Japanese honorifics (Ezekiel 11:19)

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 this verse, where God 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.

Another way is through the choice of a formal plural suffix to the second person pronoun (“you” and its various forms). Here, 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. )

complete verse (Ezekiel 11:19)

Following are a number of back-translations as well as a sample translation for translators of Ezekiel 11:19:

  • Kupsabiny: “I shall make you believe me with all the stomach and your thoughts. I shall remove your stubbornness which makes your heads dry/hard and make you become people who listen to words.” (Source: Kupsabiny Back Translation)
  • Hiligaynon: “I will-renew your heart and your mind. You no-longer will-be hard headed but you are now faithful to me.” (Source: Hiligaynon Back Translation)
  • Taita: “I will make them of one mind, I will give them a new spirit, I will remove their heart of stone and give them an obeying heart” (Source: Jan Sterk)
  • English: “I will put a new way of thinking within you. I will cause you to no longer be stubborn , and I will enable you to obey me completely.” (Source: Translation for Translators)

Translation commentary on Ezekiel 11:19

And I will give them one heart, and put a new spirit within them …: The connector And marks a continuation of the prophecy, but in many languages it is more natural to omit it (so New Revised Standard Version, Good News Translation). Here God promises to remake internally the exiles who return, so that they obey and follow him properly in the future. I will take the stony heart out of their flesh and give them a heart of flesh means he will remove their stubborn, disobedient nature, and make them compliant and obedient. The theme here is found elsewhere in Ezekiel (18.31; 36.26) and in Jer 32.39.

In Hebrew culture the heart was the organ with which a person thought and made decisions; it was not just a person’s emotional center (see the comments on 3.7). Care must be taken in translation to avoid the impression of a physical heart transplant here. Heart is used in a figurative sense in this verse. Therefore some translations have left out any reference to the heart; for example, Contemporary English Version renders this verse as “Then I will take away your stubbornness and make you eager to be completely faithful to me. You will want to obey me.” This is a good model for those languages in which the term “heart” may conjure up an image of the physical organ. But for those languages that have comparable idioms to the Hebrew (for example, liver, kidneys or neck as the seat of thinking and the will), the image of a metaphorical transplant is very powerful. A person’s spirit is very similar to the heart in Hebrew culture. It refers to the mind and will, and is the means by which someone makes decisions (see the comments on 1.12).

In Revised Standard Version and most other translations God promises to give the returning exiles one heart. This means an undivided heart, totally and completely obedient and devoted to God. Good News Translation, New American Bible, and Die Bibel im heutigen Deutsch follow a different reading by saying “a new heart.” The similar passages of 18.31 and 36.26 refer to “a new heart,” and some Hebrew manuscripts read “a new heart” here also. New English Bible, on the other hand, reads “a different heart.” The Hebrew word for new (ʾechad) is very similar to the word for “different” (ʾacher) The only difference in consonants is between the Hebrew letters for “d” and “r.” Scribes often confused these two letters when they were copying texts (see the comments on 6.14). Hebrew Old Testament Text Project recommends this third alternative. It is impossible to be sure which of these readings is best, so translators will need to decide for themselves which one is most appropriate in the context.

Instead of and put a new spirit within them, the Hebrew actually has “and put a new spirit within you.” This change from third person to second person occurs frequently in the Bible and is used to make the discourse more vivid. In most languages it is confusing to make a change like this, so it is better to retain the third person, as some Hebrew manuscripts and many early versions do, as well as most modern translations. This is the best way to make the translation clear.

A model for this verse is:

• I will give them a different [or, new] way of thinking and they will want to live in a new way. I will take away their stubborn nature [which is hard like stone] and make them obedient [or, willing to obey me].

Quoted with permission from Gross, Carl & Stine, Philip C. A Handbook on Ezekiel. (UBS Helps for Translators). Miami: UBS, 2016. For this and other handbooks for translators see here .