judge vs. condemn

The Greek terms krino and katakrino/katadikazo that are translated as “judge” and “condemn” respectively in English are translated with only one term in Kutu (tagusa). (Source: Pioneer Bible Translators, project-specific translation notes in Paratext)

See also do not condemn.

complete verse (Matthew 7:2)

Following are a number of back-translations of Matthew 7:2:

  • Uma: “Because the measuring-thing that we (incl.) use to others, that also will be used to measure for us (incl.). Meaning, if we (incl.) go too far criticizing others, like that also God will decide/judge our (incl.) case.” (Source: Uma Back Translation)
  • Yakan: “for if you practically (lit. as if appearing) judge your companion, likewise also will God judge you. And however (lit. as to how) you measure out for your companion like that will it be also measured to you.” (Source: Yakan Back Translation)
  • Western Bukidnon Manobo: “Because the thing you criticize your companion for will be also the thing God criticizes you for. The bigness of what you criticize your companion for will also be the bigness of what God criticizes you for.” (Source: Western Bukidnon Manobo Back Translation)
  • Kankanaey: “Because the measure that you use-to-judge your companions, that also is the measure that God will use to judge you.” (Source: Kankanaey Back Translation)
  • Tagbanwa: “Because how you judge your companion is how you will be judged. If you are hard (lit. heavy) on your companion, hard is what you too will receive.” (Source: Tagbanwa Back Translation)
  • Tenango Otomi: “Because you will be judged like you judge other people. Like you do, that is what will be done to you.” (Source: Tenango Otomi 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. )

Scriptures Plain & Simple (Matthew 7:1-6)

Barclay Newman, a translator on the teams for both the Good News Bible and the Contemporary English Version, translated passages of the New Testament into English and published them in 2014, “in a publication brief enough to be non-threatening, yet long enough to be taken seriously, and interesting enough to appeal to believers and un-believers alike.” The following is the translation of Matthew 7:1-6:

Condemn others, and God will condemn you.
       God will be as hard on you, as you are on others.

Do you know someone with a sin the size of a speck?
If your sin is as large as a log, you’d better roll it away first,
       before you attempt to wipe away that tiny speck.
Otherwise, you’re a first-class hypocrite.
Don’t share what is sacred with wild dogs!
       They’ll turn and attack.
Don’t decorate pigs with earrings of pearls!
       They’ll trample those pearls in the mud.

Translation commentary on Matthew 7:2

Parallels to this verse are found in both Mark and Luke; in Mark 4.24 it is applied to the new understanding that is constantly given to persons who obey the words of Jesus, while in Luke 6.38 it is applied to the reward for generosity. Matthew uses it of judgment, indicating that God will judge us with the same severity with which we judge others. The formula means that the same standard of measurement has been used for the goods received as for those which were given in exchange. A number of CLTs identify God as the one who judges and measures out in return (Good News Translation, Bijbel in Gewone Taal, Bible en français courant).

Translators should not forget to link verses 1 and 2 with “for” or “because,” as the text does.

We indicated above that to be judged with the judgment you pronounce refers to the severity with which we judge others. Again, the passive you will be judged involves God as the agent. This can be “God will judge you in the same manner as you judge other people” or “God will judge you as severely as you judge others.”

Note that the examples we have given have reversed the order of the text. This seems easiest in many languages, but the order of the text can be retained with a sentence such as “For in the way you condemn other people, that’s how severe God will be when he judges you.”

The second part of the verse involves the measure you give and measure you get. This can be rendered as “God will condemn you in the same amount as you condemn others” or “God will use the same rules (or, standards) to judge you as you use for judging others.”

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 .