complete verse (Mark 14:7)

Following are a number of back-translations of Mark 14:7:

  • Uma: “For the poor, they are always with you. If you want to help them, you always have opportunity. But I, I won’t always be with you.” (Source: Uma Back Translation)
  • Yakan: “For the poor,’ Isa said, ‘will not go-away from you, and whenever you want to, you can help them. But I, I will not remain here with you.” (Source: Yakan Back Translation)
  • Western Bukidnon Manobo: “You can always help the poor people for you can never get away from them, but as for me, I will soon leave you.” (Source: Western Bukidnon Manobo Back Translation)
  • Kankanaey: “Because there are always poor-people where you are, and whatever hour you want, you can help them, but as for me, I will not always be with you.” (Source: Kankanaey Back Translation)
  • Tagbanwa: “For all time the poor are your companions and you can aid them at whatever hour you wish. But as for me, I won’t be your companion for much longer.” (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 Mark 14:7

Exegesis:

pantote (only here in Mark) ‘all times,’ ‘always.’

hotan (cf. 11.19) ‘whenever,’ indicating here more than one definite occasion.

eu poiēsai (only here in the N.T.; cf. agathopoiēsai 3.4) ‘to do good.’

Translation:

The expression have … with may require recasting in some such form as ‘the poor people are always with you’ or ‘there are always poor people where you are.’

In contrast with the Greek and English of the two clauses whenever … to them, some languages require the first of the two clauses to be the full one and the second one the elliptical one, e.g. ‘whenever you want to do good to them, you can’ or ‘if ever you want to do good to such people, you are able to.’

Have me must be recast in much the same way as the first clause of this verse, e.g. ‘I will not always be here with you’ (Tzeltal) or ‘I will not always be here where you are.’

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 .