Japanese honorifics (John 1:39)

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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 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, tomatteo-rare-ru (泊まっておられる) or “staying” and iw-are-ru (言われる) or “say” are used.

Also, a benefactive construction is used. Here, aratte (洗って) or “wash” 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).”

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

Translation commentary on John 1:39

It was then about four o’clock in the afternoon is literally “It was about the tenth hour.” John seems to follow Roman custom in reckoning the hours from daybreak, which would be about 6.00 a.m., and so “the tenth hour” is equivalent to 4.00 p.m. It is a reference to the time when Jesus invited the two men to come and see where he was staying. In the Greek this parenthetical statement appears at the end of the verse. However, it refers to the time when Jesus invited the two men to visit him, and therefore it is appropriate to introduce it earlier in the verse. Otherwise it could be misunderstood to refer to the time when the two men left Jesus after their visit.

The rest of that day represents the Greek “that day,” but In English it is more natural to add the rest of because the time involved is after four in the afternoon.

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 1:39

1:39a

Come and see: This Greek word that the Berean Standard Bible translates as Come here indicates that Jesus was persuading or inviting the two men to come with him. If the simple command Come sounds rude, you may want to say this:

You(dual) are welcome to come and see.
-or-
Please come and see.

The implied subject of both verbs is “you two” and refers to the two disciples.

see: The Greek word that the Berean Standard Bible translates as see here can mean to find out, understand, or discover. However, here it seems to mean literally “see.” Jesus wanted the disciples to see for themselves where he was staying. Here is another way to translate this word:

and I will show you.

He replied: The He refers to Jesus. In some languages it is more natural to make this more explicit. For example:

Jesus told them (God’s Word)

1:39b

So they went and saw where He was staying: The pronoun they refers to these two disciples of John. The pronoun He refers to Jesus. In some languages it is more natural to make this explicit. For example:

So the two men went with Jesus and saw where he was staying (New Century Version)

1:39c

and spent that day with Him: This refers to the rest of the day—the late afternoon and evening. It may be more natural to translate this in this way:

and spent ⌊the rest of⌋ the day with him
-or-
So they stayed on for the rest of the day. (Contemporary English Version)

1:39d

It was about the tenth hour: In that culture the day began at sunrise, about 6 o’clock in the morning. The sun set around 6 p.m. The daylight hours were divided into twelve (12) units, so the tenth hour was about 4 p.m.

It is not clear in the Greek what happened about the tenth hour. Some think that it refers to the time that Jesus invited John’s two disciples to come with him. Others think that it refers to the time when they arrived or finished talking at Jesus’ place. Some think that because it was late in the day, the disciples spent the night there. Because the Greek is not clear what about the tenth hour refers to, it is recommended that your translation does not make it clear.

General Comment on 1:39b–d

In some languages it may be natural to reorder 1:39b–d and state the time of day earlier. For example:

39d It was already about four o’clock in the afternoon 39b when they went with him and saw where he lived. 39c So they stayed on for the rest of the day. (Contemporary English Version)
-or-

39d It was about four o’clock in the afternoon 39b when they went with him to the place where he was staying, 39c and they remained with him the rest of the day. (New Living Translation (2004))
-or-

39b So then they followed Jesus to his home. 39d It was late afternoon. 39c They stayed there with him that day.

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