complete verse (Isaiah 48:12)

Following are a number of back-translations as well as a sample translation for translators of Isaiah 48:12:

  • Kupsabiny: “Listen to me, oh, stomach of Jacob,
    you people of Israel whom I have called.
    I am the God of the beginning
    and I am of the end.” (Source: Kupsabiny Back Translation)
  • Newari: “O descendants of Jacob,
    Israel, whom I have chosen, pay attention to my words, listen!
    I am God,
    I am the beginning and the end.” (Source: Newari Back Translation)
  • Hiligaynon: “‘[You (plur.)] listen to me, you (plur.) who of/from-Israel whom I chose. I am God, the beginning and the ending of all.” (Source: Hiligaynon Back Translation)

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 Isaiah 48:12

Good News Translation adds the quote frame “The LORD says” in order to remind readers at the beginning of this new section that Yahweh’s speech, begun at verse 3, continues.

Hearken to me, O Jacob, and Israel, whom I called!: Yahweh tells his people to listen to what he will say. The imperative verb Hearken is singular in Hebrew (see the introductory comments on this section [48.12-16]). God refers to his people using the double expression Jacob and Israel as in 41.8; 44.1; and elsewhere. However, here he describes them as people whom I called (see 41.9; 42.6; 43.1). This clause is similar in meaning to the more usual expression “whom I have chosen” (see, for example, 44.1-2) and the idea of their being formed by Yahweh (see, for example 43.1; 44.2). The verb called in this context does not simply mean to shout Israel’s name, but rather to choose and appoint it to fulfill a special mission. In languages where the verb “call” cannot have such a meaning, it may be better to use a verb with the sense of “choose/select.”

I am He is the basic divine self-reference found also in 41.4; 43.10, 13, 25; 46.4; and 51.12. It plays an important part in God’s self-revelation (see the comments on 41.4). Here this expression may be rendered “I am the LORD” (Revised English Bible), “I am Yahweh,” or “I am God” (Good News Translation).

For I am the first, and I am the last, see the comments on 44.6. As noted there, this expression means that Yahweh is all-encompassing, absolute, and without equal. If possible, it should be rendered in the same way as at 44.6. Good News Translation limits the expression to Yahweh claiming to be the only God, because at 44.6 the next line gives that meaning explicitly. However, this very brief expression in Hebrew probably has a broader meaning here. In the context of the following verse, which refers to God as the Creator, it likely also refers to him as the beginning and end of everything (see the second example below).

For the translation of this verse consider the following examples:

• “Listen to me, Jacob,
Israel whom I have called!
I am He [or, God],
I am the first, and I am also the last.

• “Listen to me, Jacob,
Israel my called one!
I am the one.
I am the beginning and end of all things.

Quoted with permission from Ogden, Graham S. and Sterk, Jan. A Handbook on Isaiah. (UBS Helps for Translators). New York: UBS, 2011. For this and other handbooks for translators see here .