complete verse (Numbers 16:21)

Following are a number of back-translations as well as a sample translation for translators of Numbers 16:21:

  • Kupsabiny: “‘Move away from all the other Israelites, I want to destroy them right away.’” (Source: Kupsabiny Back Translation)
  • Newari: “Get away from this community [lit.: Keep yourselves apart from this community], in a moment I will finish them off completely.” (Source: Newari Back Translation)
  • Hiligaynon: “‘You (plur.) get-away from this community for I will-kill them immediately.’” (Source: Hiligaynon Back Translation)
  • English: “‘Get away from all these people, in order that I can get rid of them immediately!’” (Source: Translation for Translators)

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. )

Translation commentary on Numbers 16:20 - 16:21

And the LORD said to Moses and to Aaron: See 1.1.

Separate yourselves from among this congregation: The Hebrew verb rendered Separate is the same one translated “separated” in verse 9. This use of this verb perhaps conveys an ironic implication, so translators should use a similar verb in both verses, if possible. This congregation may refer the “community” that followed Korah (see verse 5, where the Hebrew word for congregation is rendered “company”). However, it is more likely that this phrase refers to the whole Israelite community, since in verse 22 Moses and Aaron fear that the LORD is about to destroy the entire nation and start again with the two brothers (so Alter, pages 765-766). Translators may prefer to leave the reference ambiguous, as in the original text.

That I may consume them in a moment: The Hebrew verb for consume may be rendered “bring to an end,” “destroy” (Good News Translation), or “annihilate” (New Jewish Publication Society’s Tanakh). The Hebrew expression rendered in a moment probably does not mean “immediately” (Good News Translation) or “at this very moment,” but “within an instant,” “in a single moment” (Revised English Bible), “in the twinkling of an eye” (De Nieuwe Bijbelvertaling), or even “at one time” (Chewa). This expression also occurs in verse 45 and Psa 73.19, where it really cannot mean “immediately.”

Quoted with permission from de Regt, Lénart J. and Wendland, Ernst R. A Handbook on Numbers. (UBS Helps for Translators). Miami: UBS, 2016. For this and other handbooks for translators see here .