The Hebrew, Greek, and Latin that is translated as “soul” in English is translated in Chol with a term that refers to the invisible aspects of human beings (source: Robert Bascom).
The Mandarin Chineselínghún (靈魂 / 灵魂), literally “spirit-soul,” is often used for “soul” (along with xīn [心] or “heart”). This is a term that was adopted from Buddhist sources into early Catholic writings and later also by Protestant translators. (Source: Zetzsche 1996, p. 32, see also Clara Ho-yan Chan in this article )
The Greek and Hebrew term that is translated into English as “yoke,” the Afar translation uses koyta (poles of camel pack) which refers to two poles in front of the hump and two behind; elsewhere in agricultural Ethiopia the yoke is only in front of the hump.
In Chol it is translated with tajbal, a term for “headband” (for carrying) (source: Ronald D. Olson in Notes on Translation January, 1968, p. 15ff.). Likewise, in Kele, it is translated with njɛmbɛ, “a carrying strap worn around the head and across the chest or shoulders to support a burden of firewood, garden produce or even a child carried by this on the back or hip” (source: William Ford in The Bible Translator 1957, p. 203ff. ).
In Kwasio it is translated with a term that refers to a “bulky piece of wood attached to the neck of a goat, preventing it from roaming freely in the brushy undergrowth.”
Joshua Ham explains: “When checking this verse in Kwasio, I was surprised to find that the Kwasio had a word for yoke. You see, none of the language groups we have worked with have a tradition of using animals to pull carts or plows. Since yokes don’t exist in the culture, there’s no need for a word for that concept in these languages.
“When I asked the Kwasio team about their word for yoke, they said that they don’t use yokes to help animals pull plows; rather, their word for yoke refers to a bulky piece of wood attached to the neck of a goat, preventing it from roaming freely in the brushy undergrowth. So while the exact use of a Kwasio yoke is not the same as a biblical yoke, there are a lot of similarities: in both cases, it’s a piece of wood around an animal’s neck that serves to keep the animal under control. While the overlap isn’t perfect, it’s pretty good — and almost certainly better than trying to squeeze in a distracting explanation of how yokes function in the biblical cultures.”
Adam Boyd (in The PNG Experience) tells this story about finding the right term in Enga: “Jesus’s words in Matthew 11:29-30 are some of the most difficult to translate into the Enga language. From the time that I became a Christian, I was taught that a yoke is a wooden crosspiece that is fastened over the neck of two animals and attached to a plough or cart that they are to pull. This is an easy enough concept to understand for people who come from societies that make use of beasts of burden, but in Papua New Guinea, there are no beasts of burden. Consequently the concept of a yoke placed on animals is completely foreign. Thus, we have struggled greatly in our attempt to translate Matthew 11:29-30.
“Recently, however, I came to learn that a yoke can also refer to a wooden frame that a person places on his neck or shoulders to make it easier to carry a heavy load. Indeed, the Bible often makes figurative use of the word ‘yoke’ as it refers to people and not to beasts of burden (see 1 Kings 12:4-14). As I was pondering that idea, I began to notice that when Engan men carry heavy logs on one shoulder, they often balance the load by supporting it with a small stick placed across the other shoulder. A few weeks ago, it clicked in my mind that the small stick they use to make it easier to carry a heavy log is like a yoke.
“Excited by this realization, I quickly asked my friend Benjamin if the stick that men use to make it easier to carry a heavy log has a name in Enga. Sure enough it does. It is called a pyakende. With great anticipation, I asked the translation team if we could use the word pyakende to translate the word ‘yoke’. After wrestling with the phrasing for a little while, we came up with the following translation: ‘In order to remove the heaviness from your shoulders, take my pyakende. When you have taken it, you will receive rest. As my pyakende helps you, what I give you to carry is not heavy and you will carry it without struggling.’”
“Yoke” is illustrated for use in Bible translations in East Africa by Pioneer Bible Translators like this:
Image owned by PBT and Jonathan McDaniel and licensed with the Creative Commons Attribution 3.0 Unported License.
Click or tap here to see a short video clip showing how yokes were used in biblical times (source: Bible Lands 2012)
The Greek that is usually translated as “humble” or “lowly” in English is translated in Eastern Highland Otomi as “one who doesn’t elevate himself,” in Yatzachi Zapotec as “those who think they aren’t worth much,” in Alekano as “those who stay low” (source: Ellis Deibler in Notes on Translation July, 1967, p. 5ff.), in Mezquital Otomi as “poor brothers,” in Isthmus Zapotec as “the one is little honored,” in Highland Totonac as “just ordinary people,” and in Yatzachi Zapotec as “poor people who have nothing” (source: Waterhouse / Parrott in Notes on Translation October 1967, p. 1ff.).
The Greek that is often translated as “meek” or “meekness” in English is translated in Malba Birifor as hɛlɛlɛ. David B. Woodford (in The Bible Translator 1962, p. 181) tells how that translation was uncovered: “Some words come by the accidents God provides. For a long while we had searched in vain for a word adequate to express ‘meekness.’ Then we gave up (temporarily), and took a walk outside for a break. The grain-stalks left after harvesting were beginning to sprout again, so I said [to the language assistant], ‘Look, they’re sprouting.’ ‘No,’ he said, ‘they’re hɛlɛlɛ.’ ‘What does that mean?’ ‘That is the word we use for new leaves when they are big enough and strong enough to bend and not to break. We use it for people too, who are so strong inside that they don’t need or want to fight you. But if a person is hard and brittle like a dead leaf it means that he is not really strong.’ And that is surely a better word for Bible meekness than anything we can say in English!”
Following are a number of back-translations of Matthew 11:29:
Uma: “Carry the burden that I put-on-your-back, and request-teaching of me, you will [emphatic] receive goodness of life your souls. Because I am gentle and humble [lit., my heart is low].” (Source: Uma Back Translation)
Yakan: “Accept/receive my teaching and learn from me, for I am good and my liver is lowly/humble, so-then you will have rest in your liver.” (Source: Yakan Back Translation)
Western Bukidnon Manobo: “Do what I command you, and let me teach you, and you will be able to rest because I am not harsh and I don’t look down on anyone.” (Source: Western Bukidnon Manobo Back Translation)
Kankanaey: “Follow my commands and learn-from (lit. cause-yourselves-to-be-taught by) me, because thereby your minds/thoughts will be made-peaceful, because I am gentle/patient and I am not proud (lit. I do not exalt/make-myself -high.)” (Source: Kankanaey Back Translation)
Tagbanwa: “Submit to my rule as your teacher and study here with me, because I am meek/patient and humble. Provided I am the one you are believing-in/obeying, it’s certain peace of mind/inner-being will be yours.” (Source: Tagbanwa Back Translation)
Tenango Otomi: “Make me your Lord. Take to yourselves the word I teach you. Concerning myself, I speak softly, I do not elevate myself as I speak. This word I speak will comfort your hearts.” (Source: Tenango Otomi Back Translation)
Take … upon you: in place of the one verb of the Greek text, some languages will require a double verb: “Take … put it on you” (Good News Translation).
Jesus here uses yoke as a symbol of submission, and the most appropriate commentary is perhaps to be found in Jeremiah, chapters 27–28; there the prophet wears an ox yoke as a symbol of the nation’s submission to the king of Babylonia. In cultures where the yoke does not convey this significance, it may be dropped: “Submit yourself to me,” or “Be obedient to me,” or “Accept the task that I give you.”
A yoke is a heavy wooden bar that fits over the neck of an ox so that it can pull a cart or a plow. Some translators have misunderstood Take my yoke upon you to refer to the yoke Jesus is carrying. But as we have pointed out above, Jesus is inviting people to submit themselves to him. Some translators keep the form and meaning by saying “Submit yourselves to me as an ox might take a yoke” or “Take the yoke of my leadership (or, Lordship) on you.” However, if yokes are not known, trying to introduce them by saying “take the wooden bars on your shoulders so you can pull a cart” will result in an awkward sentence that will detract from the meaning. As we said, the form may be dropped, as in “Accept me as the one who directs you.”
Learn from me indicates the nature of the obedience which Jesus demands. It is that of discipleship, for the verb learn is made from the same root as “disciple.” The invitation of Jesus is, then, “Obey me (Take my yoke on you, or Take my task) and be my disciple.” In fact Take my yoke … and learn from me may be understood as the same kind of construction discussed in verse 28, in which and connects two thoughts that are equivalent. One can then translate the two commands as one: “Learn what it means to be my disciple.” Die Bibel im heutigen Deutsch effectively retains the two verbs, though doing away with the symbol of the yoke: “Place yourself under my direction and learn from me.” Learn from me can also be rendered “accept my teachings,” “learn the truths I teach,” or “become my disciple.”
Jesus invites people to accept him as their Lord because they will find him humble and gentle. Thus the relationship shown by for in the text should be shown clearly.
I am gentle and lowly in heart: lowly is used only here in the Gospel; a related verb is used in 18.4; 23.12 (twice). Most English translations are fairly consistent in retaining the form in heart or “in spirit” (Good News Translation), though An American Translation has “humble-minded.” One may translate the two adjectives as “I am gentle and humble”; Die Bibel im heutigen Deutsch has “I will not trouble you, and I despise no one.” If gentle and lowly are believed to have the same meaning, they may be combined so that one strengthens the other: “I am very humble” or “I am very gentle.”
In heart is actually not needed in English. If someone is described as humble and gentle, one can perhaps add “by nature,” or one can say “my heart is humble,” but otherwise “I am humble and gentle” will suffice.
And you will find rest for your souls may be misleading, implying that eternal rest is intended. For your souls is merely a Semitic way of saying “for yourselves,” a phrase which may be unnecessary to carry over into translation. Good News Translation telescopes: “and you will find rest.” The rest to which Jesus refers is that of a proper fellowship with God; Die Bibel im heutigen Deutsch has “then your life will find fulfillment.”
You will find rest is tied to the invitations to come to Jesus: “Submit to me,” Jesus says, “and you will find rest in me,” or “… then you will experience relief.” Both “in me” and “then” make this relationship clear. Such explicit markers may not be necessary in all languages, depending on the structure of the passage.
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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