complete verse (Luke 6:8)

Following are a number of back-translations of Luke 6:8:

  • Noongar: “But Jesus knew their thinking and he said to the man, ‘Stand up and come in front of me.’ The man stood.” (Source: Warda-Kwabba Luke-Ang)
  • Uma: “But Yesus knew what was in their hearts. That is why he said saying to the person whose one hand was dead: ‘Come stand in the middle here.’ He really went and stood there.” (Source: Uma Back Translation)
  • Yakan: “But Isa knew what they were thinking and he said to the person with the withered hand, ‘Come and stand here.’ So he stood up and stood there.” (Source: Yakan Back Translation)
  • Western Bukidnon Manobo: “As for Jesus, he knew what was inside their thinking, and he said to the man whose hand was destroyed, ‘Son, stand up and come here.’ And the man stood up and he went up to Jesus.” (Source: Western Bukidnon Manobo Back Translation)
  • Kankanaey: “But Jesus knew what was in their minds, and he said to that one with the atrophied arm/hand, ‘Stand-up so you (sing.) will come here in front of us (excl.).’ Then he stood-up and went.” (Source: Kankanaey Back Translation)
  • Tagbanwa: “But what they were thinking wasn’t hidden from Jesus. He said to that one with the limp/useless (hand), ‘Stand up. Come here to the front.’ Without anything further, that one with the limp (hand) approached and stood there in front of everyone.” (Source: Tagbanwa Back Translation)

Translation commentary on Luke 6:8

Exegesis:

autos de ēdei … eipen de… ‘but he knew…, and (hence) he said…’ Co-ordination of two clauses in order to give full emphasis to the first one. The first de marks contrast, the second continuation. autos is also emphatic.

tous dialogismous autōn ‘their thoughts,’ i.e. “what was in their minds” (New English Bible). For dialogismos cf. on 9.46.

tō andri tō xēran echonti tēn cheira ‘to the man who had the withered hand,’ hence (bringing out the emphasis on xēran which takes up xēra in v. 6), ‘whose hand was withered.’

egeire kai stēthi eis to meson ‘get up and stand in the middle.’ egeire probably has here a more general meaning, and on 5.23, i.e. ‘get up,’ from a sitting position. stēthi is ingressive.

kai anastas estē lit. ‘and he rose and took his stand (there),’ ingressive aorist, cf. stellte sich hin (Zürcher Bibel).

Translation:

He knew, or, ‘he perceived/was aware of.’

Their thoughts, or, ‘what they were thinking (or, asking themselves),’ ‘their disposition (lit. their way of mind)’ (Toraja-Sa’dan).

Come and stand here, preferably, ‘get up, and (take your) stand in the midst,’ i.e. of the group around Jesus, ‘get up, come and stand here in the centre.’ For ‘in the midst’ see on 4.35.

He rose and stood there, preferably, ‘he got up and took his stand there’ (see Exegesis). The repetition has the function to indicate that the man did as he was told.

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.