Sabbath

The Hebrew and Greek that is translated as “Sabbath” in English is rendered as “day we rest” in Tzotzil, in Mairasi as “Jew’s Rest Day,” in Quiotepec Chinantec as “day when people of Israel rested,” in Shilluk as “day of God,” in Obolo as Usen Mbuban or “Holy Day,” and in Mandarin Chinese as ānxírì (安息日) or “rest day” (literally: “peace – rest – day”).

(Sources: Tzotzil: Marion Cowan in Notes on Translation with Drill, p. 169ff; Mairasi: Enggavoter 2004; Quiotepec Chinantec: B. Moore / G. Turner in Notes on Translation 1967, p. 1ff.; Shilluk: Nida 1964, p. 237; Obolo: Enene Enene; Chinese: Jost Zetzsche)

In the old Khmer version as well as in the first new translation this term was rendered as “day of rest” (Thngai Chhup Somrak / ​ថ្ងៃ​ឈប់​សំរាក). Considered inadequate to convey its religious meaning (not only about cessation of work, but also in honor of Yahweh as the Creator), the committee for the Today’s Khmer Version (publ. 2005) decided to keep the Hebrew word and use its transliterated form Thgnai Sabath (​ថ្ងៃ​សប្ប័ទ). “The Buddhist word Thngai Seil ‘day of merits’ used by some Catholics was once under consideration but was rejected because it did not receive unanimous support.” (Source: Joseph Hong in The Bible Translator 1996, p. 233ff.)

In Spanish, the translation is either día de reposo (“day of rest”) or sábado (usually: “Saturday,” derived from the Greek and Hebrew original. Nida (1947, p. 239f.) explains that problem for Spanish and other languages in its sphere of influence: “In translation ‘Sabbath’ into various aboriginal languages of Latin America, a considerable number of translators have used the Spanish sábado, ‘Saturday,’ because it is derived from the Hebrew sabbath and seems to correspond to English usage as well. The difficulty is that sábado means only ‘Saturday’ for most people. There is no religious significance about this word as the is with ‘Sabbath’ in English. Accordingly the [readers] cannot understand the significance of the persecution of Jesus because he worked on ‘Saturday.’ It has been found quite advantageous to use the translation ‘day of rest,’ for this accurately translated the Hebrew meaning of the term and resolves the problem in connection with the prohibitions placed upon some types of activities.”

In French Sign Language it is translated with a sign that depicts closing of the blinds of a store:


“Sabbath” in French Sign Language (source: La Bible en langue des signes française )

complete verse (Luke 23:54)

Following are a number of back-translations of Luke 23:54:

  • Noongar: “The day was day six and the Sabbath Day was nearly beginning.” (Source: Warda-Kwabba Luke-Ang)
  • Uma: “That day was a preparation day, and according to the custom of the Yahudi people, beginning that afternoon it was forbidden to work, because the worship day had started.” (Source: Uma Back Translation)
  • Yakan: “It was already Friday afternoon and the sun was setting. That was already the beginning of the day-of-no-work.” (Source: Yakan Back Translation)
  • Western Bukidnon Manobo: “It was afternoon then, on Friday, and when the sun set it was the beginning of the day of rest.” (Source: Western Bukidnon Manobo Back Translation)
  • Kankanaey: “Upon his doing that, the day for-resting was almost beginning, because it was the afternoon of Friday which was the preparation-time of the Jews.” (Source: Kankanaey Back Translation)
  • Tagbanwa: “That day was the one called Preparing, and the sun was already low. When it had set, that was the beginning of the Day of Rest.” (Source: Tagbanwa Back Translation)

Translation commentary on Luke 23:54

Exegesis:

This verse has the function of a parenthetical indication of time.

kai hēmera ēn paraskeuēs ‘and it was the day of preparation.’

sabbaton epephōsken lit. ‘the sabbath was shining forth.’

epiphōskō ‘to shine,’ ‘to shine forth.’ Since according to Jewish custom the new day was reckoned from sunset the verb cannot refer to the shining forth of the sun at dawn; hence it may refer to the custom of lighting lamps at the beginning of the sabbath (Klostermann, Lagrange) or it may be used in a weakened and general meaning, i.e. ‘to dawn,’ ‘to begin.’ The latter is preferable, cf. Plummer.

Translation:

The day of Preparation, or, ‘the day for preparing (or, when people prepare),’ or, if an object and a reference to the occasion have to be added, ‘the day when people prepare things (or, what is necessary) for the sabbath’ (in which case ‘sabbath’ in the next clause is better replaced by a pronominal reference, e.g. .’.., which was beginning,’ .’..; it was about to begin’). Some versions render “day of Preparation” by the term used for Friday; a closer rendering is usually preferable, however, since it reminds the receptor better of the regulations for the sabbath, which play a role in v. 56b.

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.