complete verse (Matthew 24:46)

Following are a number of back-translations of Matthew 24:46:

  • Uma: “No kidding his blessedness/good-fortune if his noble returns from his journey and finds him doing his work.” (Source: Uma Back Translation)
  • Yakan: “When his master comes back, that servant is very happy when his masters sees that he has done all that he was commanded to do.” (Source: Yakan Back Translation)
  • Western Bukidnon Manobo: “When his master returns, how great is the joy of the servant if his master finds that he obeyed all that his master told him to do.” (Source: Western Bukidnon Manobo Back Translation)
  • Kankanaey: “Fortunate is that servant if his master comes-home and comes-upon him doing the work that was entrusted to him.” (Source: Kankanaey Back Translation)
  • Tagbanwa: “That slave will be able to be really happy if on the arrival of his master, like that truly is what he is doing.” (Source: Tagbanwa Back Translation)
  • Tenango Otomi: “The good fortune will be met by the worker who does what his boss ordered. When the boss arrives he will find him working.” (Source: Tenango Otomi Back Translation)

Translation commentary on Matthew 24:46

Blessed translates the same adjective used in the Beatitudes (see comment at 5.3).

So doing is translated “doing this” by Good News Translation. The full meaning is “doing the work that his master has assigned him.” New English Bible translates “at his task” (similarly Die Bibel im heutigen Deutsch), and Jerusalem Bible has “at this employment.” Barclay translates by a verb construction: “engaged on that very task.”

The verse may have to be restructured slightly; for example, “Things will be very good for that servant if the master comes and finds him doing that work (he assigned him).”

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 .