world (Chinese)

The Hebrew and Greek that is translated as “world” in English is translated in Mandarin Chinese with shìjiè (世界). While shìjiè is now the commonly used term for “world” in Chinese, it was popularized as such by Chinese Bible translations. (Source: Mak 2017, p. 241ff.)

See also world.

complete verse (Matthew 18:7)

Following are a number of back-translations of Matthew 18:7:

  • Uma: “Disaster people in this world, because there is much that causes them to fall. There will definitely be some who cause-to-fall, but disaster to the people who cause-to-fall.” (Source: Uma Back Translation)
  • Yakan: “Mankind is to be pitied for there really are temptations that cause them to sin. Surely temptations will come. But to be pitied is the person who tempts his companion to sin so that his companion sins, for God will surely punish him.'” (Source: Yakan Back Translation)
  • Western Bukidnon Manobo: “Pity mankind because there are means by which people are successfully tempted. Things like that will always happen, but greatly pity the person who, through him, anyone who believes in me is successfully tempted.” (Source: Western Bukidnon Manobo Back Translation)
  • Kankanaey: “The people on this earth are pitiful because of the many temptations they face. There are admittedly of course temptations that will arrive, but pitiful nevertheless is the person who is the pathway of that temptation.” (Source: Kankanaey Back Translation)
  • Tagbanwa: “The situation here in the world really is very hard for very many are the possible sources of what causes people to sin. There is really no removing these possible sources of what causes to sin. But what will be experienced by these people from whom these things come is really terrifying.” (Source: Tagbanwa Back Translation)
  • Tenango Otomi: “It is painful here on earth because there is no lack of things that cause a person to sin. And people are always committing sin, but how great will be the punishment of the person who causes his fellowman to sin.” (Source: Tenango Otomi Back Translation)

Translation commentary on Matthew 18:7

Woe (Good News Translation “How terrible”): see comment at 11.21.

The world here speaks of “the people of the world” as opposed to “God’s people.”

The noun translated temptations to sin (literally “stumbling blocks,” or better, “traps”) in its initial occurrence, and temptations in its other two occurrences in this verse, is discussed in 13.41, and the corresponding verb in 5.29 and 18.6.

Sin often needs a subject, in this case, the people of the world. Barclay has restructured in a helpful way: “The tragedy of the world is the existence of the things which make men sin.” Similar translations are “How terrible it is that there are things in the world that make people sin” and “The terrible thing about the world is that there are things that lead people to sin.”

For it is necessary that temptations come can be rendered as “It is inevitable that there will be things that cause people to sin,” “Things that make people give up their faith are always going to happen,” “We cannot avoid having things happen that could cause us to sin,” or “Things that can cause us to sin must happen.”

By whom the temptation comes is translated “for the one who causes them” by Good News Translation and “for the one who is guilty of it” by Bibel im heutigen Deutsch, 1st edition. Barclay translates the last part of the verse “but tragic is the fate of the man who is responsible for the coming of such a thing!”

The phrase the man by whom is not referring to one specific individual, but means “any person who causes someone else to do wrong.” “But how terrible it will be for someone who is the cause of another sinning” will be one way to render the idea of this sentence. The verse can be “There are bound to be things that make people sin, but the person who is responsible for those things has a terrible fate in store.”

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 .