Pharaoh

The term that is used for monarchs in ancient Egypt and is transliterated as “Pharaoh” in English is translated in Finnish Sign Language with the sign signifying the “fake metal beard (postiche)” that was used by Pharaohs during official functions. (Source: Tarja Sandholm)


“Pharaoh” in Finnish Sign Language (source )

Learn more on Bible Odyssey: Pharaoh .

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 (Exodus 10:28)

Following are a number of back-translations as well as a sample translation for translators of Exodus 10:28:

  • Kupsabiny: “The ruler said to Moses, ‘Get out of here, don’t be near me again. The day you see me, I will finish you.’” (Source: Kupsabiny Back Translation)
  • Newari: “Pharaoh said to Moses, "Get out of my sight! Never appear before me again. The day you see my face that day (emph.)you will die!"” (Source: Newari Back Translation)
  • Hiligaynon: “The king said to Moises, ‘[You (sing.)] go-away from my presence/[lit. front]! [You (sing.)] no-longer be-seen to me again, for if I see you (sing.) again, I will-have- you (sing.) -killed.’” (Source: Hiligaynon Back Translation)
  • Bariai: “And then the great chief of the Isip people spoke to Moses like this, ‘Go far from my sight! You (sing.) can’t return back to me any more. If you return back to me again, you will die.’” (Source: Bariai Back Translation)
  • Opo: “And king said to Moses «you leave from me! Warn yourself, you not to me again return [this direction]! Because, on day which I will again will see you, I will kill you!»” (Source: Opo Back Translation)
  • English: “The king said to me, ‘Get out of here! Make sure that you never come to see me again! The day you see me again, I will have you executed!’” (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 Exod 10:28

Then Pharaoh said to him is better expressed as “He said to Moses” (Good News Translation), for the pronoun him properly refers to Moses in verse 25 and not to the LORD in verse 27. This awkward use of the pronoun is probably the result of an editorial insertion (“E”) of verse 27 into the Yahwist dialogue (“J”) of verses 24-29.

Get away from me is literally “Go from upon me.” It is a strong command that may be expressed as “Get out of my sight!” (Good News Translation), “Be off! Leave me!” (Revised English Bible), or “Get out and stay out!” (Contemporary English Version). Take heed to yourself is a warning meaning “Be on your guard!” or “Watch yourself!” Never see my face again is literally “Do not add to see my face.” It may be joined to the preceding warning to mean “Make sure you do not appear before me again!” (New International Version), or better, “Don’t let me ever see you again!” (Good News Translation).

For in the day you see my face you shall die is quite literal from the Hebrew and seems to place the initiative with the Pharaoh. But the warning actually places the responsibility upon Moses. Because of this Good News Translation reads much better: “On the day I do [meaning “On the day you let me see you again”] you will die!”

Quoted with permission from Osborn, Noel D. and Hatton, Howard A. A Handbook on Exodus. (UBS Helps for Translators). New York: UBS, 1999. For this and other handbooks for translators see here .