complete verse (Isaiah 59:3)

Following are a number of back-translations as well as a sample translation for translators of Isaiah 59:3:

  • Kupsabiny: “Your hands are unclean
    because you have shed blood
    and your fingers are not clean
    because you have sinned.
    You have lied
    and you speaking evil/sinful words.” (Source: Kupsabiny Back Translation)
  • Newari: “For your hands are covered with blood
    and your fingers are stained with guilt,
    and your mouth speaks lies [lit.: matters that are not true],
    and your tongue speaks evil [lit.: matters that are not good].” (Source: Newari Back Translation)
  • Hiligaynon: “For you (plur.) kill people, and do other wickedness. You (plur.) lie and speak evil.” (Source: Hiligaynon Back Translation)

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 Isaiah 59:3

In this verse the prophet makes four accusations against his people. He uses imagery from the human body: hands, blood, fingers, lips, and tongue. These body parts link the verse with the previous subsection with its mention of “hand,” “ear,” and “face.” In verses 1-2 the body parts belong to God, but here they belong to the people. We urge translators to retain these figures unless they would be meaningless or could be misunderstood. Good News Translation removes all the figurative language, resulting in a brief summary statement that loses the poetry. Contemporary English Version, Bible en français courant, and Die Bibel im heutigen Deutsch maintain expressions that refer to body parts (see also the first example below).

The Hebrew particle ki rendered For could be a logical connector that introduces the reasons why God refuses to respond to the calls of his people for help, or it could be an emphatic marker that may be rendered “Indeed” or “Truly.” Good News Translation and Revised English Bible omit it.

Your hands are defiled with blood is a figure of speech that means the people have done violent things, perhaps even killing others. For this expression see the comments on 1.15, where a similar accusation occurs (“your hands are full of blood”). Your hands refers to the people’s actions. The Hebrew term rendered hands is not the usual one but refers to the “palm” of the hand (see the comments on 1.15 and 49.16). Defiled with blood means stained with blood (compare Lam 4.14). For this clause Good News Translation says simply “You are guilty of … murder.” “Your hands are full of blood” is acceptable if the expression is known in the receptor language to refer to very violent conduct.

And your fingers with iniquity is parallel to the previous line, implying the verb are defiled. This figurative expression means the people have been very sinful. Your fingers also refers to the people’s actions. The Hebrew word for iniquity is the same one that occurred in verse 2.

The passive verb are defiled may be rendered as an active one by translating the first two lines of this verse as follows: “Indeed, blood stains your hands, and sin your fingers” (see also second example below). A possible nonfigurative model is “For your actions have been very violent and sinful.”

Your lips have spoken lies: The prophet now turns to sins committed through speech; here he accuses the people of lying. Your lips refers figuratively to what the people say. What they lie about is not stated.

Your tongue mutters wickedness is parallel to the previous line. Your tongue also refers figuratively to what the people say. The Hebrew verb rendered mutters is an unusual one. It seems to be an onomatopoeic word representing an unintelligible sound (see 8.19). Here it refers to speaking. The Hebrew term for wickedness includes the idea of injustice. This word is parallel to lies, stressing that what these people say is evil. It is not clear whether their evil speech is directed against God or against their fellows. Good News Translation combines the last two lines into one word, “lying.” Bible en français courant is more vivid with “and when you open your mouth, it is only to lie or to slander.” A possible nonfigurative model is “you have been lying, you have been spreading/saying words of slander/injustice” (see also the second example below).

For the translation of this verse consider the following examples:

• This is because your hands are stained by the blood you have shed,
and your fingers with the evil they have done;
your lips have told lies,
and your tongue has spoken evil things.

• Indeed, you have stained yourselves with the blood of others,
and you have stained yourselves with evil.
You have spoken lies,
and told evil things of others.

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 .