4 translations: Luke 10: 38-42

             Title: five Translations and four Commentaries on Luke 10: 38-42
             The beginning of the story of Martha and Mary is the same in all translations but one. The Modern Language starts out with "As Jesus and his disciples continued on their way to Jerusalem," (Luke10: 38, Layman's Parallel Bible) whereas the other three translations have no mention of the city of Jerusalem. Though adding in the word Jerusalem may not influence the meaning of the text, it certainly has a historical importance. Was Jesus on his way to Jerusalem or not? If Jesus was on his way to Jerusalem (which is the case), why did the other three translations not mention that? Was Jerusalem mentioned in the Greek translation? If it wasn't, as is apparent, then not only did the Modern Language translate the text, but it also added words that were not mentioned.
             In verse 39, the MG states that "Mary sat on the floor, listening to Jesus as he talked" (vv.39). Unlike the other three translations where Mary seems to be listening to the Lord's "teachings", in the Modern Language, she seems to be listening to Jesus while he was talking/conversing. Using the word "talking" as supposed to "teaching" may lead the reader to misunderstand that Mary was not paying attention to Jesus' message but simply avoiding to help her sister, Martha. Moreover, the other three translations indicate that Mary sat at the "Lord's feet" which sounds more intimate and passionate than sitting "on the floor."
             When describing the way Martha was feeling, in verse 40, three translations use the word "worry", while the Catholic Study Bible uses the word burden: "Martha was burdened with much serving" (Luke 10:40, Senior). This may not be a great difference, but it's certainly an exaggeration of how Martha felt while serving Jesus and his disciples. If Mary were sitting on the floor amus...

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4 translations: Luke 10: 38-42. (1969, December 31). In MegaEssays.com. Retrieved 11:53, March 29, 2024, from https://www.megaessays.com/viewpaper/18366.html