Following are a number of back-translations as well as a sample translation for translators of Ezekiel 36:27:
Kupsabiny: “I will give you my Spirit and see that you follow my will and keep my laws.” (Source: Kupsabiny Back Translation)
Hiligaynon: “I will-also -give you my Spirit so-that you will-obey carefully my commands and statutes/regulations.” (Source: Hiligaynon Back Translation)
English: “I will put my Spirit within you and enable you to carefully obey all my laws.” (Source: Translation for Translators)
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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.
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 formal plural suffix to the second person pronoun (“you” and its various forms) as shown here in the widely-used Japanese Shinkaiyaku (新改訳) Bible of 2017. In these verses, 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).
And I will put my spirit within you: My spirit is God’s spirit. Although the New Testament understanding of the Holy Spirit had not yet developed in the time of Ezekiel, it is acceptable for translators to render this with their normal term for the Holy Spirit (compare the comments on 2.2).
And cause you to walk in my statutes and be careful to observe my ordinances: God’s spirit will make the Israelites obedient. For walk in my statutes and observe my ordinances, see the comments on 11.12, 20. Be careful to observe my ordinances is better translated “obey my commands and do them.”
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 .
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