complete verse (Ezekiel 16:11)

Following are a number of back-translations as well as a sample translation for translators of Ezekiel 16:11:

  • Kupsabiny: “I dressed you with arm rings and pearls of the neck” (Source: Kupsabiny Back Translation)
  • Hiligaynon: “I caused-to-be-put on you jewelries: bracelets and necklace.” (Source: Hiligaynon Back Translation)
  • English: “It was as though I put bracelets on your arms and a necklace around your neck. Those things all had nice jewels fastened to them.” (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 Ezekiel 16:11 - 16:12

And I decked you with ornaments is literally “And I adorned [or, ornamented] you with adornments [or ornaments]” (similarly New Revised Standard Version, New King James Version , New American Standard Bible). The Hebrew words for decked and ornaments come from the same root. The ornaments were “jewels” (Good News Translation, New Jerusalem Bible) or “jewelry” (New International Version, New Living Translation, New Century Version, Revised English Bible, New American Bible) for the girl to wear to make her more beautiful. This clause may be rendered “I gave you beautiful jewelry to wear.” Verses 11b-12 list some of the girl’s jewelry.

And put bracelets on your arms: The Hebrew word for bracelets refers to bands of precious material or stones that a person ties on his or her arms (literally “hands” [King James Version, New American Standard Bible]) or “wrists” (New King James Version , Revised English Bible, Jerusalem Bible/New Jerusalem Bible).

And a chain on your neck refers to a “necklace” (Contemporary English Version).

And I put a ring on your nose: God also gave the girl a “nose ring” (Good News Translation). Instead of ring on your nose, King James Version has “jewel on thy forehead” since its translators apparently could not imagine that a nose ring could be an item of beauty. But “nose ring” should be kept. Not only is this more accurate, but in fact many cultures of the world are very familiar with this type of jewelry. For those cultures where a bone in the nose is considered an ornament, translators may use a bone instead of a ring.

And a beautiful crown upon your head: The Hebrew word for crown normally refers to a richly decorated headpiece of a king or queen. However, if readers are unfamiliar with it, this whole phrase may be rendered “and a beautiful headpiece like a ruler would wear” or simply “and a beautiful [or, valuable] headpiece.”

The girl’s jewelry may also have consisted of brooches, hair pins, and other beautiful things to wear, but these are not specifically mentioned. In some languages it may be difficult to describe all of these items in detail, and any attempt to do so may deflect the reader from the main focus of the passage. In such cases it may be advisable for translators to summarize the thrust of the passage and omit the details. A model that does this for verses 10-12 is:

• 10 I gave you the most beautiful clothes to wear and very good shoes for your feet. 11-12 And I gave you beautiful jewels to wear on your arms and around your neck and on your head.

Another possible model is:

• 10 I gave you brightly-colored clothes with beautiful needlework to wear and shoes made from the best leather. I wrapped a headband of linen cloth around your head, and clothed you with garments of very expensive cloth. 11 I gave you beautiful jewelry: bracelets and chains, 12 rings for your nose and ears, and a beautiful headpiece like a chief would wear.

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 .