19the Son of Man came eating and drinking, and they say, ‘Look, a glutton and a drunkard, a friend of tax collectors and sinners!’ Yet wisdom is vindicated by her deeds.”
The Hebrew, Aramaic, and Greek that is translated as “wisdom” in English is rendered in Amganad Ifugao and Tabasco Chontal as “(big) mind,” in Bulu and Yamba as “heart-thinking,” in Tae’ as “cleverness of heart” (source for this and all above: Reiling / Swellengrebel), in Palauan as “bright spirit (innermost)” (source: Bratcher / Hatton), in Ixcatlán Mazatec as “with your best/biggest thinking” (source: Robert Bascom), in Noongar as dwangka-boola, lit. “ear much” (source: Portions of the Holy Bible in the Nyunga language of Australia, 2018 — see also remember), and in Dobel, it is translated with the idiom “their ear holes are long-lasting” (in Acts 6:3) (source: Jock Hughes).
The Greek that is often translates as “glutton” in English is translated with figurative expressions or descriptive phrases such as “one who has just stomach” (Navajo), “a stomach-for food” (Pohnpeian), “one who eats-much” (Chuukese), or “one who thinks only of eating” (Ekari).
The Greek that is translated as “tax collector” in English is translated in Tagbanwa as “money-grabbing official receivers of payment” (source: Tagbanwa Back Translation) and in Noongar as mammarapa boya-barranginy or “people taking money” (source: Tagbanwa Back Translation). Likewise, in Cashibo-Cacataibo, it is the “ones who take the money” (source: Bratcher / Nida 1961).
In Mairasi it is translated as “the people who collect money pertaining to head payment.”(Source: Enggavoter 2004)
Click or tap here to see a short video clip about tax collectors in biblical times (source: Bible Lands 2012)
The Greek that is translated as “sinner” in English is translated as “people with bad hearts” (“it is not enough to call them ‘people who do bad things,’ for though actions do reflect the heart, yet it is the hearts with which God is primarily concerned — see Matt. 15:19”) in Western Kanjobal, “people who are doing wrong things in their hearts” in San Blas Kuna (source: Nida 1952, p. 148), “people with bad stomachs” in Q’anjob’al (source: Newberry and Kittie Cox in The Bible Translator 1950, p. 91ff. ), “those others who don’t fully obey our laws” in Tagbanwa (source: Tagbanwa Back Translation), or “people with dirty hearts” or “people who are called ‘bad'” in Mairasi (source: Enggavoter 2004).
In Central Mazahua and Teutila Cuicatec it is translated as “(person who) owes sin.” (Source: Waterhouse / Parrott in Notes on Translation October 1967, p. 1ff.)
The Greek that is translated as “Son of Man” and is mostly used by Jesus to refer to himself is (back-) translated in the following languages as (click or tap for details):
Tzotzil: “I who am equal with men” or “The Older Brother of Everybody” (“expressing the dignity and authority of the Messiah and the universality of his work”)
Tenango Otomi: “The Man Appointed” (i.e. the man to whom authority has been delegated) (source for this and preceding: Beekman, p. 189-190, see also Ralph Hill in Notes on Translation February 1983, p. 35-50)
Aguaruna: “One who was born becoming a person” (source for this and two above: M. Larson / B. Moore in Notes on Translation February 1970, p. 1-125.)
Western Bukidnon Manobo: “Older Sibling of Mankind” (source: Western Bukidnon Manobo Back Translation)
Kankanaey: “Child of a Person” (source: Kankanaey Back Translation)
Tagbanwa: “One From Heaven Born of Man/human?” (source: Tagbanwa Back Translation)
Tenango Otomi: “Man who came from heaven” (source: Tenango Otomi Back Translation)
Yatzachi Zapotec: “One who God sent, who was born a human” (a direct translation would have suggested “that the father is unknown due to the indiscretions of the mother” and where “he is the son of people” is used when one wants to disclaim responsibility for or relationship with a child caught in some mischief — source: Reiling / Swellengrebel)
Mezquital Otomi: “The son who became a person” (Source: B. Moore / G. Turner in Notes on Translation 1967, p. 1ff.)
Alekano: “The true man who descended from heaven” (source: Ellis Deibler in Notes on Translation June 1986, p. 36ff.)
Central Tarahumara: “One who has been stood up to help” (“This suggests that Christ has been given authority to some appointed task. A very generic word, help, was selected to fill in the lexically obligatory purpose required by the word which means to appoint or commission. Usually this word is used of menial tasks but not exclusively. The choice of this generic term retains the veiled reference to the character of Christ’s work which He intended in using the ‘Son of Man’ title.”)
Chicahuaxtla Triqui: “He who is relative of all people.” (“The Triqui word for relative is a rather generic term and in its extended sense sometimes is diluted to neighbor and friend. But the primary meaning is relative.”)
Tepeuxila Cuicatec: “The Person who Accompanies All People” (“The literal equivalents ‘son of man’ and ‘son of people’ were both rejected because of the false inference of natural birth involving a human father. Furthermore, it was necessary to expand any translation of the Bible by the addition of the pronoun ‘I’ so as to clarify the fact that Jesus is using the third person in referring to Himself. A common expression used by the Cuicatecos when difficulties befall someone, is to say to that one, ‘don’t worry, we are accompanying you.’ By this they mean they share that person’s sorrow. When wedding guests arrive at the home of a son who has just been married, they say to the father, ‘We have come to accompany you.’ By this they mean that they have come to share the father’s joy. These expressions do not refer to ordinary physical accompaniment, which is expressed by a set of different verbs. For example, visits are always announced by some such greeting as, “I have come to visit you,’ ‘I have come to see you,’ or ‘I have come to ask you something.’ The desire to accompany a friend on a journey is expressed by saying, ‘I will go with you.’ Translation helpers used the verb ‘accompany’ in constructing the phrase ‘I, the Person who Accompanies All People.'(…) It reflects the fact that Jesus closely identified Himself with all of us, understands our weaknesses, shares our burdens, rejoices with us in times of gladness, etc.”) (source for this and the three preceding: Beekman in Notes on Translation January 1963, p. 1-10)
Guhu-Samane: “Elder-brother-man” (“Since the term denotes an elder brother in every way such as honor, power, leadership, representation of the younger, etc. it is a meaningful and fitting — though not ostentatious — title.” Source: Ernest Richert in The Bible Translator 1965, p. 198ff. )
Navajo: Diné Silíi’ii — “Man he-became-the-one-who” (“This terra presented a difficulty not only in Navajo but also one peculiar to all the Athapaskan languages. It lies in the fact that all these languages, so far as we know, have a word phonetically similar to the Navajo diné which has three meanings: ‘man, people in general,’ ‘a man,’ ‘The People’ which is the name the Navajos use for themselves. (The name Navajo was first used by the Spanish explorers.) Although it seemed natural to say diné biye’ ‘a-man his-son,’ this could also mean ‘The-People their-son’ or ‘a-Navajo his-son,’ in contrast to the son of a white man or of another Indian tribe. Since the concept of the humanity of Christ is so important, we felt that diné biye’ with its three possible meanings should not be used. The term finally decided on was Diné Silíi’ii ‘Man he-became-the-one-who.’ This could be interpreted to mean ‘the one who became a Navajo,’ but since it still would impart the idea of Christ’s becoming man, it was deemed adequate, and it has proven acceptable to the Navajos.”) (Source: Faye Edgerton in The Bible Translator 1962, p. 25ff. )
Toraja-Sa’dan: “Child descended in the world” (“using a poetic verb, often found in songs that [deal with] the contacts between heaven and earth”) (source: Reiling / Swellengrebel)
Obolo: Gwun̄ Ebilene: “Child of Human” (source: Enene Enene).
Mairasi: Jaanoug Tat: “Person Child” (source: Enggavoter 2004)
Costa Rican Sign Language: “It was impossible to translate the expression ‘Son of Man.’ The son-man sign simply means ‘male child.’ The Costa Rican Sign Language (LESCO) team opted for an interpretation of the term and translated it ‘Jesus.'” (Source: Elsa Tamez (in The Bible Translator 2008, p. 59ff.)
Lokạạ: wẹẹn wạ ọnẹn or “son of a person.” “This translation is symbolic in that it uses indigenous Lokạạ words. However, since the publication of the New Testament in 2006, this phrase has gained popularity within contemporary Lokạạ society as an expression to describe an important person whose career is going well. In the New Testament, the phrase ‘son of man’ is used to describe Jesus as prototypically human, but the Lokạạ phrase is now being used to describe an exceptional person in Lokạạ society.” (Source: J.A. Naudé, C.L. Miller Naudé, J.O. Obono in Acta Theologica 43/2, 2023, p. 129ff. )
In many West African languages, using a third person reference as a first person indicator is common practice with a large range of semantic effects. Languages that use the exact expression “son of man” as a self-reference or reference to another person include Lukpa, Baatonum, Mossi (“son of Adam”), Yoruba (“son of person”), Guiberoua Béte, or Samo. (Source: Lynell Zogbo in: Omanson 2000, p. 167-188.)
In Swahili the expression Mwana wa Mtu or mwana wa mtu or “son/daughter of human person,” which is used by several Bible translations, also has “the idiomatic meaning of ‘a human being’” (source: Jean-Claude Loba-Mkole in An Intercultural Criticism of New Testament Translations 2013, see here). The same is true for the Lingala expression Mwana na Moto — “son/daughter of human person.” (Ibid.)
In Balinese “we are again bordering on theological questions when we inquire as to which vocabulary shall be used to translate the texts where Jesus speaks of himself as ‘the Son of man.’ One of the fixed rules governing the use of these special vocabularies is that one may never use the deferential terms in speaking of oneself. This would be the extreme of arrogance. Now if one considers the expression ‘Son of man’ primarily as a description of ‘I,’ then one must continually indicate the possessions or actions of the Son of man by Low Balinese words. In doing this the mystery of the expression is largely lost. In any case the vocabulary used in most of the contexts would betray that Jesus means the title for himself.
“However, a distinction can actually be made in Balinese between the person and the exalted position he occupies. For example, the chairman of a judicial body may employ deferential terms when referring to this body and its chairman, without this being taken as an expression of arrogance. Considered from this standpoint, one may translate in such a way that Jesus is understood as using such deferential words and phrases in speaking of himself. The danger is, however, that the unity between his person and the figure of “the Son of man” is blurred by such usage.
“On request, the New Testament committee of the Netherlands Bible Society advised that ‘the sublimity of this mysterious term be considered the most important point and thus High Balinese be used.'”
In Malay, Barclay Newman reports on the translation of “Today’s Malay Version” (Alkitab Berita Baik) of 1987:
“One of the first things that we did in working through the earlier part of the New Testament was to decide on how we would translate some of the more difficult technical terms. It was immediately obvious that something must be done with the translation of ‘the Son of Man,’ since the literal rendering anak manusia (literally ‘child of a man’) held absolutely no meaning for Malay readers. We felt that the title should emphasize the divine origin and authority of the one who used this title, and at the same time, since it was a title, we decided that it should not be too long a phrase. Finally, a phrase meaning ‘the One whom God has ordained’ was chosen (yang dilantik Allah). It is interesting to note that the newly-begun Common Indonesian (Alkitab Kabar Baik, published in 1985) has followed a similar route by translating ‘the One whom God has chosen’ (yang depilih Allah).”
Following are a number of back-translations of Matthew 11:19:
Uma: “But when I came, I the Child of Mankind, I drank and I ate. They also rejected me, they said: ‘Look at him! A glutton, a drunkard, the friend of tax collectors and sinners!’ But even so, we know that God’s purposes are wise [lit., clear] if we look-at the actions of his followers.'” (Source: Uma Back Translation)
Yakan: “Then I, the Son of Man came and I eat and drink, na, and the people say, ‘Look at that man, he is a glutton and a drunkard. His friends are the tax collectors and other sinners.’ But,’ said Isa, ‘the works/deeds of God testify that God’s knowledge/wisdom is really deep.'” (Source: Yakan Back Translation)
Western Bukidnon Manobo: “And I, the Older Sibling of Mankind, I didn’t fast and I, by contrast, drank wine, and you were surprised and you said that I am a glutton and addicted to wine. And you say also that I am a friend of wicked people like the tax collectors and the law breakers. ‘However,’ said Jesus, ‘We can recognize that God is very wise by means of what he does.'” (Source: Western Bukidnon Manobo Back Translation)
Kankanaey: “As for me who am Child of a Person, I was eating-with and drinking-with you and you say, ‘Now look at this person! He has-a-large-appetite to eat and he is a drunkard while-simultaneously also he makes-friends-of tax collectors and other sinful people!’ But even if that is what you say, the correctness of God’s wisdom will nevertheless be seen in the deeds of those who receive it.'” (Source: Kankanaey Back Translation)
Tagbanwa: “And then as for me, the One From Heaven Born of Man/human, I join-in-feasts and drink what we (incl.) drink. Well, the people are saying, ‘Look at that fellow, a glutton and drinker, he’s a friend of money-grabbing official-receivers of payment and other sinners.’ But even though it’s like that, it’s evident that Juan’s and my teaching is indeed correct because of its results in the lives of those who believe/obey.'” (Source: Tagbanwa Back Translation)
Tenango Otomi: “And now I the man who came from heaven, because I eat everything that comes my way you say that I am a ‘Partier.’ You say that I am one with the people who have sin and also the tax collectors. Yet concerning the straight word, if the people will think well, they will know this word.” (Source: Tenango Otomi Back Translation)
The Son of man came eating and drinking: see 8.20 for a discussion of Son of man. Die Bibel im heutigen Deutsch handles this part of the verse similarly to what it did with the first part of verse 18: “The Son of man eats and drinks….”
Eating and drinking, as the context makes clear, means something beyond the ordinary meals required for existence. The allusion is perhaps to Jesus’ participation in joyous events such as wedding celebrations, where food and drink were consumed in larger amounts than at a regular mealtime. But Barclay has “enjoying life like a normal person,” which is also possible. Since the expression eating and drinking here can refer to more than just sustenance, translators have tried “When the Son of man came, he enjoyed eating and drinking (wine),” “… ate and drank with great enjoyment,” or “… ate and drank well.”
Again, they can be “people.”
Behold: see comments at 1.20. Good News Translation has “Look at this man,” Phillips “Look,” An American Translation and New English Bible “Look at him!”
A glutton is someone who overindulges in eating; a drunkard is someone who overindulges in wine (Good News Translation “wine-drinker”). This may well be how the phrase will be rendered: “He eats too much and drinks too much wine” or “He is always eating too much food and drinking too much wine.”
Tax collectors and sinners (Good News Translation “… other outcasts”) are mentioned together in 9.10; tax collectors are first discussed in 5.46. New American Bible renders sinners by “those outside the Law,” and Barclay “people with whom no respectable Jew would have anything to do!” Translators are referred to 9.10 and 5.46 for possible translations.
Quite often translators will have to repeat the subject, as in “and he is a friend of tax collectors and other outcasts.”
As in the previous verse, the accusations may have to be in indirect speech: “People look at him and remark that he eats too much and drinks wine too much, and also that he is a friend of tax collectors and other outcasts.”
Yet wisdom is justified by her deeds: this statement is obscure, and it is not aided by the alternative reading (see RSV footnote), which substitutes “children” (as in the Lukan parallel, 7.35) for deeds. Scholars agree that the wisdom is “God’s wisdom,” and so the basis for Good News Translation. Both deeds and “children” would have a similar impact to the Jewish reader, since either would convey the idea of what wisdom had produced (Good News Translation, New English Bible, Barclay “by its results”; Moffatt “by all that she does”; An American Translation, Jerusalem Bible “by her actions”).
Justified translates the same verb used in 12.37, the only other occurrence of this verb in Matthew. A noun made from this stem is discussed in 1.19. The verb itself is quite frequently employed by Paul with the meaning “be put right with God,” which is obviously not what Matthew intends. Here the meaning is rather “be proved right” (see Jerusalem Bible, New English Bible) or “be vindicated” (An American Translation, Moffatt; Phillips: “stands or fails”).
Some languages will be able to use a passive or impersonal form, as in “God’s wisdom can be proved to be true by its results” or “The wisdom of God will produce results that show it is right.” Other languages will have an agent, as in “People will see God’s wisdom is right by the results” or “People will see that God’s wisdom is right by the way people act when they have it.”
The word Yet does show a contrast with what people are saying about the Son of Man. “But,” or “However,” or some other contrastive marker should be used here.
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 .
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