test, trap

The term that is translated as “test” or “trap” in English is rendered in Natügu with the phrase “catch him in a net.” (Source: David Clark)

In Noongar it is translated with a derivative of “fish trap” (source: Warda-Kwabba Luke-Ang).

In the German New Testament translation by Berger / Nord (publ. 1999) it is often translate idiomatically as einen Strick drehen or “give him enough rope so he will hang himself.”

See also trap him by what he said / catch him in some statement.

complete verse (Luke 20:26)

Following are a number of back-translations of Luke 20:26:

  • Noongar: “There, in front of the people, they could not trap Jesus, not one thing, so they kept silent, and they were amazed because of everything Jesus said.” (Source: Warda-Kwabba Luke-Ang)
  • Uma: “Finally/at the end those enemies of Yesus were defeated. They could not find even one wrong word of his in front of the people. They were surprised to hear his answer, that is why they were quiet.” (Source: Uma Back Translation)
  • Yakan: “They could not catch him in his words in front of the people. But they wondered very much at his answer therefore they didn’t say anymore.” (Source: Yakan Back Translation)
  • Western Bukidnon Manobo: “And as for those people who were watching Jesus secretly, they were not able there in front of the people, to find anything in the answer of Jesus that they could arrest him for. Therefore, they didn’t say anything and they were very much surprised at his answer.” (Source: Western Bukidnon Manobo Back Translation)
  • Kankanaey: “So then, they were already/completely defeated in their attempt to deceive Jesus in front of the many-people, so after that they kept-quiet, because they were amazed at what he had answered.” (Source: Kankanaey Back Translation)
  • Tagbanwa: “That motive in their minds to snare Jesus in what he said in front of everybody was just frustrated. And another thing, since they were amazed at that which Jesus replied, they couldn’t respond.” (Source: Tagbanwa Back Translation)

Translation commentary on Luke 20:26

Exegesis:

ouk ischusan epilabesthai autou rēmatos ‘they could not catch him in (one) word,’ cf. on v. 20. For ischuō cf. on 6.48.

enantion tou laou ‘in the presence of the people,’ i.e. ‘with the people present,’ or ‘in public.’

thaumasantes epi tē apokrisei autou ‘astonished at his answer,’ here with negative connotation, ‘taken aback.’ apokrisis, cf. on 2.47.

esigēsan ‘they fell silent,’ ingressive aorist.

Translation:

In the presence of the people, cf. also on 8.47.

Marvelling at, cf. on “wondered at” in 1.21.

His answer refers to the contents, ‘what he had answered,’ ‘the things he had said in reply.’

They were silent, or, ‘they said nothing more,’ ‘they became speechless,’ is a resultative clause: ‘so amazed that they fell silent.’

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 20:26

20:26a

And they were unable to trap Him in His words before the people: The word they refers to the spies. The statement indicates that they were not able to use Jesus’ answer to harm him. Jesus did not answer by simply saying “yes” or “no,” as the spies expected he would. His answer was so wise that they could not use it to make either the Romans or the Jewish people angry with him. Other ways to translate this are:

They couldn’t make him say anything wrong in front of the people. (God’s Word)
-or-
So they were not able to trap Jesus in anything he said in the presence of the people. (New Century Version)

to trap Him: The Greek word that the Berean Standard Bible translates as to trap is a form of the same word that was translated as “catch” in 20:20c. You should translate in a similar way here.

before the people: The Greek phrase that the Berean Standard Bible literally translates this Greek phrase. The word people was often used by the Jews to refer to themselves. In this context the phrase indicates that the spies were not able to trap or discredit Jesus there where the crowd of people was watching and listening.

20:26b

and amazed at His answer, they fell silent: The spies sent by the Jewish leaders were surprised and amazed at how well Jesus answered their question. They thought that their question would trap him whether he answered “yes” or “no.” They did not expect such a wise answer. Jesus had shown them their duty to give their complete devotion to God, but he had not said anything against the emperor. The spies could not think of anything to reply. They could not find anything wrong in what Jesus had said.

In some languages there may be an idiom to express this amazement. For example:

And stunned by his answer, they fell silent. (NET Bible)

In some languages it may be best to reverse the order of the two phrases in 20:26b. For example:

They became silent because they were amazed at how he had answered ⌊them⌋.

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