village

The Hebrew and Greek that is translated as “village” or “town” in English is translated in Noongar as karlamaya or “fire (used for “home“) + houses” (source: Warda-Kwabba Luke-Ang).

Martha and Mary (image)

Hand colored stencil print on washi by Sadao Watanabe (1984).

Image taken with permission from the SadaoHanga Catalogue where you can find many more images and information about Sadao Watanabe.

For other images of Sadao Watanabe art works in TIPs, see here.

complete verse (Luke 10:38)

Following are a number of back-translations of Luke 10:38:

  • Noongar: “As Jesus and his disciples walked on their way, they came to a village. There a woman called Martha asked them to rest in her house.” (Source: Warda-Kwabba Luke-Ang)
  • Uma: “During their journey, Yesus and his disciples stopped at a town. In that town, there was a woman named Marta who received-as-guest Yesus.” (Source: Uma Back Translation)
  • Yakan: “Isa and his disciples proceeded and arrived at a certain village. There was a woman there called Marta. Isa was treated-according-to-custom in her home.” (Source: Yakan Back Translation)
  • Western Bukidnon Manobo: “And when Jesus and company continued, they arrived in a town where there was a woman named Martha. And as for this Martha, she had Jesus come up into her house.” (Source: Western Bukidnon Manobo Back Translation)
  • Kankanaey: “Jesus and his disciples continued walking until they arrived at a certain town. There was a woman there who was named Marta, and she showed-them-hospitality.” (Source: Kankanaey Back Translation)
  • Tagbanwa: “Well since the traveling of Jesus and his disciples continued on, they arrived at a bario where lived a woman called Marta. Marta received them into her house.” (Source: Tagbanwa Back Translation)

Translation commentary on Luke 10:38

Exegesis:

en de tō poreuesthai autous ‘during their travelling,’ i.e. ‘when they were on their way.’ The use of poreuesthai (cf. 9.51-57 where it occurs five times) expresses that the journey to Jerusalem is continued. autous means Jesus and his disciples, probably not the small group of the twelve but a larger crowd.

eis kōmēn tina ‘into a certain village,’ without indication of name or place.

gunē de tis … hupedexato auton ‘a certain woman … received him.’ Nestle adds eis tēn oikian ‘into her house.’

hupodechomai (also 19.6) ‘to receive,’ ‘to welcome,’ always of receiving somebody as a guest into the house.

Translation:

As they went on their way, or, “as they continued their journey” (An American Translation).

If the shift from they to he (or, ‘Jesus’) and him is to be avoided (e.g. because it would suggest that, while the disciples did one thing, Jesus did something else), one may say, ‘as Jesus and (or, accompanied by) his disciples continued the(ir) journey he … him…,’ a rendering that is obligatory in some honorific languages.

And a woman … received, or better to link this clause to what precedes, ‘there a woman … received,’ ‘there lived a woman … who received’ (cf. Javanese). For the verb cf. on 9.5. Some languages require a specification by a locative phrase such as ‘in her house,’ which then is added not for textual but for linguistic reasons.

Quoted with permission from Reiling, J. and Swellengrebel, J.L. A Handbook on the Gospel of Luke. (UBS Handbook Series). New York: UBS, 1971. For this and other handbooks for translators see here . Make sure to also consult the Handbook on the Gospel of Mark for parallel or similar verses.