Japanese honorifics (John 1:33)

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 to do this is through the usage (or a lack) of an honorific prefix as shown here in the widely-used Japanese Shinkaiyaku (新改訳) Bible of 2017. When the referent is God, the “divine” honorific prefix mi- (御 or み) can be used, as in mi-tama (御霊) or “Spirit (of God)” in the referenced verses.

Other uses of honorifics in this verse include:

  • The choice of a benefactive construction. Here, yudanete (委ねて) or “entrust” is used in combination with kudasaru (くださる), a respectful form of the benefactive kureru (くれる). A benefactive reflects the good will of the giver or the gratitude of a recipient of the favor. To convey this connotation, English translation needs to employ a phrase such as “for me (my sake)” or “for you (your sake).”
  • The usage of an honorific construction where the morphemes rare (られ) or are (され) are affixed on the verb as shown here in the widely-used Japanese Shinkaiyaku (新改訳) Bible of 2017. This is particularly done with verbs that have God as the agent to show a deep sense of reverence. Here, shitteo-rare-ru (知っておられる) or “knowing” and iw-are-ru (言われる) or “say” are used.

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

3rd person pronoun with high register (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 third person singular and plural pronoun (“he,” “she,” “it” and their various forms) as shown here in the widely-used Japanese Shinkaiyaku (新改訳) Bible of 2017. While it’s not uncommon to avoid pronouns altogether in Japanese, there are is a range of third person pronouns that can be used. In these verses a number of them are used that pay particularly much respect to the referred person (or, in fact, God, as in Exodus 15:2), including kono kata (この方), sono kata (その方), and ano kata (あの方), meaning “this person,” “that person,” and “that person over there.”

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

See also third person pronoun with exalted register.

Translation commentary on John 1:33

I still did not know that he was the one is the same phrase used in verse 31 (I did not know who he would be; Greek, “I did not know him”). John the Baptist is represented as repeating a statement and following it the second time with a more complete explanation. This interpretation is altogether in keeping with the style of the Fourth Gospel.

Although in Greek the article the does not appear before Holy Spirit, Anchor Bible (“a holy Spirit”) is the sole exception; Moffatt and Goodspeed render by “the holy Spirit.” By the use of a lower-case “h” in “holy,” these three translations attempt to capture the original meaning of John the Baptist’s words, apart from the influence of Christian theology. That is, they realize that John the Baptist would not be speaking of “the Holy Spirit” in the same sense that a Christian would understand the term. However, it is quite probable that John’s words should be understood in light of the theology of the Fourth Gospel, and so be translated the Holy Spirit. In light of all these considerations, the following conclusions seem valid: (1) To translate either “a holy Spirit” or “the holy Spirit” is problematical in view of the theology of the fourth evangelist. (2) The translation “the Holy Spirit” says more than the historical Baptist probably intended. (3) The neutral solution seems to be to render the expression as “God’s Spirit” (Die Bibel im heutigen Deutsch). What John is saying is that “the coming one” will inaugurate the age of God’s salvation when God’s Spirit will purify mankind. This meaning comes out clearly in the Gospels of Matthew and Luke, where “the coming one” baptizes not only with “God’s Spirit” but “with fire” (Matt 3.11; Luke 3.16). In those Gospels “the coming one” is looked upon not only as inaugurating the age of salvation but also as bringing God’s judgment on those who have rejected God’s authority.

In some languages serious problems are involved in translating baptizes with the Holy Spirit, because the expression for “baptize” contains within itself a reference to “water.” The meaning of this passage might then be understood as “initiates with water with the Holy Spirit.” When the basic term for “baptism” means essentially “to initiate into the faith,” it may be better to eliminate specific reference to water in this context and simply say “initiates by means of the Holy Spirit” or “purifies by giving God’s Spirit.” The function of the Holy Spirit may be spoken of as causative, and the final clause of verse 33 may be translated “he is the one who causes the Holy Spirit to initiate us into faith.”

Quoted with permission from Newman, Barclay M. and Nida, Eugene A. A Handbook on the Gospel of John. (UBS Handbook Series). New York: UBS, 1980. For this and other handbooks for translators see here .

SIL Translator’s Notes on John 1:33

1:33a

I myself did not know Him: The only reason that John recognized that Jesus was the Messiah was because God told him. Until he baptized Jesus, John did not realize that Jesus was the one who came to save the people. For example:

Before this I didn’t know who he was. (Contemporary English Version)

John probably knew Jesus’ name, as they were related. But he had previously not recognized that Jesus was the Christ or Messiah, God’s Chosen Savior. In some languages it is more natural to make that explicit. For example:

⌊Until then⌋ I did not know ⌊that Jesus⌋ was ⌊the Christ/Messiah⌋ .

1:33b

but: The Greek word that the Berean Standard Bible translates as but introduces a strong contrast. It implies that after this next event, John did know who Jesus was.

the One who sent me to baptize with water: This phrase refers to God, who told John to baptize. In some languages you may need to make this explicit. For example:

God, who sent me to baptize with water (Good News Translation)

told me: This clause indicates that God had previously spoken to John. He had given John instructions about how to recognize the Coming One, the Christ.

1:33c

The man on whom you see the Spirit descend and rest: The subject of this sentence, The man, refers to Jesus. However, God did not tell John that it was Jesus. So in your translation you should not identify him by name. For example:

The man on whom you see the Spirit come down and rest (Revised English Bible)

descend and rest: The Holy Spirit came down on Jesus and then stayed on or with him. It is important that both of these actions are present in your translation.

1:33d

is He who will baptize with the Holy Spirit: In some languages it is more natural to include an object and say whom this man will baptize. For example:

this man is the One who will baptize ⌊people⌋ with the Holy Spirit

will baptize: The verb baptize indicates a ceremony or ritual of washing. In water baptism, this ritual involves using water. Water is a symbol of cleansing. In baptism with the Holy Spirit, the Holy Spirit cleanses and makes the person pure.

Holy Spirit: The Greek phrase that the Berean Standard Bible translates as Holy Spirit refers to the Spirit of God. The Holy Spirit is God, together with God the Father and God the Son. He is Spirit in that he is a living being who does not have a physical body. He is Holy in the sense that he comes from God and is God, unique, distinct from every other being. He is perfect in every way and is completely pure and sinless.

Here are some ways to translate Holy Spirit :

Spirit/Breath of/from God
-or-
Holy/Sacred Spirit

Do not imply that the Holy Spirit is like the ghost of a dead person or that God has died.

See Holy in Key Biblical Terms, A 2.

General Comment on 1:33

This verse contains a quotation that includes a quotation. John quoted God’s words when he talked to the people. In some languages it may be natural to translate the included quotation as an indirect quote. For example:

33a I myself did not know who Jesus was. 33b But God, who sent me to baptize with water, told me about him. 33c He said that I would see the Spirit descend and remain on him. 33d That would tell me that he was the one who would baptize with the Holy Spirit.
-or-

33a I myself did not know/recognize Jesus to be the Messiah. 33b But the one who sent me to baptize with water told me about him. He said that 33c the one on whom I witness the Spirit come down and rest 33d is the one who will baptize with the Holy Spirit.

© 2020 by SIL International®
Made available under the terms of a Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 License (CC BY-SA) creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0.
All Scripture quotations in this publication, unless otherwise indicated, are from The Holy Bible, Berean Standard Bible.
BSB is produced in cooperation with Bible Hub, Discovery Bible, OpenBible.com, and the Berean Bible Translation Committee.

SIL Translator’s Notes on John 13:3

13:3a

Jesus knew that the Father had delivered all things into His hands: This expression explains some background information about why Jesus acted the way he did in 13:4–5. See the General Comment on 13:3a–4a, following the notes on 13:4a.

It may be natural to translate this as an independent clause. For example:

Jesus knew that the Father had put everything into his hands. (New Jerusalem Bible)
-or-
The Father had put everything in Jesus’ control. Jesus knew that…. So… (God’s Word)

knew: This word refers to something that Jesus always knew. He did not just come to realize it at that time. This word is a participle and can be understood as giving a reason for what Jesus did in 13:4–5. For example:

Because Jesus knew (NET Bible)

See the General Comment on 13:3a–4a for another example of how to express this reason connection.

the Father: This phrase refers to God the Father, Jesus’ Father. In some languages you may want to make that clearer. For example:

God (Contemporary English Version)
-or-
his Father

had delivered all things into His hands: This phrase is an idiom meaning “had given him power over everything.” God had given Jesus authority, and Jesus knew it. Here are other ways to translate this phrase:

had put all things under his power (New International Version)
-or-
had given him authority over everything (New Living Translation (2004))
-or-
had given him complete power (Contemporary English Version)

13:3b

and that He had come from God and was returning to God: This expression tells another thing that Jesus knew. He knew that God sent him to earth and that he would soon leave earth and return to God in heaven. Here are other ways to translate this expression:

He also knew that he had come from God and was going back to God. (God’s Word)

© 2020 by SIL International®
Made available under the terms of a Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 License (CC BY-SA) creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0.
All Scripture quotations in this publication, unless otherwise indicated, are from The Holy Bible, Berean Standard Bible.
BSB is produced in cooperation with Bible Hub, Discovery Bible, OpenBible.com, and the Berean Bible Translation Committee.