bear child / give birth

The Hebrew and Greek that is translated as “bear (a child)” or “give birth to” is translated in Mairasi as “go to the forest,” reflecting the traditional place of childbirth for Mairasi women. (Source: Enggavoter 2004)

In Spanish it is translated as dar a luz, literally “to give to light.” Likewise, in Portuguese (dar à luz) and Italian (dare alla luce). (Source: Mark Terwilliger)

See also in childbirth / travail and birth.

Elizabeth

The name that is transliterated as “Elizabeth” in English is translated in Spanish Sign Language through the relationship with Mary, i.e. “cousin of Mary.” (Source: John Elwode in The Bible Translator 2008, p. 78ff. )


“Elizabeth” in Spanish Sign Language, source: Sociedad Bíblica de España

For more information on translations of proper names with sign language see Sign Language Bible Translations Have Something to Say to Hearing Christians .

See also Visitation (image), Mary (mother of Jesus) and Zechariah.

Learn more on Bible Odyssey: Elizabeth .

complete verse (Luke 1:57)

Following are a number of back-translations of Luke 1:57:

  • Noongar: “Now the day came for Elizabeth’s baby. She bore a son.” (Source: Warda-Kwabba Luke-Ang)
  • Uma: “The time arrived for Elisabet to give birth. She gave birth to a male child.” (Source: Uma Back Translation)
  • Yakan: “So-then, the day came for Elisabet to give birth. And she gave birth to a boy.” (Source: Yakan Back Translation)
  • Western Bukidnon Manobo: “And when the day arrived, Elizabeth gave birth, and her child was a male.” (Source: Western Bukidnon Manobo Back Translation)
  • Kankanaey: “When the time-arrived for Elizabet -to-give-birth, a male is what she gave-birth-to.” (Source: Kankanaey Back Translation)
  • Tagbanwa: “When it was the Elisabet’s due-date, a boy was born.” (Source: Tagbanwa Back Translation)

Translation commentary on Luke 1:57

Exegesis:

tē de Elisabet eplēsthē ho chronos tou tekein autēn ‘for Elizabeth the time of her delivery was fulfilled.’ The expression ‘the days, or, the time is fulfilled’ as a whole (1.23, 57; 2.6, 21, 22) combines two ideas: (1) that a certain time must elapse before something can happen, as shown by the fact that hēmerai ‘days,’ and chronos ‘time,’ always denote a period, never a moment; (2) that the time has come for something to happen, as intimated by eplēsthē ‘was fulfilled.’ The construction of tou tekein autēn is an articular accusative and infinitive (cf. Moule 127f): the accusative is the logical subject of the action expressed by the infinitive.

ho chronos ‘time,’ ‘period of time.’

kai egennēsen huion ‘and she bore a son’; gennaō and tiktō are synonymous, cf. vv. 13 and 31; here Luke’s shift from the one to the other is in order to avoid repetition.

Translation:

Now is not temporal here, but transitional, marking a new division in the narrative. Cf. also v. 8, where “now” renders Gr. egeneto de.

The time came for Elizabeth to be delivered. In speaking of a woman’s coming delivery specific idioms are often in use, e.g. ‘her month to bring-forth (a child) becomes’ (Ekari), ‘the day arrives when she goes into labour (lit. day of labour-paining her abdomen)’ (Tboli), ‘full the time/days of her pregnancy (lit. being-with-life)’ (Batak Toba), ‘complete her months to give-birth’ (Bahasa Indonesia); some such idioms do not explicitly refer to the actual delivery, e.g. ‘her days are fully fulfilled’ (Marathi), and cf. English “her time comes”.

She gave birth to a son, see on “to bear a son” in v. 13; Marathi expresses this by ‘a son became to her.’ Some languages must render the synonymous expressions “to be delivered” and “to give birth” by forms of the same verb, e.g. Kituba, Sundanese, Tae.’

Quoted with permission from Reiling, J. and Swellengrebel, J.L. A Handbook on the Gospel of Luke. (UBS Handbook Series). New York: UBS, 1971. For this and other handbooks for translators see here . Make sure to also consult the Handbook on the Gospel of Mark for parallel or similar verses.

SIL Translator’s Notes on Luke 1:57

Section 1:57–66

John the Baptizer was born and received his name

In this section, Elizabeth gave birth to a son, and she and his father gave him the name John. John received this name at the time when he was circumcised. He was the one who was later called John the Baptizer.

It was Jewish custom to circumcise a baby boy one week after his birth. The circumcision commonly took place at the family’s home. The father or a man who specialized in doing circumcision would cut off the skin at the end of the baby’s penis. This was a sign in each boy’s body that he was part of Israel and included in the covenant that God had made with Israel. Neighbors and relatives joined in the celebration.

God had shown his power in causing Elizabeth to become pregnant when she was old and had been unable to have children. When the baby was circumcised, God again showed his power by restoring Zechariah’s ability to speak. The unusual events in connection with John’s birth were told throughout the hill country of Judah. As a result, people thought about these things and felt awe and fear to see God working in that powerful way among them.

Some other possible headings for this section are:

Elizabeth gave birth to John
-or-
Elizabeth gave birth to a baby who was circumcised and named John
-or-
The birth and circumcision of John the Baptizer

Paragraph 1:57–58

1:57

When the time came for Elizabeth to have her child, she gave birth to a son: This verse indicates that Elizabeth’s pregnancy ended and she gave birth to a son. Use a natural way in your language to express this. In some languages you may use an idiomatic expression.

When
In Greek, this part of the verse begins with a conjunction that the Berean Standard Bible translates as
When. This makes 1:57a a time clause. Many English versions translate this conjunction as “Now,” so that 1:57a introduces the next event. Translate it in a natural way in your language. In some languages a conjunction may not be needed.

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