complete verse (Luke 6:38)

Following are a number of back-translations of Luke 6:38:

  • Noongar: “Give to other people and God will give to you. Certainly, you will be given a full bag, and God will give many things into your hands, all you can hold. The way you give to other people, that same way, God will give to you.” (Source: Warda-Kwabba Luke-Ang)
  • Uma: “We must give to others/our companions, the Lord God will also give to use. He gives us very good gifts, that have been shaken and patted/tamped down, until it is piled up. Because the measuring-thing that we use to others, that also will be used to measure for us.'” (Source: Uma Back Translation)
  • Yakan: “Give and God will give you. Figuratively like measured well, pounded down and shaken and filled till overflowing that is what will be poured out for you. The amount that you give that will also be the amount that God will give to you.'” (Source: Yakan Back Translation)
  • Western Bukidnon Manobo: “Give to your companions and God will give also to you. The bigness of what you give, that will also be the bigness of what God gives to you. And what He gives to you will be very abundant because it will be as if it is packed down tight and filled to the top and made more than full.'” (Source: Western Bukidnon Manobo Back Translation)
  • Kankanaey: “Give to your fellows and God will also give to you. Because the amount you give, that also is the amount that God will give you. But-then the way God gives, he tamps-it-down and shakes-it-up-and-down to pack-it-in, then he again adds-more so that it will even overflow.'” (Source: Kankanaey Back Translation)
  • Tagbanwa: “Be very-generous, for if it’s like that, you too will receive generosity which has no shortage in measurement, but on the contrary is packed-down-tightly and shaken-to-get-more-in and even heaped-over-the-top. Because the measure you use with others, that indeed is what will be used with you too.'” (Source: Tagbanwa Back Translation)

formal pronoun: Jesus addressing his disciples and common people

Like many languages (but unlike Greek or Hebrew or English), Tuvan uses a formal vs. informal 2nd person pronoun (a familiar vs. a respectful “you”). Unlike other languages that have this feature, however, the translators of the Tuvan Bible have attempted to be very consistent in using the different forms of address in every case a 2nd person pronoun has to be used in the translation of the biblical text.

As Voinov shows in Pronominal Theology in Translating the Gospels (in: The Bible Translator 2002, p. 210ff. ), the choice to use either of the pronouns many times involved theological judgment. While the formal pronoun can signal personal distance or a social/power distance between the speaker and addressee, the informal pronoun can indicate familiarity or social/power equality between speaker and addressee.

Here, Jesus is addressing his disciples, individuals and/or crowds with the formal pronoun, showing respect.

In most Dutch translations, Jesus addresses his disciples and common people with the informal pronoun, whereas they address him with the formal form.

formal 2nd person plural pronoun (Japanese)

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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 formal plural suffix to the second person pronoun (“you” and its various forms) as shown here in the widely-used Japanese Shinkaiyaku (新改訳) Bible of 2017. In these verses, anata-gata (あなたがた) is used, combining the second person pronoun anata and the plural suffix -gata to create a formal plural pronoun (“you” [plural] in English).

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

Translation commentary on Luke 6:38

Exegesis:

didote, kai dothēsetai humin ‘give and it will be given to you.’ How much will be given is described in the following clause.

metron kalon pepiesmenon sesaleumenon huperekchunnomenon dōsousin eis ton kolpon humōn ‘a good measure, pressed down, shaken together (and) running over they will give into the fold of your garment.’ The reference is to corn being poured out into a fold of a garment overhanging a girdle. dōsousin may refer to human agents or be an impersonal construction used to avoid the name of God. The latter is preferable, since it is consistent with v. 36 and does justice to the fact that the description of the ‘good measure’ points to a more than human generosity (other examples of this impersonal construction in 12.20, 48 and 16.9).

metron ‘measure,’ here a measure of capacity. metron kalon ‘good measure,’ i.e. generous, not scanty.

pepiesmenon ‘pressed down’ (by hand rather than by treading), in order that the contents may fill all the space in the container.

saleuō ‘to shake,’ ‘to drive to and fro.’ Here of grain which is shaken together, i.e. moved to and fro in order to make it shrink.

huperekchunnomenon ‘overflowing.’ Note the present tense: after the grain has been properly pressed down and shaken together somebody pours more corn into the container to fill the empty space till it flows over.

kolpos (also 16.22f) ‘bosom,’ or ‘fold of a garment overhanging a girdle,’ used as a pocket.

hō gar metrō metreite ‘for with what measure you measure,’ i.e. the measure you use with regard to others, referring back to the imperatives of vv. 37f. metron here ‘measuring instrument.’

metreō ‘to measure,’ ‘to give out.’

antimetrēthēsetai humin “it will be measured to you in return” (Translator’s New Testament). The clause is best understood as an implicit injunction: give as God gives, in abundance.

Translation:

Give, or if objects are required, ‘give others a gift/something/what they need.’

It will be given to you, or again. ‘God will give it to you’ (cf. Good News Translation).

Good measure, or ‘full/complete measure,’ ‘true measure’ (Tae’). The noun may be rendered by the name of any object used in the receptor culture as measure of capacity, e.g. ‘half-coconut-shell,’ ‘sack’ (Sranan Tongo).

Running over, or, ‘full to over-flowing’ (Sranan Tongo), ‘piled/heaped up’ (East and Toraja-Sa’dan).

Will be put, or, ‘poured/given’; or ‘God/he will put (etc.).’

Into your lap. Cultural equivalents may be available, e.g. ‘in the fold of your garment’ (Marathi), ‘in your klofoy (a large fold of the skirt hanging down from the waist)’ (Tboli). Where this is not the case it usually is best simply to say, ‘to you’ (e.g. Ekari, Pohnpeian, Kele, Tae’).

The measure you give will be the measure you get back, or, ‘the measure you use for (or, to give something to) others will be used for (or, id.) you (by God)’; or, not to suggest exact reciprocity, ‘use as full/good a measure for others, as God uses for you,’ ‘measure/give out to others fully, as God measures/gives out to you.’

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 6:38

6:38a

Give: Jesus was saying that his disciples should be generous. They should help people who need something. The text does not say explicitly what Jesus’ disciples should give, nor to whom they should give it. Translate this as generally as possible.

If your language requires that you state to whom something is given, you could say:

Give ⌊to others/people⌋
-or-
If you give to others (Contemporary English Version)

If your language requires that you state what is given, you could say:

give ⌊whatever is needed⌋
-or-
give ⌊things to help others⌋

6:38b

it will be given to you: The clause it will be given to you is a passive clause. Some ways to translate this are:

• As a passive clause. For example:

it will be given to you

• As an active clause. For example:

you will receive (New Living Translation (2004))
-or-
God will give to you (Good News Translation)

In some languages, it may be more natural to begin this sentence with an “if” clause. For example:

⌊If you give,⌋ then it will be given to you.

it: As with the word “give” above, the thing that will be given is not identified. If your language requires that you identify the object, here you could say:

⌊what you need⌋ will be given to you
-or-

⌊things that help you⌋ will be given to you

6:38c–g

A good measure, pressed down, shaken together, and running over will be poured into your lap: This is a metaphor. It describes a merchant selling grain or something similar. Because buying grain in the market is common, most cultures will probably understand this metaphor.

The point of the metaphor is the generosity of the merchant. He presses the grain down in the measuring container. He then shakes it so it will settle, and he continues filling it until the grain heaps up and overflows the container.

This metaphor further explains the phrase “it will be given to you” (6:38a). If you give generously, you will receive generous gifts in return.

The metaphor does not identify the one who would give generously in return. It could be people, or God, or both. Try to keep your translation general so God or people could be understood. If you have made God explicit in 6:37–6:38a, you could refer to him explicitly here also. For example:

⌊God⌋ will give you a good measure, pressed down…
-or-

⌊God will give generously to you like a good merchant who⌋ presses down…

6:38c

A good measure: The phrase A good measure refers to a full measure such as a generous merchant gives. Some other ways to translate this are:

a full measure (Good News Translation)
-or-
A large quantity (God’s Word)
-or-
You will be given much (New Century Version)

Use a general word to describe the measuring container or a measured quantity of grain. If you do not have a general word, use a word for a specific container that is used for measuring grain in your culture. For example:

a full cup/bowl/tin

6:38d

pressed down: The Greek verb that the Berean Standard Bible translates as pressed down indicates that the merchant pressed or pushed down the grain. He did this so that it would take up as little space as possible. Then the merchant could pour more grain into the container. Some other ways to translate this are:

pressed together (God’s Word)
-or-
It will be packed down (Contemporary English Version)

6:38e

shaken together: The merchant shakes the container and the grain in it. In that way, he makes sure that the grain settles and the container is completely full. Some other ways to translate this are:

shaken down (God’s Word)
-or-
shaken together to make room for more (New Living Translation (2004))

6:38f

running over: The phrase running over means that the merchant put so much grain into the container that it began to spill over the sides. Some other ways to translate this are:

flowing over
-or-
spilling over
-or-
heaped over the top

6:38g

will be poured into your lap: The phrase that the Berean Standard Bible translates as will be poured into your lap is literally “they will pour into your lap.” “They” here refers to the merchant. Some other ways to translate this are:

it will then be poured into your lap/basket
-or-
he will then pour the grain into your lap/basket

lap: The Greek word that the Berean Standard Bible translates as lap refers to a pocket or pouch made by folding one’s robe. It was the custom for a person who bought grain to fold his robe (outer clothes) to make a pocket. The merchant would pour the grain into this fold or pocket. That is the way the buyer would carry it away.

If this is not the custom in your culture, you could translate using a general word for a grain container such as a basket.

6:38h

Luke 6:38h is a common proverb that Jews would often repeat. Jesus used it here to emphasize what he had just said in 6:37a–38g. It summarizes the way his disciples are to act. It reinforces the fact that the disciples’ behavior determines how God and others will behave towards them.

For: The Greek conjunction that the Berean Standard Bible translates as For introduces a proverb. Some translations do not explicitly translate this conjunction (for example, Good News Translation). If your language uses proverbs to teach principles, think about how you would introduce the proverb. Connect this proverb in that way.

Some other ways in English to introduce this proverb are:

After all
-or-
Remember

with the measure you use, it will be measured back to you:
As in 6:38c, the word measure here refers to a measuring container or a measured quantity of grain. Jesus was saying that the type of measuring container that Jesus’ disciples use with other people is the same type of measuring container that God will use with them.

In this context Jesus’ saying means that if the disciples are generous with other people, God will be generous with them. This applies in a figurative way as well as in a literal way. If the disciples are generous and kind in the way they judge or treat other people, God will also be kind in the way he judges or treats them.

Some other ways to translate this proverb are:

Whatever type of measure you use ⌊with/for others⌋, that same measure will be used with/for you.
-or-
The way you treat others is the way you will be treated. (Contemporary English Version)

it will be measured back to you: The phrase it will be measured back to you is passive. Some ways to translate this are:

• As a passive clause. For example:

by your standard of measure it will be measured to you in return (New American Standard Bible)
-or-
The standards you use for others will be applied to you. (God’s Word)
-or-
The way you treat others is the way you will be treated. (Contemporary English Version)

• As an active clause. The person who will measure is God. For example:

The measure you use for others is the one that God will use for you. (Good News Translation)

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