OET interlinear YAC (JAM) 3:12

uW Translation Notes:

Note 1 topic: figures-of-speech / doublenegatives

μὴ δύναται, ἀδελφοί μου, συκῆ ἐλαίας ποιῆσαι

not /is/_able brothers ˱of˲_me /a/_fig_tree olives /to/_produce

The first word of this sentence in Greek is a negative word that can be used to turn a statement into a question that expects a negative answer. ULT shows this by adding “is it?” Your language may have other ways of asking a question that expects a negative answer, for example, by changing the word order of a positive statement. Alternate translation: [Is a fig tree able to make olives]

Note 2 topic: figures-of-speech / rquestion

μὴ δύναται, ἀδελφοί μου, συκῆ ἐλαίας ποιῆσαι

not /is/_able brothers ˱of˲_me /a/_fig_tree olives /to/_produce

James is using the question form as a teaching tool. If it would be helpful in your language, you could express this question by translating his words as a statement. Alternate translation: [A fig tree is not able to make olives]

Note 3 topic: translate-unknown

μὴ δύναται, ἀδελφοί μου, συκῆ ἐλαίας ποιῆσαι

not /is/_able brothers ˱of˲_me /a/_fig_tree olives /to/_produce

A fig tree is a tree that produces small, sweet fruit. Although olives also grow on trees, they are technically fruit, but they are oily and pungent. If your readers would not be familiar with these kinds of fruit, you could use two other contrasting kinds of fruit as examples, or you could use a general expression. Alternate translation (as a statement): “One kind of tree is not able to produce fruit that would grow on a different kind of tree”

Note 4 topic: figures-of-speech / metaphor

ἀδελφοί μου

brothers ˱of˲_me

See how you translated the term brothers in 1:2. Alternate translation: [my fellow believers]

Note 5 topic: figures-of-speech / ellipsis

ἢ ἄμπελος σῦκα

or /a/_vine figs

James is leaving out some of the words that a sentence would need in many languages in order to be complete. These words can be supplied from earlier in the sentence. Alternate translation: [or is a grapevine able to make figs]

Note 6 topic: figures-of-speech / rquestion

ἢ ἄμπελος σῦκα

or /a/_vine figs

James is using the question form as a teaching tool. If it would be helpful in your language, you could express this question by translating his words as a statement if you also translated the question in the earlier part of the sentence as a statement. Alternate translation: [and a grapevine is not able to make figs]

Note 7 topic: translate-unknown

ἢ ἄμπελος σῦκα

or /a/_vine figs

A grapevine is a woody vine that produces small, juicy fruit. This fruit is quite different from figs. If your readers would not be familiar with these kinds of fruit, you could use two other contrasting kinds of fruit as examples, or you could use a general expression. If you already used a general expression earlier in the verse, you could restate it here as a separate sentence for emphasis. Alternate translation: [No, a tree is not able to do that]

Note 8 topic: figures-of-speech / explicit

οὔτε ἁλυκὸν γλυκὺ ποιῆσαι ὕδωρ

nor salt sweet /to/_produce water

James concludes his teaching about speech with this final example. It may be helpful after this example to restate the implications of all the examples that James has given in this verse and in the previous verse, as UST does.

Note 9 topic: figures-of-speech / ellipsis

οὔτε ἁλυκὸν γλυκὺ ποιῆσαι ὕδωρ

nor salt sweet /to/_produce water

James is leaving out some of the words that a sentence would need in many languages in order to be complete. These words can be supplied from earlier in the verse. Alternate translation: [And something that is salty is not able to produce sweet water]

Note 10 topic: figures-of-speech / nominaladj

ἁλυκὸν

salt

James is using the adjective salty as a noun. Since James is speaking of something that can make or produce water, he is likely speaking of a spring. Your language may use adjectives in the same way. If not, you could translate this with an equivalent expression. Alternate translation: [a saline spring]