complete verse (Luke 14:18)

Following are a number of back-translations of Luke 14:18:

  • Noongar: “But all of them started saying why they couldn’t come. The first person said to the servant, ‘I have bought land and I must go and see the land. I am sorry but I can’t come.'” (Source: Warda-Kwabba Luke-Ang)
  • Uma: “But the people who were invited all gave-excuses. The first one said: ‘I have just bought land, and I must first go and look at it. I ask forgiveness, I do not go [to where you are].'” (Source: Uma Back Translation)
  • Yakan: “But all of them had an excuse. The one he first went to said, ‘I cannot come because I have bought land and I should go there first and look at it. Don’t be angry with me.'” (Source: Yakan Back Translation)
  • Western Bukidnon Manobo: “However, the people whom he had invited, they weren’t even thinking about that feast, and each one of them made excuses as to why they could not attend. One said, ‘I hope you aren’t angry with me, because I cannot come because there is some land which I’ve just bought and I have to go and look at it today.'” (Source: Western Bukidnon Manobo Back Translation)
  • Kankanaey: “But those who had been invited, they each one demurred making-excuses. One said, ‘Sorry (pasinsiya), because I’ve-just-bought some land and I must go see it.'” (Source: Kankanaey Back Translation)
  • Tagbanwa: “But all those informed each-made-his-own excuse-for-not-coming. One person said, ‘I’ve bought some land. Well, it’s necessary that I go there today. I’m sure you’ll forgive me.'” (Source: Tagbanwa Back Translation)

Japanese benefactives (goyōsha)

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Like a number of other East Asian languages, Japanese uses a complex system of honorifics, i.e. a system where a number of different levels of politeness are expressed in language via words, word forms or grammatical constructs. These can range from addressing someone or referring to someone with contempt (very informal) to expressing the highest level of reference (as used in addressing or referring to God) or any number of levels in-between.

One way Japanese shows different degree of politeness is through the choice of a benefactive construction as shown here in the widely-used Japanese Shinkaiyaku (新改訳) Bible of 2017. Here, goyōsha (ご容赦) or “forgive” is used in combination with kudasaru (くださる), a respectful form of the benefactive kureru (くれる). A benefactive reflects the good will of the giver or the gratitude of a recipient of the favor. To convey this connotation, English translation needs to employ a phrase such as “for me (my sake)” or “for you (your sake).”

(Source: S. E. Doi, see also S. E. Doi in Journal of Translation, 18/2022, p. 37ff. )

Translation commentary on Luke 14:18

Exegesis:

kai ērxanto apo mias pantes paraiteisthai ‘and they all with one accord began to excuse themselves.’ apo mias may mean ‘at once,’ or, with gnōmē ‘mind’ understood, ‘with one mind,’ ‘with one accord,’ ‘unanimously.’

paraiteomai lit. ‘to beg off,’ here with reference to an invitation, ‘to excuse oneself,’ ‘to make excuses.’

ho prōtos eipen autō ‘the first one (to whom the servant came) said to him,’ i.e. to the servant, but through him implicitly to the host as well.

agron ēgorasa ‘I have bought a piece of land.’

echō anagkēn exelthōn idein auton ‘I must go out (of town) and look at it.’

anagkē (also 21.23 but with a different meaning) ‘necessity,’ ‘compulsion,’ here with echō and following infinitive, ‘I must.’

erōtō se, eche me parētēmenon ‘I beg you, consider me as having excused myself, or, as excused,’ i.e. ‘accept my excuses.’ What he begs, is expressed in an asyndetic clause in the imperative.

Translation:

They all is basically distributive, again.

Alike, or, ‘as with one accord,’ ‘with a sameness (i.e. as though by agreement)’ (Ekari); they act in the same way, but not together at the same time, as some renderings seem to suggest.

To make excuses, i.e. to produce reasons why they should be released from their promise to come. Renderings may be built on the formula for excusing oneself used at the end of the verse; or the language may possess an idiomatic phrase, e.g. ‘to seek what words to cover-up with’ (Tzeltal); or one may describe the concept, e.g. ‘to say they could not come/had no time,’ ‘to ask a way to refrain-from arriving at that feast’ (Kituba); or, somewhat pejoratively, ‘to seek pretexts/subterfuges’ (e.g. in Batak Toba). Ekari uses a rather generic expression, ‘to say every sort of thing (lit. this word that word),’ leaving its specification to what follows.

The first said to him, or, ‘the one visited first said to the servant’ (Balinese). The subsequent speech may be envisaged as addressed simply to the servant (hence non-honorifics, e.g. in Balinese), or to the master, though via the servant (hence honorific terms, e.g. in Javanese). To indicate the latter choice Willibrord has, ‘the first told him to say.’

Field, probably a piece of arable land.

I pray you, (or, Please) have me excused. Some expressions used address the master, e.g. ‘I ask your forgiveness’ (Javanese), ‘I ask (for) myself (i.e. to be released from the obligation), please’ (Thai 1967); others ask the servant’s mediation with his master, e.g. ‘ask-for(-me) pardon’ (Balinese), ‘please (lit. ruler you!), intercede-for me’ (Batak Toba), ‘I beg your master: may he not be offended (lit. small his-heart)’ (Tae’ 1933), ‘may he (i.e. the master) forgive me that I do not go’ (Tzeltal), ‘I ask you to go and speak for me’ (Shona 1963); still others seem rather to apologize to the servant himself, e.g. ‘I beg you, don’t take me for bad (i.e. don’t take it ill)’ (Sranan Tongo), ‘let me be, I ask you’ (Ekari).

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 14:18

Paragraph 14:18–20

14:18a

But one after another they all began to make excuses: All the people who had been invited to the feast told the servant reasons why they could not come. The clause implies that the reasons were inadequate excuses. See 14:18b–20 for examples of the type of excuses that the guests gave.

one after another: The Greek expression that the Berean Standard Bible translates as one after another is literally “from one.” It means that the people all acted in the same way. They all refused to come. It does not mean that they were all together and that they took turns speaking to the servant. Several English versions (English Standard Version, New American Standard Bible, New International Version, New Revised Standard Version) translate this expression as “alike,” but it does not mean that they gave the same reasons or that they spoke at the same time. Another way to express this meaning is:

They all gave different reasons why they could not come. (NLV)

began: In this context the Greek verb that the Berean Standard Bible translates as began indicates that each person responded by making an excuse. It does not imply that they started to make excuses and did not finish. In some languages it may be more natural to omit the word “began.” For example:

One after another they all sent excuses. (Revised English Bible)

to make excuses: The Greek verb that the Berean Standard Bible translates as make excuses here means to give reasons for the host to release them from their previous commitment. The guests had earlier said they would come to the feast, but now they did not want to come.

14:18b,19a,20

In each of these verse parts, the New International Version supplies the word “just” (just bought a field, just bought five yoke of oxen, just got married). The context probably implies that the person had recently done each of these things, but there is no word in the Greek text with that specific meaning. Other versions such as the Revised Standard Version, Good News Translation, and New Jerusalem Bible do not include the word “just” in 14:18b and 14:19a. But in 14:20, those versions, like the New International Version, do supply the word “just.” The Berean Standard Bible does not say “just” in any of these verse parts. Consider whether it is natural in your language to make explicit this implied information.

14:18b

The first one said: The expression The first refers to the first man to whom the servant spoke. In some languages it is better to translate this as “One man,” since no “second” or “third” men are mentioned. The three who are mentioned are just examples of the many people to whom the servant spoke. For example:

One said (New Living Translation (2004))

I have bought a field: A field is a piece of land used for growing crops or pasturing animals. For example:

I bought some land (Contemporary English Version)

14:18c

I need to go: The man spoke as though it were his duty or obligation to travel to his new piece of property. In some languages it may be necessary to make explicit where he needed to go:

I need to go ⌊to the field⌋

see it: The verb see in this context means to look something over to see how good it is. Another way to translate this is:

inspect it (New Living Translation (2004))

14:18d

Please excuse me: The phrase that the Berean Standard Bible translates as Please excuse me is more literally “I ask you, have me excused.” The man was politely refusing to go to the feast. He was not asking permission to be absent. Another way to translate this is:

please accept my apologies (Good News Translation)

General Comment on 14:18b–d

In some languages, it may be more natural to place the expression of apology (18d) before the excuse (18b–c). For example:

14dI am sorry, I cannot attend. 14bI bought a field, 14cand I need to go and inspect it.

Use a natural order in your language for this verse and also for 14:19 and 14:20.

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