self-referencing pronoun for king or queen

In Malay, the pronoun beta for the royal “I” (or “my” or “me”) that is used by royals when speaking to people of lower rank, subordinates or commoners to refer to themselves in these verses. This reflects the “language of the court because the monarchy and sultanate in Malaysia are still alive and well. All oral and printed literature (including newspapers and magazines) preserve and glorify the language of the court. Considering that the language of the court is part of the Malaysian language, court language is used sparingly where appropriate, specifically with texts relating to palace life.” (Source: Daud Soesilo in The Bible Translator 2025, p. 263ff.)

complete verse (Genesis 45:18)

Following are a number of back-translations as well as a sample translation for translators of Genesis 45:18:

  • Kankanaey: “so that then they will fetch your father and their families to return here. Because I will give them the best land here in Egipto and it will more-than suffice for them to-live-on.” (Source: Kankanaey Back Translation)
  • Newari: “And bringing their father and [their] families, to come back here. I will give them the best fields of Egypt. And they will be able to live with joy, eating the grain that bears fruit there.” (Source: Newari Back Translation)
  • Hiligaynon: “Then they (should) bring their father and their families here, for I will-give to them the best land in Egipto and they will-taste the best of its products.” (Source: Hiligaynon Back Translation)
  • English: “Then bring your father and your families back here. I will give you the best land in Egypt, and you will have the best food in the land to eat.'” (Source: Translation for Translators)

formal 2nd person plural pronoun (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 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).

(Source: S. E. Doi, see also S. E. Doi in Journal of Translation, 18/2022, p. 37ff. )

Translation commentary on Genesis 45:18

Take your father and your households, and come to me: for take your father Revised English Bible say “Fetch your father…,” which means “go and get.” We may also say, for example, “bring your father….” Households means “families” or “relatives.” When he says come to me, the king speaks of Egypt as being himself. It may be more natural to say “come back to Egypt” or “come back here.”

I will give you the best of the land of Egypt: best means “the best area,” “the best region.” When spoken to herdsmen (as Jacob’s family are), best has a quite different meaning than it would have when spoken to farmers. The king has in mind areas where animals will find the best pastures. We may translate as the “best region [or, territory; or, area] of Egypt” or “the best pasture lands in Egypt.”

You shall eat the fat of the land: in 27.28 Isaac blesses Jacob with “the fatness of the earth,” which refers to the land’s rich fertility and growth. In Ezek 34.14 a “good pasture” is called in Hebrew “a fat pasture.” In this verse fat of the land refers to good produce, as Bible en français courant translates: “You will have available the best produce of the country.” We may also say, for example, “You [plural] will have the best food there is to eat in this country.”

Quoted with permission from Reyburn, William D. and Fry, Euan McG. A Handbook on Genesis. (UBS Helps for Translators). New York: UBS, 1997. For this and other handbooks for translators see here .