village

The Hebrew and Greek that is translated as “village” or “town” in English is translated in Noongar as karlamaya or “fire (used for “home“) + houses” (source: Warda-Kwabba Luke-Ang).

complete verse (Matthew 21:2)

Following are a number of back-translations of Matthew 21:2:

  • Uma: “he said to them: ‘Go to that town that we are approaching. When you arrive there, you will see a donkey tied and its child close with it. Untie its rope and bring them here.” (Source: Uma Back Translation)
  • Yakan: “He said to them, ‘Go to that village ahead of you. When you arrive there, you will immediately see a donkey and it’s child tied there. Untie (it) and bring (it) here to me.” (Source: Yakan Back Translation)
  • Western Bukidnon Manobo: “he said, ‘Go to the village we are about to come to, and you will see tied up an ass which has a colt. Untie it and bring it her along with the colt.” (Source: Western Bukidnon Manobo Back Translation)
  • Kankanaey: “saying, ‘Go to that town across-the-way. Right when you arrive there, you will come-upon a donkey that is tethered and its child. Untie it to bring it here.” (Source: Kankanaey Back Translation)
  • Tagbanwa: “He said to those two, ‘Go there to that bario. You will at once see there tethered a female asno horse. Her young will be with her. Undo and bring here to me.” (Source: Tagbanwa Back Translation)
  • Tenango Otomi: “He said to them: ‘Go there into that town. When you have entered the town, you will find tied there a donkey with its child. Untie them and bring them here.” (Source: Tenango Otomi Back Translation)

Translation commentary on Matthew 21:2

The meaning of saying to them is “with these instructions” (Good News Translation, New English Bible, New American Bible). Die Bibel im heutigen Deutsch uses a verb construction: “and instructed them.”

The village opposite is a reference to Bethphage. Many translators will find that Good News Translation‘s “the village there ahead of you” will be a more natural expression than the Revised Standard Version text.

Immediately (Good News Translation “at once”) represents a slightly different adverbial form than the one employed in the Marcan parallel (11.2), though there is no difference in meaning. Here it may better be expressed as “as soon as you enter the village.”

An ass tied, and a colt with her is translated “a donkey tied up with her colt beside her” by Good News Translation, and “a donkey tethered with her foal beside her” in New English Bible. Only in Matthew’s Gospel are the two animals mentioned, and the care with which Matthew mentions these two animals is to verify that Zechariah 9.9 is fulfilled in the actions of Jesus. Although the quotation from Zechariah does mention two animals, only one was actually intended by the author of the Zechariah text, who was writing in the parallel form of Hebrew poetry, where two terms are used to mention a single animal. But Matthew felt it important to adhere strictly to a literal interpretation of the Zechariah text, and so he introduces two animals into Jesus’ instructions to his disciples. See comments at Matthew 21.5. Of course, here translators must refer to two animals, as Matthew did.

Note that the context indicates that the ass is a female. In some languages this will need to be stated explicitly as “a female donkey.”

The text seems to indicate that only the adult donkey was tied up, and the colt, a young donkey, was simply there beside its mother. In some cases translators have said “a donkey tied up, and her colt will be there beside her.” Even though the text goes on to say untie them, it will be better to say “untie it.” Of course, tied gives the idea that the donkey was tied to a post or tree, not that it was tied up so it could not move at all.

Untie translates a participle dependent upon the imperative bring. However, in such a construction the participle itself is equivalent to an imperative. In translating, one must take care that the verb bring does not imply “carry”; the meaning is obviously “lead.”

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 .