The Parable of the Pharisee and the Tax Collector (image)

The parable of The The Parable of the Pharisee and the Tax Collector is illustrated for use in Bible translations in West Africa by Wycliffe Cameroon like this:

Illustration 1999 Mbaji Bawe Ernest, © Wycliffe Bible Translators, Inc. Used with permission.

parable

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The Greek that is usually translated as “parable” in English is translated in other languages in a number of ways:

In British Sign Language it is translated with a sign that combines the signs for “tell-a-story” and “compare.” (Source: Anna Smith)


“Parable” in British Sign Language (source: Christian BSL, used with permission)

Scot McKnight (in The Second Testament, publ. 2023) translates it into English as analogy because “the Greek word has the sense of tossing down something alongside something else. Hence an analogy.”

See also image and figures of speech.

complete verse (Luke 18:9)

Following are a number of back-translations of Luke 18:9:

  • Noongar: “Jesus also told this parable to people who thought highly of themselves and proud because they were better than other people.” (Source: Warda-Kwabba Luke-Ang)
  • Uma: “After that, Yesus spoke another parable. This parable was directed at people who say that only they are straight/upright, and they disparage others.” (Source: Uma Back Translation)
  • Yakan: “Isa also told a parable to the people who considered/thought of themselves that they were righteous/straight and who put-down the other people.” (Source: Yakan Back Translation)
  • Western Bukidnon Manobo: “Another day about that time, Jesus told a parable. And as for this parable, it was directed against those people who think they’re the only ones whose works are good, and they make fun of all other people.” (Source: Western Bukidnon Manobo Back Translation)
  • Kankanaey: “Jesus also told this parable to those who were very-satisfied with their righteousness and who at-the-same-time looked-down-on their fellows.” (Source: Kankanaey Back Translation)
  • Tagbanwa: “There was also an illustration which Jesus caused to be heard by people who thought-mistakenly that they were straight/righteous in the sight of God, therefore were belittling others.” (Source: Tagbanwa Back Translation)

righteous, righteousness

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The Greek, Hebrew, and Latin terms that are translated in English mostly as “righteous” as an adjective or personified noun or “righteousness” (also as “justice”) are most commonly expressed with concept of “straightness,” though this may be expressed in a number of ways. (Click or tap here to see the details)

Following is a list of (back-) translations of various languages:

  • Bambara, Southern Bobo Madaré, Chokwe (ululi), Amganad Ifugao, Chol, Eastern Maninkakan, Toraja-Sa’dan, Pamona, Batak Toba, Bilua, Tiv: “be straight”
  • Laka: “follow the straight way” or “to straight-straight” (a reduplicated form for emphasis)
  • Highland Puebla Nahuatl, Kekchí, Muna: “have a straight heart”
  • Kipsigis: “do the truth”
  • Mezquital Otomi: “do according to the truth”
  • Huautla Mazatec: “have truth”
  • Yine: “fulfill what one should do”
  • Indonesian: “be true”
  • Navajo: “do just so”
  • Anuak: “do as it should be”
  • Mossi: “have a white stomach” (see also happiness / joy)
  • Paasaal: “white heart” (source: Fabian N. Dapila in The Bible Translator 2024, p. 415ff.)
  • Nuer: “way of right” (“there is a complex concept of “right” vs. ‘left’ in Nuer where ‘right’ indicates that which is masculine, strong, good, and moral, and ‘left’ denotes what is feminine, weak, and sinful (a strictly masculine viewpoint!) The ‘way of right’ is therefore righteousness, but of course women may also attain this way, for the opposition is more classificatory than descriptive.”) (This and all above from Bratcher / Nida except for Bilua: Carl Gross; Tiv: Rob Koops; Muna: René van den Berg)
  • Central Subanen: “wise-good” (source: Robert Brichoux in OPTAT 1988/2, p. 80ff. )
  • Xicotepec De Juárez Totonac: “live well”
  • Mezquital Otomi: “goodness before the face of God” (source for this and one above: Viola Waterhouse in Notes on Translation August 1966, p. 86ff.)
  • Eastern Huasteca Nahuatl: “the result of heart-straightening” (source: Nida 1947, p. 224)
  • Eastern Highland Otomi: “entirely good” (when referred to God), “do good” or “not be a debtor as God sees one” (when referred to people)
  • Carib: “level”
  • Tzotzil: “straight-hearted”
  • Ojitlán Chinantec: “right and straight”
  • Yatzachi Zapotec: “walk straight” (source for this and four previous: John Beekman in Notes on Translation November 1964, p. 1-22)
  • Aari: The Pauline word for “righteous” is generally rendered by “makes one without sin” in the Aari, sometimes “before God” is added for clarity. (Source: Loren Bliese)
  • North Alaskan Inupiatun: “having sin taken away” (Source: Nida 1952, p. 144)
  • Nyamwezi: wa lole: “just” or “someone who follows the law of God” (source: Pioneer Bible Translators, project-specific translation notes in Paratext)
  • Venda: “nothing wrong, OK” (Source: J.A. van Roy in The Bible Translator 1972, p. 418ff. )
  • Ekari: maakodo bokouto or “enormous truth” (the same word that is also used for “truth“; bokouto — “enormous” — is being used as an attribute for abstract nouns to denote that they are of God [see also here]; source: Marion Doble in The Bible Translator 1963, p. 37ff. ).
  • Guhu-Samane: pobi or “right” (also: “right (side),” “(legal) right,” “straightness,” “correction,” “south,” “possession,” “pertinence,” “kingdom,” “fame,” “information,” or “speech” — “According to [Guhu-Samane] thinking there is a common core of meaning among all these glosses. Even from an English point of view the first five can be seen to be closely related, simply because of their similarity in English. However, from that point the nuances of meaning are not so apparent. They relate in some such a fashion as this: As one faces the morning sun, south lies to the right hand (as north lies to the left); then at one’s right hand are his possessions and whatever pertains to him; thus, a rich man’s many possessions and scope of power and influence is his kingdom; so, the rich and other important people encounter fame; and all of this spreads as information and forms most of the framework of the people’s speech.”) (Source: Ernest Richert in Notes on Translation 1964, p. 11ff.)

See also respectable, righteous, righteous (person), and She is more in the right(eous) than I.

Translation commentary on Luke 18:9

Exegesis:

eipen de kai … tēn parabolēn tautēn ‘he also told … this parable.’ kai ‘also’ means ‘in addition to what he had said before.’

pros tinas tous pepoithotas eph’ heautois hoti eisin dikaioi ‘to some people who were confident of themselves to be righteous.’ pros may mean ‘to,’ or ‘with a view/with reference to,’ preferably the former. This implies the presence of a wider audience. eph’ heautois indicates the foundation of the confidence. hoti eisin dikaioi refers to the content of the confidence. For dikaios cf. on 15.7.

kai exouthenountas tous loipous ‘and who despised others,’ still modified by the article tous before pepoithotas. In tous loipous the article is generic, and the phrase means ‘all other people,’ ‘every one else.’

exoutheneō (also 23.11) ‘to despise,’ ‘to look down upon,’ ‘to treat with contempt.’

Translation:

He also told this parable to, or, ‘and here is another parable of his. He told it to…’ (cf. New English Bible).

Trusted in themselves that they were righteous, or, ‘were sure that they themselves were righteous,’ ‘thought of themselves: “We are the upright ones” ’ (Shona 1966), ‘looked on themselves as people who do right’ (Sranan Tongo), ‘thought that their hearts were straight, theirs-only’ (Tzeltal), ‘believed regarding themselves: we meet the measure’ (East Nyanja). For righteous see references on 1.6.

Despised others, or, “thought nothing of others” (An American Translation), “looked down on everyone else” (New English Bible); or, ‘said/thought of every body else, “He is worth nothing (or, is not righteous, or, is inferior to me)” .’

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.