parable

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The Greek that is usually translated as “parable” in English is translated in other languages in a number of ways:

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.”

See also image and figures of speech.

complete verse (Mark 4:13)

Following are a number of back-translations of Mark 4:13:

  • Uma: “After that Yesus said to them: ‘If you do not know the meaning of that earlier parable, how will you know the meaning of other parables?” (Source: Uma Back Translation)
  • Yakan: “‘Na,’ said Isa to them, ‘you really-surprise-did not understand that parable of mine. If it is like that, you also don’t understand all the parables that I have taught you.” (Source: Yakan Back Translation)
  • Western Bukidnon Manobo: “And Jesus spoke again, ‘Do you understand this parable that I told you? If you don’t understand this, you will also not be able to understand my other teachings which are by means of parables.” (Source: Western Bukidnon Manobo Back Translation)
  • Kankanaey: “Then Jesus said to them, ‘Don’t you understand this parable? If that’s how-it-is, how then will you understand other parables?” (Source: Kankanaey Back Translation)
  • Tagbanwa: “Jesus also said, ‘Well don’t you understand those illustrations I gave? Then isn’t it so that you won’t understand if there are other illustrations next?” (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 4:13

Exegesis:

ouk oidate tēn parabolēn tautēn; ‘do you not understand this parable?’: as a question, this is purely rhetorical, since it is not a request for information, but stands as an accusation. It may be taken as a statement, however: ‘You don’t understand this parable! How then…?’ Or it may be taken as a condition: ‘If you don’t understand this parable … how will you…?’ (cf. Goodspeed, Berkeley, Williams).

oidate … gnōsesthe ‘you know … you will know’: it is precarious to try to maintain a strict distinction between oida ‘know by intuition or insight’ and ginōskō ‘know by experience or observation’ as do Swete, Taylor. oida occurs some 23 times in Mark and ginōskō 12.

Translation:

Note that the direct discourse may consist of questions, in which case the introductory verb must often be ‘questioned’ rather than ‘said.’ On the other hand, the first expression may be a statement (see above), followed by a question. In any event the questions are strictly rhetorical, and if such questions are treated in any particular manner in the receptor language this fact should be consistently indicated.

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 .