The Greek and Latin that is translated as “resurrection” in English is translated in Chicahuaxtla Triqui and Pohnpeian as “live-up” (i.e. return to life) (source: Reiling / Swellengrebel) and in Iloko as panagungar: a term that stems “from the word ‘agungar,’ an agricultural term used to describe the coming back to life of a plant which was wilting but which has been watered by the farmer, or of a bulb which was apparently dead but grows again.” (Source: G. Henry Waterman in The Bible Translator 1960, p. 24ff. )
In Estado de México Otomi, it is translated as “people will be raised from the dead,” in Teutila Cuicatec as “the dead having to come to life again,” in San Mateo del Mar Huave as “arose from the grave” (source: Viola Waterhouse in Notes on Translation August 1966, p. 86ff.), and in Kriol as gidap laibala brom dedbala or “get up alive from the dead” (source: Sam Freney in this article .)
Following are a number of back-translations of Mark 12:23:
Uma: “So, on the future day, if all the dead indeed do live again, who of them will have that woman, for seven of them married her.'” (Source: Uma Back Translation)
Yakan: “Na, Sir,’ they said, ‘in the day when the dead will live again, whose wife will she be? And-what’s-more all seven brothers had her as wife.'” (Source: Yakan Back Translation)
Western Bukidnon Manobo: “In the future when people are raised from the dead, who will really be the husband of the woman? For all of the seven brothers married her.'” (Source: Western Bukidnon Manobo Back Translation)
Kankanaey: “Now then, at the future day at the living again of the dead, which perhaps among them will be her correct spouse (lit. spouse owner)? Because they all married her.'” (Source: Kankanaey Back Translation)
Tagbanwa: “Well now, who of those seven is her husband when/if those who have died will be made alive again, since they all married her?'” (Source: Tagbanwa Back Translation)
The clause hotan anastōsin ‘when they rise’ following anastasei ‘resurrection,’ is omitted by Westcott and Hort, Souter, and Revised Standard Version, but retained by all other modern editions of the Greek text. (For the textual evidence, strong in favor of omission, cf. Taylor.)
Exegesis:
en tē anastasei (cf. v. 18) ‘in the (Day of) resurrection.’
hotan anastōsin is impersonal ‘when they rise,’ i.e. ‘when men are raised (from the dead on the resurrection Day).’ Cf. v. 25.
hotan (cf. 11.19) ‘when,’ referring to a single definite event.
eschon ‘they had’: for the use of this verb with the meaning of ‘have’ or ‘possess’ cf. 6.18. The phrase ‘had her as wife’ means ‘married her.’
Translation:
For resurrection compare 12.18, and note also the expressions for rise again 9.9.
The first clause may be variously translated, e.g. ‘when people rise from the dead to whom will she be a wife’ or ‘… who will have her for a wife,’ or ‘… to whom will she belong.’
The seven, as a numeral substitute for a noun expression (compare the use of the Twelve), may require a noun complement, e.g. ‘the seven men’ or ‘the seven brothers.’
Quoted with permission from Bratcher, Robert G. and Nida, Eugene A. A Handbook on the Gospel of Mark. (UBS Handbook Series). New York: UBS, 1961. For this and other handbooks for translators see here .
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