Ixcatlán Mazatec: “with your best/biggest thinking” (source: Robert Bascom)
Noongar: dwangka-boola, lit. “ear much” (source: Portions of the Holy Bible in the Nyunga language of Australia, 2018 — see also remember)
Kwere “to know how to live well” (source: Pioneer Bible Translators, project-specific translation notes in Paratext)
Dobel: “their ear holes are long-lasting” (in Acts 6:3) (source: Jock Hughes)
Gbaya: iŋa-mgbara-mɔ or “knowing-about-things” (note that in comparison to that, “knowledge” is translated as iŋa-mɔ or “knowing things”) (source: Philip Noss in The Bible Translator 2001, p. 114ff. )
Chichewa: nzeru, meaning both “knowledge” and “wisdom” (source: Mawu a Mulungu mu Chichewa Chalero Back Translation)
The name that is transliterated as “Judah” or “Judea” in English (referring to the son of Jacob, the tribe, and the territory) is translated in Spanish Sign Language as “lion” (referring to Genesis 49:9 and Revelation 5:5). This sign for lion is reserved for regions and kingdoms. (Source: John Elwode in The Bible Translator 2008, p. 78ff. and Steve Parkhurst)
Following are a number of back-translations as well as a sample translation for translators of 2 Chronicles 1:10:
Kupsabiny: “I pray that you give me wisdom and experience so that I am able to lead these people. I am not able to rule this many of your people in my own power/strength.’” (Source: Kupsabiny Back Translation)
Newari: “So give me the wisdom and insight needed to rule over them. Otherwise how will I be able to rule this great nation of yours?"” (Source: Newari Back Translation)
Hiligaynon: “Give me wisdom and knowledge so-that I can rule this people. For who will-be-able to rule this very many people of yours?’” (Source: Hiligaynon Back Translation)
English: “Please enable me to be wise and to know what I should do, in order that I may rule these people well, because there is no one who can rule all this great nation of yours without your help.’” (Source: Translation for Translators)
Translators of different languages have found different ways with what kind of formality God is addressed. The first example is from a language where God is always addressed distinctly formal whereas the second is one where the opposite choice was made.
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Like many languages (but unlike Greek or Hebrew or English), Tuvan uses a formal vs. informal 2nd person pronoun (a familiar vs. a respectful “you”). Unlike other languages that have this feature, however, the translators of the Tuvan Bible have attempted to be very consistent in using the different forms of address in every case a 2nd person pronoun has to be used in the translation of the biblical text.
As Voinov shows in Pronominal Theology in Translating the Gospels (in: The Bible Translator2002, p. 210ff. ), the choice to use either of the pronouns many times involved theological judgment. While the formal pronoun can signal personal distance or a social/power distance between the speaker and addressee, the informal pronoun can indicate familiarity or social/power equality between speaker and addressee.
In these verses, in which humans address God, the informal, familiar pronoun is used that communicates closeness.
Voinov notes that “in the Tuvan Bible, God is only addressed with the informal pronoun. No exceptions. An interesting thing about this is that I’ve heard new Tuvan believers praying with the formal form to God until they are corrected by other Christians who tell them that God is close to us so we should address him with the informal pronoun. As a result, the informal pronoun is the only one that is used in praying to God among the Tuvan church.”
In Gbaya, “a superior, whether father, uncle, or older brother, mother, aunt, or older sister, president, governor, or chief, is never addressed in the singular unless the speaker intends a deliberate insult. When addressing the superior face to face, the second person plural pronoun ɛ́nɛ́ or ‘you (pl.)’ is used, similar to the French usage of vous.
Accordingly, the translators of the current version of the Gbaya Bible chose to use the plural ɛ́nɛ́ to address God. There are a few exceptions. In Psalms 86:8, 97:9, and 138:1, God is addressed alongside other “gods,” and here the third person pronoun o is used to avoid confusion about who is being addressed. In several New Testament passages (Matthew 21:23, 26:68, 27:40, Mark 11:28, Luke 20:2, 23:37, as well as in Jesus’ interaction with Pilate and Jesus’ interaction with the Samaritan woman at the well) the less courteous form for Jesus is used to indicate ignorance of his position or mocking (source Philip Noss).
In Dutch and Western Frisian translations, however, God is always addressed with the formal pronoun.
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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 choice of a benefactive construction as shown here in the widely-used Japanese Shinkaiyaku (新改訳) Bible of 2017.
Here, sazukete (授けて) or “beget/bestow” is used in combination with kudasaru (くださる), a respectful form of the benefactive kureru (くれる). A benefactive reflects the good will of the giver or the gratitude of a recipient of the favor. To convey this connotation, English translation needs to employ a phrase such as “for me (my sake)” or “for you (your sake).” (Source: S. E. Doi, see also S. E. Doi in Journal of Translation, 18/2022, p. 37ff. )
Solomon’s prayer for wisdom and knowledge is what David had asked for him according to 1 Chr 22.12.
Give me now wisdom and knowledge: This expression may sound rude or disrespectful in some languages if it is translated literally. The Hebrew particle translated now is actually the first word in this verse, and some versions render it “Therefore” (New Jerusalem Bible, New American Bible, Bible en français courant). In some languages the imperative form will have to be softened or made more polite by the addition of a word or expression meaning “please” as in Bible en français courant and Parole de Vie. Wisdom comes only with maturity and broad experience in life. Knowledge, on the other hand, can be gained relatively quickly through reading and listening. It is only a beginning point for becoming mature and wise. For this reason it may be more natural in some languages to reverse the order of these two nouns. Knowledge can also be used in a negative sense while wisdom nearly always describes a positive value. Here it is clear that Solomon is asking for the proper mental state to be a good ruler and make intelligent and beneficial decisions. In this context Solomon’s prayer for wisdom also includes the ability to build the Temple.
To go out and come in before this people is literally “and/so I may go out before this people and I may come.” This expression is likely to be misunderstood if it is translated literally. In some contexts it means “to lead the army into warfare,” but here the meaning is simply “to perform all the duties of a leader.” New Jerusalem Bible translates “to act as a leader of this people,” and Traduction œcuménique de la Bible has “so that I might know how to conduct myself in front of this people.” Some other possible models are “so I can lead these people in the right way” (New Century Version), “to lead this people” (New Jewish Publication Society’s Tanakh; similarly Revised English Bible), and “that I might fulfill this task at the head of this people” (Bible en français courant).
For who can rule this thy people, that is so great?: In this context the Hebrew conjunction rendered for has the meaning “otherwise, if I don’t receive wisdom and knowledge.” Good News Translation and Revised English Bible use the connector “Otherwise.” Other possible connectors are “because” (New Century Version) and “Without that” (Bible en français courant). Who can rule…? is a rhetorical question. Solomon knows that without God’s help no one can rule the people of Israel. Since Solomon clearly is expressing his own inability to rule the people without wisdom from God, Good News Translation changes the subject of this question from the third person to the first person, saying “how would I ever be able to rule…?” (similarly Die Bibel im heutigen Deutsch). However, such a change seems to weaken the sense, since Solomon is not saying that only he is unable to rule the people, but rather that no one is able to do so without God’s help. The Hebrew verb rendered rule is literally “judge” (King James Version), but Revised Standard Version expresses it correctly in this context. The Hebrew adjective for great used to describe the people of Israel may be understood either in the sense of importance or number. However, the two ideas are not easily separated since a nation that has numerous members is also important by virtue of its numbers. Parola Del Signore: La Bibbia in Lingua Corrente says “numerous,” and this is most likely the sense of the Hebrew in light of the statement at the end of verse 9. Alternative renderings for this rhetorical question are “how can anyone rule these numerous people of yours?” and “no one can possibly rule over these numerous people of yours.”
Quoted with permission from Omanson, Roger L. and Ellington, John E. A Handbook on 1-2 Chronicles, Volume 1. (UBS Helps for Translators). Miami: UBS, 2014. For this and other handbooks for translators see here .
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