grain

The Greek and Hebrew that is translated in English as “grain” (or: “corn”) is translated in Kui as “(unthreshed) rice.” Helen Evans (in The Bible Translator 1954, p. 40ff. ) explains: “Padddy [unthreshed rice] is the main crop of the country and rice the staple diet of the people, besides which [grain] is unknown and there is no word for it, and it seemed to us that paddy and rice in the mind of the Kui people stood for all that corn meant to the Jews.” “Paddy” is also the translation in Pa’o Karen (source: Gordon Luce in The Bible Translator 1950, p. 153f. ).

Other translations include: “wheat” (Teutila Cuicatec), “corn” (Lalana Chinantec), “things to eat” (Morelos Nahuatl), “grass corn” (wheat) (Chichimeca-Jonaz) (source: Viola Waterhouse in Notes on Translation August 1966, p. 86ff.), or ntimumma lujia / “seeds for food” (Lokạạ — “since Lokạạ does not have specific terms for maize and rice that can be described as grains”) (source: J.A. Naudé, C.L. Miller Naudé, J.O. Obono in Acta Theologica 43/2, 2023, p. 129ff. )

complete verse (Matthew 13:29)

Following are a number of back-translations of Matthew 13:29:

  • Uma: “‘The owner of the garden said: ‘Don’t, because if you pull up the grass, you will end up pulling out the rice as well.” (Source: Uma Back Translation)
  • Yakan: “‘Don’t,’ he said, ‘because if you pull out the weeds perhaps you will also pull out the plants.” (Source: Yakan Back Translation)
  • Western Bukidnon Manobo: “‘Don’t you yet, because the good plants might be included.” (Source: Western Bukidnon Manobo Back Translation)
  • Kankanaey: “”No,’ he said, ‘because the rice will be uprooted-with.” (Source: Kankanaey Back Translation)
  • Tagbanwa: “‘Don’t do it yet,’ he answered, ‘for maybe even the wheat will get included in what you weed out.” (Source: Tagbanwa Back Translation)
  • Tenango Otomi: “But the boss said: ‘No. Don’t pull up the weeds which are with the wheat, because when you pull them, you will also pull out the wheat.” (Source: Tenango Otomi Back Translation)

Translation commentary on Matthew 13:29

Gathering … root up: in some languages it may be that gathering will not include pulling up the roots. One may then translate “because as you pull up the weeds you might pull up some of the wheat along with them.” As in other occurrences of wheat, in cases where it is not known, “grain” or “crops” may be used.

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 .