enemy / foe

The Greek, Hebrew, Aramaic and Latin that is translated as “enemy” or “foe” in English is translated in the Hausa Common Language Bible as “friends of front,” i.e., the person standing opposite you in a battle. (Source: Andy Warren-Rothlin)

In North Alaskan Inupiatun it is translated with a term that implies that it’s not just someone who hates you, but one who wants to do you harm (Source: Robert Bascom), in Tarok as ukpa ìkum or “companion in war/fighting,” and in Ikwere as nye irno m or “person who hates me” (source for this and one above: Chuck and Karen Tessaro in this newsletter ).

addressing God

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 Translator 2002, 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.

See also female second person singular pronoun in Psalms.

Translation commentary on 2 Esdras 3:29 - 3:30

For when I came here I saw ungodly deeds without number: The conjunction For is better rendered “But” (Good News Bible, Contemporary English Version, Revised English Bible), since it introduces a contrast to Ezra’s rhetorical questions in the previous verse. The reader may be helped by being told that the clause when I came here refers back to verse 1, where Ezra tells us he is in Babylon. Like the author of Revelation, however, this author probably intends the reader to understand Babylon as a coded reference to Rome. This clause may be translated “when I first arrived here in Babylon.” I saw ungodly deeds without number may be expressed as “I saw people committing countless ungodly deeds” or “I saw people doing more evil deeds than I could count.”

And my soul has seen many sinners during these thirty years: My soul is a way of Ezra referring to himself, so this phrase may be rendered “I myself,” “with my own eyes I” (Revised English Bible), or simply “I” (Good News Bible). The verb phrase has seen many sinners does not necessarily refer to Ezra witnessing sinners doing things, but simply knowing that he lives among a sinful people. There is a textual problem with the phrase during these thirty years. The Latin text has “in this thirtieth year” (Revised Standard Version footnote), but this text is surely a misreading of the original Hebrew, so with Revised Standard Version and Good News Bible we prefer the reading of some ancient versions.

And my heart failed me: The conjunction And may be rendered “So” (Good News Bible) or omitted (so Contemporary English Version). The figurative expression my heart failed me is interpreted by some scholars to mean “I was puzzled” (similarly Good News Bible, Contemporary English Version, Myers). We think this interpretation is probably correct. We also suggest “I could not understand this.” The Latin word for heart expresses the Hebrew word for “heart,” which is the seat of thought and reasoning, not of the emotions.

For I have seen how thou dost endure those who sin may be rendered “because I have seen how you continue to tolerate [or, put up with] sinners.”

And hast spared those who act wickedly: This clause is similar in meaning to the previous one, so Contemporary English Version combines them, saying “when I saw that you did not punish sinners.” Good News Bible keeps this clause, saying simply “and do not punish them.” If possible, translators should keep both clauses for emphasis.

And hast destroyed thy people, and hast preserved thy enemies: In some languages it may be helpful to reverse these two clauses (so Good News Bible; see also the model below).

An alternative model for verses 29-30 is:

• 29 When I first arrived here in Babylon, I saw people committing countless ungodly deeds, and for thirty years* I have known many sinners here [or, I have lived among many sinners here]. I could not understand this, 30 because I have seen how you continue to tolerate sinners by not punishing them, and how you protect your enemies, while you destroy your own people.
* Some ancient translations for thirty years; Latin in this thirtieth year.

Quoted with permission from Bullard, Roger A. and Hatton, Howard A. A Handbook on 1-2 Esdras. (UBS Helps for Translators). Miami: UBS, 2019. For this and other handbooks for translators see here.