36But I have a testimony greater than John’s. The works that the Father has given me to complete, the very works that I am doing, testify on my behalf that the Father has sent me.
Following are a number of back-translations of John 5:36:
Uma: “‘But as for me, there is a witness that makes clear who I am, and that witness is greater than the witness of Yohanes. When you examine well my work, that is what witnesses to who I am. What I am doing/working at this time, is the work that my Father gave to me for me to complete. This work of mine is what makes clear that I am the messenger/sent-one of my Father.” (Source: Uma Back Translation)
Yakan: “But there is a witness for me stronger than the witness of Yahiya. These are the deeds which I have done. These deeds of mine are from the command of my Father God and he told me to finish them. Really, these deeds that I do testify for me that my Father God is the one who sent me.” (Source: Yakan Back Translation)
Western Bukidnon Manobo: “However the witness about me of my Father is greater than that of John because all that my Father God has caused me to do, the things that I have done, they testify that my Father God sent me.” (Source: Western Bukidnon Manobo Back Translation)
Kankanaey: “But there is that which confirms/verifies to you the truth of what I have been saying that is weightier than what Juan said. Because the work I am fulfilling that my Father gave-me -to-do, that is what confirms/verifies that my Father is the one who sent me.” (Source: Kankanaey Back Translation)
Tagbanwa: “But there is testimony concerning me which is much greater than this testimony of Juan. That which I am doing which the Father is causing me to do, that is what testifies that as for me, I was sent by the Father to come here.” (Source: Tagbanwa Back Translation)
Tenango Otomi: “But I do signs which no one else can do and these are testimonies about the truth of what I say. What John said was of less value. The signs I do are what my Father ordered me to do. Thus it is apparent that it is true that my Father sent me.” (Source: Tenango Otomi Back Translation)
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. )
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.
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 benefactive construction as shown here in the widely-used Japanese Shinkaiyaku (新改訳) Bible of 2017. Here, ataete (与えて) or “give” is used in combination with kudasaru (くださる), a respectful form of the benefactive kureru (くれる). A benefactive reflects the good will of the giver or the gratitude of a recipient of the favor. To convey this connotation, English translation needs to employ a phrase such as “for me (my sake)” or “for you (your sake).”
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, tsukawas-are-ru (遣わされる) or “send” is used.
Living Water is produced for the Bible translation movement in association with Lutheran Bible Translators. Lyrics derived from the ESV® Bible (The Holy Bible, English Standard Version®).
But I have a witness on my behalf which is even greater than the witness that John gave is, more literally, “But I have the witness greater than John.” Have a witness obviously refers to the testimony that someone else gives on Jesus’ behalf and not to the testimony which Jesus himself gives. A literal rendering might be ambiguous, but the inclusion of on my behalf makes the meaning clear. New English Bible removes the ambiguity by rendering “But I rely on a testimony higher than John’s.” Good News Translation makes the noun phrase “than that of John” into a verb clause with the pronoun “that” made explicit: than the witness that John gave.
The first part of verse 36 is difficult to translate, because in many languages it is not possible to speak of an activity as “a witness.” A person may act as a witness, but an event may not. It may therefore be necessary to speak of Jesus’ deeds as being the witness, in the sense of “showing who he really is.” Accordingly, the first part of verse 36 must be radically restructured, for example, “But what I do shows what I really am in a way even more important than what was shown by what John said about me.” This initial part of verse 36 may then be followed by “What I do is precisely what my Father told me to do.” Note that in this restructuring the term work is not rendered literally, because it might refer only to physical labor.
The next two clauses in Good News Translation (what I do, that is, the deeds my Father gave me to do) are rendered in reverse order from that in the Greek text, because in English it is more natural to give the general clause first and the clause that qualifies it afterward. Here the first clause introduces Jesus’ deeds, and the second clause qualifies his deeds as those the Father gave him to do. It is, of course, possible to follow more closely the order of the Greek: “But I have a witness on my behalf even greater than the witness that John gave: the deeds my Father gave me to do. These deeds speak on my behalf….”
My Father is literally “the Father.” Once again the article “the” is used with the significance of a possessive pronoun (see verse 19).
Speak on my behalf and show translates one verb in Greek (literally “testifies”). It is not possible in some languages to talk about deeds as able to “speak.” One can, however, employ such an expression as “what I do shows who I really am,” which may be followed by the final expression in verse 36, for example, “and what I do shows that my Father has sent me.”
It should be noted that the Greek text uses the plural deeds rather than the singular “deed.” This is to call attention to the numerous “mighty deeds” that God has enabled Jesus to do.
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 .
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