shake the dust off your feet

The Greek that is typically translated in English as “shake the dust off your feet as a testimony against them” (Luke 9:5) is translated by the Italian La Sua Parola è Vita translation more explicitly as lasciandola scuotete la polvere dai vostri piedi per mostrare che non avete più niente a che fare con loro e li lasciate al loro destino or “shake the dust off your feet to show that you do not have anything more to do with them and that you leave them to their fate.”

Luke 10:11, translated in English as “Even the dust of your town that clings to our feet, we wipe off in protest against you” or similar is translated as Non abbiamo più niente a che fare con voi e vi lasciamo al vostro destino. Ecco, riprendetevi anche la polvere della vostra città or “We do not have anything more to do with you and leave you to your fate. Here, take back also the dust of your city.”

Source: Cotrozzi 2019

See also shake off the dust from your feet.

testimony against them

The Greek that is typically translated in English as “testimony against them” is translated in Paasaal as “that will let them know that they have refused you.” (Source: Fabian N. Dapila in The Bible Translator 2024, p. 415ff.)

complete verse (Luke 9:5)

Following are a number of back-translations of Luke 9:5:

  • Noongar: “If people do not want you, leave that place and shake the dust from your feet, like a sign to them.'” (Source: Warda-Kwabba Luke-Ang)
  • Uma: “If you arrive in a town, and you are not received, thus when you leave that town, shake off/knock off the dust that is sticking to the soles of your feet, a sign that God will punish them.'” (Source: Uma Back Translation)
  • Yakan: “And if there is a village you come to but the people don’t treat you according-to-custom, leave that village. Shake off the dust of your feet first as a sign that you are through/finished with them, and then leave (through with them – no more responsibility for them).'” (Source: Yakan Back Translation)
  • Western Bukidnon Manobo: “And if there is a town where no one welcomes you, you leave that town and you shake off the dust from your feet, which will be a sign that they will be punished by God.'” (Source: Western Bukidnon Manobo Back Translation)
  • Kankanaey: “But if there is a town where you go and they don’t receive you, leave them, and as you leave, brush-off your soles (of feet) so they will thereby-know that they are responsible for their punishment.'” (Source: Kankanaey Back Translation)
  • Tagbanwa: “However supposing you aren’t received in whichever place you come to, don’t stay around. On your leaving there, brush off the dust from your legs/feet, which is a sign that, as for the people there who didn’t believe, God no longer regards them as his people.'” (Source: Tagbanwa Back Translation)

formal pronoun: Jesus addressing his disciples and common people

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.

Translation commentary on Luke 9:5

Exegesis:

hosoi an mē dechōntai humas lit. ‘as many as do not welcome you,’ i.e. ‘as for all those who do not welcome you’ (cf. Translator’s New Testament, New English Bible). The relative pronoun hosoi is not taken up by a corresponding demonstrative pronoun, but indirectly by tēs poleōs ekeinēs ‘that town.’ This shows that the clause hosoi … humas does not refer to the negative reactions of individuals but to the population of a certain town, or, towns, as a whole.

exerchomenoi apo tēs poleōs ekeinēs lit. ‘when you leave that town’ (cf. New English Bible); with a shift to an imperative because of apotinassete “leave that town” (Phillips).

ton koniorton apo tōn podōn humōn apotinassete ‘shake the dust off your feet,’ cf. 10.11.

koniortos (also 10.11) ‘dust,’ refers here to the dust in the streets.

apotinassō ‘to shake off.’

eis marturion ep’ autous ‘as a testimony against them.’ The shaking off of the dust serves as a demonstration, or, a warning, or, a protest against those who do not receive the disciples.

Translation:

Wherever they do not receive you, or, ‘in a town where they do not receive you,’ ‘if the people/inhabitants of a town reject you.’ The verb to receive is used with personal object in the sense of ‘to let a person come to one’; hence, ‘to allow a person to approach’ (in 15.2), ‘to welcome a person (to one’s house, or, as one’s guest)’ (9.5; 10.38; 16.4, 9, and cf. on “welcomed” in 8.40), which may imply readiness to help (a child, 9.48a), or, when Jesus or his disciples are the guests, acceptance of and obedience to their words (9.48b; 10.8, 10; 19.6).

When you leave that town shake …, preferably two imperatives, ‘leave (or, go away from) that town and shake…,’ or, better to bring out the simultaneousness, “leave their town, and as you do so shake…” (The Four Gospels – a New Translation). For town cf. on “city” in 1.26.

Shake off the dust from your feet. The expression, as used by Jesus, is not a metaphor but refers to a well known custom, which may best be rendered literally. For a footnote, if required, cf. Plummer’s “It signified that henceforth they had not the smallest thing in common with the place”. — Shake, or, ‘dust off’ (Shona 1966), ‘wipe off,’ if that is the more common gesture (Balinese, similarly Marathi). Dust. In some languages the same or cognate words are used to refer to ‘dust’ and to ‘ash’ (Tae,’ Sundanese), or to ‘dust’ and to ‘powder/pollen’ (Batak Toba, cf. Malay); in Toraja-Sa’dan the word lit. means ‘what-is-like-husked-rice.’ The phrase from your feet is in some cases better taken with the noun, e.g. ‘the dust on your feet, or, that sticks to your feet’ (cf. e.g. Trukese, Malay). Instead of ‘your feet’ one may have to use ‘the soles of your feet’ (e.g. in Toraja-Sa’dan), cf. also ‘from underneath of your feet’ (Kituba).

As a testimony against them, serving to indicate the meaning of the gesture just mentioned. Some more meaningful renderings are, ‘as-breaking-off sign against those people’ (Balinese, making use of a term commonly referring to the severing of relationships), ‘to denounce (lit. to say-to-be-mistaken-to) those people’ (Tae’ 1933), ‘that it will be a sign of accusation to-them’ (Trukese).

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.