God's Promise to David

Artwork by Sister Marie Claire , SMMI (1937–2018) from Bengaluru, India.

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enemy / foe

The Greek, Hebrew, Aramaic, Ge’ez, and Latin that is translated as “enemy” or “foe” in English is translated in the Hausa Common Language Bible as “friends of front,” i.e., the person standing opposite you in a battle. (Source: Andy Warren-Rothlin)

In North Alaskan Inupiatun it is translated with a term that implies that it’s not just someone who hates you, but one who wants to do you harm (Source: Robert Bascom), in Tarok as ukpa ìkum or “companion in war/fighting,” and in Ikwere as nye irno m or “person who hates me” (source for this and one above: Chuck and Karen Tessaro in this newsletter ).

complete verse (2 Samuel 7:9)

Following are a number of back-translations as well as a sample translation for translators of 2 Samuel 7:9:

  • Kupsabiny: “I was with you everywhere you went and I ate/fought for you the war when all your enemies came to you. So, I will make you to be known/famous in the world/land like other people who are famous.” (Source: Kupsabiny Back Translation)
  • Newari: “No matter where you went, I was with you, and I removed all your enemies from before you. Now I will cause you to be one among the people of the world whose names are famous.” (Source: Newari Back Translation)
  • Hiligaynon: “I have-been-with/[lit. accompanied] you whenever you go, and I caused- you -to-defeat all your enemies. Now, I will-cause- you -to-be-famous like other famous men on the earth.” (Source: Hiligaynon Back Translation)
  • English: “I have been with/helped you wherever you have gone. I have gotten rid of all your enemies as you advanced. I will enable you to become very famous, as well-known as the names of all the greatest men who have ever lived on the earth.” (Source: Translation for Translators)

1st person pronoun referring to God (Japanese)

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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 first person singular and plural pronoun (“I” and “we” and its various forms) as shown here in the widely-used Japanese Shinkaiyaku (新改訳) Bible of 2017. The most commonly used watashi/watakushi (私) is typically used when the speaker is humble and asking for help. In these verses, where God / Jesus is referring to himself, watashi is also used but instead of the kanji writing system (私) the syllabary hiragana (わたし) is used to distinguish God from others.

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

See also pronoun for “God”.

Translation commentary on 2 Samuel 7:9

In some languages it may be more natural to reverse the order of the first two elements in this verse and say “Everywhere you went, I remained with you.”

Cut off all your enemies: the verb translated cut off will be more naturally rendered in most languages as “destroyed” (Revised English Bible, New American Bible), “exterminating” (Knox), or “got rid of” (New Jerusalem Bible). Compare 1 Sam 20.15-16 and Psa 143.12.

I will make for you a great name: the idea of making a great name will be rendered as “famous” or “well-known” in many languages. The verb form here and those in the following verse have long troubled scholars. While some interpreters think that the context seems to require a past tense interpretation, the grammar favors the future. The past tense, however, is possible, and Contemporary English Version has rendered the verb here as past: “I have made you one of the most famous people in the world.” Other versions adopting this solution are Traduction œcuménique de la Bible, Anderson, and Knox. The final decision about which verb tense to use here is tied to the discussion about the following verse, and so this should be decided in conjunction with the verbs that follow.

The great ones of the earth: the word used for great ones is the same as translated “a great man” in 3.38 but is plural here. Anchor Bible translates “a nobleman” in that case and “the nobility in the land” in this verse. Some other renderings of the phrase used here are “the greatest men on earth” (New Jewish Publication Society’s Tanakh) and “the most famous people in the world” (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 .