complete verse (Psalm 104:32)

Following are a number of back-translations as well as a sample translation for translators of Psalm 104:32:

  • Chichewa Contempary Chichewa translation, 2002/2016:
    “He who looks at the earth and it trembles,
    the one who touches the mountains and they produce smoke.” (Source: Mawu a Mulungu mu Chichewa Chalero Back Translation)
  • Newari:
    “When You look at the earth it trembles,
    as soon as You touch it, smoke comes out of the mountains.” (Source: Newari Back Translation)
  • Hiligaynon:
    “When you (sing.) look-at the earth, it trembles.
    When you (sing.) touch the mountains, it smokes.” (Source: Hiligaynon Back Translation)
  • Laarim:
    “he sees the land, and the land shakes,
    he who touches the mountains, and they smoke.” (Source: Laarim Back Translation)
  • Nyakyusa-Ngonde (back-translation into Swahili):
    “Yeye wakati anatazama nchi, inatetemeka,
    wakati ameigusa milima, inatoa moshi.” (Source: Nyakyusa Back Translation)
  • English:
    “He causes the earth to shake just by looking at it!
    By merely touching the mountains he makes/ causes them to pour out fire and smoke!” (Source: Translation for Translators)

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

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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, fure-rare-ru (触れられる) or “touch” is used.

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

Translation commentary on Psalm 104:31 - 104:32

The psalmist prays that Yahweh’s glory will last forever. Here glory is his power and majesty as revealed in his creation of and dominion over all living creatures (see in 19.1 where God’s glory is parallel with his works). Verse 31b recalls the repeated assertion in Genesis 1 that God was pleased with all that he had created. The wish expressed in the English expression May the glory of the LORD endure must often be recast in other languages, sometimes as a direct imperative, or by such expressions as “I pray that…” or “I wish that….”

Verse 32 emphasizes Yahweh’s complete power and dominion; he has only to look at the earth, and it trembles, only to touch the mountains, and they smoke (that is, they pour out smoke, or burst into flames). The two seem to refer, respectively, to earthquakes and the eruptions of volcanoes.

Quoted with permission from Bratcher, Robert G. and Reyburn, William D. A Handbook on the Book of Psalms. (UBS Helps for Translators). New York: UBS, 1991. For this and other handbooks for translators see here .