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

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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 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 Ezekiel 26:3

Therefore thus says the Lord GOD …: In verses 3-6a God says how he will punish the people of Tyre because of their gloating over the downfall of Jerusalem. His judgment against them begins in the same way as the punishment of the Edomites (see 25.13) and the Philistines (see 25.16). It begins with the traditional prophetic formula thus says the Lord GOD. Lord renders the Hebrew word ʾadonai, and GOD renders “Yahweh” (YHWH in Hebrew). This clause may be rendered “This is what I, the Lord Yahweh, say.”

Behold, I am against you, O Tyre: The Hebrew particle hinneh rendered Behold highlights God’s punishment of Tyre. I am against you is a common expression in Ezekiel when God is about to punish somebody (see the comments on 5.8). It may be rendered “I am your enemy” (Good News Translation, New Living Translation; similarly Contemporary English Version). O Tyre is a vocative expression. In some languages it may be more natural to omit it (so Contemporary English Version). Other languages may prefer to say “city of Tyre” (Good News Translation) or “people of Tyre.”

And will bring up many nations against you means God will send the armies of many nations to attack Tyre.

As the sea brings up its waves: God uses the picture of the waves of a stormy sea crashing against the shore to describe the armies attacking Tyre. He will throw the armies against the city in the same way as the sea throws its waves violently against the shore. If readers are familiar with the ocean and the movement of the waves on the shore, translators may render this clause and the previous one as “I will send the armies of many nations to attack you one after the other, just like ocean waves beating on the shore.” If readers are not familiar with the ocean’s waves, translators may say “I will send the armies of many nations to attack you one after the other, just like water from a lake beats against the shoreline.”

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 .