Honorary "are" construct denoting God ("vow")

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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 usage of an honorific construction where the morpheme are (され) is affixed on the verb as shown here in the widely-used Japanese Shinkaiyaku (新改訳) Bible of 2017. This is particularly done with verbs that have God as the agent to show a deep sense of reverence. Here, chikaw-are-ru (誓われる) or “vow” is used.

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

Translation commentary on 2 Samuel 3:9 - 3:10

These two verses constitute a single sentence in Revised Standard Version. New Century Version, on the other hand, covers the same material with five sentences. Note that Good News Translation has restructured these two verses so that the content cannot be divided according to the verse numbers. While such radical restructuring may not be necessary, it is almost certainly a good idea to deal with the material in two or more sentences. The basic elements of these verses in the order they are presented are as follows:
9a. Abner asks God to punish him.
9b. Abner will help David.
9c. The LORD made a promise to David.
10a. God said he would take the kingship away from Saul’s family.
10b. God said David would rule Israel and Judah.
10c. The kingdom will extend from Dan to Beersheba.

The plea that God punish Abner is conditional on his not doing as he promised, that is, on his not helping David to become king. Because of the conditional nature of this request, it may be better not to place it at the very beginning of this passage, depending upon the customary way of expressing an oath in the receptor language.

God do so … and more also: this constituted a very strong oath or, as it is sometimes called, a curse formula. It is found twelve times in the Old Testament. In Ruth 1.17 and 1 Sam 20.13 the subject is “the LORD” instead of “God,” but the expression is very similar. And in 1 Kgs 19.2 and 20.10 it is “the gods,” since the Hebrew verb is plural in form. When this oath was made, it was probably also accompanied by a gesture, possibly indicating the cutting of the throat. Moffatt has “God kill Abner and worse.”

To Abner: since it is Abner who is speaking, it will be quite unnatural in most languages for him to refer to himself in this way. The idea is clearly “May God do so to me….”

Set up the throne of David over: this is merely a way of saying “make David king over” or “cause David to rule.”

From Dan to Beer-sheba: this all-inclusive expression is discussed under 1 Sam 3.20. It also occurs three more times in 2 Samuel in addition to the present passage (17.11; 24.2, 15), as well as in Judges 20.1. Although Good News Translation has dropped the form altogether in favor of the meaning, it is possible to maintain the geographic names while at the same time conveying something of the meaning: “all the way from Dan in the north to Beersheba in the south” (Contemporary English Version).

Quoted with permission from Omanson, Roger L. and Ellington, John E. A Handbook on the First and Second Books of Samuel, Volume 2. (UBS Helps for Translators). New York: UBS, 2001. For this and other handbooks for translators see here .