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”.

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

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 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, iw-are-ru (言われる) or “say” is used.

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

Translation commentary on Jeremiah 33:11

Instead of repeating voice four times and using the plural form (voices) once, it is possible to combine them and be more economical, as in Good News Translation. It is not natural in some languages to use voice without an agent (as in voice of mirth). In such cases, translators can say something like “the sounds of happy people” or “the sounds of people laughing.”

For the voice of mirth and the voice of gladness, see 7.34. Mirth is used elsewhere in 15.16 (Revised Standard Version “joy”); 16.9; 25.10; 31.13 (Revised Standard Version “joy”); 33.9 (Revised Standard Version “joy”). Gladness is found elsewhere in 15.16 (Revised Standard Version “delight”); 16.9; 25.10; 31.7; 48.33 (Revised Standard Version “joy”).

The voice of the bridegroom and the voice of the bride: See 7.34. This is represented in Good News Translation by “the happy sounds of wedding feasts.” Translators can also say “the happy sounds of people getting married” or “the happy sound of people at a wedding.”

The voices of those who sing, as they bring back thank offerings to the house of the LORD: Once again the order of the Hebrew is unnatural for English readers in that the voices of those who sing is separated from the content of the song by the clause as they bring thank offerings to the house of the LORD. Good News Translation makes the meaning clear with “You will hear people sing … they will say….” Another way to render it is “People will bring thank offerings to my temple. They will be singing….” For thank offerings, see 17.26.

Give thanks to the LORD of hosts …: Translators should attempt to render in such a manner as to indicate that this and the following two lines are the content of the song that is sung by those bringing thank offerings to the house of the LORD. The song expresses liturgical forms used in the temple service (see 1Chr 16.34; 2Chr 5.13; 7.3, 6; Ezra 3.11; Psa 106.1).

The LORD of hosts: See 2.19.

Steadfast love: See 2.2, where Revised Standard Version has “devotion.” If it is unnatural to speak of love being eternal, translators can have “He will love you forever.”

Says the LORD: See 1.8.

Quoted with permission from Newman, Barclay M. and Stine, Philip C. A Handbook on Jeremiah. (UBS Helps for Translators). New York: UBS, 2003. For this and other handbooks for translators see here .