power / strength

The Hebrew that is typically translated in English as “power” or “might” or “force” is translated in the English translation by Goldingay (2018) as energy or energetic.

complete verse (Jeremiah 27:5)

Following are a number of back-translations as well as a sample translation for translators of Jeremiah 27:5:

  • Kupsabiny: “It is me who created this land/world, the people together with the animals by my amazing power/authority and strength alone and I give that land to any person as I want.” (Source: Kupsabiny Back Translation)
  • Hiligaynon: “By-means of my great power I created the earth, the peoples, and the animals, and (it) is my desire/[meaning: up to me] as-to whom I want- these -to-be-ruled-over-by.” (Source: Hiligaynon Back Translation)
  • English: “‘With my very great power I created the earth and the people and the animals that are on the earth. And I can give my power to anyone whom I want to.” (Source: Translation for Translators)

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 Jeremiah 27:5

It is I: In Hebrew the pronoun I is emphatic. Some translators have brought this out by saying, “I am the one who….”

Outstretched arm is an idiom indicating strength (see “outstretched hand” at 21.5). This expression occurs again in 32.17, 21. Its most frequent occurrences are in Deuteronomy (4.34; 5.15; 7.19; 9.29; 11.2; 26.8). Good News Translation translates it as “strength,” but most other English translations are literal. Traduction œcuménique de la Bible has “by the use of my power.” Die Bibel im heutigen Deutsch is essentially the same as Good News Translation.

Men refers to human beings, not just males. “People” or “human beings” (Good News Translation) is also possible.

To whomever it seems right to me is more literally “to whomever it is right in my eyes.” Good News Translation translates “to anyone I choose” and New Jerusalem Bible “to whom I please.” Contemporary English Version restructures I give it to whomever it seems right to me to say “I decide who will rule the earth.”

Quoted with permission from Newman, Barclay M. and Stine, Philip C. A Handbook on Jeremiah. (UBS Helps for Translators). New York: UBS, 2003. For this and other handbooks for translators see here .