I held out my hands all day long to a rebellious people

For the phrases “I held out my hands all day long to a rebellious people,” see Romans 10:21.

Note that this quote in the New Testament is not taken from the Hebrew Bible but from the Greek Septuagint (LXX) which translates into English as “I stretched out my hands all day long to a disobedient and contrary people.” (Translation by NETS — for the Greek version see the title’s tooltip)

complete verse (Isaiah 65:2)

Following are a number of back-translations as well as a sample translation for translators of Isaiah 65:2:

  • Kupsabiny: “I am always calling out for people who are rebellious,
    those whose lifestyle/habits are not righteous,
    and who are stubborn/strong-willed/rebellious.” (Source: Kupsabiny Back Translation)
  • Newari: “The entire day I am spreading out my hands
    before a rebellious people.
    But they go like that on the evil path of their own thoughts.” (Source: Newari Back Translation)
  • Hiligaynon: “‘I continually waited to return to me my people who are hard headed, who do not follow the right ways, but rather their own thinking only what they follow.” (Source: Hiligaynon Back Translation)
  • English: “It is as though I have continually held out my arms to show that I am ready to help my people who rebel against me,
    and who continually do the evil things that they want to do.” (Source: Translation for Translators)

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 Isaiah 65:2

I spread out my hands all the day to a rebellious people continues the idea that God’s help was constantly available to his people. I spread out my hands is a gesture that signals pleading or prayer (see the comments on 1.15). Here God is pleading for the people to respond to his offer to help. Revised English Bible says “I held out my hands appealing.” New International Version has “I have held out my hands” (similarly New Revised Standard Version, Bible en français courant), which implies God’s offer of help. For Good News Translation and Die Bibel im heutigen Deutsch this gesture is a simple sign of welcome, but it is more than that. The phrase all the day indicates that the offer of help is always available. The word day is not limited to a period of 24 hours. Good News Translation expresses this phrase well with “always,” and so does Bible en français courant with “constantly,” and Die Bibel im heutigen Deutsch with “All the time.” A rebellious people means the people deliberately turned against Yahweh, rejecting his offer. They were stubborn and disloyal. For rebellious see 30.1; see also the comments on “rebelled” at 1.2. Rebellious renders a participle in Hebrew. It begins a series of eight participial clauses that describe the rebellion of the people in detail.

Who walk in a way that is not good is a general description of the people. To walk in a way is to live a certain way (see the comments on 2.3). Their lifestyle is not good, meaning it is evil. For this line Revised English Bible has “who went their evil way.” Good News Translation combines it with the phrase a rebellious people, saying “who stubbornly do what is wrong.”

Following their own devices is what makes the lifestyle of the people evil. They prefer to go their own way (so Good News Translation), rather than follow the way that Yahweh set down for them. The Hebrew noun for devices refers to thoughts, intentions, or plans. New International Version has “imaginations.” Bible en français courant renders this line as “and they do exactly as they please.”

For the translation of this verse consider the following examples:

• I pleaded with those rebellious people constantly,
ready to help them.
But they are a people who go about their own evil ways,
doing whatever they wish to do [or, doing whatever pleases them].

• I begged them constantly, those rebellious people.
I was ready to help them!
But they are a people who live an evil life,
simply following their own desires.

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 .