vineyard

The Hebrew, Latin, and Greek that is translated as “vineyard” in English is translated in Noongar as boodjer-djildjiyang, lit. “land for fruit.” (Source: Portions of the Holy Bible in the Nyunga language of Australia, 2018).

inclusive vs. exclusive pronoun (Matt. 20:7)

Many languages distinguish between inclusive and exclusive first-person plural pronouns (“we”). (Click or tap here to see more details)

The inclusive “we” specifically includes the addressee (“you and I and possibly others”), while the exclusive “we” specifically excludes the addressee (“he/she/they and I, but not you”). This grammatical distinction is called “clusivity.” While Semitic languages such as Hebrew or most Indo-European languages such as Greek or English do not make that distinction, translators of languages with that distinction have to make a choice every time they encounter “we” or a form thereof (in English: “we,” “our,” or “us”).

For this verse, translators typically select the exclusive form (excluding the landowner).

Source: Velma Pickett and Florence Cowan in Notes on Translation January 1962, p. 1ff.

complete verse (Matthew 20:7)

Following are a number of back-translations of Matthew 20:7:

  • Uma: “‘They answered him: ‘Because there is no-one who is causing-us-to-work.’ The owner of the field said: ‘If thus, go work in my field.’ They went too.” (Source: Uma Back Translation)
  • Yakan: “They said, ‘Because nobody has got us for work.’ ‘Na, go also and work on my land,’ he said.” (Source: Yakan Back Translation)
  • Western Bukidnon Manobo: “And they answered, ‘Because nobody has put us to work.’ And the man said, ‘Work in my grapefield.'” (Source: Western Bukidnon Manobo Back Translation)
  • Kankanaey: “”There was no one to hire-us (excl.) -by-the-day (expression of self-defense),’ they said in reply. ”OK,’ said the land owner in-reply, ‘go also join-in-working in my vineyard.'” (Source: Kankanaey Back Translation)
  • Tagbanwa: “‘Nobody hired us to work,’ was their answer.’Well if it’s like that,’ said that owner, ‘you also go there to my plantation and you work there too.'” (Source: Tagbanwa Back Translation)
  • Tenango Otomi: “Those said: ‘We spent the day here because no one told us to work for them,’ they said. The field-owner then said: ‘Go to my work then. I will pay you what is proper for you to earn.'” (Source: Tenango Otomi Back Translation)

formal pronoun: Jesus addressing his disciples and common people

Like many languages (but unlike Greek or Hebrew or English), Tuvan uses a formal vs. informal 2nd person pronoun (a familiar vs. a respectful “you”). Unlike other languages that have this feature, however, the translators of the Tuvan Bible have attempted to be very consistent in using the different forms of address in every case a 2nd person pronoun has to be used in the translation of the biblical text.

As Voinov shows in Pronominal Theology in Translating the Gospels (in: The Bible Translator 2002, p. 210ff.), the choice to use either of the pronouns many times involved theological judgment. While the formal pronoun can signal personal distance or a social/power distance between the speaker and addressee, the informal pronoun can indicate familiarity or social/power equality between speaker and addressee.

Here, Jesus is addressing his disciples, individuals and/or crowds with the formal pronoun, showing respect.

In most Dutch translations, Jesus addresses his disciples and common people with the informal pronoun, whereas they address him with the formal form.

Translation commentary on Matthew 20:7

For stylistic reasons They said to him is translated “they answered” by Good News Translation and placed after the quotation. Languages will vary regarding what arrangement is more effective. Also for stylistic reasons Good News Translation and Bible en français courant introduce “Well, then” into the speaker’s remarks as a transitional.

Hired us may need to be expanded to “hired us to work.”

Go is translated “go and work” by Good News Translation (also Die Bibel im heutigen Deutsch and Bible en français courant). Many languages may even require an explicit indication of the nature of the work that the men were sent to do in the vineyard. But see comments at Matthew 20.2.

Too here is used as in Matthew 20.4. Good News Translation has not translated it explicitly here in verse 7.

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 .