Mary Magdalene

The term that is transliterated as “Mary Magdalene” in English is translated in American Sign Language with a sign signifying 7 demons having gone out, referring to Luke 8:2. (Source: RuthAnna Spooner, Ron Lawer)


“Mary Magdalene” in American Sign Language, source: Deaf Harbor

complete verse (Matthew 27:56)

Following are a number of back-translations of Matthew 27:56:

  • Uma: “The name of one was Maria Magdalena. Another was Maria the mother of Yakobus and Yusuf. And another was the wife of Zebedeus.” (Source: Uma Back Translation)
  • Yakan: “In that group were Mariyam the woman from Magdala and Mariyam the mother of Yakub and Yusup and the wife of Sebede.” (Source: Yakan Back Translation)
  • Western Bukidnon Manobo: “One of them was Mary Magdalene, and there was also Mary the mother of James and Joseph, and also the wife of Zebedee.” (Source: Western Bukidnon Manobo Back Translation)
  • Kankanaey: “Some of them were Maria Magdalena and Maria the mother of Santiago and Jose and the wife of Zebedeo.” (Source: Kankanaey Back Translation)
  • Tagbanwa: “Those women included Maria Magdalena, Maria the mother of Santiago and Jose and the wife of Zebedeo.” (Source: Tagbanwa Back Translation)
  • Tenango Otomi: “These women included Mary, the native of Magdala, and Mary, the mother of James and Joseph, and another woman who was the mother of the sons of Zebedee.” (Source: Tenango Otomi Back Translation)

Translation commentary on Matthew 27:56

Matthew lists three of the women by name, as does Mark (15.40), though in place of the mother of the sons of Zebedee (see 20.20), Mark names “Salome.” Mary Magdalene and Mary the mother of James and Joseph will each be mentioned twice again in the course of events to follow (verse 61; 28.1). Indeed their faithful following of Jesus adds continuity to the account.

Mary Magdalene is often treated as a name but is sometimes expressed as “Mary from Magdala.”

To say the mother of the sons of Zebedee is quite strange in many languages, and translators often do the same as Good News Translation: “the wife of Zebedee.”

There are three women listed, and translators have to be careful to structure their sentence so that it doesn’t seem that the mother of James and Joseph is the same woman as the mother of the sons of Zebedee.

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 .