complete verse (Luke 19:41)

Following are a number of back-translations of Luke 19:41:

  • Noongar: “Jesus was approaching Jerusalem. When he could see the great city, Jesus began weeping for Jerusalem.” (Source: Warda-Kwabba Luke-Ang)
  • Uma: “Yesus got closer and closer to Yerusalem, until he could see that town. He wept, weeping-over that town.” (Source: Uma Back Translation)
  • Yakan: “When Isa came closer to Awrusalam and could already see the clusters-of-houses, he wept because of his pity for the people of that town.” (Source: Yakan Back Translation)
  • Western Bukidnon Manobo: “And Jesus and company continued on to the town of Jerusalem. And when he saw that town, he wept over it, because he pitied very much to inhabitants there.” (Source: Western Bukidnon Manobo Back Translation)
  • Kankanaey: “When plural Jesus approached Jerusalem, he saw the city and wept because of his pity” (Source: Kankanaey Back Translation)
  • Tagbanwa: “When Jesus was really close now to Jerusalem, that he could see the city well now, suddenly/unexpectedly he wept about it.” (Source: Tagbanwa Back Translation)

Translation commentary on Luke 19:41

Exegesis:

kai hōs ēggisen ‘and as he came near,’ i.e. to the city, temporal clause denoting what precedes the events to which idōn and eklausen refer.

idōn tēn polin eklausen ep’ autēn ‘when he saw the city he wept over it.’ For epi meaning ‘over’ with a verb denoting emotions, or expressions of emotion.

Translation:

And when he drew near, or, ‘still nearer,’ as some versions have in view of v. 37. The reference to ‘the city’ is usually better transposed to this introductory clause; hence, ‘when he drew still nearer to the city and looked at it.’

He wept over it, i.e. ‘he wept because of (grief over) it, or, because he pitied it,’ in view of the disasters that would come over it. For the verb see on 6.21.

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.