complete verse (Luke 13:9)

Following are a number of back-translations of Luke 13:9:

  • Noongar: “Next summer, if the tree bears fruit, that’s good; if not, then I will cut down the tree.”” (Source: Warda-Kwabba Luke-Ang)
  • Uma: “Perhaps it will bear-fruit next year. If it still does not bear-fruit, we will chop it down.”” (Source: Uma Back Translation)
  • Yakan: “If it bears fruit this next year, good. But if it does not bear fruit, order it to be chopped down.”” (Source: Yakan Back Translation)
  • Western Bukidnon Manobo: “And if it bears fruit next year, well and good. If it doesn’t bear fruit I will chop it down.”” (Source: Western Bukidnon Manobo Back Translation)
  • Kankanaey: “If it bears-fruit next year, good, but if not, you (sing.) will then of-course cut-it-down.”” (Source: Kankanaey Back Translation)
  • Tagbanwa: “Well, if it fruits in the coming year, good. However if not, only then let’s chop it down.”” (Source: Tagbanwa Back Translation)

Translation commentary on Luke 13:9

Exegesis:

kan men poiēsē karpon eis to mellon ‘and if it bears fruit for the future, …’ with aposiopesis following. kan is contraction of kai and an. eis to mellon ‘for the future,’ i.e. ‘(for) next year,’ cf. Plummer.

ei de mēge lit. ‘but if not,’ i.e. ‘otherwise,’ cf. on 5.36.

ekkopseis autēn ‘you will cut it down,’ i.e. ‘you can cut it down.’

Translation:

To bear fruit, cf. 3.8.

Next year, i.e. next (fig) season, next (fig) harvest.

Well and good, or, “so much the better” (Good News Translation), ‘then it is all right’ (Zürcher Bibel), added to complete the thought that is left incomplete in the Greek. Another solution is to change the conditional clause into a sentence in the potential or optative mood, cf. e.g. “perhaps it will bear fruit next year” (An American Translation, similarly Bible de Jérusalem, Javanese, Sundanese), or, ‘may it (or, I hope it will) bear fruit in the future’ (Batak Toba).

You can cut it down. In some languages a form showing that the subject is not the direct agent is preferable or obligatory, e.g. ‘let it be cut down’ (Shona 1966, similarly Tzeltal, Kituba, Toraja-Sa’dan), ‘you can order me to cut it down.’

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 13:9

13:9a

If it bears fruit next year, fine: The gardener was implying that he would not cut the tree down if it produced figs the next year.

fine: The Berean Standard Bible has not translated this from any Greek word but has supplied it to make a natural English sentence. Other possibilities of phrases to supply include:

so much the better (Good News Translation)
-or-
well and good (Revised Standard Version)
-or-
it can continue to live

In some languages it may not be necessary to supply an expression such as “fine.” For example:

it may bear fruit next year (New Jerusalem Bible)
-or-
maybe that will help it to produce figs next year (Translator’s Reference Translation)

13:9b

But if not: The phrase But if not means “If it does not bear figs next year.”

you can cut it down: The gardener agreed with the owner that the tree should be cut down if it did not bear fruit. He was not telling the owner to cut it down himself. He was advising the owner, and he, the gardener, would probably be the one who would actually cut it down.

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