complete verse (Luke 18:36)

Following are a number of back-translations of Luke 18:36:

  • Noongar: “He heard many people passing nearby, so he asked, ‘What’s happening?'” (Source: Warda-Kwabba Luke-Ang)
  • Uma: “When he heard many people passing by, he asked: ‘What is going on?'” (Source: Uma Back Translation)
  • Yakan: “When the blind person heard the many people passing by, he asked why that was.” (Source: Yakan Back Translation)
  • Western Bukidnon Manobo: “And when that blind person heard the noise of many people passing by, he asked what that was.” (Source: Western Bukidnon Manobo Back Translation)
  • Kankanaey: “When he heard the many-people passing by, he inquired as to what was happening.” (Source: Kankanaey Back Translation)
  • Tagbanwa: “When he realized that many people were passing, he asked what was going on.” (Source: Tagbanwa Back Translation)

Translation commentary on Luke 18:36

Exegesis:

akousas de ochlou diaporeuomenou ‘when he heard a crowd going by.’ akousas refers to judgment based on his own observation. ochlou ‘a crowd,’ without article. diaporeuomai here ‘to go by,’ ‘to go along,’ elsewhere (cf. 6.1) ‘to pass through.’

epunthaneto ti eiē touto ‘he inquired what this was,’ cf. on 15.26.

Translation:

Hearing a multitude going by, or, ‘as soon as he heard the noise of a crowd that went by’ (Javanese, specifying by the use of the non-honorific pronoun that the reference is now to the beggar). Elsewhere one may have to use, ‘this one’ (Nieuwe Vertaling), ‘the (blind) man,’ ‘the beggar.’

Inquired what this meant. If the persons asked have to be specified, one may say, ‘asked those near him.’

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.