Ambiguous translation of Matthew 6:19-21 of the Bible

[yong321]

This posting is not quite about a mistranslation, but about an ambiguous translation. The ambiguity is not necessarily the translator's fault. It's a problem inherent in English as well as some other languages. First, we know that the sentence "He hit the man with a crutch" is ambiguous, because the meaning depends on whether you interpret "with a crutch" as a complement modifying the verb "hit" or as an attributive clause modifying the noun "man". So this is what I'm going to talk about.

In Matthew 6:19-21 of the Bible, we read "Do not store up for yourselves treasures on earth, where moths and vermin destroy, and where thieves break in and steal. But store up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where moths and vermin do not destroy, and where thieves do not break in and steal." Should we consider "on earth" and "in heaven" as a complement of "store up" or an attributive clause of "treasures"? I checked a few other languages. Unfortunately, the French, Spanish, and Italian translations I found all have this ambiguity. But German (https://www.bible.com/de/bible/158/MAT.6.19-34.SCH1951) translates this passage as "Ihr sollt euch nicht Schätze sammeln auf Erden". Since "auf Erden" and "Schätze" are separate, it's safe to assume that "auf Erden" is a complement of "sammeln", not an attributive of "Schätze". I posted a question to a Facebook group, where someone told me the Japanese translation is "地上に財宝を蓄えるな", where "地上に" is a complement of the verb "蓄える", not an attributive of the noun "財宝". I find the Chinese translation (https://www.o-bible.com/cgibin/ob.cgi?version=hgb&book=mat&chapter=6) "不要为自己积攒财宝在地上" agrees as well, where "在地上" is a complement of the verb "积攒", not an attributive of the noun "财宝".

Since Jesus said those words in Aramaic, the definitive answer probably has to come from the Aramaic original. On the Internet, I found the 8th century Aramaic version (https://theholyaramaicscriptures.weebly.com/mat-6.html), not any earlier one. Ignorant of this ancient language, I have to rely on the author of that web page who provides a good English translation, i.e. "You are not to place treasure for yourself in the Ara {the Earth}, a place that the sasa {the moth} and the akla {the weevil} destroy, and where the ganabe {the thieves} break through and they steal." Obviously he treats "in the Ara {the Earth}" as a complement of the verb "place", not an attributive of "treasure".

It seems that there is consensus among various sources about this quote in the Bible. Curiously, when I asked this question in a forum dedicated to discussions about religions (https://www.city-data.com/forum/christianity/3470693-grammar-question-when-reading-bible.html), they all support the other understanding, i.e. "Do not store up for yourselves treasures on earth" is equivalent to "Do not store up for yourselves treasures that are on earth", not "Do not store up on earth treasures for yourselves". (I find it easier to explain to them by rewriting the sentence than using linguistic jargon.) After I point out the Aramaic source, I get a reply "When it comes to grammar and God's Word, grammar gets a no-go". That's indeed an impeccable argument!