Honorary "rare" construct denoting God (“pass”)

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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 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, tō-rare-ru (通られる) or “pass” is used.

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

3rd person pronoun with high 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 third person singular and plural pronoun (“he,” “she,” “it” and their various forms) as shown here in the widely-used Japanese Shinkaiyaku (新改訳) Bible of 2017. While it’s not uncommon to avoid pronouns altogether in Japanese, there are is a range of third person pronouns that can be used.

In these verses a number of them are used that pay particularly much respect to the referred person (or, in fact, God, as in Exodus 15:2), including kono kata (この方), sono kata (その方), and ano kata (あの方), meaning “this person,” “that person,” and “that person over there.” (Source: S. E. Doi, see also S. E. Doi in Journal of Translation, 18/2022, p. 37ff. )

See also third person pronoun with exalted register.

Translation commentary on Matthew 1:21

She will bear a son, and you shall call his name Jesus: the first of these clauses simply gives information, as Revised Standard Version and Good News Translation indicate, but the second clause is better rendered as an imperative: “and you are to name him Jesus” (New American Bible). Note Die Bibel im heutigen Deutsch, “she will have a son; you must name him Jesus”; and Barclay, “she will have a son, and you must call him by the name Jesus.” She will bear a son can be translated fairly easily in most languages. “She will give birth to a son (or, baby boy)” is usually possible, or “The baby she will bear will be a boy.”

Except for the name Jesus, this sentence is a direct quotation from the Septuagint of Isaiah 7.14, which suggests that the name is in focus. For this reason the use of the imperative (“you are to [or, you must] name…”) is more satisfactory than the simple future. It is not correct in many languages to say you shall call his name, since this will mean calling out loud rather than naming. Translators should use the natural way to speak of naming a child; for example, “The name you are to give him will be Jesus” or “You should name him Jesus.” You is singular here, meaning Joseph.

On the meaning of the name Jesus, see comments on Matthew 1.1.

For he will save his people from their sins is in part a quotation from Psalm 130.8 (“he [the Lord] will save his people Israel from all their sins,” Good News Bible). The forgiveness of sins summarizes the concept of salvation, both in the Old Testament and in the New Testament. It includes much more than the mere pardon of individual wrongs; it indicates that the barrier between God and people has been removed.

It is important to translate the notion of cause in the word for. In some languages translators will not start a new sentence after “name him Jesus” but will continue with the same sentence as using “for” or “because,” saying “… call his name Jesus, because…” or, if a separate sentence is used, “The reason you will give him this name is that….”

Save has sometimes been translated as “rescue,” as in “He will rescue his people from their sins.” Another way has been “redeemed” or “set free,” as one may perhaps buy a slave his freedom: “He will set his people free from their sins.” It would be wrong, however, to give the idea that his people will stop committing sin. Better would be “He will rescue them from the situation of sin” or “… from the effects (or, results) of their sins.” Since these results are God’s punishment, translators can even say “… from the punishment because of their sins.” These solutions are also useful in languages where the concept of rescuing from sins does not make sense because sins are not seen as the type of situation from which one needs to be rescued or can be rescued. It would not be right, either, to translate save as “forgive.” Jesus will not forgive his people, but rather will bring about God’s forgiveness.

Sins itself is a concept that has been translated in many different ways. Of course, many languages are familiar with the concept and have no problem translating it. The word used indicates a violation of the teachings, laws, and traditions of that culture. But in other languages the closest equivalent is “bad actions,” “wrong actions,” or “forbidden actions.” Translators have sometimes found it necessary to make clear that sins are actions against God’s teaching, and have used phrases such as “acts that disobey God.” The translation of this sentence will then be something like “He will rescue his people from the effects of their disobeying God.”

In the Gospel of Matthew, his people means “Israel.” But this information is probably best put in the footnotes, leaving his people or “his own people” in the text.

Quoted with permission from Newman, Barclay M. and Stine, Philip C. A Handbook on the Gospel of Matthew. (UBS Handbook Series). New York: UBS, 1988. For this and other handbooks for translators see here .