The Greek that is translated as “tax collector” in English is translated in Tagbanwa as “money-grabbing official receivers of payment” (source: Tagbanwa Back Translation) and in Noongar as mammarapa boya-barranginy or “people taking money” (source: Tagbanwa Back Translation). Likewise, in Cashibo-Cacataibo, it is the “ones who take the money” (source: Bratcher / Nida 1961).
In Mairasi it is translated as “the people who collect money pertaining to head payment.”(Source: Enggavoter 2004)
Click or tap here to see a short video clip about tax collectors in biblical times (source: Bible Lands 2012)
The name that is transliterated as “Zacchaeus” in English is translated in Finnish Sign Language with the sign signifying “short” (referring to Luke 19:3). (Source: Tarja Sandholm)
Following are a number of back-translations of Luke 19:2:
Noongar: “A chief tax collector lived in Jericho. His name was Zachaeus, and he was very rich.” (Source: Warda-Kwabba Luke-Ang)
Uma: “In that town, there was a rich man who was the head of the tax collectors, named Zakheus.” (Source: Uma Back Translation)
Yakan: “There was a person living there, his name was Sakkiyas. He was the leader of the people who collect payment and he was rich.” (Source: Yakan Back Translation)
Western Bukidnon Manobo: “And there was there a man from Jericho who was named Zacchaeus. And as for this Zacchaeus, he was the chief of the tax collectors there, and he was very rich.” (Source: Western Bukidnon Manobo Back Translation)
Kankanaey: “there was a rich-man who was the leader of the tax collectors who was named Zakeus.” (Source: Kankanaey Back Translation)
Tagbanwa: “There was a rich person there who was a boss of the official receivers of payment to the government, whose name was Zaqueo.” (Source: Tagbanwa Back Translation)
kai idou anēr lit. ‘and behold, (there was) a man,’ nominal clause introduced by emphatic kai idou, denoting that Zacchaeus’ appearance on the scene was rather surprising.
onomati kaloumenos Zakchaios ‘named Zacchaeus,’ pleonastic since onomati and kaloumenos are synonymous.
kai autos ēn architelōnēs ‘and he was a chief tax-collector.’ autos is unemphatic.
architelōnēs (‡; not found elsewhere in Greek) ‘chief tax-collector,’ cf. on 3.12 where telōnēs is used. architelōnēs, either the head of the local telōnai, or merely higher in rank.
kai autos plousios ‘and he (was) rich,’ explicit addition of what might be presumed in the case of a chief tax-collector and preparing the way for v. 8.
Translation:
Chief tax collector, i.e. ‘one of the great/principal tax collectors,’ or, ‘the head (Bahasa Indonesia), or, the father (Medumba) of the tax collectors.’ For tax collector see on 3.12.
And rich, sometimes better appositional, ‘a rich man,’ or as a new sentence, ‘he was a rich man.’
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.
Leave a Reply
You must be logged in to post a comment.