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 (John 20:11)

Following are a number of back-translations of John 20:11:

  • Uma: “But Maria Magdalena stood outside the grave, continually crying. While she was crying, she stooped down to peer into the grave.” (Source: Uma Back Translation)
  • Yakan: “But Mariyam kept standing there beside the grave weeping. While she was weeping she bent down and peeped into the grave.” (Source: Yakan Back Translation)
  • Western Bukidnon Manobo: “But as for Mary, by contrast, she was still outside the cave crying. And as she cried, she squatted down peeking into the cave.” (Source: Western Bukidnon Manobo Back Translation)
  • Kankanaey: “But Maria however, she was still standing by the cave crying. She was crying bending-face-down to peer-inside the cave.” (Source: Kankanaey Back Translation)
  • Tagbanwa: “But as for Maria, who had returned to the grave, she was still there standing at the outside of that place-buried-in, keeping on crying. She bent still crying and looked inside the grave.” (Source: Tagbanwa Back Translation)
  • Tenango Otomi: “But Mary stood outside the cave crying. While she was crying, she stooped to look inside of the cave.” (Source: Tenango Otomi Back Translation)

Translation commentary on John 20:11

In some languages such an expression as Mary stood crying must be expressed by paratactically combined verbs, for example, “Mary stood there; she was crying.” The phrase outside the tomb must be combined with standing rather than with crying. Accordingly one may translate “Mary was standing there just outside the tomb; she was crying.”

Outside the tomb is more literally “at/by/near the tomb outside,” which Jerusalem Bible renders “outside near the tomb;” New English Bible “at the tomb outside;” and Goodspeed and Phillips “just outside the tomb.” Barclay has “beside the tomb outside it.” The Greek preposition indicates proximity. This force is implicit in Good News Translation, Revised Standard Version, Moffatt, and others by the rendering “outside.” New American Bible has “beside the tomb.”

She bent over and looked in the tomb is more literally “she bent over into the tomb.” The verb “to look” is definitely implied, and a number of other translations make this information explicit (Revised Standard Version “she stooped to look into the tomb”; Jerusalem Bible “she stooped to look inside”).

Quoted with permission from Newman, Barclay M. and Nida, Eugene A. A Handbook on the Gospel of John. (UBS Handbook Series). New York: UBS, 1980. For this and other handbooks for translators see here .