14But the leader of the synagogue, indignant because Jesus had cured on the Sabbath, kept saying to the crowd, “There are six days on which work ought to be done; come on those days and be cured and not on the Sabbath day.”
The Hebrew and Greek that is translated as “Sabbath” in English is rendered as “day we rest” in Tzotzil, in Mairasi as “Jew’s Rest Day,” in Quiotepec Chinantec as “day when people of Israel rested,” in Shilluk as “day of God,” in Obolo as Usen Mbuban or “Holy Day,” and in Mandarin Chinese as ānxírì (安息日) or “rest day” (literally: “peace – rest – day”). (Sources: Tzotzil: Marion Cowan in Notes on Translation with Drill, p. 169ff; Mairasi: Enggavoter 2004; Quiotepec Chinantec: B. Moore / G. Turner in Notes on Translation 1967, p. 1ff.; Shilluk: Nida 1964, p. 237; Obolo: Enene Enene; Chinese: Jost Zetzsche)
In Matumbi it is translated as Sabato ya Ayahudi or “Sabbath of the Jews,” to distinguish it from the Islamic Sabbath (which is Friday) or the Christian Sabbath (which is Sunday). (Source: Pioneer Bible Translators, project-specific notes in Paratext)
In the old Khmer version as well as in the first new translation this term was rendered as “day of rest” (Thngai Chhup Somrak / ថ្ងៃឈប់សំរាក). Considered inadequate to convey its religious meaning (not only about cessation of work, but also in honor of Yahweh as the Creator), the committee for the Today’s Khmer Version (publ. 2005) decided to keep the Hebrew word and use its transliterated form Thgnai Sabath (ថ្ងៃសប្ប័ទ). “The Buddhist word Thngai Seil ‘day of merits’ used by some Catholics was once under consideration but was rejected because it did not receive unanimous support.” (Source: Joseph Hong in The Bible Translator 1996, p. 233ff. )
In Spanish, the translation is either día de reposo (“day of rest”) or sábado (usually: “Saturday,” derived from the Greek and Hebrew original). Nida (1947, p. 239f.) explains that problem for Spanish and other languages in its sphere of influence: “In translation ‘Sabbath’ into various aboriginal languages of Latin America, a considerable number of translators have used the Spanish sábado, ‘Saturday,’ because it is derived from the Hebrew sabbath and seems to correspond to English usage as well. The difficulty is that sábado means only ‘Saturday’ for most people. There is no religious significance about this word as the is with ‘Sabbath’ in English. Accordingly the [readers] cannot understand the significance of the persecution of Jesus because he worked on ‘Saturday.’ It has been found quite advantageous to use the translation ‘day of rest,’ for this accurately translated the Hebrew meaning of the term and resolves the problem in connection with the prohibitions placed upon some types of activities.”
In French Sign Language it is translated with a sign that depicts closing of the blinds of a store:
Following are a number of back-translations of Luke 13:14:
Noongar: “Now an official of the synagogue, he got angry because Jesus healed this woman on the Sabbath Day. So he told the people, ‘You can work six days; so come those days and get healed, but don’t come on the Sabbath Day!'” (Source: Warda-Kwabba Luke-Ang)
Uma: “From there, the leader of the house of prayer were angry, because Yesus had healed a person on Sabat Day. That is why he said saying to the people: ‘Six days are our working days. On those days, you may come here asking-to-be-healed, not on Sabat Day!'” (Source: Uma Back Translation)
Yakan: “But the leader of that prayer-house was very angry because Isa was healing on a day of-no-work. And he said to the people, ‘Six days of the week we (incl.) should work. Come here on those days to be healed, don’t on a day of-no-work.'” (Source: Yakan Back Translation)
Western Bukidnon Manobo: “And the boss of the church, he was very angry because Jesus had treated her on the day of rest. And he said to the people, ‘We are allowed to work during six days of the week; if you want to be cured at that time, well and good. But don’t you have yourself cured today on the day of rest!'” (Source: Western Bukidnon Manobo Back Translation)
Kankanaey: “Whereupon the leader of the church became-angry, because Jesus had healed that woman and it was the day that was for-resting. So then he said to the people, ‘Six days only are when-we ought -to-work. Those then are the days that you ought to come to get-medicined/healed, not the day for-resting.'” (Source: Kankanaey Back Translation)
Tagbanwa: “But the overseer of that worship-place got angry about why on the Day of Rest Jesus had healed a sick person. That’s why he said to the people, ‘Isn’t it so,’ he said, ‘that there are six days in which to do work? Well why don’t you come to be healed of illness on those days? Not the Day of Rest!'” (Source: Tagbanwa Back Translation)
Kinaray-A: “The leader of the house for gathering became angry because Jesus was healing on the Day of Rest. Therefore, this leader said to the people, ‘In one week aren’t there six days for us to work? You come here during those days and be healed, not on the Day of Rest!'” (Source: Balbina Abadiano in Notes on Translation 1988, p. 40ff.)
The Greek Iēsous is “only” a proper name but one with great importance. The following quote by John Ellington (in The Bible Translator1993, p. 401ff. ) illustrates this:
“In Matthew’s account of the birth of Jesus Christ, Joseph is told that when Mary gives birth to a son ‘you will name him Jesus, because he will save his people from their sins’ (1:21). This name is a Greek transliteration of the Hebrew name [Yeshua (יֵשׁוּעַ) which is a short form of a name meaning] ‘the Lord [Yahweh] saves.’ The name is very significant and is in itself especially dear to Christians around the world. (…) Unquestionably great importance is attached to the name of Jesus by Christians of all persuasions and backgrounds.”
While Iēsous (pronounced: /i.ɛː.suːs/) is transliterated as “Jesus” (pronounced /ˈdʒiːzəs/) in English (but was translated as “Hælend” [the “healing one”] in Old English — see Swain 2019) it is transliterated and pronounced in a large variety of other ways as well, following the different rules of different languages’ orthographies, writing systems and rules of pronunciation. The following is a (partial) list of forms of Jesus in Latin characters: aYeso, Azezi, Cecoc, Chesús, Chi̍i̍sū, Chisɔsi, Ciisahs, Ciise, Ciisusu, Djesu, Ɛisa, Ƹisa, Eyesu, Gesù, Gesû, Gesü, Ġesù, Ghjesù, Giêsu, ꞌGiê‑ꞌsu, Giê-xu, Gyisɛse, Hesu, Hesús, Hisus, Hisuw, Ià-sŭ, Iesen, Ié:sos, Iesu, Iesui, Iesusɨn, Iesusiva, Ié:sos, Ihu, Iisus, Iisussa, Ijeesu, iJisọsị, Iji̍sɔ̄ɔsi, Iosa, Íosa, Ìosa, İsa, I’sa, Isiso, Isõs, Ísu, Isus, Isusa, Iisussa, Isuthi, Itota, Îtu, Isuva, Izesu, Izesuq, Jasus, Jeeju, Jeesus, Jeesuse, Jeezas, Jehu, Jeisu, Jeju, Jejus, Jeso, Jesoe, Jesosa, Jesoshi, Jesosy, Jesu, Jesû, Jesua, Jesuh, Jesuhs, Jesuo, Jesús, Jésus, Jesúsu, Jethu, Jezed, Jezi, Jézi, Ježiš, Jezu, Jezus, Jézus, Jėzus, Jēzus, Jezusi, Jėzus, Jezuz, Jiijajju, Jíísas, Jiisusi, Jiizas, Jíìzọ̀s, Jisas, Jisase, Jisasi, Jisasɨ, Jisaso, Jisesi, Jisɛ̀, Jisos, Jisọs, Jisɔs, Jisu, Jiszs, Jizọs, Jizɔs, Jizọsi, Jizọsu, Jòso, Jusu, Jweesus, Ketsutsi, Njises, Sesi, Sisa, Sísa, Sisas, Sīsū, Sizi, Txesusu, uJesu, Ujísɔ̄si, ŵaYesu, Xesosi, ´Xesús, Xesús, Yasu, Ya:su, Ɣaysa, Yecu, Yeeb Sub, Yeeh Suh, Yeesey, Yeeso, Yeesso, Yēēsu, Yehsu, Yëësu, Yeisu, Yeisuw, Yeshu, Yeso, Yesò, Yëso, Yɛso, ye-su, Yésu, Yêsu, Yẹ́sụ̃, Yésʉs, Yeswa, Yet Sut, Yetut, Yexus, Yezo, Yezu, Yiesu, Yiisa, Yiisu, Yiitju, Yis, Yisɔs, Yisufa, Yitati, Yusu, ‑Yusu, :Yusu’, Zeezi, Zezi, Zezì, Zezwii, Ziizɛ, Zisas, Zîsɛ, Zjezus, Zozi, Zozii, and this (much more incomplete) list with other writings systems: ᔩᓱᓯ, ᒋᓴᔅ, Հիսուս, ᏥᏌ, ኢየሱስ, ያሱስ, ܝܫܘܥ, Ісус, Їисъ, 耶稣, იესო, ईसा, イエス, イイスス, イエスス, 예수, येशू, येशो, ਈਸਾ, ພຣະເຢຊູ, ජේසුස්, যীশু, ଯୀଶୁ, ཡེ་ཤུ་, ‘ঈছা, இயேசு, ಯೇಸು, ພຣະເຢຊູ, ယေရှု, ઇસુ, जेजू, येसु, เยซู, យេស៊ូ, ᱡᱤᱥᱩ, ယေသှု, యేసు, ᤕᤧᤛᤢ᤺ᤴ, އީސާގެފާނު, ਯਿਸੂ, ꕉꖷ ꔤꕢ ꕞ, ⵏ⵿ⵗⵢⵙⴰ, ଜୀସୁ, يَسُوعَ,ㄧㄝㄙㄨ, YE-SU, ꓬꓰ꓿ꓢꓴ, 𖽃𖽡𖾐𖼺𖽹𖾏𖼽𖽔𖾏, ꑳꌠ, ᠶᠡᠰᠦᠰ (note that some of these might not display correctly if your device does not have the correct fonts installed).
Click or tap here to read more.
In some languages the different confessions have selected different transliterations, such as in Belarusian with Isus (Ісус) by the Orthodox and Protestant churches and Yezus (Езус) by the Catholic church, Bulgarian with Iisus (Иисус) by the Orthodox and Isus (Исус) by the Protestant church, Japanese with Iesu (イエス) (Protestant and Catholic) and Iisusu (イイスス) (Orthodox), or Lingala with Yesu (Protestant) or Yezu (Catholic). These differences have come to the forefront especially during the work on interconfessional translations such as one in Lingala where “many hours were spent on a single letter difference” (source: Ellington, p. 401).
In Literary and Mandarin Chinese where transliterations of proper names between the Catholic and Protestant versions typically differ vastly, the Chinese name of Jesus (Yēsū 耶稣) remarkably was never brought into question between and by those two confessions, likely due to its ingenious choice. (Click or tap here to see more).
The proper name of God in the Old Testament, Yahweh (YHWH), is rendered in most Chinese Bible translations as Yēhéhuá 耶和華 — Jehovah. According to Chinese naming conventions, Yēhéhuá could be interpreted as Yē Héhuá, in which Yē would be the family name and Héhuá — “harmonic and radiant” — the given name. In the same manner, Yē 耶 would be the family name of Jesus and Sū 稣 would be his given name. Because in China the children inherit the family name from the father, the sonship of Jesus to God the Father, Jehovah, would be illustrated through this. Though this line of argumentation sounds theologically unsound, it is indeed used effectively in the Chinese church (see Wright 1953, p. 298).
Moreover, the “given name” of Sū 稣 carries the meaning ‘to revive, to rise again’ and seems to point to the resurrected Jesus. (Source: J. Zetzsche in Malek 2002, p. 141ff., see also tetragrammaton (YHWH))
There are different ways that Bible translators have chosen historically and today in how to translate the name of Jesus in predominantly Muslim areas: with a form of the Arabic Isa (عيسى) (which is used for “Jesus” in the Qur’an), the Greek Iēsous, or, like major 20th century Bible translations into Standard Arabic, the Aramaic Yēšūaʿ: Yasua (يَسُوعَ). (Click or tap here to see more.)
Following are languages and language groups that use a form of Isa include the following (note that this list is not complete):
In Indonesian, while most Bible translations had already used Yesus Kristus rather than Isa al Masih, three public holidays used to be described using the term Isa Al Masih. From 2024 on the government is using Yesus Kristus in those holiday names instead (see this article in Christianity Today ).
Some languages have additional “TAZI” editions (TAZI stands for “Tawrat, Anbiya, Zabur, and Injil” the “Torah, Prophets, Psalms and Gospel”) of the New Testament that are geared towards Muslim readers where there is also a translation in the same language for non-Muslims. In those editions, Isa is typically used as well (for example, the Khmer TAZI edition uses Isa (អ៊ីសា) rather than the commonly used Yesaou (យេស៊ូ), the Thai edition uses Isa (อีซา) rather than Yesu (เยซู), the Chinese edition uses Ěrsā (尔撒) vs. Yēsū (耶稣), and the English edition also has Isa rather than Jesus.)
In German the name Jesus (pronounced: /ˈjeːzʊs/) is distinguished by its grammatical forms. Into the 20th century the grammatical rules prescribed a unique Greek-Latin declination: Jesus (nominative), Jesu (genitive, dative, vocative), Jesum (accusative), from which today only the genitive case “Jesu” is still in active use. Likewise, in Seediq (Taroko), the morphological treatment of “Jesus” also occupies a special category by not falling under the normal rule of experiencing a vowel reduction when the object-specific suffix an is added “since it was felt that the readers might resent that the name has been changed that drastically.” (Compare Msian for “Moses” (Mosi) as an object, but Yisuan for “Jesus” (Yisu).) (Source: Covell 1998. p. 249)
In Lamba the name ŵaYesu consists of a transliteration Yesu and the prefix ŵa, a plural form for “proper names when addressing and referring to persons in any position of seniority or honor.” While this was avoided in early translations to avoid possible misunderstandings of more than one Jesus, once the church was established it was felt that it was both “safe” and respectful to use the honorific (pl.) prefix. (Source C. M. Doke in The Bible Translator 1958, p. 57ff. )
In virtually all sign languages, “Jesus” is signed with the middle finger of each hand pointing to the palm (or wrist) of the other in succession (signing the nails of the cross). In the context of Bible translation this has been pointed out as theologically problematic since the “semantic connections of the original name Jesus do point towards ‘salvation,’ they do not naturally lead to crucifixion.” (Source: Phil King in Journal of Translation 1 (2020), p. 33ff.)
Following is the oldest remaining Ethiopian Orthodox icon of Jesus from the 14th or possibly 13th century (found in the Church of the Saviour of the World in Gurji, Ethiopia). As in many Orthodox icons, Jesus’ right hand forms the Greek letters I-C-X-C for IHCOYCXPICTOC or “Jesus Christ.” Another interpretation of the right hand is that it shows three fingers pointing to the Trinity, while the two other fingers point to Jesus’ two natures.
Orthodox icons are not drawings or creations of imagination. They are in fact writings of things not of this world. Icons can represent our Lord Jesus Christ, the Virgin Mary, and the Saints. They can also represent the Holy Trinity, Angels, the Heavenly hosts, and even events. Orthodox icons, unlike Western pictures, change the perspective and form of the image so that it is not naturalistic. This is done so that we can look beyond appearances of the world, and instead look to the spiritual truth of the holy person or event. (Source )
The following is the so-called “Wales Window for Alabama.” It is a stained-glass window by the artist John Petts from Carmarthenshire, Wales, created in response to the 16th Street Baptist Church bombing which took place in 1963:
Stained glass is not just highly decorative, it’s a medium which has been used to express important religious messages for centuries. Literacy was not widespread in the medieval and Renaissance periods and the Church used stained glass and other artworks to teach the central beliefs of Christianity. In Gothic churches, the windows were filled with extensive narrative scenes in stained glass — like huge and colorful picture storybooks — in which worshipers could ‘read’ the stories of Christ and the saints and learn what was required for their religious salvation. (Source: Victoria and Albert Museum )
The style of the following drawing of Jesus by Annie Vallotton is described by the artist as this: “By using few lines the readers fill in the outlines with their imagination and freedom. That is when the drawings begin to communicate.” (see here )
Illustration by Annie Vallotton, copyright by Donald and Patricia Griggs of Griggs Educational Service.
Living Water is produced for the Bible translation movement in association with Lutheran Bible Translators. Lyrics derived from the ESV® Bible (The Holy Bible, English Standard Version®).
apokritheis de ho archisunagōgos … elegen tō ochlō ‘but the leader of the synagogue answering … said to the crowd.’ For apokritheis cf. on 1.60. For archisunagōgos cf. on 8.49. tō ochlō refers to the people who are in the synagogue and attend the worship service, i.e. ‘the congregation.’
aganaktōn ‘being angry, or, indignant,’ placed between the introductory participle apokritheis and the main verb elegen (which go usually very closely together) in order to bring out the mood in which he spoke.
hoti tō sabbatō etherapeusen ho Iēsous ‘because (it was) on the sabbath (that) Jesus had healed.’ tō sabbatō is emphatic and the article is generic.
hex hēmerai eisin en hais dei ergazesthai ‘there are six days on which work ought to be done.’ dei ‘it is necessary’ means here ‘it is prescribed in the law.’
ergazomai ‘to do work,’ ‘to work.’
en autais oun erchomenoi therapeuesthe ‘so come and be healed on them.’ en autais is emphatic by position. oun is inferential. The saying rests on the assumption that healing is to be classified as work. erchomenoi has the force of an imperative.
kai mē tē hēmera tou sabbatou ‘and not on the day of the sabbath.’
Translation:
But can be said to represent here Gr apokritheis; similarly “whereupon” (Translator’s New Testament). Other versions use a verb, e.g. “intervened” (New English Bible), or verbal phrase, e.g. “took the matter up” (The Four Gospels – a New Translation). Cf. also the note on “answered” in 3.16.
The ruler of the synagogue, see 8.41.
Indignant because Jesus had healed on the sabbath may better be rendered as a clause in initial position, cf. Good News Translation. An object with healed, if required, may be indefinite, e.g. ‘some one’ (Leyden, Bahasa Indonesia), ‘sick people’ (Javanese), ‘sickness’ (Batak Toba), or a reference to the preceding case, e.g. “her” (An American Translation), ‘this illness.’
The people, or, ‘the (many) people present (there),’ cf. “crowd” in 5.19.
There are six days on which work ought to be done, or, simplifying the clause structure, “there are six days in which we should work” (Good News Translation), ‘during six days (or, six days long) it is lawful (see 6.2) for people to work, or, that we (inclusive, Batak Toba) do-work.’ The higher unit ‘in each week,’ or ‘in each seven days’ may have to be made explicit. Shorter, more synthetical renderings are, ‘six days are for working’ (Sranan Tongo), “there are six working-days” (New English Bible, similarly Tae’ 1933).
And be healed, cf. 5.15.
And not, or, ‘but don’t do so.’
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.
But the synagogue leader was indignant that Jesus had healed on the Sabbath: The word indignant means “angry.” The ruler was angry because Jesus had done something that the Jewish leaders said was wrong to do on the Sabbath day. He had healed someone. They considered healing a person to be work, and no one was allowed to work on the Sabbath. See the note on Sabbath in 13:10.
the synagogue leader: Each synagogue had one or more rulers/leaders. In this context, there was probably one man who was the leader. The leaders were responsible to take care of the synagogue building and arrange the synagogue activities and services. Some other ways to translate this are:
the elder of the synagogue -or-
the man who was the leader at the synagogue -or-
the person who directed the business affairs of the synagogue
If you use footnotes for background information, you may want to use one here. For example:
Each synagogue had one or more leaders. These men were not priests or rabbis. They were responsible for taking care of the synagogue building and for arranging the worship services and other activities at the synagogue.
See how you translated this word in 8:41a.
General Comment on 13:14a–b
In some languages it may be more natural to mention the synagogue leader in the first part of the verse. For example:
The synagogue leader was angry because Jesus had healed someone on the Sabbath. So he said to the people…
13:14b-c
There are six days for work: The Greek phrase that the Berean Standard Bible translates as for work is literally “in which it is necessary to work.” In the Law of Moses, God commanded the people to do their work on six days of the week (Sunday through Friday). They were not allowed to work on Saturday. Other ways to express this meaning are:
There are six days in which we should work. (Good News Translation) -or-
⌊The law⌋ permits us(incl) to work six days out of the week. -or-
Each week has six days when we can work. (Contemporary English Version)
13:14d
So come and be healed on those days: The synagogue ruler was saying that people who were sick should come to Jesus to be healed on one of the six work days.
be healed: This is a passive verb. In some languages it may be necessary to use an active verb. For example:
come and receive healing -or-
come and ⌊ask Jesus/God⌋ to heal you
13:14e
and not on the Sabbath: The phrase not on the Sabbath is an ellipsis. It contains implied information:
⌊do⌋ not ⌊come to Jesus to be healed⌋ on the Sabbath day
The ruler was implying that healing people on the Sabbath was work, and therefore it was wrong. In some languages it may be necessary to make some of this implicit:
it is wrong to come to be healed on the Sabbath, the day of rest
Leave a Reply
You must be logged in to post a comment.