complete verse (Exodus 3:20)

Following are a number of back-translations as well as a sample translation for translators of Exodus 3:20:

  • Kupsabiny: “I will do to the land of Egypt the things that are tough/hard/difficult. And after those things, he will release/let you (plur.) go.” (Source: Kupsabiny Back Translation)
  • Newari: “So, I will stretch out my hand and hit them with the work of wonders. After that he will let you go” (Source: Newari Back Translation)
  • Hiligaynon: “So I will-punish the Egiptohanon through the miracles that I will-perform/do among them. After-that, he will- now -allow/let you (plur.) go.” (Source: Hiligaynon Back Translation)
  • Bariai: “Therefore in my power, I’m going to destroy the area of Isip, and so I [will] amaze them with my various kinds of miracles which I [will] cause to happen before their eyes. And when it’s done, then he will allow you (pl.) to go.” (Source: Bariai Back Translation)
  • Opo: “Therefore, I will reach out hand, I will hit Egypt with that which will turn many people head. That is what he will let go for it you.” (Source: Opo Back Translation)
  • English: “So I will use my power to strike/punish the people of Egypt by performing many miracles there. Then he will allow you to leave.” (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”.

formal 2nd person plural pronoun (Japanese)

Click or tap here to see the rest of this insight.

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 formal plural suffix to the second person pronoun (“you” and its various forms) as shown here in the widely-used Japanese Shinkaiyaku (新改訳) Bible of 2017. In these verses, anata-gata (あなたがた) is used, combining the second person pronoun anata and the plural suffix -gata to create a formal plural pronoun (“you” [plural] in English).

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

Translation commentary on Exod 3:20

I will stretch out my hand is an idiom meaning “I will use my power” (Good News Translation). And smite Egypt may be understood as smiting either the land of Egypt (Die Bibel im heutigen Deutsch) or the people of Egypt (New English Bible)—the same word means either Egypt or Egyptians. To smite means to “strike” or “punish.” In languages where the idea of punishment can only occur with living things, a translation such as “punish the people of Egypt” will be a more natural one. And this will be done by wonders, that is, by “miracles,” “terrifying things,” “awe-inspiring acts,” “things that will cause people to be astounded,” “great and powerful acts which will amaze people.”

This is the first reference in Exodus to the wonders that the LORD promises to do in Egypt. There are several Hebrew words that refer to these “terrifying things” (Good News Translation), each word having a slightly different meaning. The word used here, niflaʾoth, is a plural participle of the verb meaning to be extraordinary. The noun (peleʾ) is derived from the same root and denotes some event or some thing that is unusual or marvelous (15.11). Another Hebrew word, mofeth, refers primarily to an omen or portent and is usually translated in Revised Standard Version as “wonder.” For example, in 7.3 the plural of mofeth is joined with the plural of ʾoth (“sign”; see 3.12), and the two terms together are translated in Revised Standard Version as “signs and wonders.” Still another word, shefatim, is based on the word for judgment and refers to all these wonders as “acts of judgment” (6.6) or as means of punishment. Translation of these words will vary because of the different contexts in which they are used. For example, the word usually translated as “sign” (ʾoth) is translated in Good News Translation as “proof” in 3.12, but as “miracle” in 4.8. In most cases, however, these terms refer to the miraculous events related to the Israelites’ deliverance from Egypt.

Which I will do in it may be unnecessary, since the idea has already been expressed. Good News Translation simply adds the word “there” for in it. But this may also be rendered as “among them” (Revised English Bible, Translator’s Old Testament) or “in their midst,” if Egypt is understood as “people” instead of “land.” After that is after all the wonders have been done. He will let you go: in some languages it will be necessary to say “the king of Egypt will let you go.”

An alternative translation model for this verse is:

• So I will use my power to punish the people of Egypt. I will do this through powerful acts that will amaze everyone. After I have done these things, the king of Egypt will let you go.

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 .