hell

Click here to view graphically

The Greek that is translated in English versions as “hell” (or “Gehenna”) is translated (1) by borrowing a term from a trade or national language (this is done in a number of Indian languages in Latin America, which have borrowed Spanish “infierno” — from Latin “infernus”: “of the lower regions”), (2) by using an expression denoting judgment or punishment, e.g. “place of punishment” (Loma), “place of suffering” (Highland Totonac, San Blas Kuna) and (3) by describing a significant characteristic: (a) the presence of fire or burning, e.g. “place of fire” (Kipsigis, Mossi), “the large bonfire” (Shipibo-Conibo), or (b) the traditionally presumed location, e.g. “the lowest place” (a well-known term in Ngäbere), “the place inside” long used to designate hell, as a place inside the earth (Aymara). (Source for this and above: Bratcher / Nida)

In Noongar it is translated as Djinbaminyap or “Punishing place” (source: Warda-Kwabba Luke-Ang) and in Tagbanwa as “the fire which had no dying down” (source: Tagbanwa Back Translation).

The Mandarin Chinese dìyù (地獄 / 地狱), literally “(under) earth prison,” is a term that was adopted from Buddhist sources into early Catholic writings and later also by Protestant translators. (Source: Zetzsche 1996, p. 32)

complete verse (Matthew 23:33)

Following are a number of back-translations of Matthew 23:33:

  • Uma: “‘Hee, you deceivers! Hee, you whose deeds are crooked! Do you think you will escape from punishment in hell?” (Source: Uma Back Translation)
  • Yakan: “You are really bad. You cannot hide from the judgment of being put in hell.” (Source: Yakan Back Translation)
  • Western Bukidnon Manobo: “You are like snakes and children of snakes, because your activity is very bad. How will you ever avoid being punished in hell?” (Source: Western Bukidnon Manobo Back Translation)
  • Kankanaey: “You are too-much (expression of exasperation and rebuke), (you who are) like deceitful snakes! Will you indeed (sarc. RQ) escape God’s condemning you to be punished in hell?” (Source: Kankanaey Back Translation)
  • Tagbanwa: “You are snakes. You really are deceivers like snakes. You won’t be able to get free from the punishment there in the fire which never dies down.” (Source: Tagbanwa Back Translation)
  • Tenango Otomi: “You are like snakes who have poison. How can you escape from the punishment of hell?” (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 23:33

Brood of vipers is the same expression used by John the Baptist in 3.7. Matthew evidently intends to make a close correlation between the message and fate of John the Baptist and that of Jesus. Serpents is a different word in Greek than vipers, but there is no distinction in meaning; the use of two parallel expressions represents a stylistic feature of Hebraic Greek. Translators do not necessarily have to use the name of a member of the viper family if this snake is not known. And if to call someone a snake is not such a terrible thing, translators may have to modify the words slightly to something like “You treacherous and dangerous snakes!” or “How treacherous and dangerous you are, just like a family of snakes!”

How are you to escape being sentenced to hell?: as more than one commentator notes, this is in the style of a saying derived from Jewish apocalyptic literature. Hell is the same word discussed at 5.22. It may be more effective to shift the rhetorical question to an affirmation: “You cannot expect to escape from being sentenced to hell!” Moreover, effective translation may require the explicit mention of who it is that will condemn them to hell: “God is certain to condemn you to hell! You cannot hope to escape!”

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 .