2nd person pronoun with low register (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 second person pronoun (“you” and its various forms) as shown here in the widely-used Japanese Shinkaiyaku (新改訳) Bible of 2017. The most commonly used anata (あなた) is typically used when the speaker is humbly addressing another person.

In these verses, however, omae (おまえ) is used, a cruder second person pronoun, that Jesus for instance chooses when chiding his disciples. (Source: S. E. Doi, see also S. E. Doi in Journal of Translation, 18/2022, p. 37ff. )

See also first person pronoun with low register and third person pronoun with low register.

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 9:25

Exegesis:

episuntrechei ochlos ‘a crowd was coming together’; perhaps, ‘a mob was gathering’ (cf. Berkeley).

episuntrechō (only here in the N.T.; cf. prostrechō 9.15) ‘come together,’ ‘run together’: there may be an indication of mob action of one sort or another (cf. Manson ‘the crowd closing in upon them’; cf. Black who suggests the verb may mean ‘attack,’ the boy being the object of the crowd’s hostile mood).

The other words in this verse have already been dealt with; for epitimaō ‘rebuke’ cf. 1.25; to pneuma to akatharton ‘the unclean spirit’ cf. 1.23; alalon ‘dumb’ cf. 7.37; kōphon ‘deaf’ cf. 7.32; epitassō ‘command’ cf. 1.27.

Translation:

A crowd refers to a still larger group of people, or at least additional persons, not merely the ones identified in verse 14.

Rebuked should here be translated in the sense of ‘scold’ or ‘speak very sternly to.’

For unclean spirit see 1.26.

Dumb and deaf spirit, on the analogy of dumb spirit (verse 17), may be translated as ‘spirit (or ‘demon’) which causes a person not to be able to speak or hear.’

For expressions equivalent to come out and enter, see 1.23, 34.

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 9:25

9:25a

a crowd had come running: The clause a crowd had come running refers to many more people running to the place where Jesus was talking with the boy’s father (9:17–24). They were joining the crowd that was already there. This clause does not refer to the people who were already there (9:14–15).

Here are some other ways to translate this clause:

even more of a crowd was gathering
-or-
many more people were running there and joining the crowd

9:25b

He rebuked: The Greek word that the Berean Standard Bible translates as rebuked here means that Jesus spoke strongly and sternly against the spirit. For example:

spoke sternly to (Revised English Bible)
-or-
spoke strongly against

The words that Jesus said to rebuke the evil spirit are in the following sentence.

the unclean spirit: The Greek phrase that the Berean Standard Bible translates as the unclean spirit refers to the same spirit that was mentioned in 9:17–24. This spirit was controlling the boy’s actions. Here the word unclean spirit refers to the same type of spirit as the Greek terms that are often translated as “evil spirit,” and “demon.” You should use the same expression or use an expression that clearly refers to the spirit that was mentioned in 9:17b. For example:

that spirit that was controlling the boy
-or-
the evil spirit

See evil spirit in the Glossary.

You deaf and mute spirit: The phrase deaf and mute describes what the spirit did to the boy. The spirit itself was not deaf and mute. It caused the boy to be deaf and unable to speak.

This phrase indicates that Jesus was speaking directly to the spirit, calling him deaf and mute spirit. The Berean Standard Bible supplies the pronoun You to indicate rebuke. This is good English style.

Here are some other ways to translate this phrase:

Spirit of deafness and muteness (New Living Translation, 1996 edition)
-or-
You spirit that makes people unable to hear or speak (New Century Version)

If it is not natural in your language to call a spirit by a name like this, you may translate the phrase as a statement. For example:

You are a spirit of deafness and muteness.
-or-
You are a spirit that makes people unable to hear or speak.

He said: The Berean Standard Bible places the phrase He said in the middle of Jesus’ words. In Greek, this phrase occurs before Jesus’ words. Place the phrase He said where it is natural in your language.

9:25c

I command you: The clause I command you introduces the commands that follow. It also emphasizes those commands.

Here are some other ways to translate this clause:

I demand/require you to do this:
-or-
I order you to (Good News Bible)

to come out: The word that the Berean Standard Bible translates as come out is a normal way in Greek to speak of a demon releasing control of a person. It indicates here that Jesus commanded the demon to leave the boy and stop controlling him.

In some cultures, people do not think of demons as being in a person. If that is true in your language, it may not be natural to speak of them coming or going out of a person. Use a natural expression in your language for when a demon stops controlling a person.

Here are some other ways you could translate this:

Leave him!
-or-
Release him!

Translate this command in a way that fits the expression you used for the phrase “has a spirit” in 9:17b.

9:25d

and never enter him again: The phrase never enter him again is a command for the spirit to leave the boy alone. The spirit was never to control the boy again in the future.

Here are some other ways to translate this phrase:

and never return to him
-or-
and never come back to him

© 2008 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.