formal pronoun: Jesus and his brothers

Like many languages (but unlike Greek or Hebrew or English), Tuvan uses a formal vs. informal 2nd person pronoun (a familiar vs. a respectful “you”). Unlike other languages that have this feature, however, the translators of the Tuvan Bible have attempted to be very consistent in using the different forms of address in every case a 2nd person pronoun has to be used in the translation of the biblical text.

As Voinov shows in Pronominal Theology in Translating the Gospels (in: The Bible Translator 2002, p. 210ff. ), the choice to use either of the pronouns many times involved theological judgment. While the formal pronoun can signal personal distance or a social/power distance between the speaker and addressee, the informal pronoun can indicate familiarity or social/power equality between speaker and addressee.

Here, Jesus’ brothers address Jesus with the informal pronoun.

Vitaly Voinov explains: “Whether one believes that these were Jesus’ younger brothers, his older halfbrothers, or his cousins, it seems that their familial intimacy coupled with a lack of faith and respect would preclude them from using a polite form in addressing Jesus. Using the informal address here in the Tuvan text is an excellent means to reinforce their expression of disbelief and possible mockery of Jesus’ mission.”

In most Dutch translations and Western Frisian, the brothers also use the informal pronoun, in Afrikaans, they use the formal variety.

complete verse (John 7:4)

Following are a number of back-translations of John 7:4:

  • Uma: “You (sing.) will not become a big person if you (sing.) just continually stay here. If you really can do miracles, show all the people in the world!'” (Source: Uma Back Translation)
  • Yakan: “For if a person wants to be famous, he shouldn’t hide his doings. Because here you are doing wonder-causing deeds, you should show them to all the people.'” (Source: Yakan Back Translation)
  • Western Bukidnon Manobo: “Because if there is a person who wants to become famous, it cannot be that he hides his works. For if you can do miracles, it is better that you show them to everybody.'” (Source: Western Bukidnon Manobo Back Translation)
  • Kankanaey: “Because the one who wants to be well-known (lit. newsed), he doesn’t stay in the barrios, because of-course what he is doing will not become-known. If you (sing.) are doing something amazing, go then show-it so that the entire world will be able-to-come-to-know-it,’ they said.” (Source: Kankanaey Back Translation)
  • Tagbanwa: “Because there’s no person who hides what he is doing if he really wants to be well-known. It’s necessary that these things you are doing, you will cause them to be observed by all the people.'” (Source: Tagbanwa Back Translation)
  • Tenango Otomi: “Anyone who wants it to be known about what he is doing doesn’t do what he does secretly. Do what you do but let the people know what you are doing.'” (Source: Tenango Otomi Back Translation)

Translation commentary on John 7:4

Special care must be used in translating No one hides what he is doing. A literal translation may imply that Jesus was hiding away in some secret place things he had been making. The meaning of hides in this context is “to do something without letting people know what one is doing.” An equivalent rendering may be “No one keeps people from knowing what he is doing, if he wants people to know who he really is.”

To be well known is more literally rendered “to be known publicly” (New American Bible) or “to be known openly” (Revised Standard Version). Moffatt translates this phrase “aims at public recognition” and New English Bible “to be in the public eye.” It may be rendered simply “in order for many people to know about you” or “in order that everyone will know who you are.”

Since (so also Moffatt and Jerusalem Bible) is “if” in most translations. In Greek the “if” clause indicates that the condition stated is true. This meaning is more clearly indicated in English by since. New English Bible implies doubt (“If you really are doing such things as these”), which seems not to be in keeping with the force of the Greek.

Let the whole world know about you is literally “show yourself to the world.” The whole world is equivalent to “the world of mankind” (see 1.10). The verb let may suggest mere permission in some languages, and a more appropriate rendering may be an expression of cause, for example, “cause everyone in the world to know about 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 .