formal 2nd person plural pronoun (Japanese)

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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 formal plural suffix to the second person pronoun (“you” and its various forms) as shown here in the widely-used Japanese Shinkaiyaku (新改訳) Bible of 2017. In these verses, anata-gata (あなたがた) is used, combining the second person pronoun anata and the plural suffix -gata to create a formal plural pronoun (“you” [plural] in English).

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

Translation commentary on 2 Corinthians 5:11

Therefore: this transition word has been left untranslated in Good News Translation, but it should somehow be made apparent in the receptor language that, while a new detail of the argument is beginning here, it is nevertheless closely related to what has just been said.

Fear of the Lord: this expression is found frequently in the Old Testament, but also in Acts 9.31. As Good News Translation makes clear, the meaning is the fear directed toward the Lord. As elsewhere in the Bible, “fear of God” does not mean primarily fright, but rather an attitude of respect, reverence, and awe. It is not clear whether the Lord here refers to God or to Jesus. Since these words follow immediately after the words “the judgment seat of Christ” in verse 10, many interpreters understand the Lord to refer to Christ. Other interpreters emphasize the use of the expression fear of the Lord in the Greek Old Testament as referring to God. The two interpretations are equally possible, and unless translators are forced by their language to say one or the other, it will be better to leave the ambiguity as in Greek.

The verb knowing here has the idea of experiencing or being aware of something. It is more than merely knowing about something. It includes an awareness of responsibility. Moffatt has “with the fear of the Lord before my mind,” while New American Bible reads “standing in awe of the Lord.”

Though the Greek says literally we persuade men, Paul is no doubt using the word men inclusively here, including women also. Good News Translation says “others,” and Revised English Bible says “we address our appeal to men and women.” New Jerusalem Bible has “we try to win people over.” The word persuade is to be understood as a present tense that here expresses the idea of incompleteness, or something attempted but not necessarily achieved. This is why Good News Translation has “we try to persuade” (so also New American Bible). Revised English Bible says “we address our appeal.” The Greek does not make explicit what Paul tries to persuade people to do. Translators may want to follow the model of Contemporary English Version: “we encourage everyone to turn to him [the Lord].”

Your conscience: on conscience see comments on 4.2.

The first person plural pronouns in verses 11-15 clearly do not include the readers. Some interpreters understand all the first person plural pronouns in this section to be referring to Paul alone, except in verse 5.21 (so Moffatt and An American Translation, which use first person singular pronouns).

Quoted with permission from Omanson, Roger L. and Ellingworth, Paul. A Handbook on Paul’s Second Letter to the Corinthians. (UBS Handbook Series). New York: UBS, 1993. For this and other handbooks for translators see here .