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)

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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 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 Mark 14:18

Exegesis:

kai anakeimenōn autōn kai esthiontōn ‘and while they were reclining at table and eating.’

anakeimai (cf. 6.26) ‘recline at table,’ ‘recline at meal.’

heis ex humōn ‘one from you’ means simply ‘one of you,’ ‘a certain one of you.’

paradōsei (cf. v. 10) ‘will hand over,’ ‘will deliver.’

ho esthiōn met’ emou ‘he who eats with me,’ ‘the one eating with me’: the definite article with the participle does not particularize the designation as though it meant ‘the only one who is eating with me,’ ‘that particular man who is eating with me,’ but simply designates the man as a table companion, as a table guest. Several commentators and translations agree with Revised Standard Version in taking the phrase to mean ‘the one who is even now eating with me.’ Though possible (and perhaps probable) this meaning is not necessarily intended: the phrase may mean simply ‘one who eats with me’ with no reference to time.

The turn of the phrase, in Mark, may have been influenced by Ps. 41.10.

Translation:

At table need not be translated literally, since it is only implied in the Greek, which reads literally ‘reclining and eating.’ The equivalent in some languages is ‘sitting there eating.’

For truly in this type of construction see 3.28 and 8.12.

As noted above, there is considerable difference of opinion as to the precise meaning of the clause one who is eating with me. Some have interpreted this in a strictly temporal manner, indicating that Judas was at that moment eating with Jesus, while others have assumed that it meant that Judas, who might have been reclining next to Jesus, was one dipping into the same bowl. However, the meaning did not seem to be particularly evident to the disciples, for they all seemed to regard themselves as being included in this possibility.

For betray see 3.19.

In order to reflect the type of appositional construction of clauses in the Greek text, one may wish to follow a rather paratactic type of arrangement in some languages, e.g. ‘one of you will betray me; he will be one who is eating with me.’ Such an adaptation may be necessary if, the construction ‘one … one…’ is not possible.

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 .

SIL Translator's Notes on Mark 14:18

14:18a

they were reclining and eating: In this context, the Greek word that the Berean Standard Bible translates as reclining, refers to “reclining” or “lying” by a table in order to eat. In this context it probably means that Jesus and his disciples were lying on one side, on a low couch or cushion. Their heads were propped on one elbow. This was one of the positions that people of Jesus’ time used when they ate, especially if it was a special meal.

Here are some other ways to translate this phrase:

• Keep the position and add an explanatory phrase. For example:

reclining at the table (New International Version)
-or-
lying on their sides eating

• Use a position that people normally use when they eat in your culture. For example, the Revised English Bible says:

they sat at supper

• Omit the position and just say what Jesus and his disciples were doing. For example, the Contemporary English Version says:

Jesus and the twelve disciples were eating together

This same phrase occurs in 14:3a–b. You should translate it here as you did there.

14:18b

Truly I tell you: Jesus often used the words Truly I tell you to introduce a statement that he wanted to emphasize. (The clause Truly I tell you also occurs in 3:28a, 8:12, 9:1, 9:41, 10:15, 11:23, 12:43, 13:30, 14:9, 14:25, 14:30.) His words indicate that the statement was important and totally reliable, and that people should listen carefully to it.

Here are some other ways to translate this:

I can guarantee this truth (God’s Word)
-or-
You can be certain that…

In some languages you may need to translate the phrase differently in different contexts. Do not translate in a way that implies that Jesus had not been telling the truth at other times. See how you translated this phrase in 14:9a.

one of you who is eating with Me: In this context the phrase one of you who is eating with Me indicates that a person who was eating with Jesus at that moment would later betray him. In some languages it may be necessary to make this explicit. For example:

he will be one who is now eating with me

eating with Me: In Jewish culture eating together implied friendship and loyalty. In some languages there may be an idiom for eating with someone that would be appropriate in this context. (In one language, it is “to mix up hands with a person.”)

one of you…will betray Me: Jesus told his twelve disciples that one of them would hand Jesus over to his enemies.

The word betray means “to deliver a person into the control of someone else.” Here are some other ways to translate Jesus’ statement in this context:

one of you will give me into the hands of the people who want to kill me
-or-
one of you will help my enemies capture me
-or-
one of you will turn against me (New Century Version)

This same word occurs in 14:10b.

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