he who, whoever

The Greek that is typically translated with a generic expressions such as “he who,” “whoever,” or “if anyone” in English is translated with the plural form (“they”) in Daga. “A literal translation of these conveys the idea that one specific unnamed individual is being dis cussed. Thus, for instance, in John 5:24 ‘he who hears my word and believes in him who sent me has eternal life’ meant in Daga that there was one fortunate individual to whom it applied.”

See also love your neighbor as yourself.

complete verse (Matthew 25:17)

Following are a number of back-translations of Matthew 25:17:

  • Uma: “So also the ordered-one who got two thousand, he also got an increase of two thousand.” (Source: Uma Back Translation)
  • Yakan: “Likewise also the servant who had two thousand pesos, he also gained two thousand.” (Source: Yakan Back Translation)
  • Western Bukidnon Manobo: “In the same way, the servant to whom he gave two thousand pesos, he gained two thousand pesos more.” (Source: Western Bukidnon Manobo Back Translation)
  • Kankanaey: “Likewise also the one entrusted with two talents, two more were his profit.” (Source: Kankanaey Back Translation)
  • Tagbanwa: “Like that too was done by the one left-in-charge of two thousand. Two thousand also was what he made in profit.” (Source: Tagbanwa Back Translation)
  • Tenango Otomi: “The worker who was given two thousand monies put the money to work. Another two thousand monies he gained.” (Source: Tenango Otomi Back Translation)

Translation commentary on Matthew 25:17

So also (Good News Translation “In the same way”) is placed first in the Greek sentence structure and is used to draw a parallel between the action of the two servants.

Both Revised Standard Version (made two talents more) and Good News Translation: (“earned another two thousand”) may be inadequate models for languages which will expect the explicit mention of what the servant did: “the servant … invested his money and earned another two thousand coins.”

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 .