17This is the Spirit of truth, whom the world cannot receive because it neither sees him nor knows him. You know him because he abides with you, and he will be in you.
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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 morpheme rare (られ) is 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, o-rare-ru (おられる) or “is/be present” is used.
God transcends gender, but most languages are limited to grammatical gender expressed in pronouns. In the case of English, this is traditionally confined to “he” (or in the forms “his,” “him,” and “himself”), “she” (and “her,” “hers,” and “herself”), and “it” (and “its” and “itself”).
Modern Mandarin Chinese, however, offers another possibility. Here, the third-person singular pronoun is always pronounced the same (tā), but it is written differently according to its gender (他 is “he,” 她 is “she,” and 它/牠 is “it” and their respective derivative forms). In each of these characters, the first (or upper) part defines the gender (man, woman, or thing/animal), while the second element gives the clue to its pronunciation.
In 1930, after a full century with dozens of Chinese translations, Bible translator Wang Yuande (王元德) coined a new “godly” pronoun: 祂. Chinese readers immediately knew how to pronounce it: tā. But they also recognized that the first part of that character, signifying something spiritual, clarified that each person of the Trinity has no gender aside from being God.
While the most important Protestant and Catholic Chinese versions respectively have opted not to use 祂, some Bible translations do and it is widely used in hymnals and other Christian materials. Among the translations that use 祂 to refer to “God” were early versions of Lü Zhenzhong’s (呂振中) version (New Testament: 1946, complete Bible: 1970). R.P. Kramers (in The Bible Translator 1956, p. 152ff. ) explains why later versions of Lü’s translation did not continue with this practice: “This new way of writing ‘He,’ however, has created a minor problem of its own: must this polite form be used whenever Jesus is referred to? Lü follows the rule that, wherever Jesus is referred to as a human being, the normal tā (他) is written; where he is referred to as divine, especially after the ascension, the reverential tā (祂) is used.”
In that system, one kind of pronoun is used for humans (male and female alike) and others for natural elements, non-liquid masses, and some spiritual entities (one other is used for large animals and another one for miscellaneous items). While in these languages the pronoun for spiritual entities used to be employed when referring to God, this has changed into the use of the human pronoun.
Lynell Zogbo (in The Bible Translator 1989, p. 401ff. ) explains: “From informal discussions with young Christians especially, it would appear that, at least for some people, the experience and/or concepts of Christianity are affecting the choice of pronoun for God. Some people explain that God is no longer ‘far away,’ but is somehow tangible and personal. For these speakers God has shifted over into the human category.”
In Kouya, God (the Father) and Jesus are referred to with the human pronoun ɔ, whereas the Holy Spirit is referred to with a non-human pronoun. (Northern Grebo and Western Krahn make a similar distinction.)
Eddie Arthur, a former Kouya Bible translation consultant, says the following: “We tried to insist that this shouldn’t happen, but the Kouya team members were insistent that the human pronoun for the Spirit would not work.”
In Burmese, the pronoun ko taw (ကိုယ်တော်) is used either as 2nd person (you) or 3rd person (he, him, his) reference. “This term clearly has its root in the religious language in Burmese. No ordinary persons are addressed or known by this pronoun because it is reserved for Buddhist monks, famous religious teachers, and in the case of Christianity, the Trinity.” (Source: Gam Seng Shae in The Bible Translator 2002, p. 202ff. )
In Thai, the pronoun phra`ong (พระองค์) is used, a gender-neutral pronoun which must refer to a previously introduced royal or divine being. Similarly, in Northern Khmer, which is spoken in Thailand, “an honorific divine pronoun” is used for the pronoun referring to the persons of the Trinity (source: David Thomas in The Bible Translator 1993, p. 445 ). In Urak Lawoi’, another language spoken in Thailand, the translation often uses tuhat (ตูฮัด) — “God” — ”as a divine pronoun where Thai has phra’ong even though it’s actually a noun.” (Source for Thai and Urak Lawoi’: Stephen Pattemore)
The English “Contemporary Torah” addresses the question of God and gendered pronouns by mostly avoiding pronouns in the first five books of the Hebrew Bible/Old Testament (unless God is referred to as “lord,” “father,” “king,” or “warrior”). It does that by either using passive constructs (“He gave us” vs. “we were given”), by using the adjective “divine” or by using “God” rather than a pronoun.
Some Protestant and Orthodox English Bibles use a referential capitalized spelling when referring to the persons of the Trinity with “He,” “His,” “Him,” or “Himself.” This includes for instance the New American Standard Bible or The Orthodox New Testament, but most translations do not. Other languages where this is also done (in most Bible translations) are Twents as well as Indonesian and Malay. In the latter two languages this follows the language usage according to the Qur’an, which in turn predicts that usage (see Soesilo in The Bible Translator 1991, p. 442ff. and The Bible Translator 1997, p. 433ff. ).
Click or tap here to see the rest of this insight.
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.”
He is the Spirit who reveals the truth about God is literally “the Spirit of truth.” See Appendix II. In some languages the expression must be rendered “the Spirit that shows people what is true about God.” However in other languages it is better to say simply “… what God is really like” or “… who God really is.”
The world (see 1.10) in this context must be understood as “the people of the world,” essentially equivalent to “unbelievers.” The term is based upon a contrast between people who are related only to the system of the world and those whose faith and confidence is in God, who is in heaven.
In this particular context the translation of cannot receive him presents a problem. It may be necessary to employ a term which is not applicable to the reception of things, because receiving the Spirit would mean not only welcoming the Spirit into one’s own life, but submitting to the Spirit’s control over one. An equivalent in many languages is “cannot receive him into their hearts” or “cannot accept him as their helper.”
In this verse the pronouns referring to the Spirit are actually neuter in Greek. This is because the Greek term for Spirit (pneuma) is neuter, although masculine pronouns are used elsewhere in reference to the Spirit (note 15.26; 16.7,8,13,14). If there is a choice in the receptor language between impersonal (neuter) and personal pronouns, it is better to choose personal pronouns, since in John’s Gospel the Spirit has a very personal role. In 4.22 the pronouns which Good News Translation renders whom are actually neuter in Greek, but the reference is obviously to a personal deity. In 1 John 1.1 the pronouns are also neuter, but since the reference is to Jesus Christ, they are better rendered as personal rather than impersonal pronouns.
In the phrase you know him, the pronoun you is emphatic.
There is some question regarding the tense of the verb rendered is in Good News Translation. Some translations follow Greek manuscripts which have the present tense (Good News Translation, Anchor, Jerusalem Bible, Goodspeed, New English Bible). Others follow those manuscripts which have the future tense “will be” or “will live” (New American Bible, Die Bibel im heutigen Deutsch, Phillips, Revised Standard Version, Moffatt). As is easily seen in this sampling of translations, there is a considerable difference of opinion regarding the original text here. Jerusalem Bible and New English Bible each have footnotes indicating the possibility of the future tense, even though the translators prefer the present tense for their rendering. The UBS Committee favors the future tense, though rating its choice a “D” decision, indicating a very high degree of doubt regarding the original text. For some languages it seems almost essential to employ a future tense since, at least in the formal sense, the Holy Spirit had not as yet been given. He had simply been promised to his disciples. Accordingly, in some languages, a future form may be required by the context.
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 .
the Spirit of truth: This phrase means “the Spirit who proclaims or teaches the truth.” It refers to the Holy Spirit. Here is another way to translate this phrase:
the Spirit, who reveals the truth about God (Good News Translation)
In some languages it is more natural to use an adjective to translate truth. For example:
The Spirit will show you what is true. (Contemporary English Version)
14:17b
The world cannot receive Him: This expression indicates that the unbelievers of the world do not accept the Holy Spirit in their lives. They do not want to submit to him. They do not welcome him because they cannot do so, because of who they are and who he is. Here are possible ways to translate this expression:
The world cannot accept him. (New International Version) -or-
The people of this world cannot accept the Spirit ⌊as their helper⌋ . -or-
The people who do not believe are not able to be in fellowship with the Holy Spirit (Otomi Back Translation)
The world: This phrase refers to the people in the world who do not believe in God and Christ. The Greek text emphasizes this word, probably to contrast it with “You” in 14:17d, which is also emphasized.
receive: The Greek word that the Berean Standard Bible translates as receive here refers to accepting and welcoming a person. It is the same word that is used in 1:12.
14:17c
because: The connector because introduces the reasons for the fact that the world cannot receive God’s Spirit of truth (14:17b).
it: This word is a pronoun that refers to the world that does not believe. If you translated the word “world” in 14:17b with a plural noun (such as “unbelievers” or “people in this world”), then the pronoun here must also be plural. For example:
they (Contemporary English Version)
neither sees Him nor knows Him: The people of the world cannot see the Holy Spirit (Him) and they do not know him personally.
nor knows Him: The verb knows in this context means “have a personal relationship with.” Unbelievers might have heard about the Holy Spirit, but they do not know him personally.
14:17d
you do know Him: There is a contrast here. The contrast is between the world which does not receive or know the Holy Spirit (Him) and the disciples who do. The Greek text indicates this contrast by emphasizing the phrase “the world” in 14:17b and the pronoun you. Because of this contrast, most English translations supply the word “but.” You should indicate the contrast in a way that is natural in your language. For example:
But you know him (Good News Translation) -or-
You do know him
you: This pronoun is plural and refers to the disciples.
do know Him: This phrase in this context means “personally know the Holy Spirit” or “have experienced the Holy Spirit.” See how you translated a similar phrase in 14:17.
for He abides with you: The Greek word that the Berean Standard Bible translates as abides means “stays” or “remains.” At this time the Holy Spirit was with the disciples as an outside force or influence. They could see him working among them through the miracles that Jesus did and the miracles that they themselves did. Here are other ways to translate this clause:
because he lives with you now (New Living Translation (2004)) -or-
who is with you (Contemporary English Version)
and will be in you: Later, at Pentecost, the Holy Spirit came to the disciples to live inside each of them. He would be an internal force or influence. There is a textual issue here.
(1) Many Greek manuscripts have the future tense verb that means “will be.” For example:
and will be in you (Revised Standard Version)
(Berean Standard Bible, English Standard Version, King James Version, New American Standard Bible, New International Version, Revised Standard Version, Contemporary English Version, God’s Word, NET Bible, New Living Translation (2004), Revised English Bible, New Century Version)
(2) Some Greek manuscripts have the present tense verb that means “is.” For example:
and is in you (Good News Translation)
(Good News Translation, New Jerusalem Bible)
It is recommended that you follow option (1) because better manuscripts have that reading and most English translations follow it.
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