bread, loaf

The Greek term that is translated in English as “bread” or “loaf” is translated in Samo, it is translated as “Sago,” which serves “like ‘bread’ for the Hebrews, as a generic for food in the Samo language. It is a near-perfect metonymy that has all the semantic elements necessary for effective communication.” (Source: Daniel Shaw in Scriptura 96/2007, p. 501ff.)

In Chol it is translated as waj, the equivalent of a tortilla. (Click or tap here to see the rest of this insight)

John Beekman (in The Bible Translator 1962, p. 180f. ) explains: “The word ‘bread’ in Scripture primarily occurs as either a specific term for bread (including the Lord’s Supper), or as a generic term for food. It is not surprising, however, the some aboriginal groups use something other than bread as the staff of life. The Chols, with their cultural focus in the cultivation of corn, use waj, a type of thin corn flake. Since a meal is not complete without this main item of food, the term has been extended to include any other foods which may be served along with waj. While bread is known to them, its use is limited to a few occasions during the year when it functions as a dessert. In translating this term in the Chol New Testament, consistent use has been made of the word waj whenever the function of bread as a basic food was in focus. John 6:35, “I am the bread of life,” was thus translated with this word. If the word for bread had been used, it was feared that the Chol would compare Christ to the desirable, but not absolutely necessary, dessert.”

Robert Bascom adds his thoughts to this in relation to other Mayan languages (in Omanson 2001, p. 260): “In many Mayan languages, ‘bread’ can be translated waj or kaxlan waj. The first term literally means anything made from corn meal, while the second term literally means ‘foreigner’s waj,’ and refers to the local wheat-based sweet breads which are so popular within the broader European-influenced culture of the region. On the one hand, waj would be a better dynamic equivalent in cases where ‘bread’ meant ‘food,’ but in cases where the focus is literal or the reference well-known, kaxlan waj would preserve a flour-based meaning (though in biblical times barley was more in use than wheat) and not insert corn into a time and place where it does not belong. On the other hand kaxlan waj is not the staff of life, but refers to a local delicacy. In cases such as these, it is even tempting to suggest borrowing pan, the Spanish word for ‘bread,’ but native speakers might respond that borrowing a foreign word is not necessary since both waj and kaxlan waj are native terms that cover the meaning (though in this case, perhaps not all that well).”

The Road to Emmaus (icon)

Following is a contemporary Ukrainian Orthodox icon of Christ as the grapevine by Khrystyna Kvyk.

 

Orthodox Icons are not drawings or creations of imagination. They are in fact writings of things not of this world. Icons can represent our Lord Jesus Christ, the Virgin Mary, and the Saints. They can also represent the Holy Trinity, Angels, the Heavenly hosts, and even events. Orthodox icons, unlike Western pictures, change the perspective and form of the image so that it is not naturalistic. This is done so that we can look beyond appearances of the world, and instead look to the spiritual truth of the holy person or event. (Source )

complete verse (Luke 24:35)

Following are a number of back-translations of Luke 24:35:

  • Noongar: “Then the two men told them everything which had happened on the road, and how they really saw the Lord when he broke the bread.” (Source: Warda-Kwabba Luke-Ang)
  • Uma: “So, those two who had just arrived also told what had happened along the way earlier, and they knew Yesus when he broke the bread in pieces.” (Source: Uma Back Translation)
  • Yakan: “Then the two also told about what happened to them on their way and as to how they had recognised Isa. They said that they recognised him when he broke the bread.” (Source: Yakan Back Translation)
  • Western Bukidnon Manobo: “And then those two who had come from Emmaus told what had happened to them on the way, for Jesus had gone with them. And they told also that they only recognized Jesus when he broke the bread while they were eating.” (Source: Western Bukidnon Manobo Back Translation)
  • Kankanaey: “Then those two also related what had happened on the way and their recognizing Jesus when he repeatedly-broke-into-pieces the bread.” (Source: Kankanaey Back Translation)
  • Tagbanwa: “And then those two related what happened to them there on the trail, and how they recognized him when he divided/broke the bread and handed it to them.” (Source: Tagbanwa Back Translation)

Translation commentary on Luke 24:35

Exegesis:

kai autoi exēgounto ‘and they on their part, or, in their turn, reported.’ autoi stresses the change of subject.

exēgeomai ‘to explain,’ here, ‘to report,’ ‘to tell.’

ta en tē hodō ‘the things on the road,’ i.e. ‘what had happened on the road,’ cf. on v. 32.

kai hōs egnōsthē autois tē klasei tou artou ‘and how he was recognized by them at the breaking of the bread,’ still dependent on exēgounto. hōs refers to the fact rather than to the mode. Here ginōskō is used in the meaning ‘to recognize.’ en tē klasei is temporal.

klasis ‘the (act of) breaking.’

Translation:

They, or, specifying the pronoun, ‘in their turn, or, thereupon they,’ ‘the two (men/disciples)’ (cf. Good News Translation, Ekari, and several others).

How he was known to them, or, ‘that they had recognized him (or, realized that it was Jesus).’

In the breaking of the bread, or, ‘when he broke the bread,’ or, ‘at the moment they saw him break the bread.’

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.