he who, whoever

The Greek that is typically translated with a generic expressions such as “he who,” “whoever,” or “if anyone” in English is translated with the plural form (“they”) in Daga. “A literal translation of these conveys the idea that one specific unnamed individual is being dis cussed. Thus, for instance, in John 5:24 ‘he who hears my word and believes in him who sent me has eternal life’ meant in Daga that there was one fortunate individual to whom it applied.”

See also love your neighbor as yourself.

complete verse (Matthew 10:37)

Following are a number of back-translations of Matthew 10:37:

  • Uma: “‘A person who loves his mother or his father more than his love for Me, he is not worthy/appropriate to become my follower. A person who loves his child more than his love for Me, he is not worthy/appropriate to become my follower.” (Source: Uma Back Translation)
  • Yakan: “If a person loves his mother and father more than me, he is not worthy/fit to become my disciple, and if a person loves his children more than me, he is not worthy/fit to become my disciple.” (Source: Yakan Back Translation)
  • Western Bukidnon Manobo: “If there is a person who the thing which is big in his breath is his mother and father, not me, he is not fitted to be called my disciple. Or if the thing which is big in his breath is his offspring not me, he again is not fitted to be called my disciple.” (Source: Western Bukidnon Manobo Back Translation)
  • Kankanaey: “‘Whoever has a larger love for his father and mother and even his children than his love for me, he is not worthy to be counted as my disciple.” (Source: Kankanaey Back Translation)
  • Tagbanwa: “The person who holds his father or mother dearer than his holding dear of me, he’s not acceptable as one of my people. And the one whose holding dear of his child is more than his holding dear of me is not acceptable as one of my people.” (Source: Tagbanwa Back Translation)
  • Tenango Otomi: “So the person who loves his father or mother more than me is a person who does not deserve to follow me. The person who loves his son or daughter more than me is a person who does not deserve to follow me.” (Source: Tenango Otomi Back Translation)

Translation commentary on Matthew 10:37

Although Jesus calls upon his followers to love their families and to honor their parents, he makes it abundantly clear that no family loyalties must stand in the way of loyalty to God. Several commentators draw attention to Deuteronomy 33.8-11, where Levi is praised because he left his parents for the sake of God’s covenant.

Since Jesus is still addressing his disciples, it may be necessary to render He who loves in the second person, “if any of you” or “if you.”

Loves … more than means “cares more for” (New English Bible). The parallel in Luke (14.26) takes advantage of a Semitic idiom in which “hate” means “love (one) less than (the other).” Loves … more than or “cares more for” poses occasional problems. For example, in West Africa, where the comparative is generally expressed with a verb, the expression may have to be “If the love someone has for his father or mother surpasses the love he has for me.” Another way is “The caring someone has for his father and mother should not surpass the caring he has for me.”

Is not worthy of me (so also New Jerusalem Bible, New American Bible) is translated “does not deserve to be mine” by Phillips. In such a context worthy means “show oneself fit to be,” which is the basis of Good News Translation, “is not fit to be.”

Of me is translated “to be mine” by Phillips and “to belong to me” by Barclay; Good News Translation has “to be my disciple.” Bibel im heutigen Deutsch, 1st edition has done significant restructuring, but an idiomatic translation into English requires reversing the order of the two clauses: “I cannot use anyone who loves his father or mother more than me.”

Quite often translators have as a translation of is not worthy of me “does not deserve to be one of my disciples.” Another way is “I can’t make anyone my disciple who does not love me more than (he loves) his father or mother.”

The expression in the second part, with son or daughter, should be handled in the same way.

Quoted with permission from Newman, Barclay M. and Stine, Philip C. A Handbook on the Gospel of Matthew. (UBS Handbook Series). New York: UBS, 1988. For this and other handbooks for translators see here .