self-referencing pronoun for king or queen

In Malay, the pronoun beta for the royal “I” (or “my” or “me”) that is used by royals when speaking to people of lower rank, subordinates or commoners to refer to themselves in these verses. This reflects the “language of the court because the monarchy and sultanate in Malaysia are still alive and well. All oral and printed literature (including newspapers and magazines) preserve and glorify the language of the court. Considering that the language of the court is part of the Malaysian language, court language is used sparingly where appropriate, specifically with texts relating to palace life.” (Source: Daud Soesilo in The Bible Translator 2025, p. 263ff.)

Translation commentary on 2 Maccabees 11:23

Now that our father has gone on to the gods: The plural pronoun our is the king’s way of referring to himself, so Good News Bible renders our father as “my father,” which may be helpful in other languages. For gone to the gods, most languages will have euphemisms for death; for example, “passed away” or “reached his kharma” (Thai). Such expressions will be helpful in this context.

We desire that the subjects of the kingdom be undisturbed in caring for their own affairs: The king states a general policy that native peoples of his empire may have authority to conduct their own affairs (so long as it does not interfere with government business, of course). We is another plural pronoun the king uses to refer to himself. Good News Bible provides a good model for this clause.

Quoted with permission from Bullard, Roger A. and Hatton, Howard A. A Handbook on 1-2 Maccabees. (UBS Helps for Translators). New York: UBS, 2011. For this and other handbooks for translators see here.