The Greek that is translated in English as “fig tree” is translated in Lokạạ with figi, an indigenized transliteration of the English “fig.”
“The Lokạạ translators noted that they could not use the name of their local fig kẹkamati, which is very close to the fig family but only a shrub. This is because of the appearance of the Greek term for fig tree in verses such as John 1:48, where the fig tree is an enjoyable place for sitting in the shade. The Lokạạ translators decided to use an iconic translation of the English “fig”, which they indigenised as figi in Lokạạ. Since the term figi could not easily be connected to the indigenous term kẹkamati, readers would not have difficulty with passages such as John 1:48, in which people sit under the fig tree.” (Source: J.A. Naudé, C.L. Miller Naudé, J.O. Obono in Acta Theologica 43/2, 2023, p. 129ff. )
In British Sign Language it is translated with a sign that combines the signs for “tell-a-story” and “compare.” (Source: Anna Smith)
“Parable” in British Sign Language (source: Christian BSL, used with permission)
Scot McKnight (in The Second Testament, publ. 2023) translates it into English as analogy because “the Greek word has the sense of tossing down something alongside something else. Hence an analogy.”
Following are a number of back-translations of Mark 13:28:
Uma: “‘Consider what I teach to you with the parable of the ara tree. When you see its leave bud and it sends-out-shoots, you know that it is almost the dry days.” (Source: Uma Back Translation)
Yakan: “‘Observe the tree igira,’ said Isa. ‘When it’s leaves are sprouting you know that it will soon be the warm season.” (Source: Yakan Back Translation)
Western Bukidnon Manobo: “Think about the parable of the fig tree. Here in our place if the branches sprout out and put forth leaves, we know that the dry season is about to come.” (Source: Western Bukidnon Manobo Back Translation)
Kankanaey: “Then Jesus said, ‘Think about the fig (loan igos) tree so that’s what-you -will-learn-from. When its branches are flowing-with-sap and it leafs, you expect that rainy-season is near.” (Source: Kankanaey Back Translation)
Tagbanwa: “You must try-to-understand and study the igos tree, that when it buds and sprouts leaves, you know that hot season is near.” (Source: Tagbanwa Back Translation)
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.
Most of the words of this verse have already been dealt with: for sukē ‘fig tree’ cf. 11.13; parabolē ‘parable,’ here in the sense of ‘lesson’ (Revised Standard Version, Goodspeed, The Modern Speech New Testament), cf. 3.23; hotan ‘when,’ indicating a definite event, cf. 11.19, ēdē ‘already’ cf. 6.35; klados ‘branch’ cf. 4.32; phulla ‘leaves’ cf. 11.13.
mathete (only here in Mark; cf. the cognate noun mathētēs, 2.15) ‘you are to learn,’ ‘you must learn.’
hapalos (only here in Mark) ‘tender’: in the springtime the sap, rising through the limbs, makes tender the branch which has been stiff and dry through the winter, causing the leaves to sprout (cf. Lagrange). Montgomery‘s translation is vivid: ‘as soon … as her branches are full of sap and bursting into leaf….’
ekphuē (only here in Mark) ‘it puts forth,’ ‘it causes to grow’: as accented in the Nestle text, the verb is a present subjunctive active having as subject ho klados ‘the branch’ of the previous clause, and as object ta phulla ‘the leaves.’ Some prefer to accent it as a second aorist subjunctive passive with ta phulla ‘the leaves’ as subject – ‘the leaves sprout’ . Lagrange accepts the present active accentuation, but regards ta phulla as the subject: les feuilles ont poussé.
theros (only here in Mark) ‘summer.’
Translation:
Lesson is not easily translated in this concept except as an integral part of the verb phrase, e.g. ‘learn from what happens to the fig tree’ or ‘learn from what the fig tree does.’ The Revised Standard Versionits seems to be especially awkward, even in English; and since it does not reflect any element in the Greek text, it need not be translated.
The big problem in this verse is the matter of the season, for in the tropical areas of the world the distinction between ‘summer’ and ‘winter’ as the growing and the dormant seasons simply does not exist. In such parts of the world (where most Bible translating and revising is being done) the two seasons are the ‘rainy season’ and the ‘dry season,’ which correspond roughly to the calendar ‘summer’ and ‘winter’ respectively in the northern hemisphere, but are reversed in the southern hemisphere. Moreover, there have been some “strange” borrowings of terms in certain languages. For example, in the Yucateco language of Yucatan, Mexico, the Spanish word verano (usually regarded as equivalent to English summer) has been used to identify the winter and spring months, that is to say, the dry season, which is actually quite hot, especially toward the end. It would certainly not make sense to say that when the fig tree puts forth its branches, the verano is near, for this would be in the fall of the year. Moreover, trees which lose their leaves each year, do so usually during the dry season and only put forth buds and new leaves after the beginning of the rainy season. Accordingly, even if one uses ‘rainy season’ for summer, the analogy is not quite right, for if one says that ‘as soon as its branch becomes tender and puts forth its leaves, you know that the summer is near,’ a Mayan Indian is likely to be perplexed, for this type of budding and coming out in leaf is proof that the rainy season has already come, not that it is merely near. Nevertheless, despite such lack of complete agreement in details, it is generally preferable to translate summer as the rainy season, since this is usually the period of budding and growth.
Summer is near must be recast in some instances as ‘soon it will be the rainy season,’ ‘summer will be soon,’ or ‘summer has almost come.’
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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