he said

The Greek that is translated in English as “he said” or similar is translated in Shuar as ” but although he knew the young child was really dead, he said to them.” Commentaries are generally agreed that Jesus’ statement in this verse was not made to deny the actual death of the girl, but rather to suggest an immediate resurrection. In some languages, a literal and unexplained rendering of the statement by Jesus “the child is not dead” implied that he was not aware of her condition. In another it implied that he was attempting to deceive the people into thinking she was just sleeping. This attempted deceit was interpreted as an attempt to quiet the crowd and make them willing to go outside. (Source: B. Moore / G. Turner in Notes on Translation 1967, p. 1ff.)

Raising a Girl (image)

Painting by Wang Suda 王肅達 (1910-1963),
Copyright by the Catholic University Peking, China

Text under painting translated from Literary Chinese into English:
Raising a Girl
Proof that Jesus is the true God

Image taken from Chinese Christian Posters . For more information on the “Ars Sacra Pekinensis” school of art, see this article , for other artworks of that school in TIPs, see here.

complete verse (Mark 5:39)

Following are a number of back-translations of Mark 5:39:

  • Uma: “Upon entering the house, he said to them: ‘Why are you weeping so noisily? She isn’t dead. She’s just sleeping.'” (Source: Uma Back Translation)
  • Yakan: “Isa went inside and he said to them, ‘Why are you so noisily-confused and wailing? The child hasn’t died hep but she is just sleeping.'” (Source: Yakan Back Translation)
  • Western Bukidnon Manobo: “Jesus went into the house and he said to the people, ‘Why are you in a state of confusion? Why are you weeping? That child is not dead, but rather she is only sleeping!'” (Source: Western Bukidnon Manobo Back Translation)
  • Kankanaey: “As Jesus entered, he said, ‘Why are you being-noisy and crying-bitterly? This young-lady, she didn’t die, she is only sleeping.'” (Source: Kankanaey Back Translation)
  • Tagbanwa: “When Jesus had entered, he said to them, ‘What are you crying about like this, since that child isn’t dead? She’s just sleeping.'” (Source: Tagbanwa Back Translation)

Translation commentary on Mark 5:39

Exegesis:

eiselthōn (cf. previous verse) ‘entering (the house)’: in the next verse ekbalōn ‘driving out (of the house).’

ti thorubeisthe (only here in Mark) ‘why do you make a tumult?’ (cf. the noun thorubos in the previous verse).

to paidion (5.40, 41; 7.28, 30; 9.24, 36, 37; 10.13, 14, 15) ‘the child,’ ‘the infant’: here, a twelve year old girl (v. 42).

ouk apethanen alla katheudei ‘she did not die but is sleeping,’ ‘is not dead but sleeps.’

apothnēskō (cf. v. 35) ‘die.’

katheudō (cf. 4.27) ‘sleep’: this word offers no problem to the translator since its meaning is ‘to sleep’ whatever may have been the sense in which it was used by Jesus (whether literal or metaphorical).

Translation:

Entered must in some languages specify ‘entered the house.’

Child offers certain problems to the translator since languages frequently have a number of terms, depending upon the age and stage of maturity. Note that the age is specifically given in verse 42, and it may be assumed that she had not experienced puberty (this latter event is the decisive distinction in many indigenous terms for ‘child’ or ‘girl’).

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 .