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Hypothetical to Contrafactual

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Susan Quigley 2018-10-26 17:50:38 +00:00
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### Description
Contrafactual situations are situations that are not real. They can be in the past, present, or future. Contrafactual situations in the past and present have not happened, and ones in the future are not expected to happen.
A contrafactual conditional is a sentence that has a conditional clause that is false, or contrary to fact. Conditional clauses normally have the word "if."
People sometimes tell about conditions and what would happen if those conditions were met, but they know that these things have not happened or probably will not happen. (The conditions are the phrase that start with "if.")
People sometimes tell about conditions and what would happen as a result of those conditions being met, but they know that these conditions are not met, so the results also do not happen. (The conditions are the phrase that start with "if.")
In the sentences below, the first clause with "if" is the contrafactual condition. The second is clause tells what the result would be if the condition were met. But since the condition is not met, the expected result does not happen.
* If he had known about the party, he would have come to it. (But he did not come.)
* If he knew about the party, he would be here. (But he is not here.)
* If he knew about the party, he would come to it. (But he probably will not come.)
People sometimes express wishes about things that have not happened or that are not expected to happen.
* I wish he had come.
* I wish he were here.
* I wish he would come.
People sometimes express regrets about things that have not happened or that are not expected to happen.
Contrafactual conditions can be used to express regret about things that are not as desired.
* If only he had come.
* If only he were here.
@ -24,12 +20,12 @@ People sometimes express regrets about things that have not happened or that are
### Reasons this is a translation issue
* Translators need to recognize the different kinds of contrafactual situations in the Bible.
* Translators need to know their own language's ways of talking about different kinds of contrafactual situations.
* Translators need to recognize contrafactual conditions in the Bible.
* Translators need to know their own language's ways of expressing contrafactual conditions.
### Examples from the Bible
##### Contrafactual situation in the past
##### Contrafactual conditions with their results
>"Woe to you, Chorazin! Woe to you, Bethsaida! <u>If the mighty deeds had been done in Tyre and Sidon which were done in you, they would have repented long ago in sackcloth and ashes.</u>" (Matthew 11:21 ULB)
@ -39,37 +35,21 @@ Here in Matthew 11:21 Jesus said that if the people living in the ancient cities
Martha said this to express her wish that Jesus had come sooner. But Jesus had not come sooner, and her brother died.
##### Contrafactual situation in the present
>No one puts new wine into old wineskins. <u>If he does that, the new wine will burst the skins, and the wine will be spilled, and the wineskins will be destroyed.</u> (Luke 5:37 ULB)
Jesus told about what would happen if a person were to put new wine into old wineskins. But no one would do that. He used this imaginary situation as an example to show that there are times when it is unwise to mix new things with old things. He did this so that people could understand why his disciples were not fasting as people traditionally did.
>Jesus said to them, "What man would there be among you, who, <u>if he had just one sheep, and if this sheep fell into a deep hole on the Sabbath, would not grasp hold of it and lift it out</u>? (Matthew 12:11 ULB)
Jesus asked the religious leaders what they would do on the Sabbath if one of their sheep fell into a hole. He was not saying that their sheep would fall into a hole. He used this imaginary situation to show them that they were wrong to judge him for healing people on the Sabbath.
##### Contrafactual situation in the future
> Therefore, see, days are coming—this is Yahweh's declaration—when I will punish her carved idols, and the wounded people will groan in all of her land. For <u>even if Babylon went up to the heavens or fortified her highest fortresses, destroyers would come from me to her</u>—this is Yahweh's declaration. (Jeremiah 51:52-53 ULB)
God was talking about a future time when he would destroy Babylon. It did not matter what Babylon might do in the future. God would certainly send people to destroy Babylon.
><u>Unless those days are shortened, no flesh would be saved;</u> but for the sake of the elect, those days will be shortened. (Matthew 24:22 ULB)
Jesus was talking about a future time when very bad things would happen. He told what would happen if those days of trouble were to last a long time. He did this to show how bad those days will be - so bad that if they lasted a long time, no one would be saved. But then he clarified that God will shorten those days of trouble, so that the elect (those he has chosen) will be saved.
##### Expressing emotion about a contrafactual situation
##### Contrafactual conditions used for expressing regret
Contrafactual conditions can be used for regrets or wishes about things that cannot be as peopel hoped.
Regrets and wishes are very similar.
>The Israelites said to them, "<u>If only we had died by Yahweh's hand in the land of Egypt when we were sitting by the pots of meat and were eating bread to the full.</u> For you have brought us out into this wilderness to kill our whole community with hunger." (Exodus 16:3 ULB)
Here the Israelites were afraid they would have to suffer and die of hunger in the wilderness, and so they wished that they had stayed in Egypt and died there with full stomachs. They were complaining, expressing regret that this had not happened.
>I know what you have done, and that you are neither cold nor hot. <u>I wish that you were either cold or hot!</u> (Revelation 3:15 ULB)
><u>Oh, if only I had wings like a dove!</u> Then would I fly away and be at rest. (Psalm 55:6 ULB)
Jesus wished that the people were either hot or cold, but they were neither. He was rebuking them, expressing anger about this.
David was afraid of his enemies and wished that had wings and could fly. But he could not.
### Translation Principles
@ -78,7 +58,7 @@ Know how people speaking your language show:
* that something could have happened, but did not.
* that something could be true now, but is not.
* that something could happen in the future, but will not unless something changes.
* that they wish for something, but it does not happen.
* that they wish for something that they know will not happen.
* that they regret that something did not happen.
Use your language's ways of showing these kinds of things.