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 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).
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, yurushite (赦して) or “forgive” 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).” (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 usage of an honorific construction where the morpheme rare (られ) 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, o-rare-ru (おられる) or “is/be present” is used.
Following are a number of back-translations of Mark 11:25:
Uma: “‘And if you pray, if there is something you have against a companion, first forgive him, so that your Father in heaven also will forgive your wrongs.” (Source: Uma Back Translation)
Yakan: “But when you are in the process of praying to God (lit. if you are while praying) and you are angry (lit. your liver hurts) at a person, you should first forgive him, so that your sins will also be forgiven by God, your Father in heaven.” (Source: Yakan Back Translation)
Western Bukidnon Manobo: “And if you pray to God and you are angry with anyone, forgive him. And your Father God in heaven will forgive you also for your transgressions against him.” (Source: Western Bukidnon Manobo Back Translation)
Kankanaey: “When you are praying also, if there is someone-you-hate among your fellows, forgive him so that our Father in heaven will also forgive you.” (Source: Kankanaey Back Translation)
Tagbanwa: “However before you pray, regard/treat as having been forgiven already by you whatever you feel bad about toward another, so that you yourselves also will be forgiven by your Father in heaven for your sins.” (Source: Tagbanwa Back Translation)
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®).
hotan (cf. 11.19) ‘whenever’: here with the present indicative denoting repeated action.
stēkete proseuchomenoi ‘you stand up praying,’ ‘you stand in prayer’: this was the normal mode of prayer, among the Jews, with face lifted up to heaven.
stēkō (cf. 3.31) ‘stand.’
aphiete (cf. 2.5) ‘forgive’: if in a given language the verb requires an object, the Greek may be translated ‘forgive him against whom you have something.’
paraptōmata (only here in Mark) ‘transgressions,’ ‘trespasses’ (from parapiptō ‘fall alongside,’ ‘fall on the way’).
Translation:
Stand praying may require a translation involving a subordinate or coordinate relationship, e.g. ‘stand up to pray,’ ‘stand up and speak to God.’
For forgive see 1.4.
If you have anything against any one is translatable from two points of view: (1) what the offending person may have done, e.g. ‘if anyone has sinned against you’ (Kekchi), or (2) the attitude of the offended person as the result of the wrong committed, e.g. ‘if you are angry at anyone’ (Guerrero Amuzgo).
So that must be directly related to the verb ‘forgive,’ which, however, may be so far separated from the purpose clause that the meaning is lost, in which case one may use a transitional verb expression, e.g. ‘do this so that…’ or ‘forgive him so that….’
Also must be related to the ‘father’ or to the process of ‘forgiving’; it should not imply ‘also your father,’ meaning that God is also the father of you as well as the other person. To avoid this meaning also may be related to the verb ‘may also forgive you,’ even as you have forgiven the person in question. It is most important that also not be connected with ‘in heaven,’ as is done in some translations.
In this type of context it is often difficult to distinguish between ‘trespasses’ and ‘sins.’ In fact, in many languages one must use one and the same type of expression in all passages such as this (see 1.4 for words designating sin). In some languages, however, there are ways of making this distinction, e.g. ‘missing the commandment’ (Kipsigis) and ‘to step beyond the law’ (Navajo).
Quoted with permission from Bratcher, Robert G. and Nida, Eugene A. A Handbook on the Gospel of Mark. (UBS Handbook Series). New York: UBS, 1961. For this and other handbooks for translators see here .
And: Here Jesus added another important teaching about prayer. Some English versions indicate this with the word And. Other versions indicate it by starting a new paragraph. In some languages it may be necessary to supply a word such as “also” or “moreover.” These may help to make clear that Jesus is now teaching about a different aspect of prayer.
when you stand to pray: The main idea here is pray. The expression stand to pray refers to the fact that in Jesus’ time people usually stood when they prayed. Jesus was not teaching here that a person must stand to pray.
If the word stand causes people to misunderstand the meaning of what Jesus taught here, you should state the meaning more directly. For example, the God’s Word says:
Whenever you pray
In some languages it may be helpful to include a footnote about this issue. For example:
The Greek text literally says “when you stand to pray.” People in that culture often stood when they prayed. In this verse Jesus was talking about praying in general. He did not refer only to the times when people are standing to pray.
pray: The Greek word that the Berean Standard Bible translates as pray means “talking to God.” In certain verses, some languages may use different words to refer to specific kinds of prayer, such as requests, thanks, or praise. Here you should use a word or expression that has a general meaning such as “speaking” or “talking.” Avoid a term that may imply magical or meaningless words.
11:25b
if you hold anything against another, forgive it: The Berean Standard Bible states Jesus’ command, forgive it, after the condition, if you hold anything against another. In the Greek, the command occurs first, then the condition: “forgive if you have something against someone.” You should use the order that is most natural in your language.
In some languages it may be more natural to express the meaning of if you hold anything against another in another way. For example, the following examples do not express it as a condition:
forgive anything you have against anyone (God’s Word) -or-
forgive anyone you are holding a grudge against (New Living Translation)
if you hold anything against another: The Greek expression that the Berean Standard Bible translates as hold anything against another is very general. It refers to any way that another person may have offended you. It includes anything that a person did that you may resent. It also includes quarrels with another person or complaints about him or her. Try to use a general expression that refers to problems of this kind with another person. For example:
if you have a grievance against anyone (Revised English Bible) -or-
if you are angry with someone (New Century Version)
forgive: In this context the word forgive is a command. It means that a person must stop being angry, hateful, or resentful toward anyone who has offended him. The person must also decide not to take revenge for the offense.
Here are some other ways to translate forgive in this context:
pardon -or-
erase the guilt of someone -or-
forget/cancel the wrong/injury
In some languages, the idea of forgive is expressed by an idiom.
11:25c
so that: The Greek word that the Berean Standard Bible translates as so that introduces the purpose for 11:25b. In other words, a person should forgive others (11:25b) in order that God may forgive that person’s sins (11:25c). Use an expression here that introduces a purpose. In some languages it is difficult to distinguish purpose from future result. If that is true in your language, you may be able to use an expression that introduces a result. For example, the Contemporary English Version says:
Then your Father in heaven will forgive your sins.
your Father in heaven will forgive your trespasses as well: The clause your Father in heaven will forgive your trespasses as well is similar to the preceding clause “forgive him” (11:25b). The Berean Standard Bible and many other versions make the similarity explicit by translating a word in the Greek text as “as well” or “also.” Other versions leave this similarity implicit. For example, the New International Version says:
…your Father in heaven may forgive you your sins.
It may be helpful to make the similarity between 11:25b and 11:25c explicit. If that is true in your language, you may use a word like “also,” as the NET Bible does.
your Father in heaven: The expression your Father in heaven refers to God. Here the word heaven refers to the place where God lives.
heaven: See how you translated the word heaven in 1:11a. See also heaven, Meaning 2, in the Glossary.
will forgive your trespasses as well: The Greek verb that the Berean Standard Bible translates as will forgive can also be translated as “may forgive.” For example, the New International Version says:
may forgive (A note in the NET Bible Bible here says, “Although the Greek subjunctive mood, formally required in a subordinate clause introduced by ´na (hina), is traditionally translated by an English subjunctive (e.g., ‘may,’ so King James Version, New American Bible, New International Version, New Revised Standard Version), changes in the use of the subjunctive in English now result in most readers understanding such a statement as indicating permission (‘may’ = ‘has permission to’) or as indicating uncertainty (‘may’ = ‘might’ or ‘may or may not’). Thus a number of more recent translations render such instances by an English future tense (‘will,’ so Good News Bible, Contemporary English Version, New Living Translation, New American Standard Bible 1995 update). That approach has been followed here.”)
The phrase will forgive your trespasses as well means that God will choose not to punish you for the evil things that you have done and thought. God will cancel your guilt and treat you as though you have not offended him.
Here are some other ways to translate this:
will also pardon you for your sins -or-
will also erase your guilt -or-
will forget/cancel your sins
trespasses: The word trespasses refers to offenses against God. Trespasses include acts, thoughts, and attitudes that are not what God wants or approves. (In Greek, the verb that English versions translate as sin is also a term that is used in archery to mean “miss the target.” When a person sins, he “misses” the target, that is, he fails to reach God’s standard.) A person can also offend God by not doing what God wants him to do.
It is helpful to translate trespasses with a general term that can include any offense against God. Here are problems to avoid:
(a) The term should not imply that only serious crimes like murder or stealing are trespasses. Other offenses like gossip and greed are also trespasses.
(b) The term should not include accidents or mistakes that are not against God’s will.
Here are some other ways to translate trespasses:
sins (New International Version) -or-
offenses against God -or-
evil deeds
In some languages it may be natural to translate trespasses with a phrase that includes a verb. For example:
wrong things that you have done
Although the Greek word here is different than the word in 1:4d that the Berean Standard Bible translates as “sin,” the concept is the same and you may want to use the same word here.
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All Scripture quotations in this publication, unless otherwise indicated, are from The Holy Bible, Berean Standard Bible.
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