Pharisee

The Greek that is a transliteration of the Hebrew Pərūšīm and is typically transliterated into English as “Pharisee” is transliterated in Mandarin Chinese as Fǎlìsài (法利賽 / 法利赛) (Protestant) or Fǎlìsāi (法利塞) (Catholic). In Chinese, transliterations can typically be done with a great number of different and identical-sounding characters. Often the meaning of the characters are not relevant, unless they are chosen carefully as in these cases. The Protestant Fǎlìsài can mean something like “Competition for the profit of the law” and the Catholic Fǎlìsāi “Stuffed by/with the profit of the law.” (Source: Zetzsche 1996, p. 51)

In Finnish Sign Language it is translated with the sign signifying “prayer shawl”. (Source: Tarja Sandholm)


“Pharisee” in Finnish Sign Language (source )

In British Sign Language it is translated with a sign that depicts “pointing out the law.” (Source: Anna Smith)


“Pharisee” in British Sign Language (source: Christian BSL, used with permission)

In French Sign Language it is translated with a sign that depicts the box of the phylacteries attached to the forehead:


“Pharisees” in French Sign Language (source: La Bible en langue des signes française )

Scot McKnight (in The Second Testament, publ. 2023) translates it into English as Observant. He explains (p. 302): “Pharisee has become a public, universal pejorative term for a hypocrite. Pharisees were observant of the interpretation of the Covenant Code called the ‘tradition of the elders.’ They conformed their behaviors to the interpretation. Among the various groups of Jews at the time of Jesus, they were perhaps closest to Jesus in their overall concern to make a radical commitment to the will of God (as they understood it).”

See also Nicodemus.

complete verse (Mark 8:15)

Following are a number of back-translations of Mark 8:15:

  • Uma: “Yesus spoke to them with a figure-of-speech, he said: ‘Be careful, watch out for the yeast of the Parisi people and the yeast of King Herodes!'” (Source: Uma Back Translation)
  • Yakan: “So-then Isa instructed them in a parable. He said, ‘Be careful. Avoid/stay-away-from the leaven (lit. for-rising) of the Pariseo and the leaven of King Herod.'” (Source: Yakan Back Translation)
  • Western Bukidnon Manobo: “Then there was a parable which Jesus told them. He is causing them to understand that they should avoid the bad customs of people. He said, ‘Be on your guard so that you might avoid the yeast of the Pharisees and the yeast of the followers of King Herod.'” (Source: Western Bukidnon Manobo Back Translation)
  • Kankanaey: “Then Jesus admonished them saying, ‘Beware of the yeast/baking-powder (labadura from Sp. levadura) of the Pharisees and the yeast/baking-powder of Herod.'” (Source: Kankanaey Back Translation)
  • Tagbanwa: “Jesus warned, saying, ‘Now you be careful of the raising-agent of the Pariseo and of Herodes.'” (Source: Tagbanwa Back Translation)

Translation commentary on Mark 8:15

Exegesis:

diestelleto (cf. 5.43) ‘he ordered,’ ‘he commanded’: it would be better literally to translate this verb ‘he gave orders’ or (in a weakened sense) ‘he instructed,’ ‘he enjoined’ (Translator’s New Testament, Zürcher Bibel; Lagrange; cf. Moulton & Milligan), than to translate ‘he warned’ (Goodspeed, Manson, O Novo Testamento de Nosso Senhor Jesus Cristo. Revisdo Autorizada), ‘he cautioned’ (Moffatt, Revised Standard Version).

horate, blepete apo tēs zumēs ‘beware, watch out for the leaven….’

horate (cf. 1.44) ‘beware!,’ ‘look out!,’ ‘careful!’

blepō ‘look,’ ‘see’: in the imperative, ‘pay attention!’ ‘look out!,’ the verb is used in 4.24; 13.5, 9, 23, 33; with the preposition apo ‘from’ following, ‘watch out for!,’ in 8.15; 12.38.

zumē (only here in Mark; cf. the parallels in Mt. 16.6, 11, 12, Lk. 12.1) ‘leaven’: used in a figurative sense in these passages in the Gospels and also in 1 Co. 5.6, 7, 8, and Gal. 5.9, in a bad sense. In general it refers to attitudes, teachings, example. Lagrange: “a principle of moral corruption that contaminates all it touches.” Gould defines the leaven of the Pharisees as being their blindness to spiritual things, and the leaven of Herod as being his worldliness. Herod is Herod Antipas, referred to in 6.14ff.

Translation:

He must be changed to ‘Jesus’ in some languages.

The phrase take heed, beware, or as one may also translate in English “beware, watch out for,” involves a number of subtle problems: (1) the two related verbs, both implying caution and concern, (2) the need of paying attention only in order to avoid, and (3) the possibility of having the two verbs cancel each other out. In one translation this phrase meant ‘beware! take care of…’ (in the sense of ‘provide what is necessary on behalf of’). The meaning here must sometimes be split between two verbs (as in the Revised Standard Version), in which the first verb admonishes the disciples to pay attention and the second insists that they avoid the object in question. From our standpoint, this seems somewhat preferable to the Greek order, which first cautions and then orders one to look out for. The meaning can be conveyed as ‘beware, don’t become involved with….’

Leaven of the Pharisees and the leaven of Herod are obviously and purposely obscure phrases, designed evidently by Jesus to stimulate his disciples to consider the real implications of the feeding of the multitude. Accordingly, one must use the word ‘yeast’ (or ‘leaven’), even though within the immediate phrase the meaning is not fully evident.

Leaven is variously rendered, depending upon a number of local cultural factors, e.g. ‘that which causes bread to be sour’ (Highland Puebla Nahuatl), ‘sour-water’ (Yucateco), ‘that which causes bread to swell’ (Shipibo-Conibo), or ‘that which causes bread to rise.’ In some instances it is the same term as for ‘beer foam,’ for that is precisely what is used by the people in the preparation of bread.

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 .