complete verse (John 16:26)

Following are a number of back-translations of John 16:26:

  • Uma: “At that time, you will ask my Father with my name. It is not necessary for me to ask my Father for you,” (Source: Uma Back Translation)
  • Yakan: “When that day has come, when you ask/request, you will be the ones asking from my Father because you trust in me. It will not be I who is asking for you” (Source: Yakan Back Translation)
  • Western Bukidnon Manobo: “On that day, because of your faith in me, you will be the ones to tell what you request from my Father. And it will no longer be necessary that I am still the one to say what you request from my Father” (Source: Western Bukidnon Manobo Back Translation)
  • Kankanaey: “When that day arrives, he is the one from-whom-you -will-request on-account-of your unity-with me. I don’t say that it must be I who will request him for/on-behalf-of you,” (Source: Kankanaey Back Translation)
  • Tagbanwa: “On that day, you will make requests to him on the strength of your being tied-together/united with me. It’s not as if it’s still necessary that I will pray for you to the Father. Your prayer will now be direct to him.” (Source: Tagbanwa Back Translation)
  • Tenango Otomi: “On that day you can ask the Father what you want because you believe in me. It won’t be necessary that first I ask the favor of my Father on your behalf.” (Source: Tenango Otomi Back Translation)

Father (address for God)

The Greek that is translated with the capitalized “Father” in English when referring to God is translated in Highland Totonac with the regular word for (biological) father to which a suffix is added to indicate respect. The same also is used for “Lord” when referring to Jesus. (Source: Hermann Aschmann in The Bible Translator 1950, p. 171ff. )

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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. In the widely-used Japanese Shinkaiyaku (新改訳) Bible of 2017, God the Father is addressed with mi-chichi (御父). This form has the “divine” honorific prefix mi– preceding the archaic honorific form chichi for “father.”

If, however, Jesus addresses his Father, he is using chichi-o (父を) which is also highly respectful but does not have the “divine” honorific. (Source: S. E. Doi, see also S. E. Doi in Journal of Translation, 18/2022, p. 37ff. )

See also Lord and my / our Father.

1st person pronoun referring to God (Japanese)

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 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”.

formal 2nd person plural pronoun (Japanese)

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 choice of a formal plural suffix to the second person pronoun (“you” and its various forms) as shown here in the widely-used Japanese Shinkaiyaku (新改訳) Bible of 2017. In these verses, anata-gata (あなたがた) is used, combining the second person pronoun anata and the plural suffix -gata to create a formal plural pronoun (“you” [plural] in English).

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

Translation commentary on John 16:26

When that day comes (literally “in that day”) refers to the time mentioned in verse 25.

Him (a reference to the Father) is not explicit in the Greek text, though Good News Translation and Die Bibel im heutigen Deutsch make it so.

For a discussion of in my name see comments at 14.13. Most translators apparently prefer to render the phrase literally, but Goodspeed has “you will ask as my followers” and Die Bibel im heutigen Deutsch “then you will ask by appealing to me.”

Two different verbs for ask are used in this verse: aiteō (you will ask him) and erōtaō (I will ask him). See the discussion of them in verse 23. In the context the petition specifically relates to deeper understanding. The implication is that prayer will be granted and this fact is stated explicitly in 14.13: I will do whatever you ask for in my name.

And I do not say that I will ask him on your behalf (Phillips “for I need make no promise to plead to the Father for you”) indicates that Jesus will not have to call the Father’s attention to the needs of the disciples, for they can pray to the Father directly through the help of the Spirit.

In some languages there are complications in the placement of the negative not in the sentence I do not say that I will ask him on your behalf. This might mean in some languages “I say that I will not ask him on your behalf.” Compare, for example, the English sentence “I don’t think he will go,” which is really equivalent to “I think he will not go.” It may therefore be necessary to translate this part of verse 26 “I will not need to ask him on your behalf” or “… ask him to help you.”

Quoted with permission from Newman, Barclay M. and Nida, Eugene A. A Handbook on the Gospel of John. (UBS Handbook Series). New York: UBS, 1980. For this and other handbooks for translators see here .