The Hebrew and Greek that is translated as “neighbor” in English is rendered into Babatana as “different man,” i.e. someone who is not one of your relatives. (Source: David Clark)
In North Alaskan Inupiatun, it is rendered as “a person outside of your building,” in Tzeltal as “your back and side” (implying position of the dwellings), in Indonesian and in Tae’ as “your fellow-man,” in Toraja-Sa’dan it is “your fellow earth-dweller,” in Shona (translation of 1966) as “another person like you,” in Kekchí “younger-brother-older-brother” (a compound which means all one’s neighbors in a community) (sources: Bratcher / Nida and Reiling / Swellengrebel), in Mairasi “your people” (source: Enggavoter 2004), in Mezquital Otomi as “fellow being,” in Tzeltal as “companion,” in Isthmus Zapotec as “another,” in Teutila Cuicatec as “all people” (source: Waterhouse / Parrott in Notes on Translation October 1967, p. 1ff.), and in most modern German translations as Mitmensch or “fellow human being” (lit. “with + human being”).
In Matt 19:19, Matt 22:39, Mark 12:31, Mark 12:33, Luke 10:27, Luke 10:29 it is translated into Ixcatlán Mazatec with a term that refers to a person who is socially/physically near. Ixcatlán Mazatec also has a another term for “neighbor” that means “fellow humans-outsiders” which was not chosen for these passages. (Source: Robert Bascom)
In Noongar it is translated as moorta-boordak or “people nearby” (source: Warda-Kwabba Luke-Ang).
The Greek that is translated in English as “Why do you see the speck in your neighbor’s eye, but do not notice the log in your own eye?” or similar is translated in Uma with an existing figure of speech: “Why do we stare at the sleep in another’s eye, yet the piece of wood that is in our own eye we don’t know it’s there!” (Source: Kroneman 2004, p. 501)
In Una, it had to be translated with a more explicit translation because “a more literal and shorter version of this verse had led to major misunderstanding or zero understanding.” It’s back-translation says: “You (pl.) are doing very evil things, but you think, ‘We do not do evil things’. But, regarding other people who do not do very evil things, you think, ‘They are doing evil things, for shame’. As for the very big thorn that broke off and entered your eyes, you think, ‘There is no big thorn that entered my eye’, but with regard to the very small piece of wood dust that might have entered someone else’s eye, why would you say, ‘A piece of wood dust has entered his eye?’ That is not appropriate.” (Source: Dick Kronemann)
In Uripiv it is translated as “How is it you see the fowl dropping stuck on the bottom of your brother’s foot, but you can’t see the cow-pat you have stood on? … You could stand on his foot by mistake and make it dirtier!” (Ross McKerras remarked about this translation: “Our village father laughed when he heard this, which was the right reaction.”)
In Dan, “in one’s eye” can be very offensive in some dialects, so it was changed to “speck on your brother’s face” and “log on your own face.” (Source: Don Slager)
In Russian, this verse is also widely-used as an idiom in the wording of the Russian Synodal Bible (publ. 1876). (Source: Reznikov 2020, p. 46)
Other back-translations include:
Noongar: “Why do you see the speck in your brother’s eye, but you do not see the log in your own eye?” (Source: Warda-Kwabba Luke-Ang)
Yakan: “You who puts down his companion,’ said Isa, ‘why do you notice a speck (lit. of sawdust) in the eye of your companion but you, the tree trunk in your own eye you don’t notice.” (Source: Yakan Back Translation)
Western Bukidnon Manobo: “And again Jesus spoke, ‘You who are always rebuking your companions, why do you rebuke the sin of your companion which is just like a speck that got into his eye. But you — you have a sin which is as big as a log, which has blinded your eye, and you pay no attention to it.” (Source: Western Bukidnon Manobo Back Translation)
Kankanaey: “‘Why do you (sing.) notice the small bit-of-eye-discharge (as when waking up) in the eye of your (sing.) fellow, and you (sing.) don’t notice the large bit-of-eye-discharge in your (sing.) eye?” (Source: Kankanaey Back Translation)
Tagbanwa: “I don’t know why, when someone else has a foreign-body-in-the-eye which is only dust, that is what you (sing.) keep looking for. But when your own foreign-body-in-the-eye is wedged across your eye (implies too big to go in), you just leave it alone.” (Source: Tagbanwa Back Translation)
The Greek that is translated as “log” in English is translated in Gbaya with the ideophone kpíŋgíí, denoting something big or large.
Ideophones are a class of sound symbolic words expressing human sensation that are used as literary devices in many African languages. (Source: Philip Noss)
The Greek that is translated in English as “brother” or “brother and sister” (in the sense of fellow believers), is translated with a specifically coined word in Kachin: “There are two terms for brother in Kachin. One is used to refer to a Christian brother. This term combines ‘older and younger brother.’ The other term is used specifically for addressing siblings. When one uses this term, one must specify if the older or younger person is involved. A parallel system exists for ‘sister’ as well. In [these verses], the term for ‘a Christian brother’ is used.” (Source: Gam Seng Shae)
In Matumbi is is translated as alongo aumini or “relative-believer.” (Source: Pioneer Bible Translators, project-specific notes in Paratext)
In Martu Wangka it is translated as “relative” (this is also the term that is used for “follower.”) (Source: Carl Gross)
In the German New Testament translation by Berger / Nord (publ. 1999) it is often translated as Mitchristen or “fellow Christians.”
Barclay Newman, a translator on the teams for both the Good News Bible and the Contemporary English Version, translated passages of the New Testament into English and published them in 2014, “in a publication brief enough to be non-threatening, yet long enough to be taken seriously, and interesting enough to appeal to believers and un-believers alike.” The following is the translation of Matthew 7:1-6:
Condemn others, and God will condemn you.
God will be as hard on you, as you are on others.
Do you know someone with a sin the size of a speck?
If your sin is as large as a log, you’d better roll it away first,
before you attempt to wipe away that tiny speck.
Otherwise, you’re a first-class hypocrite.
Don’t share what is sacred with wild dogs!
They’ll turn and attack.
Don’t decorate pigs with earrings of pearls!
They’ll trample those pearls in the mud.
Living Water is produced for the Bible translation movement in association with Lutheran Bible Translators. Lyrics derived from the ESV® Bible (The Holy Bible, English Standard Version®).
Verses 3-5 illustrate the principle enunciated in verse 1 and form the theological justification for the declaration of verse 2. See (so also Barclay) is translated “look at” by Good News Translation, New American Bible, New English Bible, and New International Version. The context indicates that the meaning is not merely that of casual observation, as see might suggest, but of paying attention to something. Some translators have had “Why do you remark about,” “Why are you concerned about,” or “Why do you bring attention to.” “Look at” of Good News Translation also works well in many languages.
Why do you see is often translated by a similar question, but the phrase can also be a statement such as “You should not pay attention to….” Another way to render it is to say “You notice some speck of wood in your brother’s eye, and fail to see the whole plank in your own. How can that be?”
The Greek word translated speck may refer to a small piece of straw, chaff, or wood; it signifies something quite insignificant. On the other hand, the word rendered log describes a piece of lumber used in building. This saying about the speck and the log is purposely ridiculous and is to be compared with the saying in 19.24. One scholar describes the figure as intentionally grotesque, since no one can in reality have a log in his eye. It is intended to contrast the insignificant wrongs that others do to us with the enormous sins that we commit against God, and so its real purpose is to exclude all condemnation of others. Indeed, this exaggerated language should be retained in the translation to make sure the readers get the point. Speck can be “small piece of dust (or, wood)” or “small splinter of wood.” Log can be “a tree trunk,” “a plank of wood,” or “a big stick.”
For comments on your brother, see 5.22.
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 .
Why do you look at the speck in your brother’s eye, but fail to notice the beam in your own eye?: Before you translate 7:3a–b, there are two main issues to consider:
Issue 1: Rhetorical question
Verse 7:3 is a rhetorical question. It functions as a rebuke, and it continues the theme in 7:1–2. In 7:1–2 Jesus commanded his disciples not to judge/condemn other people harshly. Here he criticized them for judging/condemning another person with a small fault when they themselves have something more serious in their own lives.
Here are some other ways to translate this rebuke:
• As a rhetorical question. For example:
Why do you look at the speck of sawdust in your brother’s eye and pay no attention to the plank in your own eye? (New International Version)
• As a question followed by a command. For example:
Why do you look at the speck of sawdust in your brother’s eye? ⌊Instead,⌋ you should pay attention to the plank in your own eye!
• As a command. For example:
Do not look at the speck in your brother’s eye. ⌊Rather⌋ pay attention to the plank in your own eye!
Translate this rebuke in a way that is natural in your language.
Issue 2: Metaphor
Verse 7:3 contains a metaphor. In this metaphor, a small sin/fault in your brother’s life is compared to a speck in his eye. A large sin/fault in your life is compared to a log that is in your eye.
Here are some other ways to translate this metaphor:
• Keep the metaphor. See the examples above. If you keep the metaphor, you may want to describe the meaning in a footnote. Here is a sample footnote:
The “speck” represents a small sin/fault or a small number of sins. The “log” represents a large sin/fault or a large number of sins.
• Change the metaphor to a simile and make explicit how it is similar. For example:
Why do you judge/condemn your brother for ⌊a small sin/fault which is like⌋ a small speck in his eye, when you have ⌊a large sin/fault in your life which is like⌋ a log in your own eye?
-or-
Why do you ⌊who have many sins judge/condemn your brother who has few sins? It is like⌋ looking at the speck in your brother’s eye when you have a log in your own eye.
7:3a
you: In Greek, 7:1–2 uses you plural. But here in 7:3, the Greek changes to you singular.
the speck: The Greek word that the Berean Standard Bible translates as speck refers to something that is very small and can get into a person’s eyes. It could be some dust, a very small piece of wood, or something similar.
Here are some other ways to translate this word:
the little piece of dust (New Century Version)
-or-
the piece of sawdust (God’s Word)
-or-
splinter
your brother’s: The phrase your brother’s probably refers to something belonging to a companion or friend here. It may also include neighbors or people in general. It includes both male and female.
In some languages the word brother’s refers only to something belonging to someone with the same father. If that is true in your language, you may want to use a more general word. For example:
your neighbor (New Revised Standard Version)
-or-
your friend (New Living Translation (2004))
7:3b
but: There is contrast between “look” of 7:3a and “fail to notice” in 7:3b. In some languages it is natural to use the conjunction but here (as the Berean Standard Bible and some other English versions do). Your way to connect 7:3a and 7:3b will depend on the way you translate the rhetorical question and metaphor. (See the examples in the Display at 7:3a–b.)
fail to notice: The Greek verb that the Berean Standard Bible translates here as notice also means “consider,” “be concerned about,” or “pay attention to.”
Here are some other ways to translate this verb phrase:
pay no attention to (New International Version)
-or-
do not think about
-or-
do not see
-or-
ignore
the beam in your own eye: The Greek word that the Berean Standard Bible translates as beam refers to a large, heavy piece of wood. It is usually used as a beam in building a house.
Here are some other ways to translate this word:
wooden beam (God’s Word)
-or-
big piece of wood (New Century Version)
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