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. )

Scriptures Plain & Simple (Matthew 5:33-37)

Barclay Newman, a translator on the teams for both the Good News Bible and the Contemporary English Version, translated passages of the New Testament into English and published them in 2014, “in a publication brief enough to be non-threatening, yet long enough to be taken seriously, and interesting enough to appeal to believers and un-believers alike.” The following is the translation of Matthew 5:33-37:

You know what the Bible teaches about promises —
       “Don’t make a promise in the Lord’s name,
              unless you intend to keep it!”

But I tell you not to swear by anything when you make a promise —
       not by heaven — it’s God’s throne,
       not by the earth — it’s God’s footstool,
not by Jerusalem — it’s the city of the great king,
not by your own head — you can’t grow white or black hairs at will.

When you make a promise, just give your word!
       Anything else comes from the devil.

Translation commentary on Matthew 5:34

But I say to you repeats the formula first used in 5.22; it also occurs in verse 32.

Do not swear at all represents a literal rendering of the Greek. From the context it is clear that Jesus’ objection is not to the use of promises in religion, but to the false distinctions made by Jewish teachers between different formulas used in taking vows. Good News Translation therefore follows the negative command with words of clarification: “when you make a promise.”

Heaven … earth … Jerusalem: the last half of this verse and the first half of verse 35 contain an allusion to Isaiah 66.1, where the Lord declares “Heaven is my throne, and the earth is my footstool.” Some Jewish teachers taught that an oath was not binding if made in the name of heaven or earth. But Jesus teaches that whether the name of God is used or not, a person has to deal with God when he makes a vow.

In line with our discussion in verse 33, translations can begin the statement of Jesus like this: “When you declare something is true, don’t use the name of God or anything at all” or “Don’t make declarations before God or before any other thing when you say something is true.” The translation can then continue: “Don’t use heaven (in your declaration),” “Don’t make your declaration before heaven,” “Don’t use heaven to make your declaration (or, statement) true,” or “Don’t ask heaven to give authority to your declaration.”

Heaven is the throne of God, that is, “where God sits to rule” or “the place from which God rules.”

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 .