complete verse (Luke 2:10)

Following are a number of back-translations of Luke 2:10:

  • Noongar: “But the angel said to them, “Don’t be afraid! I come here, bringing good news to you. This news will bring much happiness to all people.” (Source: Warda-Kwabba Luke-Ang)
  • Uma: “That angel said to them: ‘Do not be afraid, because my coming here is to bring good news to you, news that makes all people very glad.” (Source: Uma Back Translation)
  • Yakan: “But the angel said, ‘Don’t be afraid, because I have come to tell you good news which will make all the people glad.” (Source: Yakan Back Translation)
  • Western Bukidnon Manobo: “And that angel of the Lord said, he said ‘Don’t you be afraid because I was sent here so that I might tell you some very good news which will be the reason for rejoicing for all mankind.” (Source: Western Bukidnon Manobo Back Translation)
  • Kankanaey: “Whereupon the angel said to them, ‘Don’t be afraid! Because what I will report to you will be the cause-of-happiness of all people.” (Source: Kankanaey Back Translation)
  • Tagbanwa: “But the angel said to them, ‘Don’t be afraid. There is good news which I bring which I will tell you, which will give big happiness to all people.” (Source: Tagbanwa Back Translation)

Translation commentary on Luke 2:10

Exegesis:

idou gar ‘for behold,’ cf. on 1.44.

euaggelizomai humin charan megalēn ‘I bring(-as)-good-news to you a great joy,’ cf. on 1.19.

hētis estai panti tō laō “which will be for all the people” (Translator’s New Testament): hētis is here equivalent to the simple relative pronoun hē.

panti tō laō is best understood as a dative of advantage: ‘a joy which will be to the benefit of all the people.’ For laos cf. 1.68, 77; the reference is not to ‘people’ in general, i.e. mankind, but to ‘the people,’ i.e. Israel.

Translation:

I bring you good news of a great joy, i.e. news that gives great joy, or, causes people to rejoice greatly. Some other restructured renderings of the phrase are, “I bring you good tidings, news of a great joy” (The Four Gospels – a New Translation), “I have good news for you: there is great joy coming to…” (New English Bible, making ‘great joy’ the grammatical subject of the next clause); or, toning down the force of the verb, .’.. tell the news which will give great joy’ (South Bolivian Quechua), ‘great joy word(s) wish-to-tell-you I-have-come’ (Ekari). For to bring good news cf. also on 1.19.

Which will come to all the people, or, ‘which will be the share of this whole-people’ (Tae’), ‘in which the whole country will take part’ (Sranan Tongo), ‘a blessing for all the people’ (Batak Toba, using an appositional construction), ‘over which all the people will be-glad’ (Tae’ 1933). The people, or, to make it clear that here Israel is meant, ‘this people,’ ‘your people’ (Balinese), ‘the people in your country’ (Tboli), ‘(the people of) Israel’; see also on 1.17.

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.