Honorary "rare" construct denoting God (“come”)

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Like a number of other East Asian languages, Japanese uses a complex system of honorifics, i.e. a system where a number of different levels of politeness are expressed in language via words, word forms or grammatical constructs. These can range from addressing someone or referring to someone with contempt (very informal) to expressing the highest level of reference (as used in addressing or referring to God) or any number of levels in-between.

One way Japanese shows different degree of politeness is through the usage of an honorific construction where the morpheme rare (られ) is affixed on the verb as shown here in the widely-used Japanese Shinkaiyaku (新改訳) Bible of 2017. This is particularly done with verbs that have God as the agent to show a deep sense of reverence. Here, ko-rare-ru (来られる) or “come” is used.

(Source: S. E. Doi, see also S. E. Doi in Journal of Translation, 18/2022, p. 37ff. )

Translation commentary on 1 Timothy 1:15

The expression The saying is sure occurs five times in the Pastoral Letters (in addition to here, it occurs also in 3.1; 4.9; 2 Tim 2.11; and Titus 3.8) but nowhere else in the New Testament. The formula is used to emphasize not only the importance but primarily the trustworthiness of the saying to which it refers. In some of these occurrences it is not easy to determine whether the formula refers to what precedes or to what follows. In the present case, however, it clearly points to what follows, namely, to the statement regarding the role of Christ as savior of sinners. In order to make this clear, it may be necessary in some languages to put the formula after the statement, as indeed some translations have done (for example, Contemporary English Version “ ‘Christ Jesus came into the world to save sinners.’ This saying is true, and it can be trusted”). In some languages it will be helpful to say “The following saying is true” or “The words that follow are true….” Other languages may follow CEV’s model above and say something like “ ‘Christ Jesus came into the world to save sinners.’ This is a saying that is true and we can trust (or, place our hearts in) it.” The term for saying (literally “word”) is used in the Pastoral Letters in a variety of ways, as, for example, a message from God (4.5), a synonym for teaching or doctrine (4.6), actual speech (4.12), and preaching (5.17). In the present case “word” refers to a particular statement with a special content that needs to be emphasized. Sure translates the same word that is translated “faithful” in verse 12. The focus on each instance is on trustworthiness—in the former case, of Paul, and in the present case, of the statement.

The trustworthiness of the statement is further stressed and enhanced by the addition of the expression worthy of full acceptance. Worthy describes something or someone as deserving of recognition because of merit, value, or worth. Acceptance conveys the idea of believing something to be true and deserving to be recognized and received; full stresses the completeness of the recognition and reception of the truth of the statement. Good News Translation combines these elements admirably: “to be completely accepted and believed.” One may also express this as “that we can completely accept and believe” or “that we can receive with no reservations, and can believe.”

The statement that follows is about Christ Jesus and his mission as Savior of sinners. Came into the world is perhaps a reference to the Incarnation; world refers not primarily to the created order (the universe) but to the world of human beings; this part of the statement is quite similar to John 1.14, “The Word became a human being and, full of grace and truth, lived among us” (Good News Bible). Save can be understood negatively as rescue from danger and positively as restoration to a state of well-being in the present life as well as preservation after death; furthermore, the term can be used in a physical, moral, or spiritual sense. In the present context the moral and spiritual sense seems to be in focus: through the action of Christ, sinners are rescued from their bad moral and spiritual condition and are given divine salvation or new life, that is, life that is in accordance with God’s will. Sinners are people whose lives and actions are contrary to the will and law of God. In some languages this clause will be rendered as “Christ Jesus came into the world to free evil people from their bad condition.” Furthermore, it will be more natural style in certain languages to begin this verse with this statement; for example, “ ‘Christ Jesus came into the world to free sinners from their evil condition!’ This saying is true.” However, it is also possible to reverse the order of the clauses; for example, “People have sinful hearts (or, minds), so they sin. But Christ Jesus came to rescue them from their sinful condition.”

An example of these sinners that Christ Jesus came to save is Paul himself. He describes himself as the foremost of sinners; this is literally “first,” but not in a chronological sense (that is, not the first one to commit sin) but in terms of seriousness of sin, hence foremost, “worst” (Good News Translation), or even “greatest.” The focus here is not on Paul’s moral lapses or immoral conduct but on his rejection of Christ that led him to become one of the greatest persecutors of Christ’s followers. His description of himself as the worst of sinners expresses both his sense of helplessness because of his rejection of Christ, and the greatness of Christ’s act of bestowing on him new life that was completely undeserved and unexpected.

Alternative translation models for this verse are:
• The following is (or, The words that follow are) a true saying that we can receive with no reservations and believe: Christ Jesus came into the world to free people who do sinful things from their evil condition. I am the worst (or, greatest) of such people.

Or:
• “Christ Jesus came into the world to free sinners from their evil condition!” This saying is true, and we can trust it. I am….

Quoted with permission from Arichea, Daniel C. and Hatton, Howard A. A Handbook on Paul’s First Letter to Timothy. (UBS Handbook Series). New York: UBS, 1995. For this and other handbooks for translators see here .

SIL Translator's Notes on 1 Timothy 1:15

Paragraph 1:15–17

In the same way that Christ saved Paul, he will also save everyone else who believes in him, no matter how sinful they are.

1:15a

This is a trustworthy saying: This is an expression that Paul used often in his letters to Timothy and Titus. See 1 Timothy 3:1, 4:9; 2 Timothy 2:11; Titus 1:9, 3:8. You should try to use the same expression of introduction in all these places. Paul used this expression to introduce a saying that was well-known among believers at that time. This saying is found in 1:15c.

trustworthy: Paul said that this saying (1:15c) about Christ was trustworthy. That means that it was true and reliable. Other ways to say this could be: “This saying really is true,” or “people should believe this.”

saying: A saying is an expression that is well known to people. In some languages it may be possible to use a word like “proverb.”

1:15b

worthy of full acceptance: Because the saying in 1:15c is “trustworthy”, everyone should believe it and should not doubt it in any way. They can be sure that it is true.

1:15c

Christ Jesus came into the world to save sinners: This is the saying that Paul introduced in 1:15a–b.

Christ Jesus came into the world: This refers to when Christ Jesus came to earth the first time and died on the cross.

Christ Jesus: Notice that in this verse Paul referred to Jesus as Christ Jesus instead of “Jesus Christ.” The names “Christ Jesus” and “Jesus Christ” refer to the same person. (Some people, however, think that when Paul used the word Christ before the word Jesus, as in Christ Jesus, he was emphasizing that Jesus was the Messiah.)

In most English versions “Jesus Christ” and “Christ Jesus” are translated in the same order as they occur in the Greek manuscripts. It is recommended that you do the same thing.

However, it is possible that, in some languages, people may be confused to see the names in two different orders. They may even think that Paul was referring to two different people. If this is true in your language, it may be necessary to translate Christ Jesus as “Jesus Christ.” This is the more usual word order in the New Testament.

Christ: The word Christ is used two ways in the New Testament. In the Gospels, Christ is a title for Jesus. It means “the anointed one.” But later, by the time that Paul and others wrote letters to individuals and churches, the word Christ was used as another name for Jesus. It was no longer used as a title. So here and in other New Testament letters you should spell Christ according to the rules of your language.

to save sinners: This is the purpose for which Jesus came into the world. The Greek word that the Berean Standard Bible translates as save means “to rescue from danger.” In this context, the danger is that if a person does not repent and stop sinning, he will not receive eternal life.

sinners: A sinner is a person who has disobeyed God.

General Comment on 1:15c

Sayings are normally short because people want to remember them. Therefore translate this saying with as few words as possible. It would also be helpful to keep the saying in one sentence. One way to do this is:

Christ Jesus came to earth to rescue people who have sinned.

In some languages it may be helpful to indicate the beginning and end of the saying in some way. For example, you may want to use quotation marks or a different printing style, such as italics. The Phillips’ New Testament in Modern English uses both.

1:15d

of whom I am the worst: Notice that this part of the verse is not part of the saying in 1:15c. One way to make this clear would be to use special punctuation. For example, the New International Version (2011 Revision) uses a dash, that is, —. If you place the saying in quotation marks, make sure you close the quotation marks at the end of 1:15c. Paul added these words to make it personal in this context.

I am the worst: The Greek word that the Berean Standard Bible translates as worst literally means “first.” Paul meant that he considered himself to be the greatest sinner. This did not mean that Paul had committed more or greater sins than anyone else in the world. It meant that Paul felt as if he were the worst sinner. (Stott, page 53, says, “…when we are convicted of sin by the Holy Spirit, an immediate result is that we give up all such comparisons. Paul was so vividly aware of his own sins that he could not conceive that anybody could be worse. It is the language of every sinner whose conscience has been awakened and disturbed by the Holy Spirit. We may begin like the Pharisee in Jesus’ parable, ‘God, I thank you that I am not like other men’, but we end like the tax collector who beat his breast and said (literally), ‘God have mercy on me, the sinner [Luke 18:9ff.].’ The Pharisee indulged in odious comparisons; as far as the tax collector was concerned, however, there were no other sinners with whom to compare himself; he was the one and only.”) Paul was so aware of his own sins that he could not imagine that anybody could be worse than he was.

General Comment on 1:15a–d

In some languages it may be best to reorder this verse. For example, it may be better to translate the saying before stating that it is trustworthy. One way to do this is:

We believers often say: 15c“Christ Jesus came to the world to save sinners.” 15aThese words are true 15band everyone can believe them without doubting them in any way. 15dAnd I have sinned more than anyone…

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All Scripture quotations in this publication, unless otherwise indicated, are from The Holy Bible, Berean Standard Bible. BSB is produced in cooperation with Bible Hub, Discovery Bible, OpenBible.com, and the Berean Bible Translation Committee.