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

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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, shukufukus-are-ru (祝福される) or “bless” is used.

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

Translation commentary on Deuteronomy 28:8

Command the blessing upon you in your barns: this refers to the contents of the barns, that is, grain and other crops. Another way to express this is “give you so much grain that your barns [or, storage places] will be full.”

In all that you undertake: that is, in all the work the Israelites do.

In the land which the LORD your God gives you: a repetition of this familiar refrain in Deuteronomy.

An alternative translation model for this verse may be:

• Yahweh will make you prosper in the land that he is giving you. You will be successful in everything you do. You will have so much grain that your barns will be full.

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 .