Tuesday, July 16, 2024

One Issue of Translation in Matthew 11:28

The voice between active and passive matters in Greek and English alike. The former means the subject does something (active), and the latter means the subject receives action. In Matthew 11:28, two participles are functioning as verbal adjectives: κοπιῶντες (kopiontes) and πεφορτισμένοι (pephortismenoi). The root verb of the former is κοπιάω (kopiao), which means "to labor or toil." The root verb of the latter is φορτίζω (phortizo), which means "to load or burden." The participle form for the former is "present active," and that for the latter is "perfect passive/middle." So we can translate them accordingly without losing the nuanced differences between them. My translation is “Come to me, all you who toil/labor and are burdened, and I will give you rest." While the NRSV or NRSVue is considered a fair, literal translation, it does not catch the point in this verse. It translates the verse this way: “Come to me, all you who are weary and are carrying heavy burdens, and I will give you rest." But Jesus sees the reality where people labor hard and are burdened by things, others, or institutions. Self-burden is different from externally levied/caused burdens. Most other translations keep this "voice" difference between the active and passive. For example, both NIV and NET have it: “Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest."