12Why should the Egyptians say, ‘It was with evil intent that he brought them out to kill them in the mountains and to consume them from the face of the earth’? Turn from your fierce wrath; change your mind and do not bring disaster on your people.
The Greek and Hebrew that is translated as “change one’s mind,” “come to one’s senses,” or “repent” or similar in English is translated in these verses in the Protestant Mandarin ChineseUnion Version with a historical Chinese idiom: huíxīn zhuǎnyì (回心轉意 / 回心转意) or “change mind (lit. “return heart, change mind”).” (Source: Toshikazu S. Foley in Hong Kong Journal of Catholic Studies, 2011, p. 45ff.)
The Hebrew and Greek that is translated into English as “the wrath of God” or “God’s anger” has to be referred to in Bengali as judgment, punishment or whatever fits the context. In Bengali culture, anger is by definition bad and can never be predicated of God. (Source: David Clark)
Translations in other languages:
Quetzaltepec Mixe: “translated with a term that not only expresses anger, but also punishment” (source: Robert Bascom)
Western Bukidnon Manobo: “the coming punishment of God on mankind” (source: Western Bukidnon Manobo Back Translation)
Kankanaey: “God’s fearful/terrible future punishing of people” (source: Kankanaey Back Translation)
Tagbanwa: “the coming anger/hatred of God” (source: Tagbanwa Back Translation)
Tenango Otomi: “the punishment which will come” (source: Tenango Otomi Back Translation)
Bariai: “God’s action of anger comes forth in the open” (source: Bariai Back Translation)
Mairasi: “His anger keeps increasing (until it will definitely arrive)” (source: Enggavoter 2004)
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 to do this is through the usage (or a lack) of an honorific prefix as shown here in the widely-used Japanese Shinkaiyaku (新改訳) Bible of 2017. When the referent is God, the “divine” honorific prefix mi- (御) is used as in mi-ikari (御怒り) or “wrath (of God)” in the referenced verses. (Source: S. E. Doi, see also S. E. Doi in Journal of Translation, 18/2022, p. 37ff. )
Translators of different languages have found different ways with what kind of formality God is addressed.
Like many languages (but unlike Greek or Hebrew or modern English), Tuvan uses a formal vs. informal 2nd person pronoun (a familiar vs. a respectful “you”). Unlike other languages that have this feature, however, the translators of the Tuvan Bible have attempted to be very consistent in using the different forms of address in every case a 2nd person pronoun has to be used in the translation of the biblical text.
As Voinov shows in Pronominal Theology in Translating the Gospels (in: The Bible Translator2002, p. 210ff. ), the choice to use either of the pronouns many times involved theological judgment. While the formal pronoun can signal personal distance or a social/power distance between the speaker and addressee, the informal pronoun can indicate familiarity or social/power equality between speaker and addressee.
In these verses, in which humans address God, the informal, familiar pronoun is used that communicates closeness.
Voinov notes that “in the Tuvan Bible, God is only addressed with the informal pronoun. No exceptions. An interesting thing about this is that I’ve heard new Tuvan believers praying with the formal form to God until they are corrected by other Christians who tell them that God is close to us so we should address him with the informal pronoun. As a result, the informal pronoun is the only one that is used in praying to God among the Tuvan church.”
In Gbaya, “a superior, whether father, uncle, or older brother, mother, aunt, or older sister, president, governor, or chief, is never addressed in the singular unless the speaker intends a deliberate insult. When addressing the superior face to face, the second person plural pronoun ɛ́nɛ́ or ‘you (pl.)’ is used, similar to the French usage of vous.
Accordingly, the translators of the current version of the Gbaya Bible chose to use the plural ɛ́nɛ́ to address God. There are a few exceptions. In Psalms 86:8, 97:9, and 138:1, God is addressed alongside other “gods,” and here the third person pronoun o is used to avoid confusion about who is being addressed. In several New Testament passages (Matthew 21:23, 26:68, 27:40, Mark 11:28, Luke 20:2, 23:37, as well as in Jesus’ interaction with Pilate and Jesus’ interaction with the Samaritan woman at the well) the less courteous form for Jesus is used to indicate ignorance of his position or mocking.” (Source Philip Noss)
In the most recent Manchu translation of 1835 (a revision of an earlier edition from 1822), God is never addressed with a pronoun but with “father” (ama /ᠠᠮᠠ) instead. Chengcheng Liu (in this post on the Cambridge Centre for Chinese Theology blog ) explains: “In Manchu tradition, as in Chinese etiquette, second-person pronouns could be considered disrespectful when speaking to superiors or spiritual beings. Manchu Shamanist prayers avoided si [‘you’] and sini [‘your’] for this very reason. To use them for God would be, in Lipovzoff’s [one of the two translators] words, ‘the most uncouth and indecent way to speak to the Almighty — as if He were a servant or slave.’ There was also a grammatical problem. In Manchu, si and sini could refer to both singular and plural subjects. For a faith that insisted on the singularity of God, this was potentially confusing. By contrast, repeating ama removed any ambiguity.”
Following are a number of back-translations as well as a sample translation for translators of Exodus 32:12:
Kupsabiny: “Do you want the Egyptians to laugh that, ‘He thought that he had rescued his people but actually he wanted them to come and perish in this mountain!’ My God, do not again become annoyed but press the stomach/cool down/be sympathetic. Don’t destroy your people.” (Source: Kupsabiny Back Translation)
Newari: “Why would you give cause to the Egyptians to say that you had intended to kill them on the mountain, to wipe their names from this earth. Calm this anger of yours that is burning like a fire and make it peaceful. Please change your mind and save your people from being destroyed.” (Source: Newari Back Translation)
Hiligaynon: “What will- the Egiptohanon -say? That you (sing.) took- your (sing.) people -out of Egipto for-the-purpose-of killing them in the mountains so-that they will-disappear/be-gone from the earth? Oh LORD, do- not -continue your (sing.) anger against them, and do- not -destroy them.” (Source: Hiligaynon Back Translation)
Bariai: “If you kill them off, then the Isip people will say, ‘God felt ill-will toward his people and so he brought them to the mountain, because he wanted to kill them off.’ But you must change your mind (lit. interior) and so leave your actions of anger and so please don’t destroy your people.” (Source: Bariai Back Translation)
Opo: “If you will do it thus, Egyptians will say that you take them to evil do, to kill them in rocky place, to wipe out them from earth. Therefore, return heart your down, not (imp.) people your wipe out.” (Source: Opo Back Translation)
English: “Do not do anything that would allow the people of Egypt to say, ‘Their god led them out from our country, but he did that only because he wanted to kill them in the mountains and get rid of them completely !’ Stop being so angry! Change your mind/Do not do what you have told me that you will do! Do not do to your people this terrible thing that you have just said that you will do” (Source: Translation for Translators)
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 benefactive construction as shown here in the widely-used Japanese Shinkaiyaku (新改訳) Bible of 2017.
Here, omoinaoshite (思い直して) or “relent” is used in combination with kudasaru (くださる), a respectful form of the benefactive kureru (くれる). A benefactive reflects the good will of the giver or the gratitude of a recipient of the favor. To convey this connotation, English translation needs to employ a phrase such as “for me (my sake)” or “for you (your sake).” (Source: S. E. Doi, see also S. E. Doi in Journal of Translation, 18/2022, p. 37ff. )
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 to do this is through the usage (or a lack) of an honorific prefix as shown here in the widely-used Japanese Shinkaiyaku (新改訳) Bible of 2017. When the referent is God or a person or persons to be honored, the honorific prefix go- (御 or ご) can be used, as in go-jishin (ご自身), a combination of “onseself” (jishin) and the honorific prefix go-. This can also be used for other reflexive pronouns (myself, himself, yourself etc.)
Why should the Egyptians say is literally “Why will the Egyptians say, saying.” This is a question addressed to Yahweh that introduces what the Egyptians might conclude if he should destroy the Israelites. It means “Why give the Egyptians an excuse to say” (Durham). As a rhetorical question it may be changed to a statement, “The Egyptians should not be able to say.” New Jewish Publication Society’s Tanakh has “Let not the Egyptians say,” and Contemporary English Version has “If you do, the Egyptians will say.” This may be expanded to “If you destroy them, the Egyptians will say.” In any case Moses appeals to Yahweh’s sensitivity about Yahweh’s reputation.
With evil intent did he bring them forth is literally “In evil he caused them to go out.” The he refers to Yahweh, and the word for evil carries the idea of “evil intention” (New Jerusalem Bible). This is an imagined statement the Egyptians may make, and it is embedded in the question that Moses addresses to Yahweh. (Note the single quotation marks.) Good News Translation uses the verb “planning” for evil intent and translates the first part of this verse as “Why should the Egyptians be able to say that you led your people out of Egypt, planning to kill them…?” To slay them in the mountains uses a general word for “kill” that does not indicate any method used. (See the comment on this word in 2.14.) And to consume them from the face of the earth is literally “and to finish them off from the face of the ground.” The same word for consume is used in verse 10. (See the comment there.)
Turn from thy fierce wrath is literally “You [singular] return from the glow [or, heat] of your nose.” This means “Give up your burning wrath” (New Jerusalem Bible), or “Stop being angry” (Good News Translation). Moses is still praying to Yahweh, as he began at verse 11. In some languages Moses’ words will need to be softened somewhat; for example, “Please stop being angry.” And repent is literally “and you [singular] regret [or, be sorry].” The word means to have a change of heart, so “change your mind” (Good News Translation) is better than repent (so also New Revised Standard Version). Of this evil against thy people is literally “over the evil [intent] toward your people.” New Jewish Publication Society’s Tanakh has “renounce the plan to punish your people.”
An alternative translation model for this verse is:
• The Egyptians should not be able to say that when you led your people out of Egypt you were planning to kill them in the mountains and completely destroy them. Please stop being angry and renounce your plan to punish your people.
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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