Mark 4:13-20 in Russian Sign Language

Following is the translation of Mark 4:13-20 into Russian Sign Language with a back-translation underneath:


Source: Russian Bible Society / Российское Библейское Общество

Jesus turned to the twelve closest disciples and others who were with him:

— Have you understood my parables about the sower?

They replied:

— No, we did not understand.

Jesus said:

— I will tell other parables. How will you understand me? I will explain it to you now. The seed is the word of God. The sower is the person who tells the word of God to the people. The seed that fell on the road is the people who, though they heard the word, did not accept it. Their eyes were closed. Satan sees that the seed fell on the road and takes everything away.

Stony ground, there is a little bit of earth on top — these are the people who heard the word and gladly accepted it. But the seed could not take deep roots, because after some time these people had difficulties, troubles, condemnation of others, and these people give up their faith because of fear. Therefore, the seed sprouted but dried up.

Third. The seed that fell on the soil with weeds. This is a situation where people listen to God’s word, but they want more money, they think about worldly problems: this is how weeds destroy the sprouts of God’s word.

Fourth. Good, fertile soil is people who hear God’s word, agree and accept it, change their lives and do many good deeds that bear good fruit.

Original Russian back-translation (click or tap here):

Иисус обратился к двенадцати ближайшим ученикам и другим людям, которые были с ним:

— Вы поняли мои притчи о сеятеле?

Те ответили:

— Нет, мы не поняли.

Иисус сказал:

— Я буду еще рассказывать другие притчи. Как же вы будете понимать меня? Я вам сейчас объясню. Семя — это слово Божье. Сеятель — это человек, который рассказывает слово Божье людям. Семя, которое упало на дороге — это люди, которые, хотя и слышали, но никак не восприняли слово. Глаза у них были, как будто закрыты. Сатана же, увидев, что семя упало на дорогу, все уносит.

Каменистая почва, есть чуть-чуть земли сверху — это люди, которые услышали слово и с радостью его приняли. Но семя не смогло пустить глубокие корни, потому что спустя какое-то время у этих людей случились трудности, беды, осуждение окружающих, и эти люди из-за страха отказываются от веры. Поэтому семя проросло, но высохло.

Третье. Семя, которое упало на почву с сорняками. Это ситуация, когда люди слушают слово Божье, но они хотят побольше денег, думают о житейских проблемах: так сорняки губят ростки слова Божьего.

Четвертое. Хорошая, плодородная почва — это люди, которые услышав слово Божье, соглашаются и принимают его, меняют свою жизнь и совершают множество хороших дел, которые приносят добрые плоды.

Back-translation by Luka Manevich

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Mark 4:21-23 in Russian Sign Language >>

Mark 4:10-20 in Mexican Sign Language

Following is the translation of Mark 4:10-20 into Mexican Sign Language with back-translations into Spanish and English underneath:


© La Biblia en LSM / La Palabra de Dios

Retrotraducciones en español (haga clic o pulse aquí)

Los doce discípulos y algunas (otras) personas dijeron: “Jesús, la historia, el ejemplo que nos explicaste antes, ¿qué significa? Nosotros no entendemos.”

Jesús (dijo): “¿Uds no entienden? Ay, si yo les explico historias y ejemplos pero uds no entienden, lo mismo va a continuar en adelante. ¿Cómo puede ser?

Oigan, ahora Dios les da la gracia de que uds pueden entender y descubrir el significado de lo que yo les expliqué hace rato.

El hombre que siembra semillas ¿qué representa? Él es como un hombre que explica y predica la palabra de Dios.

Oigan, miren, el camino con la tierra dura en donde caen las semillas y los pájaros los acaban todas, eso representa cuando él explica y predica la palabra de Dios y algunos personas lo ven pero inmediatamente satanás se lo quita y las personas lo olvidan.

La otra parte con las piedras y poco tierra donde caen las semillas y las plantas crecen rápidamente pero los raíces no pueden profundizar y las plantas marchitan, eso representa cuando él explica y predica la palabra de Dios y algunas personas lo ven y están contentos, pero después al continuar hay problemas y la gente los insulta y están en contra de ellos y ya no continuan a prestar atención a la palabra de Dios, y desvian.

La otra parte donde hay la mala hierba que cubre la tierra y cuando las semillas caen las plantas crecen pero no maduran, eso representa cuando él explica y predica la palabra de Dios y algunas personas lo ven pero en sus mentes están soñando y preocupados con problemas, piensan de dinero y cosas que les gustan y ya no siguen a poner atención a la palabra de Dios, sino desvian. Sus vidas no cambian nada sino quedan lo mismo.

La otra area donde la tierra es buena y cuando las semillas caen las plantas crecen y maduran y hay treinta plantas, y otras plantas maduran y hay sesenta plantas, y otras plantas maduran y hay cien, eso representa cuando él explica y predica la palabra de Dios y algunas personas lo ven y entienden y son transformados, sus vidas cambian para bien.

Y al continuar otras personas lo ven y entienden y son transformados y cambian sus vidas para bien, y otras personas lo ven y entienden y son transformados y cambian sus vidas para bien, y otras personas ven el buen testimonio.”

Jesús dijo: “A las personas afuera yo sólo doy historias breves para que ellos vean y oigan, pero no entiendan nada del significado, porque las personas pueden arrepentirse y Dios les perdonará y borrará (sus pecados) pero ellos no quieren, por eso.”


The twelve disciples and some (other) people said: “Jesus, the story that you just told us, what does it mean? We don’t understand it.”

Jesus (said): “You don’t understand? If I tell you stories and examples and you don’t understand the same will happen in the future. How can that be?

“Listen, now God will give you the grace that you can understand and figure out what I have just told you.

“The man who sows seeds, what does he represent? He is like a man who explains and preached the word of God.

“Hey, look, the road with the hard ground on which the seeds fall and the birds eat them all up, that represents when he explains and preaches the word of God and some people see it, but immediately Satan takes it away and the people forget it.

“The other part with the stones and very little soil where the seeds fall and the plants grow rapidly but the roots cannot get deeper and the plants whither, that represents when he explains and teaches the word of God and some people see it and are happy, but afterwards there are problems and the people insult them and are against them and they do not continue to pay attention to the word of God, but turn aside.

“The other part where there are weeds that cover the ground and when the seeds fall the plants grow but do not ripen, that represents when he explains and preaches the word of God and some people see it but in their minds they are dreaming and preoccupied with problems, they set their minds on money and things that they like and they do not continue to pay attention to the word of God. They turn aside and their lives do not change at all but stay the same.

“The other area where the soil is good and when the seeds fall the plants grow and ripen and there are thirty plants and other plants ripen and there are sixty plants and others ripen and there are 100, that represents when he explains and preaches the word of God and some people see it and understand it and are transformed, their lives change for the better.

“And then other people see it and understand and are transformed and change their lives for the better, and other people see it and understand and are transformed and change their lives for the better, and other people see the good testimony.”

Jesus said: “To the people out there I only give brief stories so that they see and hear but do not understand the meaning, because the people can repent and God will forgive them and wipe out (their sins) but they do not want to, that’s why.”

Source: La Biblia en LSM / La Palabra de Dios

<< Mark 4:1-9 in Mexican Sign Language
Mark 4:21-25 in Mexican Sign Language >>

complete verse (Mark 4:20)

Following are a number of back-translations of Mark 4:20:

  • Uma: “‘There are also people who can be compared to seeds that fall in rich ground. They hear God’s Word, they immediately receive it. In those people God’s Word really does have fruit. There are some who have a little fruit, there are some who have much fruit, there are some who have very much fruit.'” (Source: Uma Back Translation)
  • Yakan: “But the other people, (they are) figuratively like good soil. They hear the message of God and they believe it. If in the figure of what was planted, the message of God which they heard bears fruit in their livers. Some have enough fruit, some much and some very much.'” (Source: Yakan Back Translation)
  • Western Bukidnon Manobo: “That which was planted which falls on good ground, that is like people who hear the word of God and believe, and the word does good in them. For some, the word does a little bit of good in them. And others, the word does a large amount of good in them. And others, the word does very much good in them.'” (Source: Western Bukidnon Manobo Back Translation)
  • Kankanaey: “As-for the ones-that-fell on the good soil, they are those who are listening to God’s word while-simultaneously also they understand it, and the word has results in their lives. There are those with few results, there are (those with) measurably-more and there are also (those with) many.'” (Source: Kankanaey Back Translation)
  • Tagbanwa: “And as for this, what is meant by the good soil/ground which was scattered on, it’s the people who truly believe/obey the word of God which they heard. Well since it is taken to heart (lit. stored in their heads), that’s why their(emphatic) believing bears fruit, like those full-headed grain-stalks with thirty, sixty and a hundred grains each.'” (Source: Tagbanwa Back Translation)
  • Mopán Maya: “As many as are planted in the good ground, these are like those told the word of God by the man. They are believing/obeying the word. They begin to become good men. It is exactly the same as a good plant. There are some whose goodness is coming out like a plant that is giving thirty fruits, etc.” (The phrasing here was changed because “bearing fruit” meant “bearing children”)
  • Korku: “Some people are like the seed sown in good ground. They hear (obey) the word and follow it and are like plants that bring forth grain. In the way that the seed sown in good ground gave birth to thirty grains, sixty grains, or a hundred grains, in that same way the ones who acknowledge (follow obey) God’s word do very good work.” (Source: B. Moore / G. Turner in Notes on Translation 1967, p. 1ff.)

word / command (of God) (Japanese honorifics)

Click or tap here to see the rest of this insight.

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 to do this is through the usage (or a lack) of an honorific prefix as shown here in the widely-used Japanese Shinkaiyaku (新改訳) Bible of 2017. When the referent is God, the “divine” honorific prefix mi- (御 or み) can be used, as in mi-kotoba (みことば) or “word (of God)” in the referenced verses.

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

Translation commentary on Mark 4:20

Text:

Instead of en … en … en ‘in … in … in’ read by Tischendorf, Nestle, Westcott and Hort, Soden, Vogels, Merk, and Souter, hen … hen … hen ‘one … one … one’ is read by Textus Receptus, Lagrange, Kilpatrick, and Taylor (cf. v. 8).

Exegesis:

ekeinoi … hoi … sparentes ‘those … who … (were) sown’: probably some distinction should be made between ekeinoi ‘those’ and houtoi ‘these’ of vv. 15, 16 (alloi ‘others’ v. 18); some difference, likewise, is probably intended by the use of the aorist participle sparentes ‘sown’ in the present verse, instead of the present participle speiromenoi ‘sown’ of vv. 16, 18.

hoitines (9.1; 12.18; 15.7) ‘those who,’ i.e. ‘the very ones who’ (referred to in the previous clause).

paradechontai (only here in Mark) ‘they receive,’ ‘they accept’: here used as a synonym for lambanousin ‘they receive’ of v. 16.

karpophorousin (4.28) ‘they bear fruit,’ ‘they produce a crop.’

Translation:

Accept it must mean more than simply ‘receive it’ or ‘hear it.’ The implication here is that people believe the word, e.g. ‘put it in their hearts’ (Tzeltal), ‘take the word with truth’ (Loma (Liberia)), or ‘to hear and understand’ (Tumbuka).

Bear fruit is all right when speaking of plants, but the figure may not be acceptable when speaking of persons. Hence, one must often substitute a phrase meaning ‘to produce results’ or ‘to cause blessing.’

For an analysis of thirtyfold, and sixtyfold and a hundredfold see 4.8.

Quoted with permission from Bratcher, Robert G. and Nida, Eugene A. A Handbook on the Gospel of Mark. (UBS Handbook Series). New York: UBS, 1961. For this and other handbooks for translators see here .

SIL Translator's Notes on Mark 4:20

4:20a

Still others are like the seeds sown on good soil: The Greek text here is literally “those are the ones upon the good soil, being sown.” For example, the New Revised Standard Version says:

And these are the ones sown on the good soil

The words “those are the ones” (New Revised Standard Version) introduce the fourth group of people. These people are compared to the good soil on which the sower has sown/planted seed.

Here are some other ways to translate this comparison:

Sometimes the word/teaching falls on good soil. This is like what happens when some people…
-or-
Lastly, other people are like good soil where the word/seed was sown.

good soil: The Greek word that the Berean Standard Bible translates as good in this context refers to the kind of soil in which plants grow well. Refer to your translation of 4:8a, where the same term is used.

4:20b

receive it: The Greek word that the Berean Standard Bible translates as receive means to agree that something is correct or right. This word is different from the word that the Berean Standard Bible translates as “receive” in 4:16b. But the meaning of the two words is the same in this context. You may want to use the same expression here as you did for “receive” in 4:16b.

produce a crop: The Greek verb that the Berean Standard Bible translates as produce a crop indicates here that the seeds produce a harvest. Jesus used this action as a metaphor to describe a person who receives the word of God. That person receives the word of God and shows the good effects of it in his life. That is like the seed that grows and produces a crop.

Here are some other ways to translate this:

• Keep the metaphor. For example the Good News Bible has:

bear fruit

• Use a simile. For example:

the word has results in their lives like seeds that produce a crop

• Translate the meaning of the metaphor. For example:

the word has good results in their lives

4:20c

thirtyfold, sixtyfold, or a hundredfold: The Greek text that the Berean Standard Bible translates as thirtyfold, sixtyfold, or hundredfold is the same here as in 4:8c.

Here are some other ways to translate this:

• Keep the metaphor. Translate it in a similar way here as in 4:8c.

• Use a simile and make explicit the meaning of the numbers of seeds. For example:

and there are many good results in their lives, like plants bearing thirty seeds, sixty seeds, or even a hundred times what was sown

• Translate the meaning of the metaphor. For example:

Some have many results, some have even more results and some have amazing/outstanding results.

thirtyfold, sixtyfold, or a hundredfold: The numeric expressions thirtyfold, sixtyfold and a hundredfold are examples of a very good harvest, a great harvest, and an incredible or unbelievable harvest. You should translate this phrase like you did in 4:8c.

The New International Version adds the words “what was sown,” which are not in the Greek text but are implied. Other versions have left these words implied, as the Berean Standard Bible has. Likewise, the Good News Bible says:

They hear the message, accept it, and bear fruit: some thirty, some sixty, and some one hundred.

You will need to decide whether to make these words explicit or implicit in your language. Do whatever will make your translation clear and natural.

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