complete verse (Psalm 108:3)

Following are a number of back-translations as well as a sample translation for translators of Psalm 108:3:

  • Chichewa Contempary Chichewa translation, 2002/2016:
    “I will praise you Jehovah, among the people of other races;
    I will sing about You among the people of other races.” (Source: Mawu a Mulungu mu Chichewa Chalero Back Translation)
  • Newari:
    “I will give You thanks before all the people, O LORD.
    I will sing, praising You before the nations.” (Source: Newari Back Translation)
  • Hiligaynon:
    “LORD, I will-praise you (sing.) among the nations.
    I will-sing to you (sing.) among those from-other nations.” (Source: Hiligaynon Back Translation)
  • Laarim:
    “LORD, I will praise you among the nations,
    I sing to you songs of praise in the middle of people.” (Source: Laarim Back Translation)
  • Nyakyusa-Ngonde (back-translation into Swahili):
    “Ee BWANA, nitakushukuru katika makabila ya watu,
    nitakuimbia sifa katika makundi ya watu.” (Source: Nyakyusa Back Translation)
  • English:
    “I prayed, ‘Yahweh, I will thank you among all the people-groups;
    I will sing to praise you among the nations,” (Source: Translation for Translators)

addressing God

Translators of different languages have found different ways with what kind of formality God is addressed. The first example is from a language where God is always addressed distinctly formal whereas the second is one where the opposite choice was made.

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Like many languages (but unlike Greek or Hebrew or English), Tuvan uses a formal vs. informal 2nd person pronoun (a familiar vs. a respectful “you”). Unlike other languages that have this feature, however, the translators of the Tuvan Bible have attempted to be very consistent in using the different forms of address in every case a 2nd person pronoun has to be used in the translation of the biblical text.

As Voinov shows in Pronominal Theology in Translating the Gospels (in: The Bible Translator 2002, p. 210ff. ), the choice to use either of the pronouns many times involved theological judgment. While the formal pronoun can signal personal distance or a social/power distance between the speaker and addressee, the informal pronoun can indicate familiarity or social/power equality between speaker and addressee.

In these verses, in which humans address God, the informal, familiar pronoun is used that communicates closeness.

Voinov notes that “in the Tuvan Bible, God is only addressed with the informal pronoun. No exceptions. An interesting thing about this is that I’ve heard new Tuvan believers praying with the formal form to God until they are corrected by other Christians who tell them that God is close to us so we should address him with the informal pronoun. As a result, the informal pronoun is the only one that is used in praying to God among the Tuvan church.”

In Gbaya, “a superior, whether father, uncle, or older brother, mother, aunt, or older sister, president, governor, or chief, is never addressed in the singular unless the speaker intends a deliberate insult. When addressing the superior face to face, the second person plural pronoun ɛ́nɛ́ or ‘you (pl.)’ is used, similar to the French usage of vous.

Accordingly, the translators of the current version of the Gbaya Bible chose to use the plural ɛ́nɛ́ to address God. There are a few exceptions. In Psalms 86:8, 97:9, and 138:1, God is addressed alongside other “gods,” and here the third person pronoun o is used to avoid confusion about who is being addressed. In several New Testament passages (Matthew 21:23, 26:68, 27:40, Mark 11:28, Luke 20:2, 23:37, as well as in Jesus’ interaction with Pilate and Jesus’ interaction with the Samaritan woman at the well) the less courteous form for Jesus is used to indicate ignorance of his position or mocking (source Philip Noss).

In Dutch and Western Frisian translations, however, God is always addressed with the formal pronoun.

See also female second person singular pronoun in Psalms.

Translation commentary on Psalm 108:1 - 108:4

At the end of verse 1a, Revised Standard Version my heart is steadfast is not in the Masoretic text but is found in five Hebrew manuscripts, the Septuagint, and the Syriac (in these it appears as it is in the Masoretic text of 57.5b). Good News Translation here follows the Masoretic text (which is what Hebrew Old Testament Text Project recommends). The expression “I have complete confidence” in many languages is expressed by means of figurative language; for example, “My heart lies down on,” “My innermost rests on,” or “My liver sits on.”

In verse 1c Awake translates the verb that is in 57.8; the Hebrew text here says simply “now.” Hebrew Old Testament Text Project translates the phrase “also my glory” and says its function is to make explicit the subject of the two preceding verbs, “I will sing, I will make melody.” The phrase is probably a gloss, and translators who use notes may wish to indicate this in a note. In terms of Good News Translation language, the Hebrew Old Testament Text Project suggestion seems to be: I have complete confidence, O God! And so I myself(*) will sing and praise you. (*)This phrase, “And so I myself,” was probably added to the text to make it more emphatic; the original was “I will sing and praise you.”

Verses 2 and 3 are the same as 57.8b-9, except that LORD in verse 3a translates the divine name, while in 57.9 the title is used.

In verse 4a the Hebrew is “reaches above the heavens”; in 57.10 it is “reaches the heavens.” The difference should be reflected in translation. Here the text means that Yahweh’s love is so vast that the earth cannot contain it; he extends not only to heaven but goes beyond it.

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 .