abyss, bottomless pit

The Greek that is transliterated as “abyss” or translated as “bottomless pit” in English is translated as “unfathomably deep place” or “land below” in Indonesian, “land below” in Batak Toba, or “the deep where the earth opens its mouth” in Sranan Tongo (a term well-known from folk tales).

He gave freedom to those in bondage of evil (image)

“In Thai society, those who are possessed by evil spirits are usually the weak or mentally unstable. This man is shown as freed from his spiritual and physical chains. Even though he is naked Jesus is not ashamed to be close to him.”

Drawing by Sawai Chinnawong who employs northern and central Thailand’s popular distinctive artistic style originally used to depict Buddhist moral principles and other religious themes; explanation by Paul DeNeui. From That Man Who Came to Save Us by Sawai Chinnawong and Paul H. DeNeui, William Carey Library, 2010.

For more images by Sawai Chinnatong in TIPs see here.

complete verse (Luke 8:31)

Following are a number of back-translations of Luke 8:31:

  • Noongar: “All the evil spirits begged Jesus not to send them into the dark hole.” (Source: Warda-Kwabba Luke-Ang)
  • Uma: “Those demons really asked that they not be shooed going to the sinkhole whose depth cannot be measured.” (Source: Uma Back Translation)
  • Yakan: “And the demons really begged Isa asking not to be sent to hell.” (Source: Yakan Back Translation)
  • Western Bukidnon Manobo: “And these demons, they begged Jesus that he not yet throw them into the bottomless pit.” (Source: Western Bukidnon Manobo Back Translation)
  • Kankanaey: “Now there were many-pigs rooting-together there on the slope, so the evil-spirits begged Jesus to not send them below where would be their punishment, but rather to permit them to go possess those many-pigs. ‘Yes indeed,’ he said.” (Source: Kankanaey Back Translation)
  • Tagbanwa: “And then those evil spirits kept begging-mercy from Jesus, that he would not cause them to go to the deepest canyon which is the place of endless punishment.” (Source: Tagbanwa Back Translation)

Translation commentary on Luke 8:31

Exegesis:

kai parekaloun auton ‘and they besought him.’ The imperfect tense may either suggest repetition (cf. Plummer, The Four Gospels – a New Translation) or denote an act which may be without result, preferably the latter (cf. parekalesan in v. 32 referring to a request which is granted). parakaleō cf. on 3.18.

hina mē epitaxē autois eis tēn abusson apelthein ‘that he would not order them to go away to the abyss.’ For epitassō cf. 4.36; 8.25.

abussos ‘abyss,’ ‘underworld,’ ‘hell,’ ‘bottomless pit.’

Translation:

Command them to depart into, or because of the context, ‘to command/tell them to plunge-into (Balinese), or, to descend into (Batak Toba), or, to come-out (of the man) and descend into’ (Low Malay). The expression is sometimes rendered by one verb, cf. “order them off to” (An American Translation), “banish them to” (New English Bible, similarly Javanese).

Abyss, or, ‘hole/pit/well that has no bottom,’ ‘unfathomably deep place’ (Bahasa Indonesia). If such renderings would not have the required connotation, one may use terms as, ‘abode of the wicked,’ ‘place where they (i.e. the demons) dwell, or, are punished,’ ‘land below’ (Batak Toba, similarly Bahasa Indonesia KB, lit. ‘layer below’); Sranan Tongo uses, ‘the deep where the earth opens its mouth,’ a term well known from folk tales.

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.