(1) Possible items in general, taking normal or “neutral” pronoun forms
(2) Edible items, to which are linked “edible” pronoun forms
(3) Drinkable items, to which are linked “drinkable” pronoun forms
(4) Body parts and kinship, taking “familiar” pronoun suffixed forms.
The Greek terms that are translated as “body (or: flesh)” and “blood” used in John 6:52-56 “as symbols of Christ’s sacrifice are not treated by either version as edible and drinkable objects, even though they are said in the text to be eaten and drunk. The apparent reason is that the passage is taken to be about the institution of a memorial and not about the actions of eating and drinking themselves. Hence the translators use the familiar pronoun for the body part (lewequ ‘my body’) and the neutral pronoun for the blood part (noqu dra ‘my blood’).”
The Greek that is typically translated with a generic expressions such as “he who,” “whoever,” or “if anyone” in English is translated with the plural form (“they”) in Daga. “A literal translation of these conveys the idea that one specific unnamed individual is being dis cussed. Thus, for instance, in John 5:24 ‘he who hears my word and believes in him who sent me has eternal life’ meant in Daga that there was one fortunate individual to whom it applied.”
Following are a number of back-translations of John 6:56:
Uma: “The people who eat my body and drink my blood, they stay in-harmony [lit., mutual-life] with me, and I with them.” (Source: Uma Back Translation)
Yakan: “Whoever eats my flesh and drinks my blood remains with me and I remain with him.” (Source: Yakan Back Translation)
Western Bukidnon Manobo: “He who eats my body and drinks my blood never leaves me, and I also never leave him.” (Source: Western Bukidnon Manobo Back Translation)
Kankanaey: “The one who eats my body and drinks my blood, he is in me continually, and I also, I am in him.” (Source: Kankanaey Back Translation)
Tagbanwa: “That one who eats my flesh and drinks my blood, it’s like we (excl.) are now one body.” (Source: Tagbanwa Back Translation)
Tenango Otomi: “He who eats my flesh and drinks my blood is in fellowship with me.” (Source: Tenango Otomi Back Translation)
Martu Wangka: “If a person eats my body, and drinks my blood, as a result of that, we two will sit together as relatives.” (The idea of sitting together as relatives is good.) (Source: Carl Gross)
Verses 55 and 56 are not joined together by any connecting particle. The use of the present tense throughout should be noted: eats … drinks … lives … live.
Lives in me and I live in him is literally “remains in me and I in him”; the thought is similar to 15.4. The verb “to remain” is one of John’s most important terms, and he uses it of the relationship between the Father and the Son (14.10), as well as of the believer’s relationship with the Son (6.56; 15.4). In 1.32-33 the Spirit descends and remains on Jesus. See also such key verses as 5.38; 8.31; 15.7,9-10. Here the meaning is “lives in fellowship/union with me and I live in fellowship/union with him.” This concept of fellowship or union with Christ is expressed in some languages as “share with,” while in others one may speak of “being one together with.”
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 .
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