complete verse (Deuteronomy 5:31)

Following are a number of back-translations as well as a sample translation for translators of Deuteronomy 5:31:

  • Kupsabiny: “But you Moses stand here near me. I shall tell you all the laws and commandments together with decision which you shall then teach them to do in that land which I am going to give to them to be theirs.’ ’” (Source: Kupsabiny Back Translation)
  • Newari: “You, however, stand here before me. And I will tell you all the commands, decrees and Laws that must be taught to them. Then they must obey them in the land that I will give them as their possession."” (Source: Newari Back Translation)
  • Hiligaynon: “But you (sing.) stay here with me so-that I will-give to you (sing.) all the commands and statutes/regulations that you (sing.) are-to-teach them that they are-to-obey there in the land that I am-giving to them that they are-going-to- possess.’” (Source: Hiligaynon Back Translation)
  • English: “But then you come back up here and stand near me, and I will give to you all the rules and regulations that I want them to obey. Then you can teach them to the people, in order that they will obey them when they are in the land that I am giving to them.’” (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 Deuteronomy 5:31

Stand here by me: that is, “Stay with me,” “Stay by my side.” Such human language does not mean that Yahweh was a being with a (human) body.

All the commandment: this is a strange singular form, with the accompanying plural forms. New Jewish Publication Society’s Tanakh takes the singular to be inclusive, translating “the whole Instruction—the laws and the rules—” (see also 11.22). This is possible, and a translator may choose to do the same. Most translations, like Good News Translation, translate the commandment (4.2) as plural, in conformity with the plurals the statutes and the ordinances (4.1): “all my laws or commands,” or as Contemporary English Version translates, “my laws and teachings.”

Which you shall teach them: it will be helpful in many languages to begin a new sentence here as Good News Translation does: “Teach them to the people, so that….”

That they may do them: this may be understood to mean that God is giving the people permission to obey his laws. It is better to follow Good News Translation: “so that they will obey them.”

The land which I am giving them to possess: the land of Canaan; for the language see 1.8; 3.18; 4.1.

Quoted with permission from Bratcher, Robert G. and Hatton, Howard A. A Handbook on Deuteronomy. (UBS Helps for Translators). New York: UBS, 2000. For this and other handbooks for translators see here .