Honorary "are" construct denoting God (“say”)

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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 are (され) 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, iw-are-ru (言われる) or “say” is used.

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

Translation commentary on 2 Samuel 7:26

Thy name will be magnified: the name is representative of the whole person, and the verb magnified may be more literally rendered “be great.” If the name of a person is “great” or well known, that person is famous and others talk about him or her often. So the meaning of this expression is expanded by the one that follows.

Saying: the text does not indicate clearly who will be the subject of this verb, but the idea seems to be that people in general will praise God in this way. However, some scholars have proposed that this verb should be omitted altogether, so that the text would read “and your name will be great forever—Yahweh Sabaoth, god over Israel…” (Anchor Bible). Although this proposal is appealing, few modern versions adopt it.

The LORD of hosts: see 6.2 and 1 Sam 1.3.

God over Israel: in some languages the preposition over will not be appropriate here. A verbal expression may be required; for example, “God who rules Israel” or “God who guides the people of Israel.”

The house of thy servant David: once again David refers to himself in the third person, but this will be much less awkward and more understandable if it is translated by a first person reference such as “my lineage” or “those of my family who follow me.”

Established: according to modern English usage David’s rule had already been established. What he is asking here is that it be sustained. He wanted God to ensure that his descendants would continue to rule over Israel. This verb may therefore be rendered “be secure” (New Jerusalem Bible), “remain unshaken” (Knox), or “continue” (New Century Version).

Quoted with permission from Omanson, Roger L. and Ellington, John E. A Handbook on the First and Second Books of Samuel, Volume 2. (UBS Helps for Translators). New York: UBS, 2001. For this and other handbooks for translators see here .