23He said to them, “Doubtless you will quote to me this proverb, ‘Doctor, cure yourself!’ And you will say, ‘Do here also in your hometown the things that we have heard you did at Capernaum.’ ”
The Greek and Hebrew that is translated as “doubt” in English versions is translated with a term in Tzeltal that means “heart is gone.” (Nida 1952, p. 122)
In other languages it is represented by a variety of idiomatic renderings, and in the majority of instances the concept of duality is present, e.g. “to make his heart two” (Kekchí), “to be with two hearts” (Punu), “to stand two” (Sierra de Juárez Zapotec), “to be two” or “to have two minds” (Navajo), “to think something else” (Tabasco Chontal), “to think two different things” (Shipibo-Conibo), “to have two thoughts” (Yaka and Huallaga Huánuco Quechua), or “two-things-soul” (Yucateco).
In some languages, however, doubt is expressed without reference to the concept of “two” or “otherness,” such as “to have whirling words in one’s heart” (Chol), “his thoughts are not on it” (Baoulé), or “to have a hard heart” (Piro). (Source: Bratcher / Nida, except for Yucateco: Nida 1947, p. 229 and Huallaga Huánuco Quechua: Nida 1952, p. 123)
In Chokwe “kwalajala is ‘to doubt.’ It is the repetitive of kuala, ‘to spread out in order, to lay (as a table), to make (as a bed),’ and is connected with kualula ‘to count.’ [It is therefore like] a person in doubt as one who can’t get a thing in proper order, who lays it out one way but goes back again and again and tries it other ways. It is connected with uncertainty, hesitation, lack of an orderly grasp of the ‘count’ of the subject.” (Source: D. B. Long in The Bible Translator 1952, p. 87ff.)
The name that is transliterated as “Capernaum” in English is translated in Spanish Sign Language as “town base camp” (referring to information about Capernaum being Jesus’ home base during his ministry in Matthew 4:13 and Mark 2:1) (Source: John Elwode in The Bible Translator 2008, p. 78ff.)
The now commonly-used English idiom “physician heal thyself” (meaning to attend to one’s own faults rather than pointing out the faults of others) was first coined in 1526 in the English New Testament translation of William Tyndale. (Source: Crystal 2010, p. 287)
For other idioms in English that were coined by Bible translation, see here.
“Only qualified, trained leaders know the dharma (truth) yet Jesus made claims that threatened the establishment. He is being chased out of the temple because his people thought him merely a carpenter. They intended to throw him down the cliff but he just passed by.”
Many languages distinguish between inclusive and exclusive first-person plural pronouns (“we”). (Click or tap here to see more details)
The inclusive “we” specifically includes the addressee (“you and I and possibly others”), while the exclusive “we” specifically excludes the addressee (“he/she/they and I, but not you”). This grammatical distinction is called “clusivity.” While Semitic languages such as Hebrew or most Indo-European languages such as Greek or English do not make that distinction, translators of languages with that distinction have to make a choice every time they encounter “we” or a form thereof (in English: “we,” “our,” or “us”).
For this verse, translators typically select the exclusive form (excluding Jesus).
Source: Velma Pickett and Florence Cowan in Notes on Translation January 1962, p. 1ff.
Following are a number of back-translations of Luke 4:23:
Noongar: “He said to them, ‘I know you will say this proverb to me, ‘Doctor, heal yourself!’ You will also tell me, ‘Here in your home town, do the same things we hear, things you have done in Capernaum’.'” (Source: Warda-Kwabba Luke-Ang)
Uma: “From there, he said saying to them: ‘There will definitely be some of you who say this figure-of-speech to me: ‘Ee, doktor, heal your (sing.) own body. If you (sing.) are really a prophet, do also here in your (sing.) own town the miracles that we (excl.) heard you (sing.) did in Kapernaum.’ ‘” (Source: Uma Back Translation)
Yakan: “Isa said to them, ‘You will certainly say this proverb to me: ‘Doctor heal yourself’, and you will also say, ‘Do also here in your place (the things) that we have heard you did in the place Kapernaum.'” (Source: Yakan Back Translation)
Western Bukidnon Manobo: “And Jesus said, ‘Surely, some of you will say to me the proverb which says, ‘You healer, you should first heal your own body, which is to say, if you really are a prophet of God show your power here in your own village. Because we have heard about the miracles which you have done in the town of Capernaum, so do them also here in your own town.'” (Source: Western Bukidnon Manobo Back Translation)
Kankanaey: “Whereupon he said to them, ‘I know indeed that you will tell me this parable/comparison: ‘Doctor, medicine also yourself (sing.).’ What you mean to say is, ‘Do also in this town of yours (sing.) what we (excl.) have heard that you (sing.) have been doing in Capernaum.’ ‘” (Source: Kankanaey Back Translation)
Tagbanwa: “That’s why Jesus spoke saying, ‘Probably you will quote/mention that saying/proverb which says, ‘Mediciner, go ahead, medicine your own body.’ For you will say to me to do here in my own town those things you have heard news about my doing in Capernaum.'” (Source: Tagbanwa Back Translation)
Like many languages (but unlike Greek or Hebrew or English), Tuvan uses a formal vs. informal 2nd person pronoun (a familiar vs. a respectful “you”). Unlike other languages that have this feature, however, the translators of the Tuvan Bible have attempted to be very consistent in using the different forms of address in every case a 2nd person pronoun has to be used in the translation of the biblical text.
As Voinov shows in Pronominal Theology in Translating the Gospels (in: The Bible Translator 2002, p. 210ff.), the choice to use either of the pronouns many times involved theological judgment. While the formal pronoun can signal personal distance or a social/power distance between the speaker and addressee, the informal pronoun can indicate familiarity or social/power equality between speaker and addressee.
Here, Jesus is addressing his disciples, individuals and/or crowds with the formal pronoun, showing respect.
In most Dutch translations, Jesus addresses his disciples and common people with the informal pronoun, whereas they address him with the formal form.
kai eipen pros autous ‘and he said to them,’ as an indirect reply to their question at the end of v. 22.
pantōs ereite moi tēn parabolēn tautēn ‘no doubt you will say to me this proverb.’ The connexion between these and the following words of Jesus, and the preceding thoughts and utterances of the people is expressed by pantōs. This word usually expresses a strong affirmation (cf. Acts 28.4, 1 Cor. 9.10) and therefore several translators render “no doubt”. This implies that Jesus is sure that the proverb he will quote expresses the feelings of the people towards him. ereite ‘you will say’ indicates what Jesus thinks is in their minds, cf. Rom. 9.19; 11.19; 1 Cor. 15.35.
parabolē ‘parable,’ ‘illustration,’ here ‘proverb.’
iatre, therapeuson seauton ‘physician, heal yourself.’ This must be understood against the background of Is. 61.1f, the fulfilment of which Jesus claimed for himself: when he who is the son of Joseph and a common man like all other people, he thinks himself to be the prophet of the Messianic salvation, let him understand that he is in no position to boast like that unless he establishes his claim by doing here what he did in Capernaum.
iatros ‘physician,’ here in the literal sense; the proverb as a whole has a figurative meaning.
therapeuō ‘to heal,’ ‘to cure,’ always (except 9.1) with the sick as object.
hosa ēkousamen genomena eis tēn Kapharnaoum ‘all the things we heard have happened in Capernaum,’ relative clause in which a verb of perception (ēkousen) is followed by a supplementary participle (genomena) which has the force of an infinitive. hosa in plural without antecedent is stronger than the simple relative ha: ‘all the things.’
Kapharnaoum is also spelt Kapernaoum (which seems to represent a different pronunciation) from which the usual transliteration Capernaum is derived. Versions in the Roman Catholic tradition appear to follow the Vulgate, which has a transliteration of Kapharnaoum.
poiēson kai hōde en tē patridi sou ‘do (them) also here in your native place.’
hōde ‘here,’ in the sense of ‘in this place’ or ‘to this place.’
patris ‘native town.’
Translation:
Quote to me, or, ‘say to me, thus,’ ‘speak to me, saying,’ or more polemically, ‘confront me with’ (Brouwer); in Sranan Tongo the idiomatic wording is, ‘to cut a proverb to.’
Proverb, or, ‘wise word’ (Navajo), or more generically ‘word,’ ‘saying.’ A figurative phrase is used in Toraja-Sa’dan, i.e. ‘bracelet of yarn.’
Physician, heal yourself; what we have heard … in your own country. These two sentences in quoted speech express what Jesus’ audience are supposedly thinking but do not say. The proverb in the first part serves as general characterization of the situation; the next sentence (contrary to what the introductory words lead us to expect) does not form part of the proverb, but is added to apply it to the particular situation. Therefore it is preferable not to use a semi-colon but a full stop, and/or a suitable introducing verb before the second sentence, e.g. “… and say, ‘Do here also…’ ” (Translator’s New Testament, similarly New English Bible). Cf. also “ ‘Physician, heal yourself,’ and tell me to do here also…” (The Four Gospels – a New Translation, who by giving the proverb as quoted, the following sentence as non-quoted speech, still more clearly distinguishes the two).
Linguistic forms to be used in proverbial sayings may be of a rather specific type; for instance, there may be a preference for somewhat archaic words, or/and for minor sentence types. The translator should attempt to use such forms here. In matters of honorifics a proverb is not usually subject to linguistic etiquette ruling the conversation in which it is quoted. Hence, if honorifics are to be used in the present case, they may not be those fitting the social relationship of Jesus and his audience (see below), but those the receptor culture confers on a physician or medicine man—which often are rather high level ones.
For the second sentence matters are different. Though imaginary this quoted speech usually is to be treated in the same way as quoted real speech; this means that one has to use the honorifics which a general audience would normally employ in a (rather polemic) discussion with Jesus. There is, however, a complicating factor. As a rule honorifics are not used when the speaker is referring to what is connected with his own person. The fact that here the actual speaker and the supposed addressee are the same person may lead to avoidance of the honorifics that would have been used otherwise. If conflicting tendencies would make the choice too complicated, matters can probably be made easier by a shift to non-quoted speech.
Physician. Descriptive renderings may be, ‘one who (habitually) treats sick people,’ ‘one who (professionally) heals (people)’ (see below); the Shilluk term ‘people of trees,’ refers to the healing medicines, which largely come from trees.
Often the term for to heal is a causative form built upon the word for ‘well,’ ‘recovered,’ etc., or, more negatively expressed, ‘cause to be sick no longer.’ It may be obligatory to use an object referring to the sick person, or to his disease, his body, or a part of his body. Some languages possess specific terms, distinguishing between the healing of internal or external disorders, sores or dislocations, organs of movement or organs of sense, wounds or diseases, congenital or non-congenital maladies, etc. For the healing of a specific disorder, such as paralysis, blindness, deafness, demon possession, a term that describes the result may be in use, e.g. ‘cause to walk/see/hear,’ ‘cause the demon to come out’ (8.36). Generally speaking it is preferable to use a term that refers to indigenous medicine, but such a term should be checked as to its connotations and use; a word closely associated with magical charms and practices, and/or invocation of the spirits, though possible here, will not do when Jesus is the healer; and a verb referring to a treatment that the medicine man never applies to himself does not fit the present verse. Another problem in this verse may arise in languages that possess specific but no generic terms. Then one may have to use the specific term that is most commonly associated with the work of a physician or medicine man in the area, or shift to an expression such as, ‘help yourself,’ ‘apply your skill to yourself,’ ‘go first to yourself.’
What we have heard you did at Capernaum, do here also, or with a shift towards co-ordination, ‘We have heard of all that happened (or, all you did) at C.; do the same here’ (cf. New English Bible); cf. also the rendering in non-quoted speech that is found in Tboli, ‘It is likely you have already heard what I did in C., and that which you desire now I do it here….’
Your own country, or, ‘your native country/place/town,’ ‘the country/place/town of your-growing up.’ In some cases the rendering to be used here coincides with or converges towards the one used for “their own city” (2.39), and/or for “where he had been brought up” (4.16).
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.
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