acrostic in Psalm 37

The Hebrew text of Psalms 9/10, 25, 34, 37, 111, 112, 119, and 145 uses acrostics, a literary form in which each verse is started with one of the successive 22 letters of the Hebrew alphabet. According to Brenda Boerger (in Open Theology 2016, p. 179ff. ) there are three different reasons for acrostics in the Hebrew text: “for ease of memorization,” the representation “of the full breadth and depth of a topic, all the way from aleph to taw (tav),” and the perception of “the acrostic form as aesthetically attractive.” (p. 191)

While most translations mention the existence of an acrostic in a note or a comment, few implement it in their translation. The Natügu translation is one such exception. Boerger (see above) cites a strong tradition in singing the psalms and the fact that Natügu, like Hebrew, also has 22 possible initial letters as motivating factors to maintain the acrostics in that language.

Click or tap here for the complete psalm in Natügu

1-4 Abrtzlvz nzwztr-krbzme mz Yawe,
X sa nakabzle da kcng tqpq mz nabzm.
Ale da kxmrlz x abrtrpz drtwrm bade,
Murde namnc-zpwxq mz drtc’ kc tqpile kx nakabzle bamu.
Bzkq witibz nelzm nzmnckr kxdrka’-ngrng,
Murde mzli trnaboiu x sc tzbzpeng.
Bzkq kcmnz-ngrbzme nzalengr da kcng tzalelr,
Murde nzlu-krdr sa namrbc nzapulr nabr kxglr mz mzli r nepi.
5-7 Clveti-lzbq, x aenzli-lrpi mz nzabrtr-krbzme drtwrm mz Yawe.
Bzkq nabzm talvzo mz nzrmc-krm leplz kxnzrngiscng nzvz-nqblq-krdr nqmq krdr kxtrka.
Da kx na-aleq, mnc-xgle txpwz Yawe,
X abrtrpz drtwrm bade, murde sa naokatrle nim.
Delc sa na-aelwapx-ngrbzle nzopxkr nztubq-krm,
Mz nzapu-krde nilz r nepi kc tqvz-esz’ngr mzli kc bea.
8-11 Eu, bzkq drtwrm ngya x nabzm talvzo
Murde da lcng li ma tzrkatrpzng bam drtwr kxtrka.
Eu, murde kxnzabrtrpzlr drtwrdr mz Yawe sa nangi nyzdr drtc’ kc tqpile nakabzle badr,
A’ kxdrka’-ngrng sa namaszlrtxpx-ngrng.
Glqpx Yawe kx mzli trnaboipeu x kxdrka’-ngrng sc tzmrbrpeng.
Kxmule-esz’ rtangrtiq nidr a’ trpengr nzmc-krmleng.
Gct rlr-ngrbzle drtc’ nyzde mz kxnzavzo-lzbqng.
X sa na-abrtzng mz nzmnc-zpwx-krdr elr.
12-15 Ili! Kxnztubqng x kxtrnzrngiscung na-aclvetio-lzbqng
Murde kxdrka’-ngrng nzglalzpelr toki r vea x popz’ scdr.
Ili! A’ kxdrka’-ngrng na-aclvetio-lzbq-kzng murde toki r vea scdr sa nanibq-moule nidr,
X Yawe sa naplameitibzle popz’ scdr.
Jzs Yawe krkcng tzryrlqng drtwr kx na-atrkati-ngrdr kxnztubqng
X nzmadqti-zvzbzlr nqngidr badr.
Jzsle nidr mz nzodati-krde nidr,
X yrpalelvz-zvzle nidr murde trpnzngr nzxplr-krdr.
16-22 Kxetu Yawe aclve-zvzle kxnzvz-nqblqlr nide,
X nikeng kabzle badr nangisc-alopedr.
Kabzle badr dakxnzng kxkqlu mz mzli r dzbi,
X okatrle nidr mzli kx prtzngr da.
Lalztqmamu! Murde kxdrka’-ngrng sa nabzng, mz nzapu-krdr nrpq da kc tqplclqom
X enqmi r Yawe lcng sa nangiliang na-apulr zsikapu.
Mclr ncblo kxtubq, kxmule-esz’ kxpipzne,
Myaszpxle da kxkqlu kxngisc ncblo kxdrka’ngr.
Murde Yawe sa nakatxpxbzle zmatq ngrdr kxdrka’-ngrng,
A’ sa naokatrle kxnztubqng.
Ncblo kxdrka’-ngrng nzbi-txpwzlr nzrlxngr, x trnzkrlzlru nzrka-niwzlrngr.
A’ kxnzmrlzng yc mz drtwrdr nzrka-niwzlr-krdr vzmi kxnzamnzo-mzleu.
Ncblo kcng tqamrlzng Yawe sa nangi nyzdr drtc’ kc tqpile nakabzle badr.
A’ leplz kcng tqpilzleng sa nabzng.
23-26 Oblamzngeng, bztipex nzmncngr, x ninge ka tqnginipenge lrtzlvz.
X mcx kx nqmq kr ncblo kxtubq nide sele.
Okatr-zvzle leplz mz nzrlr-nrbalq-krde dztudeng, x doa nedeng ngi da kxmrlz kx kabz Gct bade.
Yawe okatr-zvzle nide x doa nedeng trnzyrnitrpwzung nadr dakxnzng.
Pq mz drtwr Yawe nzaelwa-krbzle mz leplz lrpzki kx nao-zlilr,
X mailz-zvzle krkcng tzabrtz-ngrdr nqmq krde.
Pipxle kx kxmule-esz’ nanycdr miglqpx, a’ trnztaoung,
Murde sc tqlolvz-amqngileng.
27-29 Rtxtiamu nibrmu da kxtrka, x aleamu da kxmrlz,
Murde neidu nemung namnc-along mz drtc’ kc tqpi Yawe nakabzle bamu.
Rpi Yawe kx mrlz bade da kxtubq,
X okatr-zvzle kxnzabrtrpzlr drtwrdr bade.
Sa naokatr-zvzle nidr,
A’ doa ne kxdrka’-ngrng sa nabzng.
Sa nangi nyz leplz kxnzmrlzng drtc’ kc tqpi Yawe nakabzle badr,
X sa namnc-alopeng elr.
30-33 Takitrde kx ncblo kxmrlz dekc tqvzkipxm natq ngr nzyrplapxngr,
X nikeng pitileng tubq.
Takitr-kzde nzkrlz-angidr-krde Lou amrlx sc Gct rde,
X nzlolvz-amqngi-zvz-krdeleng.
Vz zvz kxdrka’-ngrng nzaukzti-krdr leplz kxnzmrlzng,
Murde nanibqlrng.
Vz zvz Yawe nzkapx-krmle ncblo kxmrlz mz mq enqmi rdeng,
X mzli kc natwz-ngrdr nide mz kot, trnzaovxiolru nide.
34-36 Wz zvz mz nzabrtr-krbzmu drtwrmu bade,
Murde sa nangi nyzmu drtc’ kc tqpile nakabzle bamu mz nzamatq-krde nimu.
X sa namcamu nzmaneutipx-krde kxdrka’-ngrng.
Xlrmamu natqnge. Mcx kzdq ncblo kxdrka’ngr kxtrka-esz’ngr, x atrkati-zvzle leplz.
Xplr-esz’ngr x obqszo-ngrde leplz amrlx.
X kxmule-esz’ rtangrtix nide, a’ trmcpewxu, murde mrbrpe.
37-40 Yrlq angidr mz drtwrm ncblo kxmrlz kxtubq, murde mnc mz nrwx,
X doa kxnzmika mz neidu lrde nzkqlu-zlwzng.
Yrpalelvzx kxdrka’-ngrng murde sa nabzting,
X doa lr neidu lrdr sa nayrkrtxong.
Zvz Yawe na-arlapxle kxnztubqng.
Murde nide me nzrlakitrlr mz mzli r nzkxpu-krdr.
Zvz Yawe na-arlapxbzle nidr mz mq kxdrka’-ngrng,
Murde nzbrti drtwrdr nide nzokatr-krde nidr.

© 2008, Wycliffe Bible Translators, Inc. All rights reserved.

There are two Dutch translations that maintain the acrostic: Naardense Bijbel (publ. 2004) and the Tot Lof van God by Frans Croese (publ. 2010).

Click or tap here for the complete psalm in the Dutch translations

Naardense Bijbel:

1
(v. David, toen hij zijn verstand verdraaide
      voor het aanschijn van Avimelech,- ✡
die hem wegjoeg,
zodat hij kon gáán.)
2
Altijd zal ik zegenen de Ene, ✡
steeds
ligt zijn lof mij voor in de mond.
3
Bij de Ene prijst mijn ziel zich gelukkig,- ✡
mogen gebukten het horen
      en zich verheugen!
4
Geeft met mij grootheid aan de Ene, ✡
laat ons zijn naam eenparig roemen!
5
De Ene zocht ik
      en hij heeft mij geantwoord, ✡
aan al wat ik duchtte
heeft hij mij ontrukt!
6
En wie opkeken naar hem, zij straalden, ✡
geen schaamrood kleurde
hun wangen.
7
Fluisterend kon deze gebogene nog roepen
      en de Ene hoorde, ✡
uit al wat hem benauwde
heeft hij hem gered.
8
Gelegerd is de engel van de Ene
rondom wie hem vrezen, ✡
en hij redt ze uit.
9
Hoe goed de Ene is: proeft het en ziet! ✡
Zalig de kerel
die toevlucht zoekt bij hem!
10
Ja gij, zijn heiligen, vreest de Ene!- ✡
want er zal geen gebrek zijn
voor wie hem vrezen.
11
Kommer en honger leden
      welpen van leeuwen, ✡
maar de zoekers van de Ene:
niets van alle goed zal hun ontbreken.
12
Laat u leiden door mij, zonen, en hoort; ✡
de vreze voor de Ene
zal ik u leren!
13
Mannen met behagen in leven, wie niet?- ✡
die lengte van dagen minnen,
het goede willen zien:
14
niet nalaten je tong te hoeden voor kwaad, ✡
je lippen
voor het spreken van bedrog!
15
O wijk voor het kwade, doe het goede, ✡
zoek naar vrede, jaag die na!
16
Rechtvaardigen:
      de Ene houdt zijn ogen op hen, ✡
zijn oren
richten zich op hun geroep.
17
Pijnlijk is het aanschijn van de Ene
      voor daders van kwaad, ✡
hij snijdt hun gedachtenis van de aarde af.
18
Schreeuwden zij: de Ene hoorde, ✡
aan al hun benauwingen
heeft hij hen ontrukt.
19
Terzijde staat de Ene
      gebrokenen van hart, ✡
hij redt verbrijzelden van geest.
20
Vele zijn de rampen
      voor een rechtvaardige, ✡
aan die alle
ontrukt hem de Ene,
21
wakend over elk van zijn botten, ✡
daarvan zal niet een
worden gebroken.
22
Zelf echter zal het kwaad
      de booswicht doden ✡
en zullen haters van een rechtvaardige
      hun schuld boeten.
23
Maar de Ene koopt
      de ziel van zijn dienaren los,- ✡
geen schuld voor
al wie toevlucht zoeken bij hem!
24
ja, mocht hij vallen, geveld is hij niet, ✡
want de Ene
schraagt zijn hand.
25
Nooit heb ik, toen ik jong was,
ook niet toen ik oud werd,
      een rechtvaardige gezien verlaten, ✡
of zijn zaad
zien bedelen om brood:
26
al de dag gunt hij en leent hij, ✡
zijn zaad
is tot zegen.
27
Ontloop het kwade, doe het goede, ✡
dan mag je wonen voor eeuwig;
28
zij worden bewaard voor eeuwig ✡
en weggemaaid wordt het zaad van bozen.
29
Rechtvaardigen, zij beërven de aarde, ✡
zij mogen haar blijvend bewonen,
30
Spellen zal de mond van een rechtvaardige
      wijsheid, ✡
zijn tong
spreekt uit wat het recht is;
31
het onderricht van zijn God is in zijn hart,
zijn wandel wankelt nooit.
32
Tracht een boze
      de rechtvaardige te vangen
en zoekt hij
hem te doden,
33
ook in diens hand verlaat de Ene hem niet,
laat hem in zijn recht
niet tot boosdoener maken.
34
U, hoop op de Ene en bewaak zijn weg:
en hij zal u verheffen
      om de aarde te beerven,-
het wegmaaien van boosdoeners
      zul je zien.
35
Eens zag ik een boosdoener, geweldig,
zich blootgeven,-
als een groene ceder.
36
Voorbij ging iemand, en zie, hij was weg;
ik zocht hem,
maar niets meer te vinden!
37
maar bewaak wie gaaf is,
      zie aan een oprechte:
dat er toekomst is voor een man van vrede!
38
Weggevaagd worden
      grensoverschrijders tezamen,
verdelgd wordt de toekomst van bozen;
39
Zalig zijn rechtvaardigen!-
      hun redding komt van de Ene,
hij is hun toevlucht
in tijd van benauwing;
40
de Ene helpt hen,
hij doet hen ontkomen,
      ontkomen aan boosdoeners,
      hij redt hen,
want hun toevlucht is in hem.

Tot Lof van God translation:

Op naam van David.

Ach, wind u niet op over die kwaadaardige lieden,
wees niet afgunstig op wie onrecht bedrijven;
2
ze zullen weldra verdorren als gras,
verwelken als het nog zo frisse groen.
3
Blijf bezig het goede te doen, vertrouw op Jehovah,
bewoon de aarde, betoon u getrouw,
4
laat uw genieting Jehovah toch zijn.
Alles waar uw hart naar verlangt, Hij zal het u geven.

5
Dus wentel uw weg op Jehovah,
vertrouw op Hem, Hij zal het doen:
6
Hij doet uw gerechtigheid stralen als het licht,
uw recht als de klaarlichte dag.
7
En daarom, houd u in jegens Jehovah,
wees oprecht wachtend op Hem
en wind u niet op over degene wiens weg voor de wind lijkt te gaan,
die mens die snode plannen bedrijft.
8
Furieus? Ach, laat toch af, laat varen die woede,
wind u niet op, om alleen maar het verkeerde te doen.
9
Die kwaadaardige lieden worden stellig vernietigd,
terwijl wie op Jehovah hopen de aarde zullen bezitten.
10
Geduld dus… nog even en wie gewetenloos is, is er niet meer,
zou je je richten op de plek waar hij was, stellig, hij is er niet meer;
11
dan zijn het de zachtaardigen, die zullen de aarde bezitten
en overvloedige vrede genieten aldaar.

12
Hoewel de gewetenloze jegens de rechvaardige van alles beraamt
– vanwege hem is immers diens tandengeknars –
13
Jehovah lacht hem [die gewetenloze] vierkant uit;
dat diens dag is aangebroken, heeft Hij al gezien.
14
Intussen trokken gewetenloze lieden het zwaard, spanden hun boog
om die arme stakkers om te leggen, om hen wier weg oprecht is af te slachten.
15
Maar, hun zwaard komt elders terecht, in hun eigen hart;
hun bogen worden compleet doormidden gebroken.

16
Juist daarom is het weinige van de rechtvaardige zoveel beter
dan de enorme overdaad van wie gewetenloos is,
17
want wat die gewetenlozen vermogen zal worden verbroken,
terwijl Jehovah steun verleent aan wie rechtvaardig zijn.
18
Kortom, Jehovah weetwat zij, onkreukbaar als ze zijn,
nu door moeten maken, maar hun erfdeel staat vast, definitief.
19
Geen teleurstelling daarom ten tijde van rampspoed,
ze worden ook op dagen van honger verzadigd.

20
Luistert, het zijn de gewetenlozen, die zullen vergaan,
het zal Jehovah’s vijanden vergaan als de trots van de weide:
opgaand in rook, houden zij op te bestaan.
21
Merk op, de gewetenloze betaalt niet eens terug wat hij leende,
de rechtvaardige is daarentegen goedgunstig, gul en goedgeefs.
22
Zijn gezegenden zullen daarom de aarde bezitten,
terwijl Zijn vervloekten de afsnijding wacht.

23
Naarmate de schreden van een man door Jehovah zijn bevestigd,
heeft Hij aan diens weg een welgevallen;
24
zou hij vallen, languit gaat hij niet,
want Jehovah houdt hem vast, bij de hand.
25
Ooit ook jong ben ik intussen oud geworden,
maar nooit heb ik de rechtvaardige verlaten gezien,
of diens nageslacht zoekend naar brood.
26
Integendeel, heel de dag is hij goedgunstig, leent hij anderen gul,
terwijl zijn nageslacht tot zegen is.

27
Pas op daarom, wijk van het kwade, beoefen het goede
en houd zodoende verblijf voor altijd;
28
Jehovah is op gerechtigheid gesteld,
Hij zal Zijn loyalen nimmer verlaten.
Reken maar dat 37 blijvend bescherming genieten,
terwijl het nageslacht der gewetenlozen afsnijding wacht;
29
de rechtvaardigen zullen de aarde bezitten
en daarop voor eeuwig verblijven.

30 Slechts wijsheid beweegt de mond van de rechtvaardige,
waardoor zijn tong gerechtigheid spreekt;
31
in zijn hart is de Wet van zijn God,
zijn schreden wankelen niet.
32
Terwijl de gewetenloze loert op de rechtvaardige,
erop uit is om hem te doden,
33
laat Jehovah hem niet vallen in diens hand,
Hij verklaart hem onschuldig ingeval hij mocht worden berecht.

34
Uw hoop zij op Jehovah derhalve, houd vast aan Zijn weg.
Hij zal u verhogen zodat u de aarde in bezit kunt nemen;
de vernietiging van wie doortrapt gewetenloos is, maakt u dan mee.
35
Voorwaar, ik heb het gezien al in feite:
de gewetenloze die zo gewelddadig was,
welig tierend als het woekerende gewas,
36
maar hij verdween. Ja ziet, hij is er niet meer!
Ik ging nog zoeken, maar het bleek dat hij onvindbaar was.

37
Wees dus rechtschapen, houd daaraan vast,
zie naar wat recht, naar wat terecht is,
want de toekomst is voor degene die uit is op vrede;
38
de opstandigen worden gezamenlijk verdelgd,
de toekomst van de gewetenlozen wordt onherroepelijk afgesneden.
39
Zodat de redding der rechtvaardigen afkomstig zal zijn van Jehovah,
Hij, hun vesting in tijden van nood.
40
Zo helpt Jehovah hen; Hij is mét hen en doet hen ontkomen.
Hij doet hen ontkomen aan wie gewetenloos zijn en redt hen,
tot Hem immers hebben zij toevlucht genomen.

With thanks to Thamara van Eijzeren

The English Bible translation by Ronald Knox (publ. 1950) maintains most Hebrew acrostics (even though Knox’s translation itself is based on the Latin text of the Vulgate rather than the Hebrew). Due to the higher number of letters in the English alphabet, it skips the letter P, Q, X, Y, and Z.

1 (Of David.) Art thou impatient, friend, when the wicked thrive; dost thou envy the lot of evil-doers?
2 they will soon fade like the grass, like the green leaf wither away.
3 Be content to trust in the Lord and do good; live on thy land, and take thy ease,
4 all thy longing fixed in the Lord; so he will give thee what thy heart desires.
5 Commit thy life to the Lord, and trust in him; he will prosper thee,
6 making thy honesty clear as the day, the justice of thy cause bright as the sun at noon.
7 Dumb and patient, to the Lord’s mercy look thou, never fretting over the man that has his own way, and thrives by villainy.
8 End thy complaints, forgo displeasure, do not fret thyself into an evil mood;
9 the evil-minded will be dispossessed, and patient souls, that wait for the Lord, succeed them.
10 Forbear yet a little, and the sinner will be seen no more; thou wilt search in vain to find him,
11 while patient souls are the land’s heirs, enjoying great peace.
12 Gnashing his teeth with envy, the wrong-doer plots against the innocent,
13 and cannot see his own turn coming; but the Lord sees it, and laughs at his malice.
14 How they draw the sword, how they bend the bow, these sinners, to bring ruin on helpless poverty, to murder the upright;
15 swords that will pierce their own hearts, bows that will break in pieces!
16 Innocence, ill endowed, has the better of the wicked in their abundance;
17 soon fails the strength of their arms, and still the Lord has the just in his keeping.
18 Jealously the Lord watches over the lives of the guiltless, they will hold their lands for ever,
19 undismayed by adversity, in time of famine well content.
20 Knavery will yet come to an end; like the spring’s finery they will die, the Lord’s enemies, vanish away like smoke.
21 Let the sinner borrow, and never repay, still the good man will be a generous giver;✻
22 win the Lord’s blessing, and the land is thine, his ban is death.
23 Man’s feet stand firm, if the Lord is with him to prosper his journey;
24 he may stumble but never fall, with the Lord’s hand in his.
25 Now youth is past, and I have grown old; yet never did I see the good man forsaken, or his children begging their bread;
26 still he lends without stint, and men call down blessings on his posterity.
27 Offend no more, rather do good, and be at rest continually;
28 the Lord is ever just, and will not abandon his faithful servants. Perish the sinner, forgotten be the name of the evil-doer,
29 but these will hold their land, and live on it always at rest.
30 Right reason is on the good man’s lips, well weighed are all his counsels;
31 his steps never falter, because the law of God rules in his heart.
32 Sinners lie in wait, plotting against the life of the innocent;
33 but the Lord will never leave him in their power, never find him guilty when he is arraigned.
34 Trust the Lord, and follow the path he has chosen; so he will set thee up in possession of thy land, and thou wilt live to see the wicked come to ruin.
35 Until yesterday, I saw the evil-doer throned high as the branching cedars;
36 then, when I passed by, he was there no longer, and I looked in vain to find him.
37 Virtuous men and innocent mark thou well; he that lives peaceably will leave a race behind him,
38 while sinners are rooted out every one, and their graceless names forgotten.
39 When affliction comes, the Lord is the refuge and defence of the innocent;
40 the Lord will aid and deliver them, rescue and preserve them from the power of wickedness, because they put their trust in him. (Source )

Another English translation that maintains the acrostic is by Gordon Jackson (The Lincoln Psalter, 1997):

Are you incensed because the wicked do so well?
      Do you envy them their success? Forget it.
      They may flourish like leaves, but remember autumn is coming.
Be wise; do good, and trust the Lord;
      Mind your own business, leave others to theirs;
      Set your heart on God, he will look after you.
Confide in the Lord, commit all your dealings to him;
      With him as your backer how can you fail to prosper?
      The good of your name will shine like the sun in the sky.
Don’t be upset by others that prosper dishonestly;
      They get their way, yes, but at what a cost;
      Don’t worry; God’s mercy is more than money.
Envy will do you no good, neither will anger;
      You know the dishonest will get their just deserts;
      But those who rely on God have a fortune in him.
For a little time the wicked may rule the roost;
      A little time, and no more; others supplant them;
      But in the end the land will revert to the humble.
Green with envy, the wicked detest the honest;
      They feel derided; God derides them indeed;
      He knows the ending of their curious plans.
Hatred of weakness, of good, excites them to action;
      They are armed with sword and bow and pocket-book;
      Weapons they lived by but yet will be their undoing.
Innocents have a power unknown to the wicked;
      The power of arms, of armies, of allies will fail;
      Yet the Lord, unseen, will preserve his own forever.
Justice demands that the Lord will provide for the just;
      Misfortune, oppression, will never distress them long;
      They will come, with him, through famine, and war, and flood.
Kings of the castle may think themselves secure
      But they will fall as sure as autumn leaves;
      They will burn as rubbish, and even their smoke will vanish.
Loans to the wicked rarely get paid back,
      But the Lord will repay the good and the bad in his time;
      The good are generous givers, and so is our God.
Men with a mind to be upright sons shall be so;
      The Lord will hold them steady on their feet;
      From time to time they may stumble, but won’t fall down.
Never have I seen a good man begging his bread,
      Not from when I was young to my old age now;
      He always has something to spare, for friends, for the needy.
Order your days; do good; make peace where you can;
      God who loves justice will always favour the just;
      His law will deal with the lawless and their kind.
Possession of lands will pass to those who deserve them;
      Peace follows justice; with peace comes prosperity;
      Who will remember the names of past grasping landlords?
Reason and rhyme will season a good man’s language:
      A level head is matched with a witty heart;
      Workman’s words that hit the nail on the head.
Steallth is the wicked man’s trade, and seeming important;
      Getting the weak in their clutches is their profession;
      But the Lord will not let them keep the fruits of their labour,
Trust in the Lord; he will keep you out of their hands;
      You will yet live to see the land you love rejoicing;
      You will see those that ruined it come down themselves to ruin.
Up to all sorts of tricks, the unworthy will rise;
      I have seen them dining in their successful villas;
      I have passed again, and seen them gone and forgotten.
Virtue and honesty leave good things behind them
      Worthy to carry on a good man’s name;
      But they try to conceal their names, the disgraced one’s children.
When trouble comes to the good, the Lord is their lawyer;
      He will take their case, he will use the law to save them;
      Because they were innocent; because they trusted in him.

Another published English translation with acrostics is The Psalms Chronologically Arranged by the “Four Friends” (C.T. Arnold, A.W. Potts, F.E. Kitchener, S. Philpotts) of 1870.

Another 19th century translation with maintained acrostics is the German 1883 commentary and translation by Franz Delitzsch . Unlike the other translations, he translates the acrostics of this and the other acrostic psalms by following an approximation of the German sound of the 22 letters (alef/א‎ = a; bet/ב‎ = b; gimel/ג‎ = g; dalet/ד = d; he/ה‎ = h; vav/ו = u; zayin/ז‎ = s; chet/ח‎ = h; tet/ט = t; yod/י‎ = i or j; kaf/כ = k; lamed/ל = l; mem/מ = m; nun/נ = n; samech/ס‎ = s; ayin/ע = e; pe/פ = f; tsadi/צ‎ = z; qof/ק = k; resh/ר = r; shin/ש‎ = sch; tav/ת = t).

complete verse (Psalm 37:13)

Following are a number of back-translations as well as a sample translation for translators of Psalm 37:13:

  • Chichewa Contempary Chichewa translation, 2002/2016:
    “but the Lord laughs at the wicked
    for He knows that their day is coming.” (Source: Mawu a Mulungu mu Chichewa Chalero Back Translation)
  • Newari:
    “The LORD laughs at the wicked,
    because He knows – they will soon be destroyed.” (Source: Newari Back Translation)
  • Hiligaynon:
    “But the LORD just laughs at the wicked
    for he knows that the time (is) so soon that they will-be-destroyed.” (Source: Hiligaynon Back Translation)
  • Eastern Bru:
    “But the Lord laughs at wicked people, because he knows already that the day of their end is near.” (Source: Bru Back Translation)
  • Laarim:
    “But instead, the Lord is laughing at bad people,
    because he knows that their day of judgement will come.” (Source: Laarim Back Translation)
  • Nyakyusa-Ngonde (back-translation into Swahili):
    “Lakini Bwana anamcheka mbaya,
    anajua kuwa siku yake ya hukumu inakuja.” (Source: Nyakyusa Back Translation)
  • English:
    “But Yahweh laughs at them
    because he knows that some day he will judge and punish the wicked people.” (Source: Translation for Translators)

pronoun for "God"

God transcends gender, but most languages are limited to grammatical gender expressed in pronouns. In the case of English, this is traditionally confined to “he” (or in the forms “his,” “him,” and “himself”), “she” (and “her,” “hers,” and “herself”), and “it” (and “its” and “itself”).

Modern Mandarin Chinese, however, offers another possibility. Here, the third-person singular pronoun is always pronounced the same (tā), but it is written differently according to its gender (他 is “he,” 她 is “she,” and 它/牠 is “it” and their respective derivative forms). In each of these characters, the first (or upper) part defines the gender (man, woman, or thing/animal), while the second element gives the clue to its pronunciation.

In 1930, after a full century with dozens of Chinese translations, Bible translator Wang Yuande (王元德) coined a new “godly” pronoun: 祂. Chinese readers immediately knew how to pronounce it: tā. But they also recognized that the first part of that character, signifying something spiritual, clarified that each person of the Trinity has no gender aside from being God.

While the most important Protestant and Catholic Chinese versions respectively have opted not to use 祂, some Bible translations do and it is widely used in hymnals and other Christian materials. Among the translations that use 祂 to refer to “God” were early versions of Lü Zhenzhong’s (呂振中) version (New Testament: 1946, complete Bible: 1970). R.P. Kramers (in The Bible Translator 1956, p. 152ff. ) explains why later versions of Lü’s translation did not continue with this practice: “This new way of writing ‘He,’ however, has created a minor problem of its own: must this polite form be used whenever Jesus is referred to? Lü follows the rule that, wherever Jesus is referred to as a human being, the normal tā (他) is written; where he is referred to as divine, especially after the ascension, the reverential tā (祂) is used.”

In Kouya, Godié, Northern Grebo, Eastern Krahn, Western Krahn, and Guiberoua Béte, all languages of the Kru family in Western Africa, a different kind of systems of pronouns is used (click or tap here to read more):

In that system one kind of pronoun is used for humans (male and female alike) and one for natural elements, non-liquid masses, and some spiritual entities (one other is used for large animals and another one for miscellaneous items). While in these languages the pronoun for spiritual entities used to be employed when referring to God, this has changed into the use of the human pronoun.

Lynell Zogbo (in The Bible Translator 1989, p. 401ff. ) explains in the following way: “From informal discussions with young Christians especially, it would appear that, at least for some people, the experience and/or concepts of Christianity are affecting the choice of pronoun for God. Some people explain that God is no longer ‘far away,’ but is somehow tangible and personal. For these speakers God has shifted over into the human category.”

In Kouya, God (the Father) and Jesus are referred to with the human pronoun ɔ, whereas the Holy Spirit is referred to with a non-human pronoun. (Northern Grebo and Western Krahn make a similar distinction.)

Eddie Arthur, a former Kouya Bible translation consultant, says the following: “We tried to insist that this shouldn’t happen, but the Kouya team members were insistent that the human pronoun for the Spirit would not work.”

In Burmese, the pronoun ko taw (ကိုယ်တော်) is used either as 2nd person (you) or 3rd person (he, him, his) reference. “This term clearly has its root in the religious language in Burmese. No ordinary persons are addressed or known by this pronoun because it is reserved for Buddhist monks, famous religious teachers, and in the case of Christianity, the Trinity.” (Source: Gam Seng Shae in The Bible Translator 2002, p. 202ff. )

In Thai, the pronoun phra`ong (พระองค์) is used, a gender-neutral pronoun which must refer to a previously introduced royal or divine being. Similarly, in Northern Khmer, which is spoken in Thailand, “an honorific divine pronoun” is used for the pronoun referring to the persons of the Trinity (source: David Thomas in The Bible Translator 1993, p. 445 ). In Urak Lawoi’, another language spoken in Thailand, the translation often uses tuhat (ตูฮัด) — “God” — ”as a divine pronoun where Thai has phra’ong even though it’s actually a noun.” (Source for Thai and Urak Lawoi’: Stephen Pattemore)

The English “Contemporary Torah” addresses the question of God and gendered pronouns by mostly avoiding pronouns in the first five books of the Hebrew Bible/Old Testament (unless God is referred to as “lord,” “father,” “king,” or “warrior”). It does that by either using passive constructs (“He gave us” vs. “we were given”), by using the adjective “divine” or by using “God” rather than a pronoun.

Some Protestant and Orthodox English Bibles use a referential capitalized spelling when referring to the persons of the Trinity with “He,” “His,” “Him,” or “Himself.” This includes for instance the New American Standard Bible or The Orthodox New Testament, but most translations do not. Two other languages where this is also done (in most Bible translations) are the closely related Indonesian and Malay. In both languages this follows the language usage according to the Qur’an, which in turn predicts that usage (see Soesilo in The Bible Translator 1991, p. 442ff. and The Bible Translator 1997, p. 433ff. ).

See also first person pronoun referring to God.

Learn more on Bible Odyssey: Gender of God .

Translation: Chinese

在现代汉语中,第三人称单数代词的读音都是一样的(tā),但是写法并不一样,取决于性别以及是否有生命,即男性为“他”,女性为“她”,动物、植物和无生命事物为“它”(在香港和台湾的汉语使用,动物则为“牠”)。这些字的部首偏旁表明了性别(男人、女人、动物、无生命事物),而另一偏旁通常旁提示发音。

到1930年为止,基督教新教《圣经》经过整整一百年的翻译已经拥有了十几个译本,当时的一位圣经翻译者王元德新造了一个“神圣的”代词“祂”,偏旁“礻”表示神明。一般汉语读者会立即知道这字的发音是tā,而这个偏旁表示属灵的事物,因此他们明白这个字指出,三位一体的所有位格都没有性别之分,而单单是上帝。

然而,最重要的新教圣经译本(1919年的《和合本》)和天主教圣经译本(1968年的《思高圣经》)都没有采用“祂”;虽然如此,许多其他的圣经译本采用了这个字,另外还广泛出现在赞美诗和其他基督信仰的书刊中。(资料来源:Zetzsche)

《吕振中译本》的几个早期版本也使用“祂”来指称“上帝”;这个译本的《新约》于1946年译成,整部《圣经》于1970年完成。克拉默斯(Kramers)指出:“‘他’的这种新写法(即‘祂’)产生了一个小问题,就是在指称耶稣的时候,是否一律使用这个敬语代词?《吕振中译本》遵循的原则是,在称呼耶稣这个人的时候,用一般的‘他’,而在称呼耶稣神性的时候,特别是升天之后的耶稣,则用尊称‘祂’。”

Translator: Simon Wong

Honorary are / rare constructs denoting God (“laugh”)

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 are (され) 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, waraw-are-ru (笑われる) or “laugh” is used.

Also, , when the referent is God or a person or persons to be greatly honored, the honorific prefix go- (御 or ご) can be used, as in go-ran (ご覧), a combination of “behold / see” (ran) and the honorific prefix go-.

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

Translation commentary on Psalm 37:12 - 37:13

In this strophe the psalmist speaks only of the fate of the wicked, whose plots against the righteous are useless, because Yahweh sees that his day is coming, that is, the day of the final punishment of the wicked will arrive soon. For a discussion of plots see 36.4.

For gnashes his teeth see comment at 35.16; and for “the LORD laughs” (Good News Translation) see 2.4 and comments. It should be noted that here the Hebrew has the title “Lord,” not the name Yahweh (as Revised Standard Version LORD wrongly has 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 .