Jesus heals a boy (image)

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convulse

The Greek that is translated as “convulsions” or similar in English is translated in Low German idiomatically with the reduplicative rüttel un schüttel for “shake” (translation by Johannes Jessen, publ. 1933, republ. 2006).

complete verse (Luke 9:39)

Following are a number of back-translations of Luke 9:39:

  • Noongar: “An evil spirit quickly attacks him and screams and throws him down fitting so he foams at the mouth. The evil spirit always hurts him and will not leave him.” (Source: Warda-Kwabba Luke-Ang)
  • Uma: “When he is entered by an-evil-one, he shouts and thrashes-around, until his mouth foams. There is almost no going-out of the evil-one that makes-him-sick.” (Source: Uma Back Translation)
  • Yakan: “For he is demon possessed. Suddenly he will shout and then he becomes stiff and he convulses until his mouth is foaming. And the demon will only leave him when he is tired out (the child) and his body is bruised.” (Source: Yakan Back Translation)
  • Western Bukidnon Manobo: “Look at him because he is afflicted with a demon, and when it comes to afflict him, he suddenly screams and he shakes and he foams at the mouth, and this demon that afflicts him continues tormenting him until his body is bruised and the demon does not let go of him for a long time.” (Source: Western Bukidnon Manobo Back Translation)
  • Kankanaey: “Because there is a evil-spirit that possesses him. When it catches him, he suddenly-screams, convulses and his mouth foams. He excessively keeps-hardshipping him until he is exhausted and he doesn’t let-him-alone.” (Source: Kankanaey Back Translation)
  • Tagbanwa: “Every time he is made-crazy by an evil spirit, suddenly/unexpectedly he cries out, falls and stiffens, and his mouth froths. This one making him crazy really never leaves him and he’s been caused much pain.” (Source: Tagbanwa Back Translation)

Translation commentary on Luke 9:39

Exegesis:

kai idou ‘and behold,’ emphatic introduction of the subsequent account of the boy’s illness, cf. on 1.20.

pneuma lambanei auton ‘a spirit takes, or, seizes him,’ i.e. from time to time, not permanently.

kai exaiphnēs krazei ‘and shouts suddenly.’ Subject of krazei is either the spirit through the boy’s voice (cf. New English Bible), or the boy (cf. Revised Standard Version), probably the former. exaiphnēs also 2.13.

sparassei auton meta aphrou lit. ‘convulses him with foam,’ i.e. so that he foams.

sparassō ‘to convulse,’ ‘to pull to and fro.’

aphros ‘foam.’

kai mogis apochōrei ap’ autou suntribon auton ‘and it withdraws from him (only) with difficulty, mistreating him,’ suntribon auton refers to an act which is simultaneous with apochōrei (cf. Willibrord) and it is best understood as supplementing mogis.

mogis ‘with difficulty,’ ‘with toil and pain.’

apochōreō ‘to go away,’ ‘to withdraw.’

suntribō ‘to mistreat,’ ‘to wear out,’ ‘to bruise.’

Translation:

For spirit, i.e. ‘evil/unclean spirit,’ ‘demon,’ see on 4.33, 35f; for seizes him see on 8.29.

Convulses — the rendering may make us of an idiom for a fit or convulsion, such as ‘cut nose’ (Ekari), or for some of its characteristics, such as spastic movements of legs, arms, and/or body, cf. e.g. ‘causes-him-to-be-contracted’ (Batak Toba), ‘torments him till he jerks’ (Balinese), ‘causes-him-to-turn-and-toss restlessly (lit. as-a-sun-hat)’ (Toraja-Sa’dan), ‘causes his body to break’ (Sranan Tongo).

He foams, or ‘his mouth is (or, lips are) foaming’ (Tae,’ Batak Toba; Toraja-Sa’dan), “He foams at the mouth” (An American Translation), ‘the foam is on his mouth’ (Nieuwe Vertaling).

Shatters him, and will hardly leave him, or, closer to the Greek word order, ‘leaves him only with difficulty, wearing him out, or, and meanwhile it torments him horribly’ (cf. Translator’s New Testament, Willibrord); or shifting him from the act to the resulting state, ‘when it leaves him at last he is wholly broken,’ ‘it leaves him only when (or, it does not leave him before) he is totally worn out.’ In this context to leave somebody is virtually synonymous with “to come out of somebody”, as used in 4.35 (which see).

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.