complete verse (Luke 23:31)

Following are a number of back-translations of Luke 23:31:

  • Noongar: “Because if they do things like this when the tree is green, what will happen when the tree is dry?'” (Source: Warda-Kwabba Luke-Ang)
  • Uma: “Because if they do like this to Me, who has no fault/wrong, how much for will [they do] to you!” (Source: Uma Back Translation)
  • Yakan: “For,’ said Isa, ‘if they do like this to a person who has no sin, they will do worse to the people who have sin on that day.'” (Source: Yakan Back Translation)
  • Western Bukidnon Manobo: “Because,’ said Jesus to them, ‘if this is what they’re doing to me whom am like a tree that’s not yet dried up because I don’t have any sin, how much more is it that they will do to you who are like a tree that has already dried up.'” (Source: Western Bukidnon Manobo Back Translation)
  • Kankanaey: “Because if this is what they will do to me who am like not yet dried wood, surely worse is what they will do to you who are like already-dried.'” (Source: Kankanaey Back Translation)
  • Tagbanwa: “For if like this is caused to happen to me who have no sin, what I wonder will happen to you (pl.) Judio? For if a still live tree will be completely-burned-up, of course much more will one already dead be completely burned up.'” (Source: Tagbanwa Back Translation)

Translation commentary on Luke 23:31

Exegesis:

hoti ‘for,’ introducing Jesus’ explanation of the quotation in v. 30.

ei en tō hugrō xulō tauta poiousin ‘if they do this to the green wood.’ tauta refers to what is being done to Jesus. poiein en means ‘to do to,’ i.e. ‘affect by doing,’ here used in a pejorative sense.

hugros ‘moist,’ ‘pliant,’ here of wood, ‘green,’ ‘fresh.’ For this metaphor see below.

en tō xērō ti genētai ‘what will happen to the dry (wood)?’ ginesthai en lit. ‘to happen in the case of,’ hence ‘to happen to,’ is equivalent to the passive of poiein en (see above). The subjunctive has the force of an interrogative future. xēros contrasts with hugros. Since the latter, because of tauta and of the underlying contrast between Jesus and the women (v. 28), refers to Jesus, xēros must refer to the generation that will have to go through the ordeals implied in v. 29f. The saying appears to be proverbial (see commentaries) and implies that when the innocent Jesus has to suffer death how much more will the far from innocent Jews have to suffer.

Translation:

Where the metaphor would be unacceptable a shift to a simile will be helpful, e.g. ‘if they do this to me, who am comparable to green wood, what will happen to you, who are comparable to dry wood’; where one has to adjust the “if”-clause (cf. on 11.20) and the rhetorical question, the result will become something like, ‘(you see that) they are doing this when the wood is green (or, to me who am…, etc., see above); they certainly will do worse when the wood is dry (or, to you who are…, etc.).’

Green wood and dry wood, or, ‘live tree’ and ‘dry tree’ (Ekari), ‘wet tree’ and ‘dry one’ (Marathi).

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.