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 discussed. 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 (2 John 1:11)

Following are a number of back-translations of 2 John 1:11:

  • Uma: “For the people who greet them, it’s the same as accompanying/going-along-with them in their evil work.” (Source: Uma Back Translation)
  • Yakan: “Because whoever greets him, it is as if he joins in his bad doings.” (Source: Yakan Back Translation)
  • Western Bukidnon Manobo: “For even if you merely welcome him, you inadvertently help him in his evil behaviour.” (Source: Western Bukidnon Manobo Back Translation)
  • Kankanaey: “Because if you do that, you will be helping (him) in the evil that he is doing.” (Source: Kankanaey Back Translation)
  • Tagbanwa: “Because whoever makes-friends with him, he is causing himself to be in harmony with that evil he’s doing.” (Source: Tagbanwa Back Translation)
  • Tenango Otomi: “Because the one who greets him does just as though he encourages him to teach the word which isn’t right.” (Source: Tenango Otomi Back Translation)
  • Yatzachi Zapotec: “If we tell him, ‘Come in, brother’, it means that together we are doing evil.”
  • Eastern Highland Otomi: “Because whoever asks God’s help in regard to him, it is just as though he helped his bad deeds.”
  • Isthmus Zapotec: “Because one who tells him to enter also is erring as he is erring.” (Source for this and three above: John Beekman in Notes on Translation 12, November 1964, p. 1ff.)

Translation commentary on 2 John 1:11

He who greets him, or ‘he who speaks thus (to him),’ or ‘he who makes such a gesture (with him).’

Shares his wicked work, or ‘is an accomplice to (or joins him in) his evil deeds,’ ‘gets mixed up in his doing not good,’ ‘does evil as he is doing (evil),’ ‘his sin is the same.’

Quoted with permission from Haas, C., de Jonge, M. and Swellengrebel, J.L. A Handbook on The Second Letter of John. (UBS Handbook Series). New York: UBS, 1972. For this and other handbooks for translators see here .

SIL Translator's Notes on 2 John 1:11

11a

(Good News Translation) For: (Logical Relationship) The connecting word shows that this verse gives the reason for the instruction not to welcome the false teachers.

11b

shares in: (Meaning) This indicates that a person who welcomes a false teacher is helping him, and so he is becoming a partner with the false teacher in his evil deeds.

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Sung version of 2 John

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