Greek: γυνή (gunē)
English: woman, wife, widow
by Mark D. Taylor, NLT Bible Translation Committee
The Greek term γυνή (gunē, pronounced goo-NAY) is used 215 times in the New Testament. The translation of the term is usually rather straightforward. But the NLT differs from other major translations in instances where the term is used when Jesus speaks directly to a woman.
There are seven such places where Jesus’ direct address to a woman uses the term gunē. Most translations render it with one word: “Woman.” For example, in John 2:4, when Jesus speaks directly to his mother at the wedding in Cana, the ESV translates it:
And Jesus said to her, “Woman, what does this have to do with me? My hour has not yet come.”
But in contemporary English, it is usually rude for a man to address a woman (including his mother!) simply as “Woman.”
Like the ESV, the NIV (2011 edition) translates it with a single word:
“Woman, why do you involve me?’ Jesus replied. ‘My hour has not yet come.’”
The NIV does provide a clarifying footnote that reads, “The Greek for Woman does not denote any disrespect.”
In this interaction between Jesus and his mother, the NLT renders gunē as “Dear woman” to make clear that Jesus is not using the term in a disrespectful manner:
“Dear woman, that’s not our problem,” Jesus replied. “My time has not yet come.”
Interestingly, the 1984 edition of the NIV also rendered it as “Dear woman,” but their translation team moved toward the more literal translation in their updated edition, while recognizing via the footnote the potential for misunderstanding.
The NLT translators recognize that translation often involves going beyond a simple word-for-word equivalent. Meaning also comes out through context and tone. The idea here is that including the word “dear” captures more fully the meaning of the term in context (in a way that would have been readily understood among first-century readers but that can be lost to us with a single-word rendering). In translation, the reader must be given enough information to avoid a misreading or a misunderstanding.
Here are the other passages (in the NLT) where Jesus (or an angel) speaks directly to a woman and the Greek term gunē is used:
Matthew 15:28: “Dear woman,” Jesus said to her, “your faith is great. Your request is granted.” And her daughter was instantly healed.
Luke 13:12: When Jesus saw her, he called her over and said, “Dear woman, you are healed of your sickness!”
John 4:21: Jesus replied, “Believe me, dear woman, the time is coming when it will no longer matter whether you worship the Father on this mountain or in Jerusalem.
John 19:26: When Jesus saw his mother standing there beside the disciple he loved, he said to her, “Dear woman, here is your son.”
John 20:13: “Dear woman, why are you crying?” the angels asked her. “Because they have taken away my Lord,” she replied, “and I don’t know where they have put him.”
John 20:15: “Dear woman, why are you crying?” Jesus asked her. “Who are you looking for?” She thought he was the gardener. “Sir,” she said, “if you have taken him away, tell me where you have put him, and I will go and get him.”
In each of these passages, the KJV, NKJV, NASB, ESV, NRSV, and NIV2011 all use the single term “Woman.” With “dear woman,” the NLT renders the meaning of the term very clearly to show that Jesus or an angel is speaking lovingly—not rudely—to these various women.
As we read the text of Scripture, the meaning of the text should ideally come through very clearly for the reader. That is one of the features of the NLT. Happy reading, and happy understanding!