The Greek that is typically transliterated in English as “Satan” is transliterated in Kipsigis as “Setani.” This is interesting because it is not only a transliteration that approximates the Greek sound but it is also an existing Kipsigis word with the meaning of “ugly” and “sneaking.” (Source: Earl Anderson in The Bible Translator 1950, p. 85ff. )
In Morelos Nahuatl it is translated as “envious one” (source: Viola Waterhouse in Notes on Translation August 1966, p. 86ff.) and in Tibetan: bdud (བདུད།), lit. “chief devil” (except in Rev. 20:2, where it is transliterated) (source: gSungrab website ).
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 13:16:
Noongar: “Now this woman is a descendant of Abraham. Satan has tied her up for 18 years. Why can’t she be freed on the Sabbath Day?'” (Source: Warda-Kwabba Luke-Ang)
Uma: “But here, there is a woman, a descendant of Abraham, she has been tied for eighteen years by the King of Evil-ones. May we not free her from her bonds [lit., tyings] on Sabat Day?'” (Source: Uma Back Translation)
Yakan: “This woman is a descendant of Ibrahim just like you. She has been tied by the leader of demons for eighteen years. Is she not entitled to be loosened on a day of-no-work?'” (Source: Yakan Back Translation)
Western Bukidnon Manobo: “And here today is a woman who is very precious to God, and Satan has tied her up, or bound her, for eighteen years, and you will not allow her to be turned loose on the day of rest!'” (Source: Western Bukidnon Manobo Back Translation)
Kankanaey: “And here we have with us this descendant of Abraham whom Satanas has as if tied for eighteen years. Is it indeed (RQ implying of course not) bad if she was set-free from her sickness on the day for-resting?'” (Source: Kankanaey Back Translation)
Tagbanwa: “Well now, this woman, who is indeed a descendant of Abraham, for eighteen years she has been as-it-were bound by Satanas. Isn’t it so that she needs to be as-it-were untied now, even though it is the Day of Rest?'” (Source: Tagbanwa Back Translation)
The name that is transliterated as “Abraham” in English is translated in the vast majority of sign languages, including American Sign Language with the sign signifying “hold back arm” (referring to Genesis 22:12).
In Vietnamese (Hanoi) Sign Language it is translated with a sign for that demonstrates his new destiny. Previously, he had been called to wander from his home, and the name “Abram” reflected this movement (see here). The new sign name is in one location and stays there, showing Abraham will be given a land to call his own. At this time, Abraham was in the southern part of Canaan, which is shown on the base arm by the location near the elbow. (Source: The Vietnamese Sign Language translation team, VSLBT)
“Abraham” in Vietnamese Sign Language, source: SooSL
In Tira it is transliterated as Abaram. The choice of this, rather than the widely-known “Ibrahim,” as used in the Tira translation of the Qu’ran, was to offset it against the Muslim transliteration which originates from Arabic. (Source: J.A. Naudé, C.L. Miller Naudé, J.O. Obono in Acta Theologica 43/2, 2023, p. 129ff. )
Click or tap here to see two short video clips about Abraham (source: Bible Lands 2012)
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®).
tautēn de thugatera Abraam ousan ‘this (woman), a daughter of Abraham,’ emphatically placed at the beginning of the clause. tautēn is demonstrative pronoun used as a substantive. thugatēr Abraam denotes a female descendant of Abraham, i.e. a member of God’s people (cf. on 1.5).
hēn edēsen ho Satanas idou deka kai oktō etē ‘whom Satan has kept bound, mind you, for eighteen years.’ For Satanas cf. on 10.18. idou serves to focus the attention on the eighteen years.
deō (also 19.30) ‘to bind,’ here in the figurative meaning of being bound by sickness. The aorist tense has the force of a pluperfect and refers to a situation which only now has come to an end.
ouk edei luthēnai apo tou desmou toutou lit. ‘was it not necessary that (this woman) should be released from this bond.’ edei denotes obligation. luthēnai is equivalent to apolelusai in v. 12.
desmos (cf. on 8.29) ‘bond,’ here in the same figurative sense as deō.
Translation:
The sentence is often better divided in two sentences, one stating the case, e.g. “and here is this woman, …, who has been kept prisoner by Satan for … years” (New English Bible), ‘but this woman, …, well, already … years Satan has kept her fettered’ (cf. Balinese), and the other containing the rendering of the rhetorical question, e.g. ‘ought she not be freed…?,’ “surely she should be released…” (Phillips).
Ought not this woman … be loosed, or, ‘was it not right that this woman … be loosed’; or as a statement and shifting to an active construction, ‘surely it is my duty to (or, certainly I should) loose this woman….’
For daughter of Abraham cf. on 1.5, for Satan 10.18.
Bound … loosed from this bond. Because of v. 15 it is preferable to preserve the metaphor, if necessary shifting to a simile, or adding a reference to its meaning, cf. e.g. ‘bound with this sickness … loosed from this sickness’ (Dios Habla Hoy). Where this is impossible one must shift to a non-metaphorical rendering, e.g. ‘made ill … cured from this illness.’ Tzeltal combines two solutions, cf. ‘bound as it were by Satan … be helped.’
For eighteen years. The emphasis (expressed by the Gr. idou) has also been brought out by such renderings as, “for eighteen long years” (New English Bible), ‘a time up-to eighteen years’ (Javanese).
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.
Then should not this daughter of Abraham, whom Satan has kept bound for eighteen long years, be released from her bondage on the Sabbath day?: This is a rhetorical question. Its function is to emphasize the obvious fact that it was right for Jesus to heal the woman on the Sabbath. It was not wrong.
In Greek, the rhetorical question does not actually start until 13:16c. The following example from starts the question in the same place as the Greek does:
Now, here is a descendant of Abraham. Satan has kept her in this condition for 18 years. Isn’t it right to free her on the day of worship? (God’s Word)
Here are two ways to translate the emphasis in this verse.
• As a rhetorical question. For example:
This woman belongs to the family of Abraham, but Satan has kept her bound for eighteen years. Isn’t it right to set her free on the Sabbath? (Contemporary English Version)
• As a statement. For example:
This woman that I healed, a daughter of Abraham, has been held by Satan for eighteen years. Surely it is not wrong for her to be freed from her sickness on a Sabbath day! (New Century Version)
Translate this emphasis in a way that is most natural in your language.
See the General Comment on 13:16a–c at the end of 13:16c for another way to order the verse parts.
13:16a
Then: This verse begins with a Greek conjunction that many English versions translate as “and.” The Berean Standard Bible translates as Then to show that it introduces a logical conclusion to Jesus’ point in 13:15. It was necessary to set animals free on the Sabbath in order to care for their needs. Therefore, surely it was even more necessary to set a valuable human being free from her bondage on the Sabbath.
this daughter of Abraham: Jesus was implying that as a daughter of Abraham the woman was very precious, much more valuable than the animals. In some languages it may be helpful to make this explicit:
this woman ⌊is⌋ a ⌊valuable/precious⌋ daughter of Abraham
this daughter of Abraham: The phrase daughter of Abraham means “a female descendant of Abraham.” This was a common way to refer to a Jewish woman. Use an expression in your language that will be understood to refer to a descendant, not to a literal daughter. For example:
descendant of Abraham (Good News Translation)
13:16b
Satan has kept bound for eighteen long years: Jesus implied here that Satan had caused this woman to be crippled and had kept her in that condition for eighteen years. Jesus would now set her free from it.
Satan: The word Satan is the Hebrew name of the chief or leader of all the evil spirits. In Hebrew his name means “enemy.” He is the enemy of God and God’s people.
Here are some ways to translate Satan:
• Use a local name or idiom that refers to the chief of all demons.
• Use a descriptive phrase such as:
the chief/leader of the evil spirits -or-
the spirit enemy of God
• Transliterate the name Satan. If this word is not already known in your area, you may also want to add a descriptive phrase. For example:
Satanas, the ruler of demons -or-
Shaitan
The word Satan also occurs in 11:18a.
has kept bound: This is a metaphor. It compares the way an animal is tied up to the way Satan had been keeping the woman crippled. If it is not clear or natural to use a metaphor like this about a crippling condition, you may:
• Change the metaphor to a simile. For example:
Satan has made her unable to move freely as if she were tied/bound
• Translate the meaning without the metaphor. For example:
whom Satan has been causing to be crippled
Remember to use a natural way in your language to describe the woman’s condition. You may want to refer again to the note on “had been disabled by a spirit” in 13:11a.
for eighteen long years: The Greek phrase that the Berean Standard Bible translates as eighteen long years is literally “behold eighteen years.” The exclamation “behold” here calls attention to the fact that eighteen years is a surprisingly long time. Another way to translate this expression is:
for a surprisingly/extremely long time—eighteen years!
13:16c
be released: The Greek verb that the Berean Standard Bible translates as be released is the same as that translated as “untie” in 13:15c. This is closely related to the metaphor used in 13:16b. As the animals are set free from their ropes, so the woman should be set free from her crippled condition.
In some languages it will not be possible to use the same terms to describe a rope tying an animal and Satan keeping a woman bent over. But try to use a word or phrase that will show the similarity with 13:15c in order to emphasize the point that Jesus was making.
The verb be released is a passive verb. In some languages it may be necessary to use an active verb and to make the subject explicit. For example:
⌊I⌋ will set her free -or-
for me to set her free
from her bondage: The Greek word that the Berean Standard Bible translates as from her bondage sometimes refers literally to chains or ropes that tie a person or animal up. But Jesus was not referring to literal chains here. He was referring to the weakness that Satan had caused. In some languages it may be necessary to make this explicit:
from her bondage ⌊to this illness⌋ -or-
from Satan, who caused this weakness
General Comment on 13:16a–c
In some languages it may be helpful to reorder this verse. For example:
16cSo it is not wrong to set this woman free from her sickness on the Sabbath day. 16aFor she is a ⌊precious/valuable⌋ daughter of Abraham, 16band Satan has trapped/imprisoned her in this condition for eighteen years. -or-
16cAnd it is good also to free 16athis descendant of Abraham 16con the Sabbath day from the sickness 16bin which Satan has held her captive for eighteen years.
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