formal 2nd person plural pronoun (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 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. )

Japanese benefactives (yurushite)

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 itadaku (いただく), a humble form of the benefactive morau (もらう). 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. )

Translation commentary on Mark 3:28

Punctuation of the Text:

As Nestle, Textus Receptus, Tischendorf, Kilpatrick, Merk, and Souter are punctuated, with no comma after anthrōpōn ‘men,’ the word panta ‘all’ modifies ta hamartēmata ‘sins,’ i.e. ‘all sins’ (so King James Version, American Standard Version, Revised Standard Version, Translator’s New Testament, Moffatt, The Modern Speech New Testament); if, however, a comma be placed after anthrōpōn ‘men’ as is done by Westcott and Hort, Lagrange, Taylor, panta ‘all’ is used absolutely as the subject of aphethēsetai ‘will be forgiven,’ i.e. ‘all (things) will be forgiven,’ while ta hamartēmata kai hai blasphēmiai ‘the sins and the blasphemies’ stand in apposition to ‘all,’ further explaining it (so Manson, Goodspeed, O Novo Testamento de Nosso Senhor Jesus Cristo. Revisdo Autorizada).

Exegesis:

amēn (13 times in Mark) ‘truly,’ ‘verily,’ ‘solemnly’: the Greek equivalent of the Hebrew ʾamen from the verb ʾaman ‘to be firm.’ This Hebrew adverb is used to emphasize the importance of the statement that follows.

aphethēsetai (cf. 2.5) ‘will be forgiven’: the statement is not to be understood absolutely as if Jesus were saying that all sins will assuredly be forgiven by God, whether or not men change or repent. As the context makes clear, he is saying that there is forgiveness for all sins, all sins are capable of being forgiven, except blasphemy against the Holy Spirit, which cannot be forgiven.

tois huiois tōn anthrōpōn ‘to the sons of men’: the Semitic way of saying ‘men’ in a general way.

ta hamartēmata (here and next verse) ‘sins’: in Mark the distinction between hamartēma as ‘specific act of sin’ and hamartia as ‘sin in general,’ ‘the sinful principle,’ is not observed (cf. 1.5).

hai blasphēmiai hosa ean blasphēmēsōsin ‘and whatever blasphemies they may utter.’

hai blasphēmiai (7.22; 14.64) ‘blasphemies,’ i.e. impious or irreverent speech against God.

hosa (cf. 3.8) ‘as many … as’: though the neuter form of the word does not agree with the feminine hai blasphēmiai ‘the blasphemies’ the sense is quite clear: ‘as many times as they may blaspheme,’ ‘however often they utter blasphemies.’

blasphēmeō (cf. 2.7) ‘blaspheme’: “defiant hostility to God … in speech which defies His power and majesty” (Vincent Taylor).

Translation:

Truly qualifies the certainty of the statement all sins will be …. In many languages this type of qualifier must be more closely associated with the verb expression which it modifies, e.g. ‘I tell you, All sins will certainly be forgiven….’

For sins see 1.4; for forgiveness see 1.4; and for blasphemies see 2.7. In this context, however, an expression such as ‘bad words’ or ‘harmful sayings’ (often used as an equivalent of blasphemy, at least in certain contexts) is often inadequate. At the same time, one cannot use ‘to make oneself equal with God’ (as a rendering of blaspheme), for this is too specific. The better rendering would be more or less equivalent to ‘speaking against God’ or ‘talking God down.’

Sons of men, if translated literally into some languages, would mean nothing more than ‘children’ (San Mateo del Mar Huave, Shilluk). Of course, God is usually regarded as being quite forgiving toward children, and hence the reader is likely to miss completely the significance of this passage, in which the real meaning is simply ‘will be forgiven people.’ Toraja-Sa’dan uses the expression ‘the offspring of Adam.’

Since there are two subjects of will be forgiven, namely, all sins and whatever blasphemies … (see above, under Punctuation of the Text for the alternative), it is necessary in many languages to change the order so that both of the subject expressions are in a parallel relationship to the verb, whether preceding or following, e.g. ‘all sins and whatever blasphemies … will be forgiven.’

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 3:28

3:28–30

The teachers of the law made a very serious error. They refused to believe that Jesus had power from the Holy Spirit to cast out demons. Instead, they said that Jesus’ power came from Satan. That is like calling the Holy Spirit “Satan.” So these teachers of the law from Jerusalem were blaspheming the Holy Spirit.

3:28a

Truly I tell you: Jesus often used the words Truly I tell you to introduce a statement that he wanted to emphasize. (This is the first occurrence of the clause Truly I tell you in Mark. It also occurs in 8:12, 9:1, 9:41, 10:15, 11:23, 12:43, 13:30, 14:9, 14:18, 14:25, 14:30.) He was asking people to listen with extra attention.

Some other ways to show this emphasis are:

• Use a phrase before Jesus’ statement. For example:

I assure you that… (Good News Bible)
-or-
Listen to this!

• Include an emphatic word or phrase such as “certainly” within the following statement. For example:

all the sins and blasphemies of men will certainly be forgiven them

3:28b

the sons of men will be forgiven all sins and blasphemies, as many as they utter: This is a passive clause. If it is more natural in your language to use an active verb and indicate who will forgive sins, you should say “God.” For example:

God will forgive people for all their sins and blasphemies.

The form of the Greek verb that the Berean Standard Bible translates as will be forgiven often refers to an event in the future. However, this part of the verse is not a promise that God will forgive every sin. Rather it means that it is possible that God will forgive every sin. For example:

God can forgive all the sins of people, and all their blasphemies.

the sons of men: The Greek noun phrase that the Berean Standard Bible translates as the sons of men means “people.” All people, both men and women, are included.

will be forgiven all sins and blasphemies, as many as they utter: In this context the phrase will be forgiven all sins and blasphemies indicates that God can choose not to punish people for the evil/bad things that they have said, done, and thought. God can cancel their guilt and treat them as though they had never offended.

Here are some other ways to translate the phrase in this context:

God can cancel/pardon…their sins and blasphemies
-or-
they can be released from their sins and blasphemies
-or-
God can wipe away their sins and blasphemies

In some languages it is more natural to say “forgive people,” rather than to “forgive sins.” For example:

forgive them for their sins and blasphemies

See the note on “forgiveness of sins” in 1:4d.

all sins and blasphemies: The noun sins is a general term. The noun blasphemies refers to one particular type of sin.

Here are some other ways to translate this:

any sin…including blasphemy (New Living Translation, 1996 edition)
-or-
all the blasphemies and other sins

sins: The word sins refers to offenses against God. Sins 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 failing to do what God wants him to do.

It is helpful to translate sins 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 sins. Other offenses like gossip and greed are also sins.

(b) The term should not include accidents or mistakes that are not against God’s will.

Here are some other ways to translate sins:

wrong acts
-or-
offenses against God
-or-
bad/evil things/deeds

In some languages it may be natural to translate sins with a phrase that includes a verb. For example:

wrong/bad things that they have done

blasphemies, as many as they utter: The Greek phrase that the Berean Standard Bible translates as blasphemies, as many as they utter is literally “blasphemies as much as they might blaspheme.” It refers to ways that people speak evil of God or of others. Blasphemies include slander and insults. People who speak like this dishonor God. Some languages have idioms for blasphemy.

Here are some other ways to translate the word blasphemies:

slander (Revised English Bible)
-or-
all the evil things they may say (Good News Bible)
-or-
all the things they say to defame someone

General Comment on 3:28b

In some languages, it may be more natural to translate the nouns “sins” and “blasphemies” as verbs. For example:

Every time someone does wrong, and every time someone says something against God, he/God will/can forgive that person.

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