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 2:8

For priests see the comments at 1.1.

For Where is the LORD? see the comments at 2.6.

This verse mentions various groups of national and religious leaders who were unfaithful to the LORD. If those who handle the law are identified with the priests, then there are three groups in the list; otherwise, four groups of leaders are included. Some scholars believe those who handle the law to be a subdivision within the priesthood, people who later became the “scribes” of the Jewish religion. However, the more widely accepted viewpoint is that which equates those who handle the law with the priests. Thus Jerusalem Bible and New American Bible make this identification in a footnote, while Good News Translation and Die Bibel im heutigen Deutsch resolve the matter translationally: “Your priests did not want to know anything about me; when they gave instruction, they paid no attention to my Law” (Die Bibel im heutigen Deutsch). Translators who want to retain the parallelism and yet show that the two expressions refer to the same people can say “Even though they handle the law, they did not know me.” The double indictment against the priests suggests the intensity of Jeremiah’s feelings against these persons who should have been the spiritual and moral leaders of the nation but in fact had misrepresented the LORD’s will for the people. For a similar judgment against the priests, see Hos 4.6.

Those who handle the law can be rendered as “the specialists of the law” (so Bible en français courant), “those who deal with the law” (so New International Version and New American Bible), or “those who are in possession of the divine law” (so Traduction œcuménique de la Bible).

Did not know me: See the comments concerning “I knew you” at 1.5.

As the Revised Standard Version footnote indicates, rulers is literally “shepherds.” But “shepherds” is frequently used in the Old Testament of earthly leaders, especially kings and royalty. Die Bibel im heutigen Deutsch translates “The leaders of the people” and Good News Translation has “The rulers.” Traduction œcuménique de la Bible retains “shepherds” in the translation, accompanied by a footnote that “kings” are intended, as in Micah 5.5.

Transgressed represents a verb that is generally rendered “rebelled” (Good News Translation, Revised English Bible, New Jerusalem Bible).

The prophets prophesied by Baal has been clearly expressed by Good News Translation: “the prophets spoke in the name of Baal.” Some translators have said “God’s prophets spoke for Baal.” Such a rendering would even work in languages where “prophet” is normally translated “spokesperson for God”: “God’s spokesmen spoke in Baal’s name [or, spoke for Baal].” Baal (the name means “owner” or “lord”) was a Canaanite fertility god. It also occurs in the plural form, “Baals,” to refer to the numerous gods and idols the Canaanites worshiped. Translators should transliterate the word, whether in the singular form as a proper noun (as here) or in the plural. In some verses, which we will point out, “gods” will be appropriate. The accusation that the Israelite prophets had prophesied by Baal most likely describes the deteriorated situation of Israelite religion at the time. Jeremiah is probably accusing the Israelite prophets of doing something that they were not conscious of doing; that is, the prophets assumed that they were making their pronouncements in the name of the LORD, whereas in reality their messages reflected the intermingling of Canaanite religion with the worship of the LORD.

Went after things that do not profit is equivalent to “went after worthlessness” in verse 5. Here also the emphasis is upon the inability of the Canaanite deities to help those who worship or pray to them: “They all worship gods who cannot help” (Die Bibel im heutigen Deutsch). But note our comment on “gods” at 1.16. A note in La Bible Pléiade identifies things that do not profit as “idols.”

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 .