2nd person pronoun with low register (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 second person pronoun (“you” and its various forms) as shown here in the widely-used Japanese Shinkaiyaku (新改訳) Bible of 2017. The most commonly used anata (あなた) is typically used when the speaker is humbly addressing another person.

In these verses, however, omae (おまえ) is used, a cruder second person pronoun, that Jesus for instance chooses when chiding his disciples. (Source: S. E. Doi, see also S. E. Doi in Journal of Translation, 18/2022, p. 37ff. )

See also first person pronoun with low register and third person pronoun with low register.

Translation commentary on John 19:15

Kill him! Kill him! (so also Goodspeed) is rendered “Away with him! Away with him!” in most translations; Jerusalem Bible renders “Take him away, take him away!” (so also Phillips). The root meaning of the Greek verb is “lift up” (compare 8.59); here it has the extended meaning of “kill” (by “lifting up” or “taking away”).

Crucify him is the same verb used in verse 6, but here the object him is explicitly expressed in Greek.

The only king we have is the Emperor is more literally “We do not have a king except Caesar.” Good News Translation states positively what the Greek text states negatively; “Caesar” is a title for the Roman Emperor (see verse 12). This response of the chief priests may be expressed in various ways, for example, “The Emperor is our only ruler” or “Only the Emperor rules over us” or “The Emperor is the only one we acknowledge as our ruler” or “… as our king.”

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 .