clothes

The Hebrew and Greek that is translated with “clothes” or similar in English is translated in Enlhet as “crawling-in-stuff” (source: Jacob Loewen in The Bible Translator 1971, p. 169ff. ) and in Noongar as bwoka or “Kangaroo skin” (source: Warda-Kwabba Luke-Ang).

he who, whoever

The Greek that is typically translated with a generic expressions such as “he who,” “whoever,” or “if anyone” in English is translated with the plural form (“they”) in Daga. “A literal translation of these conveys the idea that one specific unnamed individual is being dis cussed. Thus, for instance, in John 5:24 ‘he who hears my word and believes in him who sent me has eternal life’ meant in Daga that there was one fortunate individual to whom it applied.”

See also love your neighbor as yourself.

complete verse (Luke 3:11)

Following are a number of back-translations of Luke 3:11:

  • Noongar: “He said, ‘If a person has two coats, he must give one to the person without a coat, and the person with bread and meat must share.'” (Source: Warda-Kwabba Luke-Ang)
  • Uma: “Yohanes answered: ‘Whoever of you has two shirts, give one to those who do not have any. And people who have food, share it with those who do not have food.'” (Source: Uma Back Translation)
  • Yakan: “He answered them, he said, ‘The one that has two shirts/blouses should give to the one who doesn’t have one. Likewise the one who has food should also share with the one who doesn’t have any.'” (Source: Yakan Back Translation)
  • Western Bukidnon Manobo: “And John answered them, he said, ‘The person who has two shirts, he should give one of them away to a person who has no shirt. And the same way with a person who has food, he should give to him who has none.'” (Source: Western Bukidnon Manobo Back Translation)
  • Kankanaey: “Juan answered and said, ‘The one who has two shirts, he must give one to the one who has no shirts, and the one who has something to eat, he should also share some with the one who has nothing to eat.'” (Source: Kankanaey Back Translation)
  • Tagbanwa: “Juan replied, saying, ‘Well, like these are good for you to do. Supposing you have two shirts, you must give one to someone who really doesn’t have any. It’s the same for the one who has food, that he mustn’t leave-in-need the one who hasn’t been able to get any.'” (Source: Tagbanwa Back Translation)

Translation commentary on Luke 3:11

Exegesis:

ho echōn duo chitōnas ‘he has two shirts.’

chitōn ‘tunic,’ ‘shirt,’ a garment worn next to the skin and under the himation as 6.29 shows. Travellers used to wear two shirts but the reference here seems to be possessing, not to the wearing of two shirts at the same time.

metadotō tō mē echonti ‘must share with him who has none.’ As object of both metadotō and echonti is to be understood chitōna ‘(one) shirt.’

brōmata (also 9.13) ‘food.’ There is no reference to an abundance of food. The mere having of food brings with it the duty of sharing with somebody who has none and is starving.

homoiōs ‘likewise.’

Translation:

He (or, the man) who has … (twice), ‘whoever has…’ (Marathi); or, ‘if somebody has….’ If the use of the third person would obscure the fact that John’s advice is addressed to his questioners, it is better to say ‘if somebody amongst you has…,’ ‘if you have….’

Coats. The term to be chosen should refer to a commonly used inner garment, e.g. ‘shirt,’ ‘loincloth’ (Uab Meto); a more generic term, e.g. ‘garment,’ ‘(piece of) clothing’ is acceptable also.

Let him share with, or ‘he (or, you, see above) must share with,’ ‘he must give one (of them) to’ (Kituba, similarly Manobo, Marathi, Nyakyusa).

Him who has none. Some languages can be as concise as is the Greek, or even more so, cf. ‘(the) not-have one’ (Chinese), ‘(the) not-man’ (Ekari); others must expand the expression, e.g. ‘person that lacks shirt’ (Kituba, similarly Manobo).

Food, or, ‘something-to-eat.’

Let him do likewise, or ‘like that also,’ with marker of future (Toraja-Sa’dan); or expanding the phrase again, ‘he must give away part of that too,’ ‘he also must-share food of him with person that lacks food’ (Kituba), ‘should give to him who has none’ (Manobo).

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.