38She stood behind him at his feet, weeping, and began to bathe his feet with her tears and to dry them with her hair, kissing his feet and anointing them with the ointment.
Following are a number of back-translations of Luke 7:38:
Noongar: “and she stood behind Jesus, weeping and wetting Jesus’ feet with her tears. Then she wiped Jesus’ feet with her hair, kissed Jesus’ feet and rubbed his feet with the perfume.” (Source: Warda-Kwabba Luke-Ang)
Uma: “She came, coming-close to Yesus’ feet, and she cried. She wetted Yesus’ feet with her tears. After that, she untied her hair, she used-it-to-wipe his feet, she kissed and poured with fragrant oil.” (Source: Uma Back Translation)
Yakan: “She went there and stood at the feet of Isa weeping and Isa’s feet were wet by her tears. Then she wiped them with her hair and kissed Isa’s feet and then she sprinkled the valuable fragrant oil on them.” (Source: Yakan Back Translation)
Western Bukidnon Manobo: “She came up to Jesus and knelt down near his feet. Her tears fell on the feet of Jesus and she wiped them with her hair and she kissed them. And then she poured out on the feet of Jesus the very fragrant perfume.” (Source: Western Bukidnon Manobo Back Translation)
Kankanaey: “Entering then, she went behind the feet of Jesus crying until his feet were wet with her tears. Then she wiped his feet with her hair while-simultaneously kissing (them) and then she poured-on-(them) that perfume.” (Source: Kankanaey Back Translation)
Tagbanwa: “When she arrived there, she came close behind Jesus. Well since she was crying, the legs/feet of Jesus became wet with her falling tears. Well, what that woman did was, she wiped the feet of Jesus with her hair and kept kissing them. And then she poured on them the perfume she’d brought.” (Source: Tagbanwa Back Translation)
God transcends gender, but most languages are limited to grammatical gender expressed in pronouns. In the case of English, this is traditionally confined to “he” (or in the forms “his,” “him,” and “himself”), “she” (and “her,” “hers,” and “herself”), and “it” (and “its” and “itself”).
Modern Mandarin Chinese, however, offers another possibility. Here, the third-person singular pronoun is always pronounced the same (tā), but it is written differently according to its gender (他 is “he,” 她 is “she,” and 它/牠 is “it” and their respective derivative forms). In each of these characters, the first (or upper) part defines the gender (man, woman, or thing/animal), while the second element gives the clue to its pronunciation.
In 1930, after a full century with dozens of Chinese translations, Bible translator Wang Yuande (王元德) coined a new “godly” pronoun: 祂. Chinese readers immediately knew how to pronounce it: tā. But they also recognized that the first part of that character, signifying something spiritual, clarified that each person of the Trinity has no gender aside from being God.
While the most important Protestant and Catholic Chinese versions respectively have opted not to use 祂, some Bible translations do and it is widely used in hymnals and other Christian materials. Among the translations that use 祂 to refer to “God” were early versions of Lü Zhenzhong’s (呂振中) version (New Testament: 1946, complete Bible: 1970). R.P. Kramers (in The Bible Translator 1956, p. 152ff.) explains why later versions of Lü’s translation did not continue with this practice: “This new way of writing ‘He,’ however, has created a minor problem of its own: must this polite form be used whenever Jesus is referred to? Lü follows the rule that, wherever Jesus is referred to as a human being, the normal ta (他) is written; where he is referred to as divine, especially after the ascension, the reverential ta (祂) is used.”
In that system one kind of pronoun is used for humans (male and female alike) and one for natural elements, non-liquid masses, and some spiritual entities (one other is used for large animals and another one for miscellaneous items). While in these languages the pronoun for spiritual entities used to be employed when referring to God, this has changed into the use of the human pronoun.
Lynell Zogbo (in The Bible Translator 1989, p. 401ff) explains in the following way: “From informal discussions with young Christians especially, it would appear that, at least for some people, the experience and/or concepts of Christianity are affecting the choice of pronoun for God. Some people explain that God is no longer ‘far away,’ but is somehow tangible and personal. For these speakers God has shifted over into the human category.”
In Kouya, God (the Father) and Jesus are referred to with the human pronoun ɔ, whereas the Holy Spirit is referred to with a non-human pronoun. (Northern Grebo and Western Krahn make a similar distinction.)
Eddie Arthur, a former Kouya Bible translation consultant, says the following: “We tried to insist that this shouldn’t happen, but the Kouya team members were insistent that the human pronoun for the Spirit would not work.”
In Burmese, the pronoun ko taw (ကိုယ်တော်) is used either as 2nd person (you) or 3rd person (he, him, his) reference. “This term clearly has its root in the religious language in Burmese. No ordinary persons are addressed or known by this pronoun because it is reserved for Buddhist monks, famous religious teachers, and in the case of Christianity, the Trinity.” (Source: Gam Seng Shae in The Bible Translator 2002, p. 202ff.)
In Thai, the pronoun phra`ong (พระองค์) is used, a gender-neutral pronoun which must refer to a previously introduced royal or divine being. Similarly, in Northern Khmer, which is spoken in Thailand, “an honorific divine pronoun” is used for the pronoun referring to the persons of the Trinity (source: David Thomas in The Bible Translator 1993, p. 445). In Urak Lawoi’, another language spoken in Thailand, the translation often uses tuhat (ตูฮัด) — “God” — ”as a divine pronoun where Thai has phra’ong even though it’s actually a noun.” (Source for Thai and Urak Lawoi’: Stephen Pattemore)
The English “Contemporary Torah” addresses the question of God and gendered pronouns by mostly avoiding pronouns in the first five books of the Hebrew Bible/Old Testament (unless God is referred to as “lord,” “father,” “king,” or “warrior”). It does that by either using passive constructs (“He gave us” vs. “we were given”), by using the adjective “divine” or by using “God” rather than a pronoun.
Some Protestant English Bibles use a referential capitalized spelling when referring to the persons of the Trinity with “He,” “His,” “Him,” or “Himself.” This includes for instance the New American Standard Bible, but most translations, especially those published in the 21st century, do not. Two other languages where this is also done (in most Bible translations) are the closely related Indonesian and Malay. In both languages this follows the language usage according to the Qur’an, which in turn predicts that usage (see Soesilo in The Bible Translator 1991, p. 442ff. and The Bible Translator 1997, p. 433ff. ).
See also this chapter in the World Atlas of Language Structures on different approaches to personal pronouns.
The syntactic structure is as follows: gunē ‘a woman’ is the subject of all verbal forms (except, of course, katakeitai ‘he reclined’); it is followed by a relative clause (hētis ēn … hamartōlos) which serves to introduce the woman, and a participial clause (epignousa, etc.) which denotes something which prepares for what is coming. Then comes the chain of events in the house of the Pharisee in two participial phrases (komisasa and stasa; the present participle klaiousa goes with stasa, see below), preparing the way for the four verbal clauses (ērxato brechein, exemassen, katephilei and ēleiphen), which describe the main events.
gunē hētis ēn en tē polei hamartōlos ‘a woman who was a sinner in the town,’ or ‘a woman who was in the town, a sinner.’ Both interpretations are possible but the former appears to be slightly preferable on stylistic grounds. The relative pronoun hētis is best understood as fully equivalent to the simple hē. en tē polei refers to the town where the Pharisee lived, as shown by the article. hamartōlos is here best understood as ‘a prostitute.’ For the general meaning cf. on 5.8.
kai epignousa hoti katakeitai ‘and having found out that he reclined….’ kai, probably a Hebraism, is omitted by all translations. For epignousa cf. on 1.4. Here it means ‘to learn,’ ‘to find out.’ For katakeitai cf. on 5.25.
komisasa alabastron murou lit. ‘having brought an alabaster flask of ointment,’ describes the first of a series of acts which the woman does upon finding out where Jesus is.
komizō ‘to bring.’ Here it almost means ‘to come with’ (cf. Brouwer, Willibrord).
alabastron murou ‘an alabaster flask of ointment.’
(V. 38) kai stasa opisō para tous podas autou klaiousa lit. ‘and having taken her place behind him at his feet weeping.’ The guests used to recline supporting themselves by their left arm, their feet turned slightly backward. opisō is specified by para tous podas autou. For the meaning of para. klaiousa qualifies not only stasa but also the following verbs. The woman’s tears are explained as tears of repentance (Klostermann) or of gratitude (Grundmann), preferably the latter, see below.
ērxato brechein ‘(she) began to wet,’ cf. on 4.21. Here ērxato suggests that now the main act begins after the preparatory acts.
brechō here and v. 44 ‘to wet,’ in 17.29 ‘to rain’ in a figurative sense.
tais thrixin tēs kephalēs autēs ‘with the hair of her head,’ i.e. ‘with her own hair’ (cf. The Four Gospels – a New Translation), implying that she had let down her hair for that purpose.
exemassen (also v. 44) ‘she wiped,’ ‘she dried,’ with shift to the imperfect which suggests duration.
katephilei tous podas autou ‘she kissed his feet,’ also in the imperfect. The kissing of the feet was an act of reverence.
kataphileō ‘to kiss,’ in Luke the general word, as phileō is in Mk. 14.44.
ēleiphen tō murō ‘she anointed (them) with the ointment.’ This is what she had come for.
Translation:
Some changes in the syntactic pattern may be necessary or preferable, e.g. ‘now there was a woman who was a sinner in the city. As soon as she learned that Jesus was … in the Ph.’s house she came with … flask, and took her stand behind him at his feet, weeping. Thereupon she wetted his feet…, wiped them…, kissed them, and anointed them….’
A woman of the city, who was a sinner, or, ‘a woman who lived as (or, was known as) a sinner in the city.’ Sinner cf. on 5.30, but here in the sense of ‘prostitute’; hence such, more or less outspoken, expressions as, ‘woman leading an immoral/improper life’ (cf. New English Bible, Tae’ 1933), ‘a woman they always make jokes about’ (Tboli); and cf. on “harlot” in 15.30.
Learned, or, ‘came to know,’ ‘found out,’ ‘discovered’ (Sranan Tongo, lit. ‘came see’), or simply, ‘heard’ (Kituba, Shona, Marathi, Tboli, some Indonesian languages).
Brought. Renderings such as ‘came with,’ ‘came carrying,’ ‘came and carried’ have also the advantage of making a better transition to the subsequent events.
Alabaster flask. Some versions, preserving the borrowing, have, ‘jar made of stone called alabaster,’ others have, ‘jar of (white) stone’ (Javanese, Tae’), or simply, ‘small-jar’ (Bahasa Indonesia), ‘small bottle’ (Sranan Tongo), ‘bottle’ (Medumba), ‘container’ (Shona 1966). Such less specific renderings are usually preferable to a borrowing or a long descriptive phrase.
Of, or, ‘full of,’ ‘filled with,’ ‘containing.’
Ointment, or, ‘sweet smelling oil/ointment’; Tboli describes the concept, ‘expensive coconut oil, very beautiful odour.’ What is in focus is the ointment rather than the container, cf. New English Bible‘s “brought oil of myrrh in a small flask”.
(V. 38) When a new sentence is started here a transitional phrase may be required, cf. e.g. ‘on her arrival’ (Shona 1966), ‘when she arrived there’ (Tboli), ‘having entered (the house).’
Standing behind him at his feet. Where kateklithē (v. 36) and katakeitai (v. 37) ‘he reclined’ have been rendered generically (cf. on v. 36) the words ‘behind him’ may better be omitted (unless the translator thinks the matter worth an explanatory note); hence ‘she took her place at (or, near) his feet,’ ‘she knelt down at his feet, or, close to him.’ Tboli uses a specific verb, indicating the (standing or sitting) attitude of a person who is so ashamed he can’t hold up his head.
Weeping, or, ‘while she wept,’ ‘and wept,’ i.e. in silence, as a private expression of emotion.
If the acts described in the following clauses are uncommon in the receptor culture or even offensive, a note stating that in the New Testament culture the woman’s behaviour was expressive of grateful love will be advisable.
She began to wet his feet with her tears refers to an unintended consequence of the woman’s weeping, as is brought out by, ‘her tears dropped down, dropping on Jesus’ feet’ (Tboli), ‘her tears wetted his feet’ (Javanese), ‘His feet (became) wet from trickle of her tears’ (Balinese). It may be preferable then to subordinate the clause to what follows, ‘as her tears were falling on his feet, she wiped them….’ Tear, in Trukese, Pohnpeian, some Indonesian languages literally, ‘water of the eye.’
Wiped them with the hair of her head, or, ‘used her (own) hair to wipe them off’ (cf. Batak Toba). Some languages (e.g. Javanese) have distinctive terms for ‘hair-on-the-head’ and ‘hair-on-the-body.’
Kissed. To avoid sexual associations one may say here, ‘showed her reverence by kissing.’ For to kiss see on 15.20, but some of the renderings mentioned there will not fit this context. Then one may say something like, ‘touched (lovingly),’ ‘caressed.’ An interesting cultural equivalent can be used in Medumba, i.e. ‘massaged his feet,’ as people do to show reverence to a chief, especially when imploring his protection or forgiveness.
Anointed them with the ointment, or, ‘rubbed/poured/put the ointment on them.’
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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