complete verse (Luke 20:12)

Following are a number of back-translations of Luke 20:12:

  • Noongar: “Then the man sent another servant; but the people also beat him and threw him out.” (Source: Warda-Kwabba Luke-Ang)
  • Uma: “After that also, he then sent a third slave. But they just wounded him and threw him outside the field/garden.” (Source: Uma Back Translation)
  • Yakan: “Then he sent a third servant of his. This one they wounded also and then they pushed him outside the fence of the vineyard.” (Source: Yakan Back Translation)
  • Western Bukidnon Manobo: “And the owner sent again another servant, and they beat him also until he was wounded and then they drove him away.” (Source: Western Bukidnon Manobo Back Translation)
  • Kankanaey: “So three times he sent slaves, but this third one, they wounded and threw outside of the grape-area.” (Source: Kankanaey Back Translation)
  • Tagbanwa: “Undeterred, the owner sent a third slave. Well what else but as for that one, they really wounded him and then drove him away.” (Source: Tagbanwa Back Translation)

Translation commentary on Luke 20:12

Exegesis:

hoi de kai touton traumatisantes exebalon ‘but him too they wounded and threw him out.’ kai touton suggests that this one was treated along the same lines as the other two, yet traumatizō and ekballō have a stronger connotation of violence than the verbs used in vv. 10f, cf. Plummer.

traumatizō ‘to wound,’ ‘to hurt.’

Translation:

He sent yet a third, or, ‘for the third time he sent a servant (of his).’

Wounded, probably referring to heavy, but non-fatal, bruises or wounds inflicted by some instrument.

Cast out may have to be specified, e.g. ‘cast/flung/pushed out of the vineyard.’

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 20:12

20:12a

The event in this verse is the third in a series of similar events. These three events lead to the climax in the next verse, when the owner will send his own son to the farmers/tenants. Consider how to translate this series of events in a way that is natural for leading to a climax in your language.

Then he sent a third: In Greek, this clause is literally “and he proceeded a third time to send ⌊someone⌋.” This clause indicates that the owner again sent another servant to bring his share of the harvest to him. He had already sent two of his servants. Some English versions use the English word “still” to emphasize this. For example:

He sent still a third (New International Version)

Some ways to translate the clause are:

Then a third time he sent a slave
-or-
He tried once more and sent a third (Revised English Bible)

20:12b

but they wounded him: The Greek word that the Berean Standard Bible translates as wounded means “hurt badly” or “beat bloody.” It implies that this servant was injured more seriously than the others.

and threw him out: The Greek verb that the Berean Standard Bible translates as threw him out indicates that the tenant farmers themselves used force to throw or drag the servant from the farm.

The Greek text does not say explicitly here that this servant went home empty-handed, but that is clearly implied. In some languages you may need to make it explicit. For example:

⌊without any share of the harvest⌋

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