complete verse (Psalm 81:12)

Following are a number of back-translations as well as a sample translation for translators of Psalm 81:12:

  • Chichewa Contempary Chichewa translation, 2002/2016:
    “So I left them with their disobedient hearts
    to follow what they want.” (Source: Mawu a Mulungu mu Chichewa Chalero Back Translation)
  • Newari:
    “So I abandoned them thinking,
    let them live as they like.
    I let them follow their own obstinate desires.” (Source: Newari Back Translation)
  • Hiligaynon:
    “Therefore I have-abandoned you (plur.) to your (plur.) stubbornness, and you (plur.) have-done what you (plur.) want.” (Source: Hiligaynon Back Translation)
  • Laarim:
    “Then I gave their heads to be stubborn,
    to follow their ways.” (Source: Laarim Back Translation)
  • Nyakyusa-Ngonde (back-translation into Swahili):
    “Nikawaacha na mioyo yao migumu,
    wafanye ambayo wanapenda.” (Source: Nyakyusa Back Translation)
  • English:
    “So even though they were very stubborn,
    I allowed them to do whatever they wanted to do.” (Source: Translation for Translators)

1st person pronoun referring to God (Japanese)

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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 choice of a first person singular and plural pronoun (“I” and “we” and its various forms) as shown here in the widely-used Japanese Shinkaiyaku (新改訳) Bible of 2017. The most commonly used watashi/watakushi (私) is typically used when the speaker is humble and asking for help. In these verses, where God / Jesus is referring to himself, watashi is also used but instead of the kanji writing system (私) the syllabary hiragana (わたし) is used to distinguish God from others.

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

See also pronoun for “God”.

Translation commentary on Psalm 81:11 - 81:12

Yahweh regrets his people’s disobedience, but he allows them to reap the fruit of their own stubbornness (verses 11-12). Here God does not directly address the people, as he does in verses 6-10; he seems to be speaking to himself. It would be very odd if the psalmist thought of God speaking to someone else, someone not identified. If this constitutes a problem for the readers, the best thing to do is to change to the second person of direct address; for example, “So you, God, let them go their stubborn ways…,” or omit “you” and say, for example, “So God let them go their stubborn ways….”

In verse 11b the Hebrew is “Israel did not want me,” that is, would have nothing to do with me, which Good News Translation represents by “would not obey me,” parallel with “would not listen to me” in line a.

Stubborn hearts in this context is rendered idiomatically in many languages as “I let them follow their blindness,” “… their hard hearts,” or “… their closed ears.”

Follow their own counsels: instead of coming to the LORD for advice and guidance, they guide themselves and ignore God.

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 .