Capernaum, iterative verbs

Some languages, including Chilcotin, heavily use iterative verbs which denote a continuously repeated action.

Quindel King reports (in Northern Canada Evangelical Mission 1996, p. 70): “While Jesus was ministering, he did a lot of traveling, so we must determine where Jesus went and be able to indicate with iterative verb forms when he made a repeat visit to a certain town, lake shore or even a home! This must be done throughout the entire book so that there will be no confusion on the part of the hearers or readers.”

In the translation of Mark there are three mentions of Jesus visiting Capernaum. In Mark 1:21 the Chilcotin translation indicates that that was his first visit with his disciples (jagheninan — “they, a small group”), in Mark 2:1 only Jesus is referenced (nanjah — “he returned”), in Mark 9:33 Jesus and his disciples are mentioned (najaghindan — “they, a small group, returned”). (Source: Quindel King)

in the house

The Greek that is translated as “in the house” in English is translated in El Nayar Cora as “in his house” and in Choapan Zapotec as “the house that they entered when they first came to Capernaum.” (Source: B. Moore / G. Turner in Notes on Translation 1967, p. 1ff.)

See also at home.

complete verse (Mark 9:33)

Following are a number of back-translations of Mark 9:33:

  • Uma: “They arrived at the village of Kapernaum. [Once] they were in the house, Yesus asked his disciples, he said: ‘What did you keep talking about on the road earlier?'” (Source: Uma Back Translation)
  • Yakan: “So-then they arrived in the town Kapernaum. When they were there already in the house, Isa asked his disciples. ‘What were you arguing-about on the way?’ he said.” (Source: Yakan Back Translation)
  • Western Bukidnon Manobo: “And when Jesus arrived in the village of Capernaum, and they were already in the house, Jesus asked his disciples, he said, ‘What were you arguing about a while ago on the trail?'” (Source: Western Bukidnon Manobo Back Translation)
  • Kankanaey: “When they arrived in Capernaum and they entered a house, then Jesus asked his disciples, ‘What were you arguing about on the road a little-while-ago?'” (Source: Kankanaey Back Translation)
  • Tagbanwa: “Jesus and company reached Capernaum. When they were in the house, Jesus questioned his disciples. He said, ‘What were you arguing about there on the trail?'” (Source: Tagbanwa Back Translation)

Translation commentary on Mark 9:33

Text:

Instead of ēlthon ‘they came’ of the majority of modern editions of the Greek text, Textus Receptus and Soden have ēlthen ‘he came.’

Before dielogizesthe ‘you were discussing’ Textus Receptus adds pros heautous ‘among yourselves’; Kilpatrick adds pros heautous after dielogizesthe; all other modern editions of the Greek text omit the two words.

Exegesis:

en tē oikia ‘in the house’: perhaps Peter’s house, which, it would seem, had become Jesus’ “home” in Galilee.

dielogizesthe (cf. 2.6) ‘you were discussing,’ ‘debating (with one another).’

Translation:

Came must often be changed to ‘arrived at,’ because of the problem of narrative perspective. However, in some languages, e.g. Yatzachi Zapotec, there are two words for ‘arriving’; one is used when one arrives at a destination other than one’s home and another when the point of arrival is at home (although in Yatzachi Zapotec there is an additional complication in that in this particular passage the point of arrival must also be related to the home of the narrator). In this passage Jesus was evidently arriving at his “home.”

On the way must be rendered in some languages by an expression containing a verb, ‘as you walked along the path’ (or ‘along the road’), since on the way implies a process of journeying, not simply a position.

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 .