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.)

complete verse (Daniel 5:16)

Following are a number of back-translations as well as a sample translation for translators of Daniel 5:16:

  • Kupsabiny: “I have heard that you are able to tell/show what is hidden and even solve difficult matters. So, if you will manage to read these writings and tell me what they say, you will be dressed in purple royal garments and (a) golden ring. And you will be promoted to the third highest leadership position in my kingdom.’” (Source: Kupsabiny Back Translation)
  • Newari: “I have heard that you are able to tell [me] the meaning of that hidden matters and solve difficult problems. If you are able to read these letters which have been written and to tell me their meaning you will be dressed in royal robes of purple, a golden chain of honor will be placed as a garland around your neck, and you will become the person with the third highest rank in the land."” (Source: Newari Back Translation)
  • Hiligaynon: “But I heard that you (sing.) know how to give an interpretation, and you (sing.) also know how to solve difficult problems. Now, if you (sing.) can-read that writing and explain its meaning, I will- have- you (sing.) -dressed in royal clothes and have-wear- a gold -necklace. And I will- even -make you (sing.) the third highest official in my kingdom.’” (Source: Hiligaynon Back Translation)
  • English: “Someone told me that you can tell what dreams mean and explain things that are very difficult to understand. If you can read these words and tell me what they mean, I will give you a purple robe like I wear because I am the king, and I will put a gold chain around your neck. You will become a very important official in my kingdom; there will be only two others who will be more important than you will be.’” (Source: Translation for Translators)

2nd person pronoun with low register (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 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 Daniel 5:16

But: in some languages a rather strong contrastive conjunction like this will be required, because there is a contrast between the other “wise men” and Daniel. Moffatt, An American Translation, and Anchor Bible have “However.”

Give interpretations: literally “interpret interpretations,” where the verb and the noun have the same root. This is a common type of construction in Aramaic as in Hebrew, but it should not be imitated in other languages unless it is natural.

Solve problems: although the construction is a bit different from that in verse 12, the same Aramaic words are involved. They speak literally of “untying knots” but are intended in a figurative sense.

You shall be clothed: the three things offered to Daniel are the same as the rewards that would have been given to the other wise men in verse 7, if they had succeeded in explaining the mystery. But once again the passive construction will have to be made active in many languages.

Quoted with permission from Péter-Contesse, René & Ellington, John. A Handbook on Daniel. (UBS Helps for Translators). New York: UBS, 1994. For this and other handbooks for translators see here .