complete verse (1 Samuel 2:23)

Following are a number of back-translations as well as a sample translation for translators of 1 Samuel 2:23:

  • Kupsabiny: “Eli told his sons that, ‘Why are you doing such completely evil? All the people have told me about the sin you are doing.” (Source: Kupsabiny Back Translation)
  • Newari: “He said to his sons, "Why do you do such things? I have heard from all the people that you keep on doing very evil work.” (Source: Newari Back Translation)
  • Hiligaynon: “So he said to them, ‘I heard from the people all the wicked-(things) you (plur.) were-doing. Why are- you (plur.) -doing that?” (Source: Hiligaynon Back Translation)
  • English: “He said to them, ‘It is terrible that you do such things!/Why do you do such things? Many people keep telling me about the evil things that you do.” (Source: Translation for Translators)

2nd person pronoun with low register (Japanese)

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 second person pronoun (“you” and its various forms) as shown here in the widely-used Japanese Shinkaiyaku (新改訳) Bible of 2017. The most commonly used anata (あなた) is typically used when the speaker is humbly addressing another person.

In these verses, however, omae (おまえ) is used, a cruder second person pronoun, that Jesus for instance chooses when chiding his disciples. (Source: S. E. Doi, see also S. E. Doi in Journal of Translation, 18/2022, p. 37ff. )

See also first person pronoun with low register and third person pronoun with low register.

Translation commentary on 1 Samuel 2:23

Such things refers to the kinds of things that have already been mentioned in verse 22. In some languages it will be much more natural to move the second half of this verse to a position before the question. This will give the question much more sense and make the referent of such things clearer.

From all the people: some versions are based on proposed reconstructions of the original Hebrew text on the basis of various readings in the Septuagint tradition. New Jerusalem Bible, for example, says “Why are you behaving as all the people say you are?” (similarly Anchor Bible). Translators should, however, follow the Masoretic Text.

The final sentence in this verse is omitted in New American Bible, since the translators thought that a Hebrew scribe had accidentally repeated here the words from the beginning of verse 24. Translators should, however, follow the Masoretic Text and not omit this sentence, unless they do so for reasons of translation as Contemporary English Version does.

Quoted with permission from Omanson, Roger L. and Ellington, John E. A Handbook on the First and Second Books of Samuel, Volume 1. (UBS Helps for Translators). New York: UBS, 2001. For this and other handbooks for translators see here .