complete verse (Matthew 25:7)

Following are a number of back-translations of Matthew 25:7:

  • Uma: “The ten young-women [immediately] got up, and each got her torch ready.” (Source: Uma Back Translation)
  • Yakan: “So-then the girls got up and got their lamps ready.” (Source: Yakan Back Translation)
  • Western Bukidnon Manobo: “And the ten virgins woke up, and they inspected their lamps and fixed them.” (Source: Western Bukidnon Manobo Back Translation)
  • Kankanaey: “The ten young-ladies immediately-got-up and readied their lamps.” (Source: Kankanaey Back Translation)
  • Tagbanwa: “Those ten girls got up at once. They trimmed those lamps of theirs.” (Source: Tagbanwa Back Translation)
  • Tenango Otomi: “All the girls got up and found their lights were low and they wanted to put in more oil so they would burn good.” (Source: Tenango Otomi Back Translation)

Translation commentary on Matthew 25:7

All those maidens is translated “The ten girls” by Good News Translation and Die Bibel im heutigen Deutsch. The precise form used will be determined by the best way in the receptor language to refer to these girls again.

Rose is translated “woke up” by some (Good News Translation, Die Bibel im heutigen Deutsch, New Jerusalem Bible, New American Bible) and “got up” by New English Bible. In many languages it will be necessary to indicate both actions: “… woke up. Then they got up and trimmed their lamps.”

Trimmed is a technical term used in English to describe what one does to make a lamp burn most efficiently. The lamps are probably already lit, so what is needed is adjusting the wick, that is, adjusting how much of the wick is exposed for burning, and adding oil. Translators should use whatever expression in their language will describe this kind of activity, possibly “adjusted their lamps.”

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 .