complete verse (Deuteronomy 1:39)

Following are a number of back-translations as well as a sample translation for translators of Deuteronomy 1:39:

  • Kupsabiny: “But these small children who it was said that enemies would capture them to become prisoners, I shall give to them to enter into that land and it will become theirs.” (Source: Kupsabiny Back Translation)
  • Newari: “As for your children who did not yet know good from evil, whom you said would be captured and taken away — [they] will go in there. I will give that land to them, and they will take possession of it.” (Source: Newari Back Translation)
  • Hiligaynon: “‘Then the LORD said to all of us (incl.), ‘Your (plur.) children who are- not yet -aware-(of what is going on around them)/[lit. not yet have-knowledge] will- also -be-able-to-enter that-particular land. You (plur.) (were) afraid that maybe they would-be-taken-captive, but to them I will-give this land and they will-possess this.” (Source: Hiligaynon Back Translation)
  • English: “Then Yahweh said to all of us, ‘You said that your children would be captured by your enemies. Because they are very young, they do not yet know what is good and what is evil. But they are the ones to whom I will give that land, and they will enter it and occupy it.” (Source: Translation for Translators)

1st person pronoun referring to God (Japanese)

Click or tap here to see the rest of this insight.

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”.

formal 2nd person plural pronoun (Japanese)

Click or tap here to see the rest of this insight.

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 Deuteronomy 1:39

In the previous verse Yahweh was speaking to Moses directly. But now he speaks to all the Israelites again. So it will be helpful for translators to begin the verse with something like “Then the LORD said to all of us” (Good News Translation), or “Then the LORD spoke to you again” (Contemporary English Version).

Moreover: here the meaning of the statement that none of that evil generation would enter the land of Canaan (verse 35) becomes clear. In addition to Joseph and Caleb, your little ones … and your children will enter the land. There is no difference in meaning between “little ones” and “children”: this is a double way of referring to the younger generation. They are described as who this day have no knowledge of good or evil, that is, they are not mature enough to make moral decisions and so cannot be punished. Good News Translation “too young to know right from wrong” expresses the meaning well, or we may say “innocent young children” (Contemporary English Version).

Who you said would become a prey: that is, the Israelites said that their children would be taken captive by their enemies (see Num 14.31). This seems to be one of their excuses for not obeying Moses’ command. In languages that do not use the passive voice (as Good News Translation does), we may say “your enemies would capture….” “Your enemies” in a number of languages will be expressed as “those who hate you.”

And to them I will give it, and they shall possess it: this states that the land is both God’s gift and the people’s achievement. They will be able to conquer the land because God will give it to them. Both Revised Standard Version and Good News Translation have a complicated structure. It is possible to restructure the verse as follows:

• Then the LORD said to all of us, “You said that your enemies would capture your young children. But I will help these children go into the land and occupy it instead of you.

Quoted with permission from Bratcher, Robert G. and Hatton, Howard A. A Handbook on Deuteronomy. (UBS Helps for Translators). New York: UBS, 2000. For this and other handbooks for translators see here .