The Hebrew and Greek that is translated into English as “the wrath of God” or “God’s anger” has to be referred to in Bengali as judgment, punishment or whatever fits the context. In Bengali culture, anger is by definition bad and can never be predicated of God. (Source: David Clark)
Translations in other languages:
Quetzaltepec Mixe: “translated with a term that not only expresses anger, but also punishment” (source: Robert Bascom)
Western Bukidnon Manobo: “the coming punishment of God on mankind” (source: Western Bukidnon Manobo Back Translation)
Kankanaey: “God’s fearful/terrible future punishing of people” (source: Kankanaey Back Translation)
Tagbanwa: “the coming anger/hatred of God” (source: Tagbanwa Back Translation)
Tenango Otomi: “the punishment which will come” (source: Tenango Otomi Back Translation)
Bariai: “God’s action of anger comes forth in the open” (source: Bariai Back Translation)
Mairasi: “His anger keeps increasing (until it will definitely arrive)” (source: Enggavoter 2004)
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 to do this is through the usage (or a lack) of an honorific prefix as shown here in the widely-used Japanese Shinkaiyaku (新改訳) Bible of 2017. When the referent is God, the “divine” honorific prefix mi- (御) is used as in mi-ikari (御怒り) or “wrath (of God)” in the referenced verses. (Source: S. E. Doi, see also S. E. Doi in Journal of Translation, 18/2022, p. 37ff. )
The Hebrew, Latin and Greek that is translated as “anger” or similar in English in this verse is translated with a variety of solutions (Bratcher / Nida says: “Since anger has so many manifestations and seems to affect so many aspects of personality, it is not strange that expressions used to describe this emotional response are so varied”).
Chichewa: “have a burning heart” (source: Mawu a Mulungu mu Chichewa Chalero Back Translation) (see also anger burned in him)
Citak: two different terms, one meaning “angry” and one meaning “offended,” both are actually descriptions of facial expressions. The former can be represented by an angry stretching of the eyes or by an angry frown. The latter is similarly expressed by an offended type of frown with one’s head lowered. (Source: Graham Ogden)
In Akan, a number of metaphors are used, most importantly abufuo, lit. “weedy chest” (the chest is seen as a container that contains the heart but can also metaphorically be filled with other fluids etc.), but also abufuhyeε lit. “hot/burning weedy chest” and anibereε, lit. “reddened eyes.” (Source: Gladys Nyarko Ansah in Kövecses / Benczes / Szelid 2024, p. 21ff.)
Following are a number of back-translations as well as a sample translation for translators of Psalm 6:1:
Chichewa Contempary Chichewa translation, 2002/2016:
“You Jehovah, do not rebuke me in your anger,
or punish me in your wrath.” (Source: Mawu a Mulungu mu Chichewa Chalero Back Translation)
Newari:
“O LORD! Do not rebuke me in anger.
Do not punish me in Your fierce anger.” (Source: Newari Back Translation)
Hiligaynon:
“LORD, even-if you (sing.) (are) angry with me, do- not -punish me.” (Source: Hiligaynon Back Translation)
Eastern Bru:
“Oh God! Request you don’t accuse me when you are angry with me. Request that you don’t punish me when you have a hot heart toward me.” (Source: Bru Back Translation)
Laarim:
“LORD, do not warn me with your anger
or you rebuke me with your great anger.” (Source: Laarim Back Translation)
Nyakyusa-Ngonde (back-translation into Swahili):
“Ee BWANA, usinikemee kwa kuchukia kwako,
au kuniadhibu na ghadhabu zako.” (Source: Nyakyusa Back Translation)
English:
“Yahweh, do not punish me when you are angry with me;
Do not even rebuke/scold me when you are angry.” (Source: Translation for Translators)
Following is a translation of Psalm 6 into dance and song in Kabiyè by Groupe Ñalɩmɩyɛ. The video is followed by an English back-translation as well as the original Kabiyè text and a French back-translations. The leader (call) part is in standard type, the ensemble (response) is italicized.
Eternal God, your anger is kindled against me, I beg you do not condemn me.
Aawoo, Eternal God, your anger is kindled against me, I beg you do not condemn me.
Aawoo, Eternal God, have mercy on me, aowe, Eternal God have mercy on me.
Aawoo, Eternal God, have mercy on us, aawoo, Eternal God have mercy on us.
Aawoo, Eternal God, have mercy on us oooo, Eternal God have mercy on us. (2 times)
I’m moaning, I’m facing death, ooh my God, ohh my God, come and save me.
Aawoo, I’m moaning, I’m facing death, ooh my God, ohh my God, come and save me.
How long are you going to hold your grudge against me? Aawoo, ooh my God, come and deliver me.
Aawoo, how long are you going to hold your grudge against me? Aawoo, ooh my God, come and deliver me.
Ooh my God come save me, awoo, ooh come save me. (2 times)
Depart from me, my enemies, for God has responded.
Aawee, depart from me my enemies, aawé, for God has responded.
Truly, depart from me my enemies, aawoo, for God has responded.
Truly, oo, depart from me my enemies, aawoo, for God has responded.
Aawoo, my enemies are covered in shame, my God thank you.
Aawoo, my enemies are covered in shame, aawee, my God thank you.
Truly, my enemies are covered in shame, aawee, my God thank you.
Aawoo, my God aawoo, thank you yee, my God thank you.
Truly, my God thank you, aawee, my God thank you.
My God thank you, aawoo, my God thank you.
Aawee my God thank you, aawoo, my God thank you.
Aawoo, Infinite One thank you, my God thank you.
Aawoo, Eternal thank you truly, my God thank you.
Aawee, my God thank you, my God thank you.
Aawee, my God thank you aawoo, my God thank you.
Click or tap here to see the the text in French back-translation
Eternel Dieu, ta colère s’est enflammée contre moi, je te supplie ne me condamne pas.
Aawoo, Eternel Dieu, ta colère s’est enflammée contre moi, je te supplie ne me condamne pas.
Aawoo, Eternel Dieu, aie pitié de moi, aouwé, Eternel Dieu aie pitié de moi.
Aawoo, Eternel Dieu, aie pitié de moi, aawoo, Eternel Dieu aie pitié de moi.
Aawoo, Eternal God, have mercy on us, aawoo, Eternal God have mercy on us.
Aawoo, Eternel Dieu, aie pitié de nous oooo, Eternel Dieu aie pitié de nous. (2 times)
Je gémis, je suis devant la mort, ooh mon Dieu, ohh mon Dieu, viens me sauver.
Aawoo, je gémis, je suis devant la mort, ooh mon Dieu, ohh mon Dieu, viens me sauver.
Tu vas garder rancune contre moi jusqu’à quand ? Aawoo, ooh mon Dieu, viens me délivrer.
Awoo, tu vas garder rancune contre moi jusqu’à quand ? Aawoo, ooh mon Dieu, viens me délivrer.
Ooh mon Dieu viens me sauver, aawoo, ooh viens me sauver. (2 fois)
Eloignez-vous de moi mes ennemis, car Dieu m’a exaucé.
Aawé, eloignez-vous de moi mes ennemis, aawé, car Dieu m’a exaucé.
Véritablement, éloignez-vous de moi mes ennemis, aawoo, car Dieu m’a exaucé.
Véritablement, oo, éloignez-vous de moi mes ennemis, aawoo, car Dieu m’a exaucé.
Aawoo, mes ennemis sont couverts de honte, mon Dieu merci.
Aawoo, mes ennemis sont couverts de honte, aawee, mon Dieu merci.
Véritablement, mes ennemis sont couverts de honte, aawee, mon Dieu merci.
Aawoo, mon Dieu aawoo, merci yee, mon Dieu merci.
Véritablement, mon Dieu merci, aawee, mon Dieu merci.
Mon Dieu merci, aawoo, mon Dieu merci.
Aawee mon Dieu merci, aawoo, mon Dieu merci.
Aawoo, l’Infini merci, mon Dieu merci.
Aawoo, Eternel merci vraiment, mon Dieu merci.
Aawee, mon Dieu merci, mon Dieu merci.
Aawee, Mon Dieu merci aawoo, mon Dieu merci.
Kabiye transcription and translation to French was completed by Mawèdong Amana, checking of Kabiye orthography and French translation was done by Kpatcha Hemou and Essokilina Tchamie, English translation by Sarah Jane Capper. Groupe Ñalɩmɩyɛ members: Ahoumondom Jacob Polonyoni, Louise Bide, Brouwa Adoko, Kodjo Boromna, Meneze Edjadefei, Maniya Pidaman.
The artists in these videos composed these songs by studying Psalms 6, 150 and 118 as well as Kabiye music and dance styles. They participated in a two-week workshop organized by SIL Togo-Benin in Kara, Togo in partnership with the master’s thesis research of Sarah Jane Capper for Dallas International University; the Association pour la Promotion des Saintes-Écritures en Kabiye (APSEK); and Scriptura.
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.
Click or tap here to see the rest of this insight
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 Translator2002, 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.
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 benefactive construction as shown here in the widely-used Japanese Shinkaiyaku (新改訳) Bible of 2017. Here, -naide (ないで) or “do not (for their sake)” is used in combination with kudasaru (くださる), a respectful form of the benefactive kureru (くれる). A benefactive reflects the good will of the giver or the gratitude of a recipient of the favor. To convey this connotation, English translation needs to employ a phrase such as “for me (my sake)” or “for you (your sake).”
In two parallel lines the psalmist prays to the LORD not to rebuke him and not to chasten him–two common verbs, which in this context mean practically the same thing. The psalmist repeats his request; line b is not an additional request, as Revised Standard Versionnor implies. Also synonymous are the two phrases in thy anger and in thy wrath, as in 2.5 (see also 38.1). The psalmist prays like this because he believes that his sickness is the result of God’s anger with him for his sins.
In this verse line b follows line a syntactically and semantically. Line b functions only to emphasize, and introduces nothing more concrete or picturable than line a. Therefore in translation, in some languages the closeness of the meaning of the two lines may appear as unwarranted repetition. In such cases the language may offer more effective means of emphasis than repetition, and the translator may be best advised to use the devices of the language rather than merely copy the two lines, particularly in languages in which there may not be synonyms such as rebuke and chasten, anger and wrath.
Rebuke: the Hebrew verb in this context means more than a verbal rebuke or censure; it is better to translate “condemn” (New English Bible, Bible en français courant) or, as a closer parallel to the next line, “chastise.” And in line b the verb for chasten has the sense of “discipline, correct”; here “punish” is the best translation.
In line a Good News Translation has two commands: “be angry” and “rebuke.” Revised Standard Version on the other hand has one command: rebuke, and in thy anger is a phrase of manner. In order to represent the psalmist as assuming the anger of God as background for the pleas, it may be better to say “LORD, in spite of your anger, do not rebuke me” or “Although you are angry, LORD, do not rebuke me” (see Bible en français courant).
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 .
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