Many languages distinguish between inclusive and exclusive first-person plural pronouns (“we”). (Click or tap here to see more details)
The inclusive “we” specifically includes the addressee (“you and I and possibly others”), while the exclusive “we” specifically excludes the addressee (“he/she/they and I, but not you”). This grammatical distinction is called “clusivity.” While Semitic languages such as Hebrew or most Indo-European languages such as Greek or English do not make that distinction, translators of languages with that distinction have to make a choice every time they encounter “we” or a form thereof (in English: “we,” “our,” or “us”).
For this verse, translators typically select the inclusive form (including the addressee).
Source: Velma Pickett and Florence Cowan in Notes on Translation January 1962, p. 1ff.
Following are a number of back-translations of 1 John 5:15:
Uma: “And if we know that he hears our requests, we also know that we have received whatever we request of him.” (Source: Uma Back Translation)
Yakan: “And because we (dual) know that he hears our (dual) requests to him, we (dual) also know that he has already given us (dual) what we (dual) ask of him.” (Source: Yakan Back Translation)
Western Bukidnon Manobo: “He always listens to us when we pray, and because of that, we know also that He will give what we ask for.” (Source: Western Bukidnon Manobo Back Translation)
Kankanaey: “And if we know that he hears what we request, we also know that it is already ours.” (Source: Kankanaey Back Translation)
Tagbanwa: “Well since we know now that he responds-positively to us, we also know now that he gives us whatever it is that we are asking for from him.” (Source: Tagbanwa Back Translation)
Tenango Otomi: “If we know that God pays attention to whatever we ask for, then we know that whatever we ask for will be given to us when we pray to him.” (Source: Tenango Otomi Back Translation)
Yatzachi Zapotec: “And if we know that he heeds us whatever we ask him, likewise we know that truly he will do what we ask him.”
Eastern Highland Otomi: “And if we know that he hears well, then also we know that he will give us what we ask for.”
Tzotzil: “If we know that he grabs our words, thus we know also that he will give us what we ask him.” (Source for this and two above: John Beekman in Notes on Translation 12, November 1964, p. 1ff.)
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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 benefactive construction as shown here in the widely-used Japanese Shinkaiyaku (新改訳) Bible of 2017. Here, kīte (聞いて) or “listen” 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).”
For if see comments on 4.11. With a transposition of clauses one may say “he hears us whenever we ask him; since we know this is true, we know also…” (Good News Translation).
He hears us in (or “concerning”) whatever we ask repeats verse 14b but in a shortened form. The qualification “according to his will” is implied here also. For whatever compare comments on 2.5.
Some adjusted renderings of the sentence may offer a better model; for example, ‘he listens to whatever (or all things) we ask,’ ‘he gives attention to (all) our words (or prayers),’ ‘he hears our words whenever we ask him something.’ Because this verse repeats verse 14b, further simplification is defensible when idiomatically preferable, such as “our requests are heard” (New English Bible), “he always listens to us” (Translators’ Translation).
We have obtained the requests made of him: the Greek verb form literally means “to have/possess/hold.” The present tense serves to show that this process occurs at the same time with the knowing of it. John means to say that, as soon as the believers realize that God hears them, they have/possess/hold already what they are praying for. This nuance, or shade, of meaning is in some languages best rendered by the perfect tense (compare Revised Standard Version), but often verb forms with the force of the English present tense will do. To shift to a future tense form is less advisable, because it means weakening John’s characteristic wording.
The verb form is in the active voice, but semantically speaking the role of the subject is not that of an agent. To bring this out some versions have such renderings as “the requests we have made of him are granted” (Goodspeed), “the things we ask for are ours” (New English Bible), ‘he is already giving us what we pray him for.’
The requests made of him is in the Greek literally “the requests we have requested of him,” again a combination of verb and related verbal noun; see comments on verse 10. The verb is in the perfect tense, referring to an act in the past that is still affecting the present. This tense serves here to mark a contrast with the preceding present tense. Therefore a rendering by a tenseless phrase such as ‘our requests/prayers (to him)’ is not recommended.
Quoted with permission from Haas, C., de Jonge, M. and Swellengrebel, J.L. A Handbook on The First Letter of John. (UBS Handbook Series). New York: UBS, 1972. For this and other handbooks for translators see here .
He hears us in whatever we ask:(Logical Relationship) This repeats what John has said in the previous verse. When he says whatever we ask he is assuming that this will be “according to His will” as he mentioned in verse 14.
5:15a
if we know:(Multiple Senses) The word if here is used with the meaning of “since/because.” See Good News Translation.
5:15c
we already possess:(Tense) The tense used in the Greek here shows that God grants Christians’ requests at the very moment we make them. When we ask for something we already have it.
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All Scripture quotations in this publication, unless otherwise indicated, are from The Holy Bible, Berean Standard Bible. BSB is produced in cooperation with Bible Hub, Discovery Bible, OpenBible.com, and the Berean Bible Translation Committee.
Living Water is produced for the Bible translation movement in association with Lutheran Bible Translators. Lyrics derived from the ESV® Bible (The Holy Bible, English Standard Version®).
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