complete verse (Exodus 33:23)

Following are a number of back-translations as well as a sample translation for translators of Exodus 33:23:

  • Kupsabiny: “And when I have passed, I will remove my hand so that you see my back not the face.’” (Source: Kupsabiny Back Translation)
  • Newari: “Then I will remove my hand and you will see only the back of my body. But my face will not be seen.” (Source: Newari Back Translation)
  • Hiligaynon: “Then I will-remove my hand and you will-see my back, but not my face.’” (Source: Hiligaynon Back Translation)
  • Bariai: “And when it’s done, then I will lift my hand up again, and so you (sing.) will see my back. But you can’t/mustn’t see my face.’” (Source: Bariai Back Translation)
  • Opo: “Afterwards, I will take away hand, thus you will see my back, and my face you not it will see.»” (Source: Opo Back Translation)
  • English: “Then I will take my hand away, and you will see my back, but you will not see my face.’” (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 Exod 33:23

Then I will take away my hand, literally “and I will cause my palm to go away,” continues the anthropomorphism of verse 22. And you shall see my back literally means that Moses will be able to have a rear view of Yahweh. This is a “daring anthropomorphism” which Durham avoids by translating “so that you may see where I have passed.” But most translations translate literally in order to retain the vividness of this unusual description. Here, of course, it is intentionally used in contrast with the face of Yahweh.

But my face shall not be seen: this is the common idiom used for the presence of Yahweh, but to translate my face as “My Presence” (Durham) in this verse destroys the intended vividness of the anthropomorphism. In languages that do not use the passive voice, one may translate “but you will not see my face.”

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 .