complete verse (Luke 18:35)

Following are a number of back-translations of Luke 18:35:

  • Noongar: “Jesus was going near Jericho. A blind man was sitting close to the road, begging.” (Source: Warda-Kwabba Luke-Ang)
  • Uma: “When Yesus was close to the town of Yerikho, there was a blind person sitting by the side of the road begging.” (Source: Uma Back Translation)
  • Yakan: “When they were already close to the town Ariha, there was a blind person sitting there at the edge of the road they were passing begging/asking for money.” (Source: Yakan Back Translation)
  • Western Bukidnon Manobo: “And when they were already near to the town of Jericho, there was there a blind person sitting by the side of the path, and the only thing he did was to hold out his hand, in begging for money.” (Source: Western Bukidnon Manobo Back Translation)
  • Kankanaey: “As plural Jesus were approaching Jerico, there was a blind-person sitting at the edge of the road begging.” (Source: Kankanaey Back Translation)
  • Tagbanwa: “When Jesus and company were now close to Jerico, there was a man who was blind who was sitting at the edge of the trail begging-to-be-given-to.” (Source: Tagbanwa Back Translation)

Translation commentary on Luke 18:35

Exegesis:

egeneto de ‘and it happened,’ cf. on 1.8.

en tō eggizein auton eis Ierichō lit. ‘at his approaching Jericho,’ i.e. ‘as he approached Jericho.’ eggizō eis followed by the name of a town means ‘to approach,’ ‘to come into the neighbourhood of.’

tuphlos tis ekathēto para tēn hodon epaitōn ‘a blind man was sitting by the road, begging.’ tis has the force of an indefinite article. epaitōn adds a secondary trait to the picture and plays no part in what follows.

Translation:

Drew near, cf. on 7.12.

A blind man was sitting by the roadside begging tends to lend emphasis to the last verb; to avoid this one may better say e.g. “a certain blind man was sitting and begging by the road” (Good News Translation), ‘a blind man who was begging (or, a blind beggar) sat by the side of the road.’ To beg may require an object, ‘to beg for something’ (Sranan Tongo).

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.