the poor people.'” (Source: Uma Back Translation)
  • Yakan: “It would have better been sold for a high price and the proceeds been given to the poor.'” (Source: Yakan Back Translation)
  • Western Bukidnon Manobo: “It would have been better if that had been sold at a high price so that its exchange could have been given to the poor.'” (Source: Western Bukidnon Manobo Back Translation)
  • Kankanaey: “That should have been sold so that it could be given to the poor, because it is expensive!'” (Source: Kankanaey Back Translation)
  • Tagbanwa: “If only it had been sold for a big-price, that payment for it could have been used to help the poor.'” (Source: Tagbanwa Back Translation)
  • Tenango Otomi: “It is very expensive, it could have been sold so that the money could be given to the poor.'” (Source: Tenango Otomi Back Translation)

Translation commentary on Matthew 26:9

Might have been sold is a passive construction that may better be “she could have sold.”

A large sum may need to be stated in its full form: “a large sum of money” (Barclay).

And given to the poor is translated “and the money given to the poor” by Good News Translation (compare New Jerusalem Bible, New English Bible, New International Version, New American Bible) so that no one will think that the perfume could have been sold and yet at the same time be given to the poor. Phillips restructures in a slightly different manner (“Couldn’t this perfume have been sold for a lot of money which could be given to the poor?”), while Barclay has “… a large sum of money, and the proceeds could have been used to help the poor.”

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 .