complete verse (Psalm 73:22)

Following are a number of back-translations as well as a sample translation for translators of Psalm 73:22:

  • Chichewa Contempary Chichewa translation, 2002/2016:
    “I was stupid and ignorant;
    I was a beast without wisdom before you.” (Source: Mawu a Mulungu mu Chichewa Chalero Back Translation)
  • Newari:
    “I was like an animal, a fool.
    I was not able to understand You.” (Source: Newari Back Translation)
  • Hiligaynon:
    “I became like an animal in your (sing.) sight that (is) twisted/crooked and can- not -understand.” (Source: Hiligaynon Back Translation)
  • Laarim:
    “I stayed like a fool who does not know anything,
    I was like wild animals in your presence.” (Source: Laarim Back Translation)
  • Nyakyusa-Ngonde (back-translation into Swahili):
    “nilikuwa kama mtu mjinga,
    asiye elewa chochote,
    nilikuwa kama mnyama mbele yako.” (Source: Nyakyusa Back Translation)
  • English:
    “I was stupid and ignorant,
    and I behaved like an animal toward you.” (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 73:21 - 73:23

The psalmist reflects on how he had felt at that time in the past, and now regrets his past attitude. At that time, however, he was bitter and hurt (verse 21). The Hebrew text for soul is “heart” and for heart is “kidneys” (as in 26.2), which represent “thoughts” and “feelings” (Good News Translation). Soul … embittered is rendered, as in Hebrew, in many idiomatic ways. In some languages one refers to the “sour throat,” in others to a “blackened liver” or a “rotten stomach.” “Were hurt” (Good News Translation) in line b translates a verb that means “be pierced, run through”; literally “my kidneys were pierced,” which New Jerusalem Bible translates “my feelings were numbed,” New Jerusalem Bible “My heart grew embittered,” and New English Bible “I felt the pangs of envy.” Bible en français courant has “I was shocked to the very depths of my being.” One may also say “my innermost made me ill” or “I had deep pain in my heart.”

In verse 22a the psalmist describes himself as having been stupid and ignorant; Bible en français courant has “I was stupid, I understood nothing.” The Hebrew word for stupid reflects an animal-like stupidity, “brutishness,” and this is reflected in beast in the next line. In line b a beast (singular) translates the text of one Hebrew manuscript; the Masoretic text has the plural, “animals, beasts,” which New Jerusalem Bible translates “I was brutish toward You.” It should be noticed that Good News Translation has restructured the two lines, joining stupid and beast on one line. This verse contains the psalmist’s self-understanding, and the translator must decide whether verse 22b describes God’s attitude toward him (New English Bible “I was a mere beast in thy sight, O God”) or the psalmist’s own behavior toward God, “I behaved like an animal toward you.” The latter seems preferable. In some languages the generic “animal” may not serve as a comparison for stupidity, since only a specific animal may be so considered. In the absence of such a comparison, it will be better to say “very stupid.”

The turning point comes in verse 23, as the psalmist confesses his reliance on God. The thought is similar to that in 63.8. In spite of the psalmist’s spiritual stupidity, he was still close to God and was held by him. In the past he was not conscious of this; it is only now that he realizes that he had never been far from God, that God had never let go of him. It is significant that in Hebrew, as well as many other languages, God holds the psalmist’s right hand. In languages where the right hand is a symbol of honor or strength, it will be best to use the expression as in Revised Standard Version, unless it will be assumed automatically to be the right hand, even if not specifically stated.

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 .