worry

The Greek and Hebrew that are translated as “worry” or “anxious” in English are translated in Navajo as “my mind is killing me.” (Source: Nida 1952, p. 24)

Nida (1952, p. 124) also gives other examples:

“The Piro in Peru use almost the same idiom when they say that a worried man is ‘one who is hard chased.’ The worried person is like a pursued animal in the forest trying to elude the hunter. The impenetrable jungle of the future, the failing strength, and the exhaustion of doubt all press hard upon the soul. And one’s heart seems to fail and even disappear. This is the very phrase employed by the Tzeltal Indians in the rugged mountains of southern Mexico. They describe ‘worry’ by the words ‘their hearts are gone.'”

See also anxious / worried about many things and worries/cares of the world/this age.

rhetorical questions (Matt 6:27)

During the translation of the New Testament into Huixtán Tzotzil, translation consultant Marion Cowan found that questions where the answer is obvious, affirmative rhetorical questions, as well questions raising objections tended to cause confusion among the readers. So these are rendered as simple or emphatic statements.

Accordingly, Matthew 6:27a reads “Even if you worry a lot, you cannot make longer your time of living.”

Source: Marion Cowan in The Bible Translator 1960, p. 123ff.

complete verse (Matthew 6:27)

Following are a number of back-translations of Matthew 6:27:

  • Uma: “What is the use of you thinking and being-nervous so much. For even if we (incl.) are continually busy thinking about many things, we (incl.) are not able to add to our (incl.) age even just one-night.” (Source: Uma Back Translation)
  • Yakan: “Who of you can prolong his life even for one hour when you worry/by worrying?” (Source: Yakan Back Translation)
  • Western Bukidnon Manobo: “No matter how a person cherishes his life, there is no way he can add even a little bit to it.” (Source: Western Bukidnon Manobo Back Translation)
  • Kankanaey: “Another thing, even if you are always worrying, can you lengthen your lives by even one hour?” (Source: Kankanaey Back Translation)
  • Tagbanwa: “Well which of you can increase his life by even a little time through agitating his mind/thinking? Of course no one.” (Source: Tagbanwa Back Translation)
  • Tenango Otomi: “And how about the person who is worried that he isn’t tall, is he able to grow another forearm’s height because of his worrying?” (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 6:27

Again there is a rhetorical question, one that requires no answer but makes a particularly strong statement. Jesus does not want to know which of his hearers can actually lengthen their lives, but he is saying “None of you can” or “No one can.”

The word anxious here is the same as in verse 25. In this context it means “worrying about,” “being concerned about,” or “being distracted by the cares about.”

Add one cubit to his span of life (Good News Translation “live a bit longer”). As RSV’s footnote indicates, to his span of life may also be interpreted to mean “to his stature” (TEV footnote, “grow a bit taller”). One problem of interpretation is that the word which Revised Standard Version renders cubit is normally used of distance rather than of time. However, it may also be used of time, and that meaning is much more satisfactory in the present context. Moreover, the Greek word given the meaning span of life is more frequently used as a measurement of time than height. Needless to say, scholarly opinion is divided, but modern translations tend to accept the meaning represented by Revised Standard Version and Good News Translation. If span is used as a measurement of time, it would mean a brief span, whereas if it is used of a person’s height, it would be a significant amount (about 18 inches). New American Bible renders “add a moment to his life-span,” and Die Bibel im heutigen Deutsch has “lengthen his life only by one day.”

As for translating cubit, those translators who follow the Good News Translation model will generally have “add a little time to his life,” “live a little longer,” or “make his life last even a little longer.” Some will indicate a specific amount of time, such as “even one day” or “even one hour.”

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 .