complete verse (Acts 7:34)

Following are a number of back-translations of Acts 7:34:

  • Uma: “I have indeed seen the bitterness of life of my people the Israel people in Mesir. I have heard their groaning/suffering. That is why I came landed/came-down here to release them. Now, come here, I order you to go to the land of Mesir, to release the Israel people.’ Those were the Lord God’s words to Musa.” (Source: Uma Back Translation)
  • Yakan: “Then God said further, ‘I have seen the persecution/suffering of my people there in the country of Misil. I have heard their complaints and I came down to deliver them. Come, I will send you to Misil.'” (Source: Yakan Back Translation)
  • Western Bukidnon Manobo: “I have seen the ill treatment of the Egyptians to my chosen people, and I have heard their groan. Therefore I am here now on the earth because I will set them free. Now get going because I am going to send you to Egypt.'” (Source: Western Bukidnon Manobo Back Translation)
  • Kankanaey: “I have seen the persecution of my people in Egipto. I have also heard their pleas-for-help and their groans. So here-now I have come to set-them -free. Come (here) so that I will send you (sing.) to return to Egipto,’ God said to Moses.” (Source: Kankanaey Back Translation)
  • Tagbanwa: “I really can see all the causing-suffering by the taga Egipto to these whom I have chosen as my people. I really can hear their calling-for-help. Therefore I have come down now for the time has been reached when I will free them. Well now, I will cause you to return there to Egipto.”” (Source: Tagbanwa Back Translation)

1st person pronoun referring to God (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 first person singular and plural pronoun (“I” and “we” and its various forms) as shown here in the widely-used Japanese Shinkaiyaku (新改訳) Bible of 2017. The most commonly used watashi/watakushi (私) is typically used when the speaker is humble and asking for help. In these verses, where God / Jesus is referring to himself, watashi is also used but instead of the kanji writing system (私) the syllabary hiragana (わたし) is used to distinguish God from others.

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

See also pronoun for “God”.

Translation commentary on Acts 7:34

Some languages do not possess two such distinct terms as “look” and “see.” Both forms of perception may be included in a single verb. I have looked and seen translates a Semitic idiom “seeing I have seen,” which may be taken as a means of expressing emphasis (see Revised Standard Version “I have surely seen”; New English Bible “I have indeed seen”).

The construction seen the cruel suffering of my people in Egypt must often be changed to read “seen how my people in Egypt suffer so much” or as in some languages “seen how the people in Egypt beat my people so severely.”

The sequence involved in I have heard their groans may be restructured in some languages as “they groan and I hear them.”

In the statement come now, I will send you to Egypt, the first phrase come now translates an imperative, and I will send represents a subjunctive with a hortatory meaning, “let me send” (see Jerusalem Bible, New English Bible). A literal rendering of come now may be quite vague. Therefore, one may wish to use, as in some languages, “come here” or “come listen.”

A number of languages are quite specific with regard to whether a person has been in a place before. Accordingly, the last clause of verse 34 must then be rendered as “I will send you back to Egypt.”

Quoted with permission from Newman, Barclay M. and Nida, Eugene A. A Handbook on The Acts of the Apostles. (UBS Handbook Series). New York: UBS, 1972. For this and other handbooks for translators see here .