formal pronoun: Jesus addressing his disciples and common people

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 is addressing his disciples, individuals and/or crowds with the formal pronoun, showing respect.

In most Dutch translations, Jesus addresses his disciples and common people with the informal pronoun, whereas they address him with the formal form.

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. )

Honorary "are" construct denoting God (“say”)

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, iw-are-ru (言われる) or “say” is used.

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

Translation commentary on Luke 22:20

Exegesis:

kai to potērion hōsautōs ‘and in the same way the cup.’ hōsautōs refers to acts with reference to the cup comparable to what v. 19 says about the bread, i.e. taking, blessing and giving it to the disciples. The article to is best understood as referring to the cup mentioned in v. 17.

meta to deipnēsai lit. ‘after the eating of the meal/supper,’ hence, ‘after the supper,’ implying the elapse of some time between v. 19 and v. 20. For deipneō cf. on 17.8 and 14.12.

touto to potērion hē kainē diathēkē en tō haimati mou ‘this cup (is) the new covenant in my blood.’ For translational purposes the following considerations are relevant: (1) touto to potērion refers to that which the cup contains, i.e. wine. (2) The relationship between the covenant and the blood, indicated by the preposition en, is that the covenant is inaugurated by the sprinkling of sacrificial blood (cf. IDB IV, 151). The new covenant is inaugurated by the shedding of Jesus’ blood. (3) There is the same relationship between the wine and the blood of Jesus as there is between the bread and his body. For diathēkē cf. on 1.72.

to huper humōn ekchunnomenon ‘which is being shed for you.’ Grammatically the phrase goes with potērion but semantically if refers to the blood. As 11.50 shows ekchunnō is not a sacrificial term but has the connotation of murder. For the present tense cf. on v. 19, didomenon.

Translation:

Likewise, or, ‘he did the same with.’

After supper, or, ‘when they had finished eating, or, finished the meal/supper.’ The phrase modifies the event as a whole, not ‘the cup’ only.

This cup which is poured out for you is the new covenant in my blood, preferably, “this cup is the new covenant in my blood, which is being shed for you” (see Exegesis). For is see on v. 19. — New contrasts here with ‘old,’ ‘former’ and implies that the Mosaic covenant has become obsolete and should be replaced by the superior new one. Covenant, see on 1.72. In is instrumental here; hence ‘through,’ ‘by means of,’ ‘made by’ (Northern Grebo), “sealed by/with” (New English Bible, Good News Translation), ‘put in force by’ (Highland Totonac), ‘established/made-strong/confirmed by’; this may lead to further shifts, cf. e.g. ‘this the cup that-establishes (lit. plants) …’ (Toraja-Sa’dan). Actually it is not the object, the blood, but the process, the shedding of the blood, through which the new covenant is being established; therefore ‘my blood which is being shed’ may have to become, ‘shedding my blood’ (cf. Northern Grebo), ‘the fact that I shed my blood,’ ‘the fact that I allow my blood to be shed, or, allow people to kill me (cf. on 11.50).’

Quoted with permission from Reiling, J. and Swellengrebel, J.L. A Handbook on the Gospel of Luke. (UBS Handbook Series). New York: UBS, 1971. For this and other handbooks for translators see here . Make sure to also consult the Handbook on the Gospel of Mark for parallel or similar verses.

SIL Translator’s Notes on Luke 22:20

22:20a

A parallel verse for 22:20 is found in 1 Corinthians 11:25.

In the same way, after supper He took the cup: In Greek this part of the verse is more literally “and the cup similarly after the eating.” It tells what Jesus did after he and his disciples ate supper. He did the same thing that he did with the bread in 22:19. This implies that he took a cup of wine in his hands, thanked God for it, and gave it to his disciples to share. Probably each disciple drank some of the wine and passed the cup to the next disciple. This is similar to the way that they shared the bread in 22:19.

Some other ways to translate this part of the verse are:

• Translate it as a general summary statement. For example:

And he did the same with the cup after supper (New Revised Standard Version)
-or-
When they had eaten, like that indeed also is what he did with the cup which he took

• Mention the specific actions again, as in 22:19. For example:

Similarly, after supper Jesus took the cup. ⌊After giving thanks, he gave it to them⌋ ⌊to share⌋

Notice the different order of words in these examples. Use a natural order in your language.

after supper: The phrase after supper tells when Jesus did the action in this verse. The supper here refers to the main part of the Passover meal when they ate the lamb. Some other ways to translate after supper are:

after they had finished eating the supper
-or-
After the meal (Contemporary English Version)

the cup: The phrase the cup refers to the cup and the wine inside the cup. Another way to translate the phrase is:

the cup filled with wine

22:20b–c

saying, “This cup is the new covenant in My blood…”: In this statement Jesus invited his disciples to share in the new covenant through drinking from the cup of wine. In some languages it may be necessary to make this explicit. For example:

and told them ⌊to share the wine⌋. He said, “This cup ⌊of wine⌋ is the new covenant….”

This cup is the new covenant in My blood: Jesus used the cup of wine in his hands to represent the new covenant that God would make with people through Jesus’ blood. It was different from the covenants that God made with his people in the Old Testament. In those covenants God required people to sacrifice animals. The covenant was confirmed by the animals’ blood. In the new covenant, Jesus himself would die as a sacrifice, and his blood would confirm the covenant.

Some ways to translate the statement are:

This cup ⌊of wine⌋ is the new covenant. It is confirmed by my blood
-or-
This cup, it is God’s new agreement which will be ratified…by my blood

This cup: The phrase This cup refers especially to the wine that was in the cup.

the new covenant in My blood: In this context the phrase in My blood means “by/through my blood.” It indicates that Jesus’ blood would ratify/confirm the covenant. It would cause the covenant to come into effect. Here is another way to translate this:

This new agreement begins with my blood (New Century Version)

Translate this phrase in a natural way in your language. See also the translation examples in the preceding note.

covenant: A covenant is a binding agreement made between two persons or groups. It establishes a relationship of peace or loyalty between them. They promise to be faithful to this agreement.

In some languages it may be necessary to indicate that God makes the covenant with his people. For example:

the new agreement that God makes with his people (New Century Version)

The word covenant occurs one other time in Luke at 1:72. For more information, see covenant in the Glossary.

22:20d

which is poured out for you: There are two ways to interpret the phrase which is poured out for you:

(1) It refers to Jesus’ blood, which would be poured out for them when he died. For example:

my blood, which is poured out as a sacrifice for you (New Living Translation (2004))

(Berean Standard Bible, New International Version, Good News Translation, New Jerusalem Bible, Contemporary English Version, New Living Translation (2004), New Century Version, Phillips’ New Testament in Modern English)

(2) It refers to the cup that was poured out for them at the supper. For example:

This cup which is poured out for you (Revised Standard Version)

(Revised Standard Version, English Standard Version, God’s Word, New American Standard Bible, NET Bible)

It is recommended that you follow interpretation (1), along with most Bible scholars. This interpretation fits the meaning in this context, and it agrees with the parallel verses in Matthew 26:28 and Mark 14:24.

Another way to translate this interpretation in this verse is:

This drink is the sign of God’s new covenant with you. This covenant of God is sure/confirmed because my blood is poured out for you.

poured out: The Greek verb that the Berean Standard Bible translates as poured out refers to emitting a large amount of liquid. It can be used of both blood and wine. In some languages different verbs are used to refer to the flowing of blood and the pouring of wine. If that is true in your language, use a verb that is appropriate for referring to blood flowing.

for you: The Greek phrase that the Berean Standard Bible translates as for you was also used in 22:19d to refer to Jesus’ body “given for you.” See the note there.

you: The word you refers to the apostles and also to all people who will trust in Jesus. They are God’s people with whom he makes the new covenant.

© 2009, 2010, 2013 by SIL International®
Made available under the terms of a Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 License (CC BY-SA) creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0.
All Scripture quotations in this publication, unless otherwise indicated, are from The Holy Bible, Berean Standard Bible.
BSB is produced in cooperation with Bible Hub, Discovery Bible, OpenBible.com, and the Berean Bible Translation Committee.