complete verse (Exodus 34:2)

Following are a number of back-translations as well as a sample translation for translators of Exodus 34:2:

  • Kupsabiny: “Prepare yourself tomorrow and climb up the Mountain of Sinai and come to show yourself to me.” (Source: Kupsabiny Back Translation)
  • Newari: “Being ready early in the morning come up on top of Mount Sinai before me.” (Source: Newari Back Translation)
  • Hiligaynon: “You prepare/be-ready tomorrow morning, and you climb-up on Mount Sinai.” (Source: Hiligaynon Back Translation)
  • Bariai: “Tomorrow morning, you must take these two stones and then arise and come to me on the top of the mountain and be standing here.” (Source: Bariai Back Translation)
  • Opo: “Therefore, you (sing., imp.) prepare [body] for morning. Tomorrow in the morning, you (sing., imp.) come to me on top of Mountain of Sinay.” (Source: Opo Back Translation)
  • English: “Get ready tomorrow morning, and come up to the top of Sinai Mountain again to talk with me there.” (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 34:2

Be ready in the morning is literally “You [singular] be standing firm for the morning.” The same command is given to the people in 19.15. This may mean “Get ready for tomorrow morning” (New American Bible) or “Be ready tomorrow morning” (Contemporary English Version), but Good News Translation‘s “Get ready tomorrow morning” may incorrectly suggest waiting until morning to start getting ready. And come up in the morning to Mount Sinai is literally “and you will ascend in the morning unto Mount Sinai.” The distinction between come up and “go up” (Revised English Bible) is discussed at 32.15 and 1.1. In the present context Yahweh should be understood as speaking to Moses at the foot of the mountain.

And present yourself there to me is literally “and you will stand there to [or, for] me.” The same word is used in 33.21. (See the comment there.) Good News Translation simply has “meet me there,” but New Jerusalem Bible has “wait for me there.” This may be conditioned by verse 5, which suggests that Moses got there first. On the top of the mountain, literally “on the head of the mountain,” means the peak or the “summit” (Durham). (See 24.17.) Good News Translation has “meet me there at the top” (similarly Contemporary English Version).

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 .