complete verse (Matthew 15:35)

Following are a number of back-translations of Matthew 15:35:

  • Uma: “From there, he ordered the many people to sit on the ground.” (Source: Uma Back Translation)
  • Yakan: “So-then Isa told the crowds to sit down on the ground.” (Source: Yakan Back Translation)
  • Western Bukidnon Manobo: “Jesus commanded that the people sit down on the ground.” (Source: Western Bukidnon Manobo Back Translation)
  • Kankanaey: “That being so, Jesus had-the many-people -sit-down.” (Source: Kankanaey Back Translation)
  • Tagbanwa: “Jesus caused the people to sit down.” (Source: Tagbanwa Back Translation)
  • Tenango Otomi: “Jesus ordered that the people should sit to eat.” (Source: Tenango Otomi Back Translation)

Honorary "rare" construct denoting God (“order/command”)

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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 usage of an honorific construction where the morphemes rare (られ) or are (され) are affixed on the verb as shown here in the widely-used Japanese Shinkaiyaku (新改訳) Bible of 2017. This is particularly done with verbs that have God as the agent to show a deep sense of reverence. Here, meiji-rare-ru (命じられる) or “order/command” is used.

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

Translation commentary on Matthew 15:35

As Revised Standard Version indicates, the Greek of this verse opens a sentence which is continued in verse 36. But a number of translations make verse 35 into either a complete sentence (Good News Translation, Barclay) or an independent clause (New American Bible, New Jerusalem Bible, An American Translation). Moreover, since Good News Translation begins a new paragraph with verse 35, the name Jesus is introduced as subject of the participle commanding (“So Jesus ordered”). Many translations prefer “ordered,” though “instructed” (New Jerusalem Bible) is also accurate.

Sit down (so most all translations) translates a Greek verb normally used of reclining at a meal. This is the only occurrence of this verb in the Gospel of Matthew. In some languages it may be helpful to render Jesus’ command in direct discourse: “So Jesus told the crowd, ‘Sit down on the ground.’ ”

Quoted with permission from Newman, Barclay M. and Stine, Philip C. A Handbook on the Gospel of Matthew. (UBS Handbook Series). New York: UBS, 1988. For this and other handbooks for translators see here .