The Hebrew, Greek, and Latin that is translated as “soul” in English is translated in Chol with a term that refers to the invisible aspects of human beings (source: Robert Bascom), in Yagaria with oune or “shadow, reflection” (source: Renck, p. 81), and in Elhomwe as “heart” (source: project-specific translation notes in Paratext).
The Mandarin Chineselínghún (靈魂 / 灵魂), literally “spirit-soul,” is often used for “soul” (along with xīn [心] or “heart”). This is a term that was adopted from Buddhist sources into early Catholic writings and later also by Protestant translators. (Source: Zetzsche 1996, p. 32, see also Clara Ho-yan Chan in this article )
In Chichewa, moyo means both “soul” and “life.” (Source: Mawu a Mulungu mu Chichewa Chalero Back Translation)
Following are a number of back-translations as well as a sample translation for translators of Isaiah 26:9:
Kupsabiny: “When any/every night arrives I am wanting you with all my stomach/soul. When you judge the land and the people they will know that there is truth/justice.” (Source: Kupsabiny Back Translation)
Newari: “At night I am longing for you with my whole heart. In the morning my spirit is longing for you. When you judge the earth and those who live there, they learn righteousness.” (Source: Newari Back Translation)
Hiligaynon: “I really long for you (sing.) at night, with my whole heart. (It is) true that when you (sing.) judge the people in the world, they can-learn to live righteously.” (Source: Hiligaynon Back Translation)
English: “All through the night I desire to know you better, and each morning I still want to be with you. Only when you come to judge and punish people who live on the earth will they learn to do what is right.” (Source: Translation for Translators)
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 Translator2002, 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.
My soul yearns for thee in the night: This verse begins with the noun soul, the same word at the end of the previous verse (see the comments there). The Hebrew verb rendered yearns comes from the same root as the word for “desire” in the previous verse. My soul yearns for thee means the prophet longs for Yahweh’s presence or comfort. In many Lament Psalms there is a reference to longing or suffering in the night (see, for example, Psa 16.7; 77.6; 119.55).
My spirit within me earnestly seeks thee: This line is parallel and synonymous with the previous one. It starts with the same emphatic particle in Hebrew that begins the previous verse. New American Bible renders it “yes,” but most versions omit it. Like soul, the Hebrew word for spirit refers to a person’s innermost being. Some scholars change within me (beqirbi in Hebrew) to read “in the morning” (babboqer in Hebrew), so that it balances with in the night. There is no textual evidence to support this reading, and Hebrew Old Testament Text Project does not even see a textual problem here. However, this reading is found in New International Version and Revised English Bible (“at dawn”), while New Jewish Publication Society’s Tanakh and Bible en français courant refer to it in a footnote. If there is some possible justification for the phrase “in the morning,” it would not come from the Hebrew expression beqirbi, but rather from the root of the verb rendered earnestly seeks, which can also mean “to dawn” (for example, Gen 19.15). BDB notes that the verb originally meant “to look for the dawn,” that is, to seek early, so eventually it meant “to seek diligently.” Since the idea of “dawn” in implied in this verb, earnestly seeks thee may be rendered “diligently seeks you in the morning.” The combination of night and “morning” (implied) means that the prophet seeks Yahweh constantly.
For when thy judgments are in the earth, the inhabitants of the world learn righteousness: The connector For introduces why the prophet longs for Yahweh. When Yahweh is present, so are his laws, which show everyone how to become righteous. Yahweh is concerned for all people, not just the people of Judah. When thy judgments are in the earth is a conditional clause, which may be rendered “if your judgments are known on earth.” The inhabitants of the world learn righteousness is a result of the presence of Yahweh’s laws on earth. Everyone in the world has the possibility of learning what righteousness is and how to become righteous. The Hebrew nouns rendered world and earth are parallel; see the same pairing in 14.21; 18.3; 24.4. Good News Translation combines them into “earth,” as it often does. The Hebrew noun rendered righteousness can also mean “justice.” The relationship between righteousness and “justice” is very close. God’s laws are just, while the person who lives according to them is righteous. Translators may follow the sense of righteousness (so the first example below) or “justice” (so the second example).
Translation examples for this verse are:
• My whole being longs for you in the night,
my spirit within me diligently seeks you early;
for if your judgments are known on earth,
the inhabitants of the world may learn what righteousness is.
• My very being longs for your presence in the night,
my spirit within me seeks you early;
for when your judgments are present on earth,
the peoples of the world learn what true justice is.
Quoted with permission from Ogden, Graham S. and Sterk, Jan. A Handbook on Isaiah. (UBS Helps for Translators). New York: UBS, 2011. For this and other handbooks for translators see here .
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