complete verse (Matthew 11:8)

Following are a number of back-translations of Matthew 11:8:

  • Uma: “So, what did you go wanting to see? Perhaps wanting to see a person who has beautiful clothes? Of course not, for people who have beautiful clothes, they are only in the houses of kings.” (Source: Uma Back Translation)
  • Yakan: “No? Na, why did you go? To see a person in expensive clothes? The people who dress in expensive clothes live there in the palaces.” (Source: Yakan Back Translation)
  • Western Bukidnon Manobo: “Did you go out to see a person whose clothes were very fine? Not that also, because a person like that is only seen in the house of a king.” (Source: Western Bukidnon Manobo Back Translation)
  • Kankanaey: “What then did you go to see? Was it a person wearing beautiful (clothes)? Emphatically also not, because those who wear (clothes) like that, they stay in kings’ houses.” (Source: Kankanaey Back Translation)
  • Tagbanwa: “What really did you want to see there? A person whose clothes were the best? Of course not also, because as for people like that, they are only in the household of a king.” (Source: Tagbanwa Back Translation)
  • Tenango Otomi: “If that wasn’t it, then whom did you see then? Did you see a man wearing good clothing? But you know that the people who wear good clothing live in the houses where kings live.” (Source: Tenango Otomi Back Translation)

Translation commentary on Matthew 11:8

Why then did you go out? may be rendered “So why then did you go there?” Interestingly, one of the best ways to render this is to actually follow the textual variant, “So what did you go out to see?”

Soft raiment (Good News Translation “fancy clothes”) also has the possibility of many different translations: “fine clothes” (Phillips, New Jerusalem Bible), “dainty and delicate clothes” (Barclay), “luxuriously dressed” (New American Bible), and “in silks and satins” (New English Bible). This is best understood as a contrast between the luxurious clothes of the rich and the rough garments worn by John the Baptist.

To see … soft raiment? may need a full expression: “Did you come out to see … soft raiment?” It may be even more advisable to drop the rhetorical question: “You did not go out to see….” As in the previous verse, another way to handle the rhetorical question is to follow it with a reply, as in “(Did you go to see) a man dressed in luxurious clothes? Of course not.”

Behold: see comments on 1.20. New American Bible has “Remember,” and Jerusalem Bible “Oh no.”

Those who wear … kings’ houses may be expressed as “people who wear fine clothes like that live in kings’ houses,” or “… live with kings,” or “it is people who live in kings’ houses who wear fine clothes like that.” This does not necessarily mean kings themselves.

Kings’ houses are palaces. Translators whose languages have such a word can certainly use it.

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 .