26Besides all this, between you and us a great chasm has been fixed, so that those who might want to pass from here to you cannot do so, and no one can cross from there to us.’
Many languages distinguish between inclusive and exclusive first-person plural pronouns (“we”). (Click or tap here to see more details)
The inclusive “we” specifically includes the addressee (“you and I and possibly others”), while the exclusive “we” specifically excludes the addressee (“he/she/they and I, but not you”). This grammatical distinction is called “clusivity.” While Semitic languages such as Hebrew or most Indo-European languages such as Greek or English do not make that distinction, translators of languages with that distinction have to make a choice every time they encounter “we” or a form thereof (in English: “we,” “our,” or “us”).
For this verse, translators typically select the exclusive form (excluding the rich man).
Source: Velma Pickett and Florence Cowan in Notes on Translation January 1962, p. 1ff.
Following are a number of back-translations of Luke 16:26:
Noongar: “But not only that, a deep hole sits between us, so people wanting to leave this place to go to you, they can’t go; and no person can leave that place to come here to us.'” (Source: Warda-Kwabba Luke-Ang)
Uma: “But there, between us there is a very big cliff/gorge. People from here cannot go there, and people from there cannot come here.'” (Source: Uma Back Translation)
Yakan: “And not only that, but between us (incl.) there is placed a wide ditch (with steep cliffs on either side understood), so that the ones here who would want to go cannot go there, and likewise the ones from there cannot come here.'” (Source: Yakan Back Translation)
Western Bukidnon Manobo: “And not only that, there is a great, vast open space between us and nobody can come from there over to here, and the same way also, nobody from us can cross over going there.'” (Source: Western Bukidnon Manobo Back Translation)
Kankanaey: “Not only that, because there is a very-wide ravine/canyon separating us so that those who want to go there from here, they are not able-to-go, and neither also are those from where you (sing.) are able-to-come here.'” (Source: Kankanaey Back Translation)
Tagbanwa: “Added to that, there has been put-in-a-long-line between us (incl.) a deep ravine, so that those here can’t go there, and those there can’t come here.'” (Source: Tagbanwa Back Translation)
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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 second person pronoun (“you” and its various forms) as shown here in the widely-used Japanese Shinkaiyaku (新改訳) Bible of 2017. The most commonly used anata (あなた) is typically used when the speaker is humbly addressing another person.
In these verses, however, omae (おまえ) is used, a cruder second person pronoun, that Jesus for instance chooses when chiding his disciples. (Source: S. E. Doi, see also S. E. Doi in Journal of Translation, 18/2022, p. 37ff. )
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®).
kai en pasi toutois ‘and besides all this,’ i.e. the moral aspects described in v. 25.
metaxu hēmōn kai humōn ‘between us and you.’ The plural humōn shows that the reference is to the deceased rich man and those that are with him in Hades. metaxu also 11.51.
chasma mega estēriktai ‘a great chasm has been fixed.’ The perfect tense of estēriktai points to a permanent and unchangeable situation. For stērizō cf. on 9.51.
chasma ‘chasm,’ ‘gulf.’
hopōs hoi thelontes diabēnai enthen pros humas mē dunōntai ‘in order that those who want to pass from here to you may not be able,’ final clause to indicate the intended result, semantically very close to a consecutive meaning (cf. Phillips). diabainō. humas is used here in the sense of ‘the place where you are.’
(hopōs) mēde ekeithen pros hēmas diaperōsin ‘and (in order that) they may not cross from there to us.’ The subject of diaperōsin is not specified. hēmas is used here in the sense of ‘the place where we are.’
diaperaō ‘to cross,’ here virtually synonymous with diabainō.
Translation:
Besides all this, or, ‘moreover’ (Balinese). “but that is not all” (New English Bible).
Between us (referring to Abraham and those with him) and you, or, more economically, ‘between us (inclusive, covering both parties)’ (Huautla Mazatec, Batak Toba).
Great chasm, or, ‘wide ravine’ (Bahasa Indonesia KB), ‘a great trench/ditch (as around a village)’ (Medumba).
Has been fixed, or simply ‘exists,’ ‘is,’ or more expressively, ‘yawns’ (Willibrord), ‘is-extended’ (Bahasa Indonesia KB).
Pass from here, or, ‘cross (or, go over, or simply, go) from here.’ Here, i.e. ‘where we (exclus.) are.’
None may cross from there, or, more fully, ‘nobody may be able to cross (or, come over, or simply, come) from there, or, from where you (plur.) are.’
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.
And besides all this: The phrase And besides all this introduces a second reason why Abraham could not help the rich man. Some other ways to translate this phrase are:
But that is not all (New Jerusalem Bible) -or-
And here is another reason why I cannot grant your request.
a great chasm has been fixed between us and you: This clause means that a great chasm had been established or put in place. The form of the verb indicates that this chasm permanently separated Abraham and Lazarus from the rich man. Some ways to translate this clause are:
• Use a passive verb. For example:
A deep ravine has been permanently placed/established between us
• Use an active verb. For example:
there is a great chasm separating us (New Living Translation (2004)) -or-
there is a deep ditch between us (Contemporary English Version)
• Use an active verb and supply the implied subject “God.” For example:
⌊God⌋ has caused to exist a wide space that always separates us
great chasm: The Greek phrase that the Berean Standard Bible translates as great chasm refers to a gorge or ravine, with steep sides that go far down. It is a space so wide and deep that no one can cross it.
16:26b
so that: The Greek word that the Berean Standard Bible translates as so that introduces God’s purpose in placing the chasm between one location and the other. However, in this context, it may also indicate an intended result.
even those who wish cannot cross from here to you: This clause means that no one was able to cross that great space, even if he wanted to. Lazarus might have been willing to go quickly and help the rich man and then return. But God had made that impossible.
16:26c
nor can anyone cross from there to us: It was also not possible for anyone to leave the place where the rich man was in Hades and go to the place of happiness where Abraham and Lazarus were located.
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