1st person pronoun referring to God (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 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”.

Honorary "are" construct denoting God ("say")

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 usage of an honorific construction where the morpheme are (され) is affixed on the verb as shown here in the widely-used Japanese Shinkaiyaku (新改訳) Bible of 2017. This is particularly done with verbs that have God as the agent to show a deep sense of reverence. Here, iw-are-ru (言われる) or “say” is used.

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

Translation commentary on Exod 7:1

The chapter division at this point should be printed in a way that will not interrupt the flow of the conversation between the LORD and Moses. Note how Revised Standard Version makes verse 1 part of the same continuous paragraph with the previous verse. Good News Translation has a new paragraph because of a change in speaker, but it is printed in a way that shows clearly that all of this is part of one section. The context shows that this is the LORD’s reply to Moses’ question in 6.30.

It may be more natural to translate “The LORD answered him” (New American Bible), without repeating Moses, or simply “The LORD said” (Good News Translation and Contemporary English Version).

See is used here as an interjection, in the same way as “Behold,” so Good News Translation omits it as unnatural in English (so also at 1.9). But in some languages it may be more natural to translate it as “Look” (New Jerusalem Bible), or “See now” (New English Bible), or just “See” (New International Version).

I make you as God to Pharaoh repeats almost the same idea of 4.16, where God says that Moses will be like God to Aaron. (See there for similar translation expressions.) But here the emphasis is on I make you, which means the LORD is the one creating this special relationship between Moses and the Pharaoh. The word as, or “like” (Good News Translation), indicates that this is only a figure of speech. Moses should think of himself as though he were the Pharaoh’s god who had a special message for him. New Jewish Publication Society’s Tanakh brings out this meaning clearly: “I place you in the role of God to Pharaoh.” Since the tense is not clearly indicated, it may also be translated in the past, as in New English Bible (“I have made you like a god for Pharaoh”), or in the future (“I am going to make you like a god to the king”). God need not be capitalized here.

And Aaron … your prophet also repeats the same idea. In the same way that a prophet was the spokesperson for his god, Aaron would be the spokesperson for Moses, speaking to the Pharaoh as Moses would instruct him. Brother in this case is an elder brother. (See verse 7 below.)

Contemporary English Version‘s restructuring of this verse should be noted:

• The LORD said:
I am going to let your brother Aaron speak for you. He will tell your message to the king, just as a prophet speaks my message to the people.

This will be a helpful model for many translators, even though the reference to God has been replaced by the words “my message.” The final clause will be more accurately translated as “just as a prophet speaks the message of his god to the 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 .