OET interlinear MAT 17:15

uW Translation Notes:

Note 1 topic: figures-of-speech / infostructure

Κύριε, ἐλέησόν μου τὸν υἱόν, ὅτι σεληνιάζεται καὶ κακῶς ἔχει, πολλάκις γὰρ πίπτει εἰς τὸ πῦρ, καὶ πολλάκις εἰς τὸ ὕδωρ

Lord show_mercy ˱of˲_me ˱to˲_the son because ˱he˲_/is/_being_epileptic and sickly /is/_having often for ˱he˲_/is/_falling into the fire and often into the water

Here the man asks Jesus to have mercy on his son before he says why his son needs help. If it would be helpful in your language, you could include why the son needs help before the father asks for mercy. Alternate translation: “Lord, my son is epileptic and has sickness, for he often falls into the fire and often into the water. Have mercy on him!”

Note 2 topic: figures-of-speech / abstractnouns

ἐλέησόν μου τὸν υἱόν

show_mercy ˱of˲_me ˱to˲_the son

If your language does not use an abstract noun for the idea of mercy, you could express the same idea in another way. Alternate translation: “be merciful to my son”

Note 3 topic: figures-of-speech / imperative

ἐλέησόν

show_mercy

This is an imperative, but it should be translated as a polite request rather than as a command. It may be helpful to add an expression such as “please” to make this clear. Alternate translation: “I ask that you have mercy”

Note 4 topic: figures-of-speech / yousingular

ἐλέησόν

show_mercy

Since the man is talking to Jesus, the imperative here is singular.

Note 5 topic: figures-of-speech / infostructure

σεληνιάζεται καὶ κακῶς ἔχει

˱he˲_/is/_being_epileptic and sickly /is/_having

Here the man states the more specific type of sickness before stating that his son is sick. If it would be helpful in your language, you could reverse the order so that the general statement appears before the specific one. Alternate translation: “he has sickness and is epileptic” or “he has sickness, specifically epilepsy”

Note 6 topic: translate-unknown

σεληνιάζεται

˱he˲_/is/_being_epileptic

An epileptic is someone who sometimes passes out and then moves uncontrollably. If your readers would not be familiar with this sickness, you could use the name of something like this from your language, or you could use a general expression. See how you translated the similar term in 4:24. Alternate translation: “he has seizures” or “he sometimes becomes unconscious and moves uncontrollably”

Note 7 topic: figures-of-speech / abstractnouns

κακῶς ἔχει

sickly /is/_having

If your language does not use an abstract noun for the idea of sickness, you could express the same idea in another way. Alternate translation: “is sick”

Note 8 topic: grammar-connect-words-phrases

γὰρ

for

Here, the word for introduces an explanation of how the son has sickness. If it would be helpful in your language, you could use a word or phrase that introduces an explanation, or you could leave for untranslated. Alternate translation: “which means that”

Note 9 topic: figures-of-speech / genericnoun

τὸ πῦρ & τὸ ὕδωρ

the fire & the water

The words fire and water represent fire and water in general, not one particular fire or body of water. If it would be helpful in your language, you could express the idea in another way. Alternate translation: “fires … rivers and lakes”

Note 10 topic: figures-of-speech / ellipsis

πολλάκις εἰς

often often into

The man is leaving out some of the words that in many languages a sentence would need in order to be complete. You could supply these words from earlier in the sentence if it would be clearer in your language. Alternate translation: “he often falls into”