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 2 Esdras 3:31

And hast not shown to any one how thy way may be comprehended: The connector and may be rendered “Furthermore” or “Besides that.” Contemporary English Version begins this verse with “You didn’t even….” There is a textual problem in this clause. Instead of how thy way may be comprehended, the Latin text has “how this way [of yours] might be abandoned” (similarly Revised Standard Version footnote). In this context the only way to get meaning from the Latin text of this clause is to assume that the writer is saying “You’ve given no one any idea that you ever intend to change the way you handle things” or “Furthermore, you haven’t given anyone the slightest hint that you intend to change the way you deal with us [or, treat us].” Revised Standard Version and Metzger follow an easier reading in the Syriac. New English Bible labels the Latin as obscure. In our opinion the Latin text should be used, and understood as explained here.

Are the deeds of Babylon better than those of Zion?: Some translators may wish to keep the names Babylon and Zion in this rhetorical question, while others will find it easier to say “Are the Babylonians really more righteous than we Jews?” or “Are the people of Babylon really that much better than those of Jerusalem?” (similarly Contemporary English Version). Good News Bible uses the strong statement “Surely Babylon is no better than Jerusalem,” which some languages may find helpful.

Quoted with permission from Bullard, Roger A. and Hatton, Howard A. A Handbook on 1-2 Esdras. (UBS Helps for Translators). Miami: UBS, 2019. For this and other handbooks for translators see here.