complete verse (Ezekiel 22:30)

Following are a number of back-translations as well as a sample translation for translators of Ezekiel 22:30:

  • Kupsabiny: “I looked for a person who might rebuild the wall and who would be able to stand at the side/place of the wall where it has fallen down so as to support the land so that I would not destroy it. But I found no one.” (Source: Kupsabiny Back Translation)
  • Hiligaynon: “‘I have-looked for a man who can-defend the city and can-go-between me and the people so-that I will- not -destroy this city, but I found no one.” (Source: Hiligaynon Back Translation)
  • English: “I looked among them to find a man who would cause the people of the city to repent so that I would not need to get rid of them. But I did not find anyone.” (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 22:30

In 13.5 God used the picture of prophets standing by broken-down city walls. They were to stand in the holes or rebuild the broken walls to guard the city against the enemies. This was a metaphor for the appropriate behavior of prophets, whose tasks were to tell the people of their sin, to warn them of the coming judgment, and to pray to God on behalf of the land (see the comments on 13.5).

And I sought for a man among them who should build up the wall and stand in the breach before me for the land … but I found none: Here God says that he looked for a leader to defend the people when they were attacked but he was not able to find anyone to do so. Sought for means “looked for” (Good News Translation). Although the text says God looked for a man, it is acceptable to use a more inclusive expression, such as “someone” (Good News Translation). It is not clear to whom the pronoun them refers. Although it was the task of the prophets to protect the people, grammatically it is unlikely that this pronoun refers back to the prophets in verse 28. It is best to take this pronoun as referring to all the people, that is, God did not restrict himself to the leaders who should have done the job. For who should build up the wall and stand in the breach, see the comments on 13.5. Here translators may say “who could build up the wall and stand in the places where it was broken down in order to defend the city.” Again God uses the metaphorical picture of guarding the city to describe someone who would stand up for justice, condemn sin, warn of the coming judgment, and intercede with God. Before me makes it clear that God himself will be the enemy and will attack the land. That I should not destroy it shows that God loved the land of Israel and its people and did not want to destroy them. Contemporary English Version says “to stop me from destroying it.”

New Century Version provides a good model for this verse, saying “I looked for someone to build up the walls and to stand before me where the walls are broken to defend these people so I would not have to destroy them. But I could not find anyone.”

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 .