Following are a number of back-translations as well as a sample translation for translators of Exodus 23:30:
Kupsabiny: “But I will be chasing them away little by little until you all come and occupy that place.” (Source: Kupsabiny Back Translation)
Newari: “But I will drive them out before you a little at a time, until you possess the land.” (Source: Newari Back Translation)
Hiligaynon: “I will-drive- them -out little-by-little until you (plur.) have-become-many/have-increased and can now take-possession of the land.” (Source: Hiligaynon Back Translation)
Bariai: “I’m going to destroy them a little at a time until you (pl.) become numerous and so completely fill that land and stand strong in it.” (Source: Bariai Back Translation)
Opo: “Therefore, I will chased them away out slowly, until you will go be many, will possess that country all.” (Source: Opo Back Translation)
English: “I will expel those people-groups slowly, a few at a time, until the number of your people increases and you are able to live everywhere in the land.” (Source: Translation for Translators)
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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.
Little by little, literally “a little a little,” may mean “by and by” (Holladay), but here the idea seems to be “gradually” (Translator’s Old Testament). I will drive them out from before you is identical with verse 29. Until you are increased is literally “until when you [singular] are fruitful,” or “until you reproduce and increase in number.” The same word is translated “multiply” in 1.10 and 12. And possess the land means to “occupy the land as your possession” (Durham). Good News Translation makes it clear: “until there are enough of you to take possession of the land.”
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 .
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