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 Jeremiah 9:24

But let him who glories glory in this may be rendered “If anyone wants to boast, he should boast that….” Translators can also say something like “If people want to boast, here is what they can boast about” or “… they should boast that they know….”

Some commentators have rendered understands and knows me with something like “is wise enough to know me” or “is capable of knowing me.” Revised English Bible has “understands and acknowledges me.” However, here it seems that both verbs are used with the same meaning; the two of them taken together intensify and reinforce one another. If translators do not have two different but related words to convey the relationship of understands and knows me, they can show the intensification with an expression such as “knows me completely” or “knows me inside and out.” For the verb know, see the comment at 1.5.

From the text of Revised Standard Version it is not clear how that I am the LORD … relates to the previous lines. One interpretation is “… acknowledges me as the LORD who…” or “… knows me as the LORD who….” New International Version and Bible en français courant follow this. Thus knowing the LORD means to acknowledge that he shows unfailing love, justice, and righteousness. Revised English Bible, on the other hand, starts a completely new sentence: “… acknowledges me. For I am the LORD, I show unfailing love….” By this interpretation, people should boast that they know and understand the LORD. And well they should, because as the LORD, he shows unfailing love, justice, and righteousness. The first interpretation seems to fit better in this context. Thus the lines beginning that I am the LORD should be seen as an expansion of the content of knowing the LORD.

Steadfast love first appears in 2.2, where it is translated “devotion” by Revised Standard Version. Here it can be rendered by a verb, as in Good News Translation “my love is constant” or “I never fail to show love.” Justice is used in 4.2, as is righteousness, which Revised Standard Version translates there as “uprightness.” These words can be rendered by an expression such as “I do what is just and what is right.”

In these things I delight may need to be translated “I delight in people who do these things.” One commentator points out that the word translated practice could also be “create.” If this is accepted, then the meaning is that the LORD creates unfailing love, justice, and righteousness on the earth because these are the things that give him pleasure. Hence the first part of this verse could be rendered “But let those people who want to boast be boastful about knowing and understanding me as the one who causes people on earth to show unfailing love [toward me] and to treat each other with righteousness. Because it is when people do these things that I find delight.”

For 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 .